Date of Award

Spring 5-8-2026

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Department

Environmental Studies

Advisor(s)

John Van Buren

Abstract

Abstract

This paper discusses the economic, ethical, and environmental impacts of modern cattle ranching in the United States, as well as e4orts taken to mitigate environmental damage as a result of agriculture. With the world population on the rise, and society becoming more disconnected from their food than ever, is important to understand the history of how modern-day agriculture came to be as it is, and how we can combat some of the unique challenges it poses. Chapter 1 covers the current problems in modern day cattle farming, as well as the ecology of cattle, both behavioral and biological, and how these things shape the cattle industry. Chapter 2 focuses on the history of cattle farming, explaining the steps taken from the domestication of cattle to the rotational agricultural model, to modern day factory farming. Chapter 3 discusses the economics of both rotational and factory farming. It explains how exactly people in the agricultural and ranching businesses make money, the economic challenges that climate change poses to these businesses, and how we can balance the need to make profit and sell food, and the need to protect our environment. Chapter 4 delves into the politics of cattle farming, and how legislation about cattle is discussed and passed in the United States of America. It discusses how these policies shape the industry, and the problems that they caused. Finally, chapter 5 concludes the paper by synthesizing the important information from each chapter and presenting my own ideas on what e4ective policy changes could look like to solve the problems in the meat industry without having to completely shut down cattle ranching as a business.

Keywords: Methanogenesis, Net-Zero Emissions, Rotational Farming, Factory Farming, Rumen Microbiome

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