About our guest

This week we talked with Jose Dubeux a Professor of Forages and Grassland Sciences at the University of Florida. We talked about Developing a sustainable livestock production system.

Jose is internationally recognized as an authority on ecosystem services in silvopasture systems along with use of cactus and grasses as fodder. In his career, Jose and his team have published 660 publications including 251 peer-reviewed articles and chaired 36 graduate students.

Below is the article for reference:

https://agronomy.ifas.ufl.edu/people/jose-dubeux/

Sustainable livestock system

He explained that a sustainable livestock system is designed to graze an intentionally planted forage crop. The role of herbivore in nature is to prune back old grass, which restarts the rapid biomass production – without herbivores this process stops. With different cover crops you can rotate what grows best in each season. Then in turn the roots sequestered carbon, the cows fertilize the crops with manure and urine…. Creating a natural symbiotic relationship.

Adding trees to the pastures (called Silvopasture) also sequesters carbon, provides shade, and adds to the mycorrhiza delivery systems underground.

Forage Crops:   https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/agriculture/forages/

(Joel Salatin uses the moving, mob and mowing which is how this works)

Video below:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=430&v=a0DX4Flzjrs&feature=emb_logo

Reducing added nitrogen fertilizers lessens the use of fossil fuels (used in manufacturing) also lessens our use of additional fertilizer AND saves money in the long run.

In regard to the methane cows produce, if they are field grown animals then the pastures balance it out. The stockyards would be where excess methane happens. However, the focus in Florida is a cow/calf system. They are sold to other states and countries to “finish”.

Florida is 14th in cattle density with about 900,000 beef and 100,00 dairy cattle. Oddly that number has stayed the same since the 1950’s. BUT in the 1950’s we had 2.8 million people in Florida. Now that number is closer to 21 million and growing by 1,000 people a day. Within that number of people there are only 5 to 10% of us that are vegetarians.

As long as meat is being raised to eat. It seems finding the best, most sustainable way is the right row to hoe.…. So, to say.

Ironically:

In the 1600’s, the North American bison population was 30-60 million.

During the 1800s after the great slaughter of the American bison, the number of bison reduced dramatically. Afterwards in all of North America they declined to as low as 541 to as few as 300 in the United States.

Today there are ½ million bison in the US.

There are 30 million beef cows in the US as of Jan. 1, 2022.

(Domestic switched with native)

Tune in next Monday morning at 11 for the next Sustainable Living Show, where we will be talking with USF Professor George Philippidis about Biofuels.

Remember if you are looking for someone to save the world – look in the mirror.