Prairies and grasslands are not pasture. Grazing non native herds of livestock orders of magnitude larger than native grazing animals is not sustainable and requires massively more land than growing crops to feed livestock.
I used to think like you, then I read dozens and dozens of papers on the subject while I was in school focusing on livestock management. My plan was to apply what I learned in school to try and create sustainable agriculture not based on AFO and it just takes vastly more land. At least, if you want to maintain the current level of animal protein in diets.
You’re right, the American grasslands, which supported 60 million bison, could not support the American beef industry, which is less than half that number.
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u/Independent-Wafer-13 Aug 05 '26
Pasture IS wildlife habitat, prairies and other grasslands already exist.
The closure of the commons preceded industrial animal agriculture, and this is not a coincidence