Niman - Defending Beef: the Case for Sustainable Meat Production

Praise for Defending Beef

In this remarkable book, Nicolette Hahn Niman proves herself to be a true environmentalistone who is willing to dig deeply, challenge orthodoxies, and get to the truth. You should read Defending Beef not only for the compelling case she makes for sustainable meat production, but also as an example of critical thinking at its finest.

Bo Burlingham, editor-at-large of Inc. magazine and author of Small Giants and Finish Big: How Great Entrepreneurs Exit Their Companies on Top

I have traveled to every state in the U.S. during both summer and winter and have seen the land in extensive rural areas. There are huge land areas in this country that cannot be used for crops. The only way to grow food on these lands is by grazing animals. Grazing done properly will improve the land. Defending Beef shows clearly that beef cattle are an important part of sustainable agriculture.

Temple Grandin, author of Animals Make Us Human and professor of animal science, Colorado State University

Anyone hesitating to eat beef due to environmental or nutritional concerns needs to learn the other side of the story. Defending Beef is both scientifically accurate and highly readable. Kudos to Nicolette Hahn Niman for successfully engaging in one of the biggest environmental tensions of our day.

Joel Salatin, farmer and author

Creating healthful, delicious food in ecological balance is among humanitys greatest challenges. In this insightful book, Nicolette Hahn Niman shows why cattle on grass are an essential element. Every chef in America should read this book.

Alice Waters, executive chef, founder/owner, Chez Panisse, Berkeley, CA

Anyone who doubts that beef can be part of a sustainable food system and healthy diet should read this book. Defending Beef proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that we can feel good about eating beef thats raised the right way.

Steve Ells, founder and CEO, Chipotle Mexican Grill

Nicolette Hahn Niman just became beefs most articulate advocate. In Defending Beef, she pivots gracefully between the personal and the scientific, the impassioned and the evenhanded. Its a deeply compelling and delicious vision for the future of food.

Dan Barber, chef/co-owner, Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns

Defending Beef is a brave, clear-headed, and necessary addition to the discussion about sustainable food systems. Using hard data and solid scientific research, Nicolette Hahn Niman, a lawyer turned rancher, presents a convincing case that everything we thought we knew about the environmental and human health damage caused by beef is just plain wrong.

Barry Estabrook, author, Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit

The prosecution will never rest after the case presented here by this unusually well-armed defense lawyer. Exactly how much and in what ways cattle benefit our worldwhether or not we eat beefhave never been more thoroughly explained. Cattle are lucky to have such a remarkable rancher gal come to their aid on our behalf.

Betty Fussell, author, Raising Steaks: The Life and Times of American Beef

Nicolette Hahn Nimans Defending is as timely as it is necessary. With patience and passion she separates truth from fiction in the emotional debate about the role of beef in our lives and the effect of its production on our planet. Far from being a bogeyman of climate change and other environmental concerns, she argues, cattle, when properly managed, can play an important role in local food systems, land health, and carbon sequestration. The key is treating cattle as an ally, not an enemy, and exploring opportunities instead of simply pointing fingers. In this exploration, Defending Beef leads the way!

Courtney White, founder and creative director, Quivira Coalition, and author, Grass, Soil, Hope

In our collective confusion and desperation about the environment, many zero in on cattle as an unlikely culprit for everything from water pollution to climate change. In Defending Beef, author, rancher, and environmental lawyer Nicolette Hahn Niman takes a nuanced look at the impact of livestock on land, water, the atmosphere, and human health. With clarity and eloquence, she puts research in context and shows that the raising of cattle can be destructive or restorative, depending on how the animals are managed. Cattleand common sensehave found their champion.

Judith D. Schwartz, author, Cows Save the Planet

Issues related to the long-term health effects of red meat, saturated fat, sugar, and grains are complex and I see the jury as still out on many of them. While waiting for the science to be resolved, Hahn Nimans book is well worth reading for its forceful defense of the role of ruminant animals in sustainable food systems.

Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University and author of What to Eat

I hope this book, which is more about the future of humanity, will be read by every citizennot just those who feel the need to defend their meat-eating preferences. Biologist, environmental lawyer, and mother Nicolette Hahn Niman has provided a balanced report on the effects of cattle production on our environment, health, and climate change. Openly accepting the damage done by modern-day cattle productionon the land and in factory feedlotsshe effectively argues that cattle themselves are not the problem; it is the way they are being managed that is endangering our health, environment, and economy. We can do something about that, and we must for the sake of our children and grandchildren. Key to our success will be an informed citizenryfor whom this book will be an invaluable tool.

Allan Savory, founder and president, the Savory Institute

Defending Beef is an important book. Nicolette Hahn Niman had me at the chapter All Food Is Grass, where she unpacks the complex clash of views over animal rights, ecology, and the legacy of human impact upon bioregions. The more I read, the more I came to value the passion and insight of someone who (like me) does not herself consume meat but recognizes that it rests at the center of whats troubling with our food system and how we might set it right.

At Slow Food, we believe that better, less meat should become a rallying cry for a shift in our relationship to animals and each other. Scale, biodiversity, and rural economies get ample attention in this comprehensive yet easy-to-digest manifesto. If we ever hope to challenge the prevailing culture of confinement that defines the industrial meat system today, then we need to make this book required reading for butchers, bakers, and policymakers.

Richard McCarthy, executive director, Slow Food USA

Defending Beef clearly and unequivocally connects the dots for us on how vitally important raising pastured beef is to humanity. From increasing the glomalin in soil that helps create healthy grass, to sequestering carbon, battling desertification, enhancing the water supply, mitigating climate change, and promoting biodiversity, Nicolette Hahn Niman carefully draws a constellation for understanding just how our food production systems affect people, culture, and our ecosystemfor good or ill. The case is airtight and the jury is in: Cattle on pasture are an integral part of the solution.

Mary R. Cleaver, owner/executive chef, The Cleaver Company and The Green Table, New York City

A breakthrough book that reclaims our relationship with farm animals and nutritious food. Comprehensive and insightful, Defending Beef delivers a compelling description of a food system that works with nature and wildlife, supports humane animal husbandry, and builds strong local economies. With a keen mind and passionate love of life, Nicolette Hahn Niman provides an insightful solution to feeding our growing world population and shows us a way of life that is both beautiful and sustaining.