Beef has long been seen negatively by climate advocates due to the environmental impact of factory-farmed cattle. However, pilot projects in eastern Orange County are demonstrating that well-managed cattle grazing can help restore native plant and animal life while also reducing wildfire risk. The projects involve strategic grazing, whereby cattle are moved around frequently and kept away from certain areas for fixed times, giving plants and soil time to recover. This approach seeks to replicate the benefits that huge herds of native hoofed animals, such as buffalo and elk, once provided for soil and habitats. These large animals eat non-native plants, clear the way for later-blooming native grasses, churn soil with their hooves, and fertilize the soil with their urine and dung, which encourage healthy microbes to grow more plants and to sink more carbon. Frank Fitzpatrick, owner of 5 Bar Beef and Orange County’s last cowboy, uses holistic grazing in the pilot projects on Orange County’s toll roads and on the Double R Ranch, an Orange County Rescue Mission property. Some studies have cast doubt on the benefits of holistic or conservation grazing programs, but the teams behind these pilots hope that sharing their results will inspire other regenerative agriculture efforts throughout Southern California and beyond. Biologists working on the pilot projects have found a reduction in non-native plants and fire risk, with an increase in native plant life and both gnatcatcher and fairy shrimp populations. The projects remain controversial among environmental groups, but their success offers a potential solution to the problems caused by factory farming and unsustainable grazing practices.
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