Is grazing animals good for the environment? Regenerative animal agriculture, explained
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
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TODAY'S VIDEO:
“Eat more beef to save the planet.” - a seemingly contradictory statement given what we are continuously being told by scientists and environmental campaigners. And yet, so-called holistic grazing or regenerative animal agriculture is becoming more commonly discussed as a way to combat climate change. With the latest Netflix documentary Kiss the Ground also claiming that grazing livestock animals is beneficial for the planet.
Holistic grazing is an idea popularised by Allan Savory, a Zimbabwean born livestock farmer.
Holistic grazing is the notion that by mimicking the rotational patterns of wild grazers and intensively grazing large numbers of animals, we can reverse desertification, increase the health of soils and sequester carbon.
Savory boldly claims that if we took just half of the world’s grasslands we could absorb enough carbon to return the world’s atmosphere to pre-industrial levels.
But what does the science say?
ALL SOURCES + TRANSCRIPT: surgeactivism....
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SOURCES:
ALL SOURCES + TRANSCRIPT: surgeactivism....
As we continue to make progress as a movement, we'll continue to see bolder and bolder claims being made by those that oppose its progress. It's crucial that we address and debunk such blatant misinformation.
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E
It's sad to think that many people will believe in this BS. Netflix shouldn't allow a misleading "documentary" like this in their platform. Such a shame!
Hi Ed. I love your videos and would like to know is holistic grazing is the same or similar as forest management with sheeps and goats? Maybe you have more info on that, because I have positive info that they help to reduce bush fires, because goats love eating all sort of spiky and hard bushes. So they let them go free in the area they want to reduce these invasive bushes to allow other plants to grow. Thank you I hope to hear from you soon.
woooooo Cleary you did not watch the whole documentary!!!! they said right near the end the two diets to move forward are VEGAN and a Regenerative Diet which removes factory farming. I prefer every one to GO VEGAN, but the claims you have made are quite in accuracy. When you stop tilling soil !!! only then you can rebuild soil heath that was the biggest push they were saying. are you for synthetic fertilizer and round up on soil to stop weed growth and pests, cause with out a NO Till system you will never achieve a soil pH that is conducive to high yeild plant growth and not weeds and pests this documentary had its faults by no were as bad as you just made it sound. Trust me I want a Vegan world but this would be the first step and reducing and stopping animal consumption will follow once a new system is set up. NO TILL is the future of Crop Production and that should be the take away from this documentary. Did you even Hear the word Vegan? cause it was said right near the end I was even shocked my self because "The Game Changers" did not even use that word.
It´s unfortunate that vegans delude themselves to the point that they believe animal agriculture is the primary cause of deforestation, when in reality it´s actually the construction industry. You know, building the usual stuff, like houses where people live (that includes self-entitled vegans).
And deforestation itself isn´t even a problem, because it´s in the interest of private forest companies to restore and replant forest areas which result in massive profits for them. Companies like for example Brinkman, Terviva, Guayaki, Ecosia, Pueblo Nuevo, Komaza, Lyme Timber, Symbiosis, Tentree, BioCarbon Engineering, F3 Life, Domtar, EcoPlanet Bamboo, Hypro AB, New Forests, ConFor. These are just a few examples of forest companies from all over the world that annually invest millions and millions of dollars in reforestation projects (this is apart from the timber that they harvest).
Not only are they all forced by Law to plant more trees, it´s also in their own interest to keep planting new trees because it means more profits for them. It´s simply idiotic the claim that vegans make that we are running out of forests.
By the way, animal agriculture isn´t the leading cause of climate change. It´s fossil fuel emissions in the industrial sector. Metallurgy, plastics, brick & concrete production, car manufacturing, electrical energy production. The industrial sector is responsible for at least 75% of all global greenhouse gases, not animal agriculture.
I grew up in Zimbabwe, and when I heard how Alan Savory slaughtered 40,000 elephants on a whim, I was appalled. The work of Alan Savory must be dismantled and assigned to the dustbin of history. We must switch to a fully plant-based economy. Thank you for this much needed video! - Robbie
Thanks, I thought I recognized him.
nice strawman that has nothing to do with the topic.
@@v.a.n.e. It is everything to do with the topic. The man is a false prophet.
@@v.a.n.e. it's not a strawman because they weren't arguing against holistic grazing. They were just making the point that anyone who decides to slaughter 40,000 elephants clearly has some serious mental problems. So try harder next time
yes... he is pure evil. 40,000 beautiful elephants murdered for his pseudoscience
“The scientific method never discovers anything”, yeh, tell that to Kepler, Newton, Curie, Einstein, and 350 years of scientific discovery.
Yes, what a brainless quote! I couldn't laugh hard enough at that. The guy debunks himself. Why do people listen to him?
Cool list of shills, bro
@@reformationinc.3376 lol
@@fearofaveganplanet8513
How is their work verifiable?
That statement is correct. Science is done to prove or disprove a hypothesis. It is an observation of something that is already there but no-one had paid any attention to or had the ability to comprehend. That was the point he was making.
Ignorance of the world today is sad 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ thanks for looking out for animals Ed!
Edit: also thanks for caring about the environment
I like how he names the video "literal BS" 😁😁 👌🏽
Animal ag will outlive you your kids and grandkids
This is so true but fundamental misunderstanding of "looking out for " animals and "caring for the environment". Presented as valid scientific review (it isn't) and advertising veganism in the top right hand corner. No prizes.
Who needs Cinderella or Snow White when we can listen to fairy-tales about stopping climate change and feeding the world with grass-fed beef?
LMAO an actual comment that made me laugh
Who needs comedians when we can listen to vegans?
@@linksusbellgate5619 Who needs comedians when we have racist americans everywhere
You can feed the world with grass fed beef
@@linksusbellgate5619 wow you’re so cool 😩😩👀 stfu
thanks for this video Ed! A coworker claimed those things too, now i have a great video for him ;)
He's a very unsavoury character
i wish you could make a documentary for netflix one day.
yeah
Agreed!
@Juba - يوبا - ⵊⵓⴱⴰ - ᛄᚢᛒᚨ emotional driven science* sorry, and its not gonna work btw.
I'm sorry I came across as attacking, I can assure you it is all driven by a deep care for creating a better planet.
I could find plenty of relevant sources but the incentive to want to find the true problems and the true solutions has to be there in the first place for a person to want to invest time in researching.
Allan Savory's book is a great resources if a person holds these values described.
I have about 100 links that I could share with you if that has any interest.
@Juba - يوبا - ⵊⵓⴱⴰ - ᛄᚢᛒᚨ this is a good one I was just re-watching. It is Walter Jehne a great great guy, absolutely non emotional driven science.
ua-cam.com/video/123y7jDdbfY/v-deo.html
@Juba - يوبا - ⵊⵓⴱⴰ - ᛄᚢᛒᚨ In the UK dominion is on Netflix
*Facts And Logic Destroy Savory Nonsense Every Time*
Tru-dat
*Savory's Unsavory nonsense
@@Changeling9au zzzzzzzzzzactly!
No not really because sequestration of carbon in the form of organic mater grown on regenerative farms has not been addressed in this video or by the scientific experts. Also scientists claim that the amount of organic matter grown on majority of regenerative farms is only possible over 100s of years which most are achieving over 10-20.
@@jeremymartin3816 Citations please
My biology teacher recommended us that documentarie -_- omgs. And I always debunk her at the class with scientific facts, but of course, because I am a student my opinion (scientifically proven to we true) isn't valid... I hate the school system, always disregarding students opinions just because is different, and validating adults opinions just because they are adults -_-
That must be so frustrating! I can imagine how annoying that would be
Adults are worth listening to. Children are not.
If you want more facts check out scientists Dr Christine Jones and Dr Elaine Ingham!
You are insane, just like Ed or even worse as he might be a pawn.
"Why mimic nature, when nature can simply exist there instead?"
Ed, I love you.
Because it isn't here anymore, there used to be many many herds larger than the eye could see, which maintained and regenerated much of the worlds ecosystems.
This is honestly dumb logic. Ed literally says in the video that the deforestation is caused by cattle that were led to go wild. This is why nature can’t simply exist. He really is contradictory in this video. I would advise doing your own research on this topic as Ed is extremely bias. He picks and chooses studies words them in away that is pro vegan it is very confusing and misleading. This is why identify politics and free thought can not coexist. The ego takes over as it seeks affirmation. Not to mention Ed’s lively hood is based on being vegan. His core beliefs are tied to his income.
@@Rayray-yl1ed Agree, this topic can not be approached with prejudices which is a symptom of ego, its too important for ego.
@@Gustav4 👌🏻👌🏻 Ed no longer being vegan = no longer having a sustainable income.
^ this isn’t necessarily something that he is conscious of.It’s obvious that he cares for the environment. But he will never seek real truth if all he is doing is trying to win arguments it’s not sustainable he can’t keep this up. He’s at war everyday.
He must be exhausted
Yes, cows emit carbon to the atmosphere, but, unlike fossil fuels, they don't add NEW carbon to the atmosphere. The carbon they emit came from the plants they ate, which in turn came from the atmosphere in the first place. It's a cycle, no new co2, just the same carbon circulating. We also have to take in consideration that plants and cows (through manure) store carbon in the soil, improving its fertility.
So, claims like in 1:38 make ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE.
plenty.ag the future of farming. go vegan
👍
A cool website design OwO
The leading cause of climate change is fossil fuel emissions, not animal agriculture. You need to stop believing your vegan religious leader
@@linksusbellgate5619 And the single biggest thing you alone can do is go vegan 😌. Also tough for a person like you to say that (just saying that flag ain't it)
@@linksusbellgate5619 you are 100% WRONG
Who else tried to wipe the crumb off of their screen at 4:23? Hahaha. But great work as always Ed!
Didn't see it, so I checked the timestamp.
Yes I did swipe it just to be sure
He killed thousands and thousands of Elephants
then karma awaits him. he won't escape his punishment.
They are still being slaughtered by mainstream conservationist and Allan has and is probably the man doing the most to stop it.
@@Gustav4 Yes he is doing the most about it by just doing nothing all day. He already slaughtered 40,000 elephants on a whim, he probably slaughtered far more afterwards too
@@justmegawatt Dont talk about something you dont anything about. This is your feelings controlling you and is not valid critic.
Brilliant 👏🏻👏🏻
Stoked to see you cover this specific topic! 10/10
Brilliant! look up the work of scientists Dr Christine Jones and Dr Elaine Ingham to get a true understanding of how it all works.
I'm so tired of debunking Savory, thanks so much for the informative video - I can sleep easy tonight lol.
I know, there's so many people so indoctrinated by it. It's tiring showing them why it's wrong when they're fighting not to understand your points. This video should come in handy as a neat summary of the case against it.
@@fearofaveganplanet8513 It's a master class in patience - after the Attenborough documentary, my local community cafe refused to serve milk alternatives for "ethical concerns with the amazon", yet they happily serve meat, eggs, and dairy lol. Some people....
Let's give that Netflix documentary a 1 star review fellow vegans! It's called 'Kiss The Ground'
Don't give it traffic
Please talk with Dr. Sailesh Rao and see his position paper that shows, including opportunity cost, animal agriculture has contributed 87% og greenhouse gases.
We need to get the views up on these videos
Hi Ed, if this is not too much work, you should add references for the numbers or conclusions you mention. Not because I don't believe you, but to help spread the info. Good video anyway!
Great job Ed, keep up the good work. We need to debunk all of the excuses for animal abuse if we are going to bring it to an end.
Yes, Great! Look up the work of scientists Dr Christine Jones and Dr Elaine Ingham to get a true understanding of how it all works.
I loved the idea of regenerative farming when I first learned about it, but I abhore that it has been taken over by animal agriculture and seems to be synonymous with cattle grazing. This idea that cows can provide the soil with any nutrients that can't be done by plants or native wildlife is simply not supported by the evidence. After all, it is plants that turn CO2 from the atmosphere into carbon in their roots and therefore in the soil. Cows, and all animals, turn carbon and oxygen into CO2. Therefore, just looking at the basics of how the carbon cycle works shows that adding cows to a landscape and then killing the cows and removing their bodies to eat is not going have a net benefit on the soil carbon, let alone other landscape health factors.
Thanks for this well documented video Ed!
I'd love to see a video where you look through papers, and scientific proofs for how rewilding and veganic farming can benefit the soils and feed so many more people. I have seen all these in chunks within other videos but having it all in one place would be really great. Maybe you do have one and I just haven't seen it yet?
We probably live in the most dramatic times ever existed on earth. And I mean that in two ways. One, we can now hear every opinion on the planet in a matter of minutes. Two, we actually have a world wide giant amount of problems which will either kill us or awaken us at last to a new phase in our evolution.
Masterpiece again 🙏🏼
Holistic Management is as true as Intelligent Design (ID).
Millions of bison seemed to manage living off grasslands in America. Fed the Native Americans for hundreds and hundreds of years!
Great job ED!
PUSH ED PUSH.
did someone say youtube algorithm?
Yes, someone definitely said that. You're not hearing things.
@@fearofaveganplanet8513 Thank god
I already thought i was going crazy
Facts will get you every time. Great work as always Ed and Co. 🌱
yes, look up the work of scientists Dr Christine Jones and Dr Elaine Ingham to get a true understanding of how it all works.
Earthling Ed DOING the reasearch! Thank you for everything you do man, you are truely invaluable. 💜
No, he missed out on 99.9% of the research and made a very ill informed video. If you really want to know the people doing the research look up Dr Christine Jones, Dr Elaine Ingham and Nicole Masters.
Ok, I really like Ed.. I’m a fan and agree with 80% of his views and love how he backs it up with science tho what actually is he proposing?? We “ rewild farm land” seems very idealistic.. and somehow counterintuitive to his views on animal ethics. What he is proposing exactly? The majority of grass based farms couldn’t support or compete as an arable based system due to the land quality ..etc. In Ireland for example. The ground is simply too wet. This land couldn’t just be set as a massive wild life animal sanctuary ? Who would fund this?? How could many countries consume local food,? This idea of returning wild is madness.its not all what we picture our heads.. The wild is a ruthless place with many animals suffering through disease, starvation, maggots eating them to death ..animal attacks.. brutal killings..There has to be a more clear vision for veganism .? as for savery .. he should not have came out with the claims he did , tho I think Ed shouldn’t be debunking the concept of holistic farming , it could change a lot of the industry in a healthy direction.. “for now” at least..until the day veganism makes proper CLEAR sense at scale .
And I know savery’s concept couldn’t be done at massive scale to meet demands .. but it could be the answer for those farms that have limited options. I for one definitely don’t have the answers ..it’s SOO complex. tho I feel Veganism needs more detailed Q&A going forward .
He literally lies and invents "facts" throughout the whole video and did zero research. Fact check it and you'll be shocked with how dishonest he is.
If you're genuine, it's easy to promote veganism without lying. He has to lie to everyone though. The man is a fraud using veganism to make money.
Yesterday I ran across yet another video espousing animal grazing in "regenerative agriculture" and wondered: Does Earthling Ed have a video on that? Sure enough. Thanks!
What a suprise, big agro corporations don't like the idea of decentralization of production and profits? Who would think? :-)
everything you put out is 100% gold Ed, THANK YOU!!
Gold! Look up the work of scientists Dr Christine Jones and Dr Elaine Ingham to get a true understanding of how it all works.
Thank you for this!
I wrote this way back in 2014 over this man's absurd arguments.
Having listened to Allan Savory's TED lecture I am dumbfounded that anyone can actually believe that MORE animals grown as a food will help the situation of so much degraded land.
I have seen footage, all too regularly, of dead and dying livestock in third world areas due to war, drought and flood.
In the TED lecture I found the photos of tens of thousands of sheep crammed tightly on barren land then - hey presto! - the barren land suddenly showed a green swath after the sheep were taken off as nothing more than magic with mirrors. But everyone in the audience clapped. No one asked how exactly the sheep fed on this totally barren land and how they were watered.
The idea that there is some lovely ethical way that the world will grow animals as a 'crop' to 'harvest' (the livestock industry's terms used) and turn the world green by doing so just ain't going to happen.
Worldwide, each year, 60 BILLION animals are bred, fattened and slaughtered in the livestock industry causing terrible suffering to the animals involved in this ruthless and brutal business. Far from eating a few green shoots and living on a pretty pasture most livestock are intensively reared and fed grains to grown them quick and slaughter them quick.
Worldwide millions of people go hungry because a THIRD of all grain grown worldwide goes to fatten livestock. Which in turn ups the price of grain which the poor can't then afford. Meat is a rich person's food.
Then there is the little issue of water.... Western diets, which depend largely on meat and dairy, are putting great pressures on the Earth’s water resources. It takes 1,000 litres to grow one kilo of wheat, yet 11,000 litres to produce just one quarter-pound beef burger, and between 2,000 and 4,000 litres for a cow to produce one litre of milk (Fred Pearce 2006).
Production of meat and dairy has a much bigger effect on climate change and other environmental impacts than that of most grains, pulses and outdoor fruit and vegetables.’
The facts are that meat eating is one of the major environmental issues facing humanity and, in particular, its relation to water scarcity. At its 2011 conference, the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) concluded that there will be just enough water to produce food for the expected 9 billion human population in 2050 only if we switch almost completely to a vegetarian diet over the next 40 years.
I agree with Savory's opening gambit only ..."Agriculture is the most destructive industry that we have."
I'd like to add that, certainly for the animals involved and the poor of the world, the livestock industry is probably the most destructive form of agriculture.
Unfortunately meat is almost an elixir of life to most people and the issues that eating flesh causes seems of secondary importance. Until the shit hits the fan I suppose....in the meanwhile chomping on dead animals and their secretions seems to be what the people want.
Take a look at this awesome story from the late 1800's from South Africa:
"The Karoo was once home to one of the world's great wildlife marvels, the springbok migration. Stories tell of millions of these antelope filling an area as far as the eye could see as they swept through it. Settlers went on massive hunting sprees, shooting down the springbok by the thousands. Mr Cronwright- Shreiner described a scene after one slaughter:
"The whole veld was damaged: it was hardly possible to put one's foot down in that vast extent of country without treading on the spoor of springbok, and the Karoo bushes were torn and broken by their sharp hooves. We passed several outspans where the hunters had encamped for days -- deserted camps which were marked by ash heaps and charred bones and the remains of bundles of forage; while offal, heads and lower portions of the legs of buck lay about to such an extent to be quite disagreeable."
The year 1896 saw the last of the great migrations. A Mr Gert Van der Merwe describes it:
"At last the sound of a faint drumming could be heard. The cloud of dust was dense and enormous, and the front rank of the springbok, running faster than galloping horses could be seen. They were in such numbers that I found the sight frightening. I could see a front line of buck at least three miles long but could not estimate the depth. All night long the buck passed. The morning air was clear, the day bright. Then I saw the landscape, which had been covered with trees of a fair size were gaunt stubs and bare branches. The buck had brushed off the herbage in their passing and splintered the young trees so they would not grow again."
What a sight this must have been! Both writers emphasize the landscape "destruction" that took place with the passing of the great herds. Yet that very destruction maintained the grass. Millions of hooves broke capped surfaces, allowing dormant grass seeds to germinate. Millions of dung pats provided fertilizer. And the grass came back, year after year."
Source: managingwholes.com/klipdrift.htm/
Anything to do with cows would trigger vegans
1:30 "grazed and confused" ... yes, very confusing. "holistic management" wants to stop desertification on a LARGE scale. the goal "stop desertification" can also be achieved with vegan permaculture, but on a SMALL scale, since more human work is needed. seems we need both?
That was actually incredibly helpful thankyou… I started dipping my toe in that subject and found it was just saturated with so much science/ pseudoscience it was hard to know where to start. I think we’re struggling in a lot of areas now with big industry just flooding the market with these rubbish papers 0:02 to muddy the waters and allow them to put up eloquent figureheads that can say “studies show… the evidence is clear…”. Meaning it takes a long time for the truth to out and by then, it’s often too late. “Holistic Management” has been a perfect example.
Serious question for any vegans that see this, do you eat primarily or solely organic produce? If so, how do you square the fact that the majority of fertilizer used for organic cropping is animal-based with your refusal to harm animals? Asking because I'm trying to figure this whole thing out.
Thank you Ed 💚
THANK YOU!
"Grazed and Confused" is the best article title I've ever heard!
Thank you so much for making this video! I am seeing more and more "holistic" animal farming stuff out trying to refute the negative perception of the animal agriculture industries on the environment, so I am happy to have more to debunk that with. I also appreciate how concise it is as well
Ed please make a break down video of #1551 Paul Saladino and Joe Rogan. Really interested to hear your take!
That guy is sooo full of it
The problem with those so-called "scientific experts" is that they are all biased one way or the other and humanity is just dying of a lack of balance and this never-ending battle over extreme concepts.
Slick editing, but it seems you've cherry-picked studies to fit your narrative. You might want to read up on some of the more recent peer-reviewed articles that demonstrate the positive ecological outcomes (not to mention social and financial outcomes as well) from Holistic Management. Funny how these studies all seem to be conveniently left out of the video:
Gosnell 2020 ( doi.org/10.1007/s10460-020-10016-w ) - This comprehensive literature review outlines a half-century of Holistic Management research, including the main tenets behind the decision-making framework and historical academic debates that stem from a narrow industrial paradigm before social-ecological frameworks were developed. It furthermore provides a meta-analysis of the multidisciplinary evidence, including the less-studied social, cultural, and psychological aspects, and offers a new lens for researching rangelands in holistic, integrated ways.
Hillenbrand 2019 ( doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2019.02.005 )- Evaluation of ecosystem processes on a holistically-managed bison ranch in South Dakota’s shortgrass prairie compared to continuous grazing practices. Results indicate increased fine litter cover, improved water infiltration, two to three times the available forage biomass, improved plant composition, decrease in invasive plants, decrease in bare ground, and higher infiltration with Holistic Planned Grazing on soils having higher permeability but not on soils having a high clay content.
Xu 2019 ( doi.org/10.3390/environments6060067 ) - Compared ecological outcomes on 44 properties in Argentina using both established/quantifiable metrics and the new Ecological Health Index (EHI), a component of Savory’s Ecological Outcome Verification protocol. Strong correlations demonstrate that EHI can be a useful methodology for measuring ecosystem function of grazing lands.
Gosnell 2019 ( doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2019.101965 ) - Analyzes experiences of Australian farmers who have sustained transitions from conventional to regenerative agriculture, the majority of whom are Holistic Management practitioners. The authors conclude that transitioning to regenerative agriculture involves more than a suite of ‘climate-smart’ mitigation and adaptation practices supported by technical innovation, policy, education, and outreach. Rather, it involves subjective, nonmaterial factors associated with culture, values, ethics, identity, and emotion that operate at individual, household, and community scales and interact with regional, national and global processes.
Teague 2018 ( doi.org/10.1093/jas/skx060 ) - Mostly an overview of the state of grazing research. On page 4, he presents a chart showing various C-sequestration rates from multiple sites using Holistic Management. Rates range from 0.5-7 tons-C/ha/year (with ~3 being the most commonly observed).
Stanley 2018 ( doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2018.02.003 ) - This paper conducts a lifecycle assessment, including direct measure of carbon flux, on various livestock finishing systems and shows that properly-managed livestock create an ecosystem that is a net carbon sink instead of net carbon emitter.
Peel 2018 ( doi.org/10.2989/10220119.2018.1440630 ) - Case study analyzing vegetation and landscape function at the Africa Centre for Holistic Management in Zimbabwe. “HPG yields positive long-term effects on ecosystem services (soils and vegetation) and points to the HPG approach enhancing the sustainability of livestock and wildlife in this environment.”
Teague 2017 ( doi.org/10.2989/10220119.2017.1334706 ) - This paper is an overarching discussion on various types of grazing management and the potential for proper (holistic) management to regenerate ecosystem function and grazingland livelihoods. It also dives into the shortcomings of most grazing research that reduces whole ecosystem complexities into individual factors.
Cassidy 2017 ( doi.org/10.1656/045.024.0sp807 ) - This paper quantified and compared bird abundances on pastures that were subject to continuous grazing, minimal rotation, or Holistic Management. “Holistic resource managed pastures had 1.5 and 4.5 times higher average abundances of obligate grassland birds than minimally rotated or continuously grazed pastures, respectively.”
Lalaampa 2016 ( ecologicalprocesses.springeropen.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s13717-016-0061-5 ) - This paper studied the effects of holistic planned grazing on milk production, weight gain, and visitation to grazing areas by livestock and wildlife in Laikipia County, Kenya. Results found that, with significantly higher numbers of grazing animals, the number of wildlife more than doubled, average milk yields increased, and animal weight gain nearly doubled compared to traditional grazing areas.
Teague 2016 ( www.jswconline.org/content/71/2/156.full.pdf+html ) - This paper determined that properly-managed grazing, if applied on 25% of our crop and grasslands, would mitigate the entire carbon footprint of North American agriculture.
Rowntree 2016 ( www.researchgate.net/publication/311921284_Potential_mitigation_of_midwest_grass-finished_beef_production_emissions_with_soil_carbon_sequestration_in_the_United_States_of_America ) - “From this data, we conclude that well-managed grazing and grass-finishing systems in environmentally appropriate settings can positively contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of beef cattle, while lowering overall atmospheric CO2 concentrations.”
Machmuller 2015 ( www.nature.com/articles/ncomms7995 ) - This paper studies three farms converted from cropland to management intensive grazing (note: this is not the same as Holistic Management, but at the Savory Institute we include this paper to show the positive effects of converting croplands back to pasture). “Farms accumulated C at 8.0 Mg ha−1 yr−1, increasing cation exchange and water holding capacity by 95% and 34%, respectively. Thus, within a decade of management-intensive grazing practices soil C levels returned to those of native forest soils, and likely decreased fertilizer and irrigation demands.”
Ferguson 2013 ( doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2013.05.005 ) - Compared the sustainability of 18 conventional and 7 holistic, dual-purpose ranches in Mexico, finding that the ranches managing holistically had greater yield ratios, higher soil respiration, deeper topsoil, and increased earthworm presence. The authors conclude that “Holistic Management strategies are leading to greater ecological and economic sustainability.”
Weber 2011 ( www.pastoralismjournal.com/content/1/1/19 ) - Paper discussing grazing systems utilized by pastoralist societies, the resulting desertification, and the need for these grazing systems to supplanted by more inclusive planning processes that better manage the spatio-temporal aspects of grazing.
Stinner 1997 ( doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8809(96)01135-8 ) - Interviewed ranchers using Holistic Management. Ninety-five percent reported an increase in biodiversity, 80 percent reported an increase in profits, and 91 percent reported improvements in quality of life. All reported that biodiversity is now an important consideration in managing their land, whereas only 9 percent felt so prior to exposure to Holistic Management.
AMEN! Anyone with an elementary understanding of ecosystem function (hi, biological resources engineer here 👋) is left yearning for some actual science after watching this video. A hands-off rewilding approach might work in places like the UK or coastal areas of the US where there is year-round moisture to aid in the biological decomposition of biomass, but how do you expect that biomass to decompose and reintegrate into the soil in arid/brittle regions? It won't... unless that biomass passes through the rumen of a grazing herbivore! Grasslands and grazing herbivores co-evolved with one another for millennia! It's human hubris to think we can come in and just divorce them from one another. Context is everything, and people want this to be a black and white "my camp vs their camp" argument, but it's not. It's nature. And nature is complex. With symbiotic relationships. And with nuance. And guess what? The regenerative ag folks are trying just as hard as the vegans to save this planet, just with a different approach, but when we're pitted against one another--rather than focusing on the industrialization of agriculture, the real culprit here--we all fail.
Hey Savory Institue, the link you've provided doesn't work! And can we go back to one of the points Ed made, which has also be made by many others: Savory and co want science to be on their side when it suits them yet dismiss the scientific method when it doesn't - so they want it both ways! See for instance this Twitter exchange: twitter.com/GeorgeMonbiot/status/1309478613260152832
@@annieleymarie46 Which link isn't working? We linked to 16 different articles.
As for Allan's previous statements, those have again been taken out of context from when he has made a critique on academia, as many reputable figures do, because of its susceptibility to outside influence (e.g. www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/09/13/493739074/50-years-ago-sugar-industry-quietly-paid-scientists-to-point-blame-at-fat). That aside, claiming to "debunk" Allan's methods because of a statement he made is a clear strawman argument that attacks the man rather than his methods. It skirts the issue of actually addressing his methods and the tons of peer-reviewed evidence (and meta-analyses) that clearly contradict the narrative that is trying to be advanced.
Ah, looks like the parentheses were messing up the URL's. Just edited so the links should now all be working. Sorry about that!
I applaud your constant hard work and I think nobody should doubt that holistic grazing if done right can increase soil carbon (particularly in degraded soils) for a while. I am with you that some of the points in this debunk video are overly critical and one-sided. Regardless, some bold claims made in the Ted talk which laymen would take at face value is clearly not helpful either. As time passes, the law of diminishing marginal returns aka. steady-state kick in, and things like N2O and CH4 goes uncheck (in particular ruminants emit so much methane and terrestrial soil is a known poor sink of N2O), making it not a promising solution to climate change. I believe it shows that nature does not give away free lunch sadly as much as we hope. Eventually, the total number of ruminant livestock on Earth has to decrease regardless and I hope you are lobbying against your bad competitors (which I believe is what the vegans are doing). Of course, we can hope for some new technology to solve these other problems.
I do not understand why they allow BS on TED Talks. Isn't there some way to weed out the unhealthy misinformation? Thank you for informing us about the important issues for our heath as well as for the animals and for the planet!!
Well Ed had to pay to do his Ted Talk so they're doing a good job of not giving a free platform to frauds.
Great video ed
Thankyou Ed. This video's been needed for a while now.
You have missed the fertalizer problem. We have the choice of animals or petrochemicals.
Well done Ed, another great video x
Scientific and Ethical Veganism is the only future. Change is hard, it takes time, but with people like Ed and others we will be there!
Great video!
That documentary is straight up animal ag propaganda.
Every time I watch an Earthling Ed video I always think, “damn he’s good”! Ed is always on it with the research, thank you for all you do!
What’s peoples thoughts on how we maintain large scale arable crop lands in a vegan world & agricultural system?
you are doing some of the most important research and videos for all of us, thank you so much
I'm not really convinced here of your argument that Allan Savory is wrong. For one, I'm concerned with citing conventional sources as they have a hidden bias or agenda, or even a not so hidden one once you dig below the surface.
For two, I have heard that the livestock amount on the planet has increased a lot, but not methane (or some such similar argument if this one is wrong, as I may be misquoting as I'm not sure here).
For three, I think one has to be extra careful before dismissing ideas and jumping too quickly on the side of saying there is no good solution, as then one may unwittingly become part of continuing the problem. So, one has to be extra careful and do extra due diligence here, giving reasonably airtight logic before implying to people that it's not worth looking there and going down there more, or at least be careful to avoid sending that as an implicit message.
Great work as always Ed.
A book worth reading is ‘Vegetarianism Explained’ - Dr. Campbell McBride. A lot of confirmation bias that needs to be addressed
Well I certainly agree with a lot of what is said here, but some of the accusations against Savory seem manipulated.
I just love how educational and rational your videos are, I always learn so much when watching them. Thank you for all the hard work you put down, I really appreciate your channel! 💚 Why people listen and believe in all of his BS I will never understand 🤦🏼♀️
Your criticism does show that the climate mitigation claims are quite exaggerated, and returning land to its natural ecosystem would be ideal but on the other hand grasslands are better than deserts, I think we can all agree on that.
And even if he was right, if grazing was a great solution, it still doesn't mean we should eat the grazed animals. We simply could let the animals graze, let them be, do their thing, and not kill them to eat them...
Trees! Plant more trees, and water them!
Trees create their own eco system, the shade from trees helps moisture stay in the air and ground without evaporating. The more trees you plant (and water for the first 25 years) the more humidity accumulation, making it rain in the region, so eventually you dont need to water the trees. The coolness of the shade creates condensation, drawing in more moisture, making more clouds as it evaporates. And so on. This is why Washington state is getting les rain, killing trees, making less rain.. we cut too meany trees, noe the cycle is out of balance. We need more big trees to make the forest mist.
True we do need to replant more trees but they have to be a diversity rather than monoculture and natives should be planted too. It’s been proven so many times though that soil holds far more carbon than trees in fact there’s currently more carbon in soil than exists in the atmosphere. Unlike trees it actually stays there forever as long as you don’t disrupt it through regenerative practices unlike conventional farming. The plants cool the ground and have the same affect. Also every 1% organic matter per hectare in soil stores 75,000 litres of water and regenerative farming is adding more of it.
@@tim197 wow, I didn't know that. Thanks for sharing 👍
Great video
Savory also advocated for the killing of thousands of elephants which were killed NOT solving the problem killing them was supposed to fix( because it was the cows causing the problem)
thanks for this video, it helped me organize my own thoughts on this topic!
Holistic management best suit africa when it comes to doing positive changes to your enviroment start from individual ,lets work together i❤❤❤❤❤❤
So comprehensive and necessary - thanks ED and surge!
Amazing debunk
Thank you, Ed, thank you.
I love the title of the review. Grazed and confused indeed 😃😃
This is brilliant! Thank you so much!!
perfect vid!! wish this would be shown on the mainstream news.
Yeah, well he said it in a TED talk, so it must be true. . . 🙄
What I don't understand is why you wouuld use farming animals and not just the animals that there usually would be. Sure, their numbers need to be grown immensely and at a huge cost, but I son't see how that's more impossible or more costly than other options.
Why go with cows that can't really survive when you can go with a type of bison or yak or whatever.
What no eat more plant based foods
So grasslands all across the Midwest that were covered in bison weren’t natural? K…
Very much appreciate this video, i just saw the ted-talk because it got mentioned in another video and it sounded fishy, but I was not 100% sure. Now i'm certain ^^
Great video, thanks Ed!
I think you finished debunking it when you said it was a netflix docco
You say the soil eventually stops storing carbon, by that logic we would have been wiped out millennia ago. You haven’t a clue
What he is saying is that the soil can only hold so much carbon, so eventually, the capacity of the soil to hold carbon is reached, and it stops storing MORE carbon, but carbon is still being produced by the cattle
This is all cherry picked info to support his own bias. Let’s start with “after a few decades the soil will reach soil carbon equilibrium”. First of al there has been grazing animals on this planet for thousands of years. In fact even more then we currently have right now. So if soil carbon equilibrium was achieved after just a few decades that would mean for thousands of years those grazing animals were emitting massive amounts of carbon that was just staying in our atmosphere. And if that was the case why would it be livestock that are causing a problem now if for thousands of years our soil could not hold any more carbon yet millions of animals were living on this planet?
Next he said that holistically grazing cattle does not sequester as much green house gas as the cow produces. By this I am assuming he means methane because it is different then carbon. Methane just like carbon has a cycle and can be sequestered into the soil just the same. University of Alberta recently completed a study proving that holistically grazing cattle sequesters more methane then the cow produces. If you don’t want to eat meat because you don’t want a living animal to die for you to eat that is a perfectly reasonable position. All other arguments for a vegan lifestyle can be addressed by changing the way we produce our food not the food it’s self.
Happy Healthy Vegan's last video is on this exact topic but much more mathematical let's say.
Yes, so was Leo Venus's. Vgang in coordinated manoeuvre!
I hate people that ignore the facts 💀turning Vegan has been the best decision I have ever made
Once you see you can't unsee. True!
@VeteranCape what? 🤨
periodT💅
RIP health
@@andylucas6962 define health.
Grass-fed, free range, organic, regenerative farming, humanely slaughtered -- all but labels to sustain middle-class hipocrisy about their meat
Organic farming is the future tho. Uses less water, less land and little to no chemicals and pesticides are used in contrast to industrial farming. Instead of animal fertilizers, we can use compost in organic agriculture, therefore no animals need to be bred for our consumption. I’m talking about organic crop production ofc.
@@moalenn Yes I agree. Veganic Farming is also a very good idea
@@moalenn Yes that is the important distinction, current 'organic' farming is more likely to use animal fertiliser. As a vegan, I avoid organic food. Veganic farming is the way to go!
@@bengilkes7676 unless you grow your own food, or know a farmer who does not use any animal fertilizer, you’re still buying vegi and fruits grown with animal fertilizer. Also, animal fertilizers are not the problem, it’s the animal agriculture and animal farming. As more people transition into veganism, the use of animal fertilizers will decline and the use of farming compost will rise.
@@moalenn I avoid organic, so the products I buy use LESS animal fertiliser. They are definitely a big part of the problem - use of animal by-products make them products. As a vegan I try to reduce my indirect support of the animal agriculture industry as much as possible.
Here in Brazil we can see damn well just how "regenerative" grass-fed beef production really is. Just take a look at what is happening to the Amazon just to make way for pasture land
They wanna feed us with scientific lies
They are cutting the Amazon down for mainly soy. Nothing to do with GRASS feed beef. And you should research some of the pastures that have been reverted from desert in America, Australia and Africa due to holistic farming practices.
@@jeremymartin3816 Over 91% of deforestation in the Amazon is directly related to animal farming -- over 79% of the world's soy beans are not for human consumption but for livestock feed. Nobody had to convince me on those numbers I have SEEN in person just how destructive livestock farming truly is. I hope you stop being selfish and emotionally attached to "your" meat and see the truth: killing animals is killing us too.
@@jeremymartin3816 here are some receipts for you.
Globally animal agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation and species loss. Let's take some specific examples:
"Cattle ranching is the largest driver of deforestation in every Amazon country, accounting for 80% of current deforestation rates. Amazon Brazil is home to approximately 200 million head of cattle, and is the largest exporter in the world, supplying about one quarter of the global market."
- Global Forest Atlas, Yale University (globalforestatlas.yale.edu/amazon/land-use/cattle-ranching)
Think about that next time you shove a burger in your face while you read about the Amazon burning. Or maybe consider Australia, where the livestock industry is again the primary cause of deforestation and consequent habitat loss, species extinction:
"Projections suggest that 3 million hectares of untouched forest will have been bulldozed in eastern Australia by 2030, thanks to a thriving livestock industry and governments that refuse to step in."
- Australia's Biodiversity at Breaking Point, The Guardian (www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/15/australias-biodiversity-at-breaking-point-a-picture-essay)
Yes deforestation for soy to feed to cattle. GRASS FEED cattle are FEED GRASS. It has nothing to do with regenerative farming at all so why being it up?
"Why mimic nature when nature can simply exist there instead?" WOW, this hit different. 🌱❤️
Because that isnt feasible under a plant based system. Because animals would become pests and have to be eradicated, under a vegan farming system.
@@jeremymartin3816 Right because 70 billion animals aren't already eradicated every year for human consumption. That makes sense. I'd love to see the research you conducted to reach your fascinating conclusion.
@@jeremymartin3816 It's funny... you oppose a vegan farming system because you think it would eradicate animals, but you don't seem to mind all the animals who are slaughtered to satisfy your taste buds!
@@jueatsplants8154 rather than just being eradicated because they are a pest? Yes animals have a use, and we make money off them. So you would rather live in a world where the animals have no use at all in fact they are a pest to be killed and left to rot? Dosent sound like you care to much about animals at all.
@@jeremymartin3816 you're thinking about the best possible scenario in a non-vegan world, but then a vegan world, you think of the worst. Otherwise you wouldn't have made a comment like that.
I am sooo glad for people like you, for aktivists and for every vegan that's trying to bring awareness.
THANK YOU ED💚
There are nearly 8 billion of us humans consuming and growing, and we are living like we have several planets worth of natural resources.
Exactly and it’s mainly due to humans being more widespread and consuming more I’d say cut the population in half and stop gluttony because people eat too much food and that overconsumption then causes diseases
@@Assassin99584 yes thats what we will have to do if we continue with conventional ag. You cant keep destroying soil forever.
@@Forester-qs5mf I’m all for looking into sustainability
@@Assassin99584 Unfortuantely Sustainable doesnt cut it anymore. You cant sustain a degrading resource. You need to be Regenerative. Grasslands are one of the largest areas on the earths surface. Animals are integral in their regeneration. We know it can be done as its been done in the past. We just have to be smart enough to learn from that. But the good news is that its already happening and the movement is growing globally. So there is some hope.
@@Forester-qs5mf as long as no one tries to stop me eating what I want I have no issues with that
Ed I think you just humanely slaughtered Allan's whole career 🤣🤣
The question is, can you morally justify it? :p
@@martenproductionz Veganism is not the answer
@@linksusbellgate5619 how
@@linksusbellgate5619 what's the answer then in your opinion
@@bethanywhite9815 he won’t answer it lol no way
THANK YOU I LOVE YOU
This is some Late Stage Carnism BS.