Illinois cattle farmers - everyday environmentalists

Good land stewardship goes hand-in-hand with managing a successful cattle operation. After all, 94 out of 100 Illinois farms are family owned, and it’s important practices of cattle producers support an ability to hand down a thriving business to future generations.

Cattle farming families walk the same land, breathe the same air, and drink the same water as the families who consume the beef they raise. These farming families take their commitment to protect and improve these natural resources seriously, and they take many of the same everyday actions to protect the environment as people living in towns and cities.

Water is a source of life for everyone on the farm, including the cattle, the wildlife and the families that raise and protect them. Water, whether drinking water for people, cattle and wildlife, or irrigation water for crops, is essential for maintaining farm life. Beef producers’ everyday water conservation efforts include conducting water quality tests, fencing off streams to protect the fish and waterways, and creating man-made irrigation ponds.

Farm families in Illinois practice responsible land management. Cattle grazing stabilizes the soil and promotes growth of beneficial grasses while protecting against erosion. Erosion control practices, including rotational grazing and brush control management, protects this fragile ecosystem.

Illinois’ beef producers are proud of their work to increase both productivity and sustainability on their land. According to the Department of Agriculture, 85 percent of all land in the United States is not suitable for raising crops. By grazing cattle on this land, farmers double the land area used to produce food. The rest of the world looks to this country’s cattle farmers as models for both efficiency and sustainability.

Through their Beef Checkoff Program, Illinois cattle producers want you to know more about how they raise food for America’s tables. For more information on beef raising and the environment go to www.explorebeef.org.

Join the Illinois Beef Association in promoting May Beef Month in Illinois by sharing beef's story and to celebrate the start of summer grilling season.