Ruminants have been both praised and demonized for their environmental impact. Below are the common myths, concerns, and benefits ruminants have contributed to this planet.

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When you mention grazing, most people envision erosion, polluted waterways, wetlands trampled into ugly mudholes, and, most infamously, overgrazing. Ranchers have also been made famous for their efforts to kill off wildlife to protect their livestock. Such observations–and allegations–have been regularly publicized in multiple sources of media, from scientific papers to magazine articles.

Sadly, much of that is true. The problem is that people don’t realize that times have changed. Such accusations are based on the history of ranching back in the 19th and 20th centuries where there was no understanding of proper grazing practices nor how to raise animals and support wildlife and wildlife habitat.

As such, these accusations are still repeated over and over, with people (mostly city folk) regarding them as nothing but the truth. To make things worse, they are never presented with any sort of sound solution to those issues. The only “solutions” they are exposed to are either reducing livestock numbers on the landscape or completely removing them for extended periods of time (aka “forever”).

All of these sources regularly blame the animals themselves. Therefore, people believe that these grazing animals (cows, especially) are continually the problem and must be eliminated by abstaining from eating or buying beef.

They’re basically “taught” to completely ignore the elephant in the room:

THE MANAGEMENT.

In association with environmental degradation are conflicts with wildlife, deforestation, desertification, overgrazing, and debates about planting trees versus improving grazing management for not just wildlife but for good, healthy grazing animals.

The destruction of the Amazonian rainforest is another contentious issue associated with cattle grazing.

Multiple urban myths about how ruminants graze and how they can be managed are also discussed.

Busting these myths requires pointing out the elephant in the room and providing a snapshot of the solution staring at us right in the face.

This means explaining why we (and the land itself) need ruminants and why their proper management is crucial for our survival and for the health of our landscapes.