Today is Earth Day, but as agriculturists and scientists, we believe every day is Earth Day. As more research is completed and published, farmers and ranchers learn about different practices to test out and possibly implement in their operation. They value the land and animals they work with, which is why they are open to sustainable practices. One popular practice is planting cover crops in the fall that will remain in fields until it’s time to plant the main crop in the spring. Cover crops protect farmland by reducing soil erosion and improving water quality, nutrient management, and forage and soil quality. According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, 15.3 million acres in the United States were seeded with cover crops.

UC-Davis researchers won a USDA grant and used it to create a genome-edited calf. They utilized CRISPR, a genome-engineering technique that used a specialized stretch of DNA that acts like a pair of scissors to cut DNA strands. Cutting the DNA and inserting SRY onto the X chromosome of bovine embryos increased the chance of producing a male herd. Why would the researchers do this? Because male cattle are 15% more efficient than heifers when converting feed into weight gain. Less feed = smaller environmental impact. While this calf won’t end up in the food supply chain, it’s great to see research being done on ways to improve livestock efficiency. This video from UC-Davis explains the steps that were required to get the calf on the ground.

Some quick facts from Animal Agriculture Alliance on livestock sustainability:

• From 1944 to 2007, U.S. dairy producers used 77% less feed, 90% less land, 65% less water and have achieved a 63% reduction in the carbon footprint per gallon of milk.
• The modern U.S. beef industry uses 19% less feed, 12% less water, 33% less land and has a 16% lower carbon footprint compared to beef production in the 1970’s.
• From 1960 to 2015, pig farmers in the U.S. used 75.9% less land, 25.1% less water, 7% less energy and have a 7.7% lower carbon footprint.
• The resources used to produce one dozen eggs have been cut considerably with 26% less feed, 32% less water and a 71% lower carbon footprint since 1960.

Recent events in the news:

• Elanco Animal Health and Ducks Unlimited have announced a partnership to advance beef industry environmental stewardship efforts.
• AquaBounty is growing genetically engineered salmon that require less feed and are raised in the Midwest.
• BASF started the Living Acres #MonarchChallenge in 2015 to supply farmers, golf courses, and other ag advocates milkweed stems in order to grow the plant for monarchs to lay their eggs on.
• Joyn BIO and Bayer partnered to engineer microbes that capture nitrogen, which reduces reliance on synthetic fertilizer.
• Recombinetics uses precision breeding to improve animal welfare and decrease environmental impacts.

CAST Publications from the past:

• Energy Issues Affecting Corn/Soybean Systems: Challenges for Sustainable Production Issue Papers – IP48 – January 2012
• Animal Feed vs. Human Food: Challenges and Opportunities in Sustaining Animal Agriculture Toward 2050 Issue Papers – IP53 – September 2013
• The Impact of Asynchronous Approvals for Biotech Crops on Agricultural Sustainability, Trade, and Innovation CAST Commentaries – QTA2016-2 – December 2016
• Aquifer Depletion and Potential Impacts on Long-term Irrigated Agricultural Productivity Issue Papers – IP63 – February 2019
• Reducing the Impacts of Agricultural Nutrients on Water Quality across a Changing Landscape Issue Papers – IP64 – April 2019
• Producing Food Products from Cultured Animal Tissues CAST Commentaries – QTA2020-1 – April 2020
• Impacts on Human Health and Safety of Naturally Occurring and Supplemental Hormones in Food Animals CAST Commentaries – QTA2020-4 – July 2020
• Agriculture and the Microbiome Issue Papers – IP68 – August 2020
• Food Biofortification—Reaping the Benefits of Science to Overcome Hidden Hunger Issue Papers – IP69 – October 2020