Today, it is hard to not be a part of a discussion associated with sustainability of our food systems. Beef cattle production frequently is a target among individuals who would prefer to blame the current state of climate change on methane emissions of the livestock industry. 

In reality, the total effect of all emissions related to beef cattle production has been reported to lie somewhere between 1.5 and 3.7% of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. I frequently indicate to producer groups the beef industry may not have created issues associated with climate change, but they can be a big part of the solution. 

Few entities that blame the cattle industry for contributing to GHG emissions acknowledge they are not only a source of food, but also provide fiber for clothing, contribute to soil fertility enhancement, offer ecological benefits (pest and weed control), and convert non-edible, low-quality roughages on non-arable lands into human-edible foods, which is critical to feeding a growing population.

Proven improvement 

We should all be proud of what the beef industry has done to improve efficiency of production in recent years. In fact, research has demonstrated the industry has improved sustainability by 5% through the past six years. 

Some examples reported by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association are: 1) 10% decrease in emissions to water; 2) 7% decrease in emissions to soil; 3) 2% decrease in GHG emissions; 4) 2% in energy use; and, among others 5) decrease in resource consumption. 

Today we produce significantly more beef with significantly fewer cattle and are more efficient than ever. Some of the efficiencies have come about with the introduction of precision farming and ranching techniques, improved health, genetics and nutrition, or the use of improved science and technology practices to alter food supply chain delivery and packaging. However, when we broadly discuss sustainability in the industry, we seldom talk about how reproduction fits into the sustainability picture.

The U.S. dairy industry is a tremendous case study on the impact of reproductive technologies, especially artificial insemination (AI) and embryo transfer (ET). 

One study revealed the carbon footprint of the 2007 U.S. dairy cattle industry was only 37% of the carbon footprint of the 1944 U.S. dairy cattle industry. Per liter of milk produced, the 2007 U.S. dairy cattle industry used only 10% of the land, 21% of animals, 23% of feedstuffs and 35% of the water of the 1944 industry. Much of this improvement has been attributed to development and introduction of AI and ET to effectively alter genetic improvement and efficiency for milk production.

Another report compared the 2017 and 2007 U.S. dairy cattle industries. Results demonstrated that per unit of milk produced, the 2017 industry used only 79.2% of the land, 74.8% of animals, 82.7% of feedstuffs and 69.5% of water. Outputs per unit of milk produced were only 79.4% of manure and 80.9% of methane.

Similarly in beef cattle when comparing the U.S. beef industry between 1977 and 2007, total cattle population required to produce one billion kilograms (kg) of beef in 2007 was reduced by 31% compared to 1977. Total land area (pasture/rangeland and cropland) required to support beef production was reduced by 30%. Water use was reduced by 14% between 1977 and 2007. Compared to the 1977 beef industry, fossil fuel energy for beef production was reduced by 9% in 2007. The total carbon footprint was reduced by 18% in 2007 compared to 1977. 

Role of reproductive technologies

During this period of time, the increased use of reproductive technologies played a significant role in the improvement of efficiency. Simple management procedures like  establishing a defined breeding season, castration of male calves or breeding soundness examinations for herd sire’s enhanced efficiencies. 

The introduction of more applied reproductive technologies such as AI, fixed-time AI, ET and in vitro fertilization reproductive technologies have enhanced the ability to effectively introduce greater-quality genetics, stimulate cyclicity in non-cycling cows, improve pregnancy rates and reduce breeding season length. 

All aid in decreasing the footprint of our livestock industry while providing a high-quality protein source to feed the world.

The use of sexed semen is a technology that has significantly changed the dairy industry and also had an effect on the beef industry. By performing AI with sexed semen cells, it is possible to pre-determine the sex of a newborn calf with an accuracy of approximately 90-95%. 

The application of sexed semen to produce beef on dairy (BxD) cattle has significantly altered the industry. In a dairy, male calves typically have low value. In the BxD approach, the highest-producing dairy females in a herd undergo AI with “female” semen from a dairy breed bull to generate female calves that will enter the breeding herd. The remaining females in the milking herd undergo AI using male sexed semen or conventional semen from a beef bull. 

This breeding approach allows the best milking females to produce daughters with high genetic potential for milk production and the average or below average females to produce sons with higher genetic potential for meat production. Beef cattle producers are also adopting the use of sexed semen for the desired sex of calves either to enter the beef supply chain or for seedstock use.  

Genome-editing will significantly alter the beef industry in the future. Cattle have already been produced with the polled gene (not an issue for Angus) which eliminates the need to remove horns from cattle, the myostatin gene for increased muscling and the SLICK gene for increased heat tolerance. 

Breeding Angus cattle with the SLICK gene may have significant effect on the adoption of Angus breeds in tropical and subtropical environments. Introduction of technologies like this may increase positive implications on sustainability with the opportunity for Angus cattle with the SLICK gene to have a greater ability to regulate body temperature compared to animals that are not gene-edited. This may lead to superior growth characteristics and product yield as a result of mitigating the effects of chronic heat stress.