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Defending Beef: The Ecological and Nutritional Case for Meat, 2nd Edition
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About Defending Beef: The Ecological And Nutritional Case
Product Description “Nicolette Hahn Niman sets out to debunk just about everything you think you know . . . She’s not trying to change your mind; she’s trying to save your world.”―Los Angeles Times “Elegant, strongly argued.”―The Atlantic (named a “Best Food Book”) As the meat industry―from small-scale ranchers and butchers to sprawling slaughterhouse operators―responds to COVID-19, the climate threat, and the rise of plant-based meats, Defending Beef delivers a passionate argument for responsible meat production and consumption–in an updated and expanded new edition. For decades it has been nearly universal dogma among environmentalists that many forms of livestock―goats, sheep, and others, but especially cattle―are Public Enemy Number One. They erode soils, pollute air and water, damage riparian areas, and decimate wildlife populations. As recently as 2019, a widely circulated Green New Deal fact sheet even highlighted the problem of “farting cows.” But is the matter really so clear-cut? Hardly. In Defending Beef, Second Edition, environmental lawyer turned rancher Nicolette Hahn Niman argues that cattle are not inherently bad for the earth. The impact of grazing can be either negative or positive, depending on how livestock are managed. In fact, with proper oversight, livestock can play an essential role in maintaining grassland ecosystems by performing the same functions as the natural herbivores that once roamed and grazed there. With more public discussions and media being paid to connections between health and diet, food and climate, and climate and farming―especially cattle farming, Defending Beef has never been more timely. And in this newly revised and updated edition, the author also addresses the explosion in popularity of “fake meat” (both highly processed “plant-based foods” and meat grown from cells in a lab, rather than on the hoof). Defending Beef is simultaneously a book about big issues and the personal journey of the author, who continues to fight for animal welfare and good science. Hahn Niman shows how dispersed, grass-based, smaller-scale farms can and should become the basis of American food production. Review “Defending Beef is a no-nonsense, scientific yet holistic look at the important role well-raised meat has in our food system and in ecosystem function. Nicolette Hahn Niman intelligently busts the common misperceptions about cattle and explains how, when managed properly, they can have a positive impact on the environment.”―Diana Rodgers, registered dietitian, filmmaker and coauthor of Sacred Cow: The Case for (Better) Meat “With all the rhetoric we are hearing today about how cows are destroying the planet, it is enlightening to hear the truth. Nicolette Hahn Niman delves deep into the science and sets the record straight: ‘It’s not the cow, it’s the how’! Now, consumers can enjoy the health benefits of nutrient-dense beef while healing our ecosystems! A must-read for consumers, ranchers, and policymakers.”―Gabe Brown, regenerative rancher and author of Dirt to Soil “The original edition of Defending Beef offered a compendium of everything a person should know about the role of beef cattle on the landscape and in our diets. This brand-new edition is more like a meta-analysis, chock-full of references, that dismantles almost every argument made against the ecological and nutritional importance of beef. While Nicolette Hahn Niman decries the industrial beef model, she makes a clear and compelling case why well-managed cattle grazing is a critical tool for capturing carbon and turning nonedible plant material into protein, as well as for supporting regenerative farming methods. This book should be on the shelf of anyone who cares about our climate and food system.”―Rebecca Thistlethwaite, coauthor of The New Livestock Farmer “In this exhaustive and well-documented treatise, Nicolette Hahn Niman manages to be both informative and engaging from cover to cover. I especially appreciate
