Beef and Conservation: It’s What’s for Dinner!

RALEIGH N.C. - National Beef Month is observed throughout May 2026, serving as a dedicated time to celebrate the cattle industry, ranchers, and the nutritional value of beef. It is estimated that the U.S. consumes roughly 78 million pounds of beef daily. This contributes to an annual per capita consumption of roughly 55 to 60 pounds.

Agriculture is a vital industry to the state of North Carolina, known for its sweet potatoes, chickens, hogs, and tobacco. However, there is also a robust cattle industry in the state as well. The state is home to 690,000 cattle, including calves according to the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA-NASS). With so many animals in one state, it is vital that the land that is used is managed properly.

The untold story is the serious care that these cattlemen and women do when it comes to preserving their natural resources. For years they have worked together with USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) here in the state and across the nation. In just the last five years, these producers have invested over $20 million dollars in conservation practices in North Carolina.

Some of the more common practices producers have used to accomplish these conservation goals were fencing, heavy use area protection, wells, and grazing management. Fencing is applied to any area where livestock and/or wildlife control is needed, or where access to people is to be regulated. A wide variety of fences exist, however, fencing material and construction quality are always designed and installed to ensure the fence will meet the intended purpose. Producers in the state have applied over 1 million feet of this practice in the past five years alone.

Heavy Use Area Protection is a way to stabilize a ground surface that is frequently and intensively used by people, animals, or vehicles. This practice is often used to provide surface stability in areas where concentration of livestock is causing a resource concern, like watering facilities and other areas. Provision must be made for the collection, storage, utilization, and treatment of manure and contaminated runoff.

Another practice that is heavily utilized is wells, which can provide an adequate water supply quality and quantity. Producers have also enrolled in grazing management. This practice is defined as managing vegetation with grazing and browsing animals to achieve specific ecological, economic, and management objectives like managing erosion or improving riparian dynamics.

"The installation of fencing practices for example, allows producers to control animal movements. Along with the installation of water systems to distribute watering locations over the farm, grazing management is improved by allowing forages to have longer rest periods and controlling minimum grazing heights to avoid overgrazing. These practices together improve animal health and forage productivity," said Bill Moss, N.C. NRCS State Grazing Specialist.

A literature review conducted by North Carolina State University explored the effects of grazing practices throughout the state. The effects of grazing and implementing conservation practices produced positive results. For example, a North Carolina demonstration farm implemented rotational grazing on formerly continuously grazed land. Within two years, ground cover increased from 70% to over 90%, and visible signs of soil erosion (such as rills and gullies) were nearly eliminated. A study cited in the review compared two watersheds: one with continuous grazing and one with rotational grazing plus stream exclusion. The rotationally grazed watershed had 40% lower nitrate concentrations, and 60% lower sediment loads in runoff after heavy rains.

These results can be visibly seen in a relatively short amount of time. Producers like Justin Halama have implemented practices on their pastures, and even though the practices are still ongoing, the effects are fully visible. Fields are no longer overgrazed and heavily eroded banks are now starting to stabilize.

"The practices have had tremendous improvements on our farm and the ability to conserve some of our resources", said Justin Halama when asked about the efficiency of NRCS conservation practices.

For the cattlemen and women of the state, conservation isn't just a buzzword. It is the everyday work of the people who care about their land and want to leave it better for the next generation. In partnership with NRCS and the science-backed conservation practices, this humble dream is achievable.

For 90 years, NRCS has helped farmers, ranchers and forestland owners make investments in their operations and local communities to improve the quality of our air, water, soil, and wildlife habitat. For more information, visit nrcs.usda.gov.

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