The Issue
In 2017, the Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone reached record size – as large as the State of Connecticut. Massive algae blooms depleted water oxygen levels, killing marine life.
The cause? Excessive nutrients fueling algae overgrowth.
The primary source? Upstream farm field run off.
The Good News – It Is Reversible.
TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE.
The Tide is Reversible.
Here’s a primer on The Dead Zone’s environmental impact and how American grass-fed beef can help.
- Midwest pastures have been replaced by tilled farm fields to grow corn and soybeans. These crops require tons of fertilizers to ensure bumper crops.
- When heavy rainfall descends, excess fertilizers and topsoil wash off fields, entering waterways as run-off.
- This runoff, which is rich in phosphorus, nitrogen and soil particles, travels downstream to the Gulf of Mexico, where it feeds algae blooms.
- Large algae blooms then deplete the water of oxygen, killing marine life.
Learn how supporting American-raised grass finished beef can help Heal our Land and Water.
Properly grazed American pastures keep tons of chemicals off the land and out of our waterways.
Dead Zone wreaks havoc on shrimp, OYSTER, AND FISH populations and
impaires the livelihoods of local fishermen.
Sustainability starts at home.
Retail grass fed beef sales have grown at a record pace; yet up to 75% of all grass fed beef sold on grocery shelves today was raised overseas1.
Why does it matter? Because the environmental benefits of pasture raising are left behind in the foreign countries where the cattle were raised.
