[Ruminations vol. 28] Beefing up the scientific support

Earlier this week, a prominent food recipe website announced that it will stop posting beef recipes in an attempt “to envision a more sustainable way to cook.” This isn’t the first time, nor will it be the last, that livestock has wrongfully been used as a scapegoat in environmental discussions.

As our readers know all too well, while there are certainly unsustainable and environmentally destructive ways in which some livestock are raised, there is more to the conversation than the black-or-white, all-or-nothing, cows-bad-plants-good narrative.

So why the disconnect?

In modern society, we have become accustomed to quick news cycles, attention-grabbing headlines, and research findings taken out of context. Case in point, full lifecycle analyses of livestock emissions are often compared to isolated tailpipe emissions from the transportation sector, giving an apples-to-oranges comparison that paints a misleading picture and is often cited by documentaries, news pieces, and other outlets advocating for the elimination of livestock.

Whereas a holistic perspective would provide nuance and context, the reductionist perspective dominates and leads well-intentioned individuals to make poorly-informed decisions.

In the early years of the Savory Institute, we often faced critics asking “where’s the science?” Admittedly, there weren’t many peer-reviewed studies we could point to… at least not yet. Over the last few years, however, there has been a groundswell of research coming out of Texas A&M, Michigan State University, Berkeley, University of Nairobi, University of South Africa, and beyond. This research has studied real-world Holistic Management practitioners with decades of experience, and the results speak to the ecological, economic, and social ways in which managing holistically can positively impact our world.

To highlight this incredibly important work, and offer a new perspective to the reductionist anti-livestock crowd, at the Savory Institute we are putting more effort into making the science of Holistic Management more accessible. Here are some of those ways:

Last week for Earth Day, we launched a major update to Savory’s Science Library, including a modern and streamlined format, search filters, category tags, and more. Explore the Science Library.

We also live-streamed a webinar with Dr. Richard Teague discussing his many years of research studying Holistic Planned Grazing. Rewatch the webinar here.

Of course, there is also our Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV) protocol – the backbone of our Land to Market program – that is now being used on over 2 million acres worldwide to measure leading and lagging indicators of ecosystem health, helping inform management decisions but also providing verifiable proof of regeneration claims. Learn more about EOV.

With a flurry of peer-reviewed papers currently in the pipeline and EOV data continually being collected, expect more scientific support from Savory in the future. Hopefully, bit by bit, together we can improve ecological literacy and help dispel the misconceptions about grazing that inform public opinions on livestock.

HEIFER USA LIVESTREAM / MAY 6
FREE! Intro to Holistic Planned Grazing Livestream with Heifer USA
Join Donna Kilpatrick - Heifer USA Ranch Manager and Savory Accredited Professional - for a free farmer training event, live from their pasture!
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NEW HAMPSHIRE / MAY 6-7
Holistic Planned Grazing at Stonewall Farm
Join Stonewall Farm for an on-site training over two days. You'll get an introduction to land planning, holistic planned grazing, and creating your grazing plan.
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ONLINE / MAY - JUNE
Holistic Planned Grazing - Online Course
Savory's UK Hub 3LM will teach you to adopt good grazing practices to increase grass productivity, profits, stocking rates, and crop yields.
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NEW HAMPSHIRE / JUNE 3-4
Holistic Financial Planning at Stonewall Farm
Join Stonewall Farm for an on-site training over two days. You'll get an introduction to Holistic Financial Planning, insights into building wealth, and learn to create your financial plan.
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ZIMBABWE / JUNE 14-25
Community Facilitator Training Program
Africa Centre for Holistic Management is hosting a 12-day onsite training program. This is an in-depth course in which participants are equipped on how to train, mentor, and mobilize communities for Holistic Land and Livestock Management.
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