Beefing up sustainability min read

When you can take seaweed from the ocean and feed it to cattle on land, to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, you know you’re living in a diverse world with many interconnected ecosystems.

• Author, podcaster and nutritionist Lola Berry (@yummololaberry) didn’t want to disrupt those precious ecosystems through what she eats. But she had concerns.
  • Planting more trees to increase biodiversity, provide shade and shelter for livestock, and store carbon to reduce emissions.
    • Innovations like those and more have seen the industry reduce greenhouse gas emissions by almost 60% since 2005.
• So she saddled up for a paddock-to-plate journey to learn about the environmental impact of red meat production.

First stop. 'Woko Station' Australian Angus beef property in NSW.

What she discovered surprised her.

She met passionate farmers like Robert 'Macka’ Mackenzie using sustainable practices to care for their animals and the environment.

Things like using less water.

Planting more trees to increase biodiversity, provide shade and shelter for livestock, and store carbon to reduce emissions.

And adding a superstar red seaweed to cattle feed which can reduce methane emissions by over 80%.

Innovations like those and more have seen the industry reduce greenhouse gas emissions by almost 60% since 2005.

Next stop? A carbon-neutral red meat industry by 2030.

Armed with her new knowledge of sustainable red meat production, Lola can make informed decisions to make sure her diet is as sustainable as Macka’s production.

"Knowing that there are all these things that they’re implementing, down to the food that the cows are eating so that they're emitting less methane - it’s just mind-blowing how much stuff people are doing to make a difference.”

Sounds like it’s all (eco)systems go!

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GM Light green  GM Light green

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GM Dark blue    GM Dark blue

Handle with care

Not many people can outdo nutritionist and free-spirit Lola Berry’s passion for healthy living and food.

But beef producer Robert ‘Macka’ Mackenzie comes close.

• Lola visited Macka’s Aussie beef farm to find out what a city girl can learn about pasture-raised cattle.
• She wanted a connection to the food she eats back in the urban jungle.

The cows’ backstory if you will.

She thought she might learn about new farming techniques. Or some science around emissions. She got that.

But the key takeout was 'care'.

"I actually learnt about care. Care for the land, care for the animals, care for the environment, and how much heart really goes into creating something with such integrity and honesty.”

It would’ve been fun to see yoga-loving Lola get the cattle to try their hooves at a downward dog to relax. She didn’t need to. The contented cows were calm and stress free.

Macka, like beef farmers around Australia, makes sure of it.

They know providing positive experiences and meeting animals’ emotional needs is just as important as physical ones.

When farmers make sure their stock have quality pastures, fresh water and trees that provide shade, biodiversity and carbon storage into the future, they’re taking care of today’s animals and tomorrow’s environment.

Lola named cows and planted a tree for the future. She went for information…she found connection.