Animal agriculture critics are wrong.

• Position: Sustainability of animal agriculture

Special-interest groups that promote a meatless society insist that raising cattle is not ecologically sound because animal agriculture isn't consistent with sustainable agriculture. "That's where they're wrong," maintains John Ikerd, professor of agricultural economics, University of Missouri-Columbia. "Animal agriculture is consistent with sustainable agriculture because it doesn't contribute to degradation of resources. On the contrary, it is an energy-efficient use of land and resources that reflects natural patterns found in ecosystems around the globe."

Critics argue that a bushel of corn consumed directly will provide more energy to sustain human life than will the same bushel of corn used to produce meat for human consumption. "That argument may be true on the surface, but it is an oversimplification that ignores several dimensions of the sustainability issue," Ikerd points out. "First, animals use many plant materials that can't be digested when consumed directly by human Cattle and sheep, because they are ruminants, [are able to] digest grasses and other forages that have little value for direct human consumption. Also, much of the land surface of this planet can not be cultivated for grain production without severe soil...