Making (cattle) farming great again: From farm to fork

The revamped Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 present a valuable opportunity for livestock producers to regain some lost ground in the long-running campaign against their products.

- Roelof Bezuidenhout

For years, these products have served as convenient scapegoats for a range of human illnesses as well as climate change.

The National Cattlemen's Association in the United States (US) was quick to recognise the opportunity, noting that in addition to its protein content, beef provides at least nine other essential nutrients, including iron and B vitamins. Producers have always known that good food is good medicine. Yet the tide turned against them as far back as 1955 when President Dwight Eisenhower suffered a heart attack shortly after eating a hamburger, fuelling fears around saturated fats.

Protein makes a comeback

Now, US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr says he intends to end the "war on animal proteins", advocating the expansion of cattle herds to meet growing consumption demands. Coupled with the biogenic carbon model, which shows that a ruminant's carbon footprint is far lower than often claimed, this statement sounds like good news for livestock producers.

Recently published by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the updated healthy food pyramid effectively turns the previous model on its head. Animal proteins such as meat, milk, cheese, butter and eggs now occupy the top tier, replacing grains and plant-based proteins.

This represents a major revision of federal dietary guidelines that significantly elevates beef and other animal proteins in the national diet, reversing decades of recommendations that placed grains at the foundation. The guidelines, first issued in 1980, are revised every five years based on the latest research and expert advice. They guide legislators, food relief programmes, schools, old-age homes, prisons, and hospitals on healthy meal planning and eating habits.