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[ChoiSungYoung]

In cattle farming are there any benefits towards the environment?

I only have one point and that is (in Australia) they graze and use land that is generally arid or semi arid and not that useful to humans due to its climate.

Thank you
BTW; it's just for a powerpoint where we have to list some benefits and disadvantages, and I only need benefits

[Bikinkawboy]

The people who say there is no environmental benefit prove they don't know what they're talking about. In low rainfall areas, when grazed properly, cattle, sheep and goats help maintain grasses and prevent the spread of woody vegetation. It's a known fact that in places such as the high plains (US), when woody plants take over an area, their deep taproots suck up ground water, drying up springs and streams. When that vegetation is killed or removed, springs come back and streams start flowing again even when it hasn't rained in quite a while. Doing a little research will prove that.

There are wildlife benefits as well. Some animals and birds (rabbits, quail, prairie chickens for example) need grass and weed environments for cover and feed while others such as deer and turkeys need standing trees and wooded areas. Here in Missouri, there is more forested area now than there was over 100 years ago. I've seen woodland encroach grasslands in my home county and as it has, deer and turkey populations have increased while quail and rabbit populations have plummeted.

I'm not condoning widespread deforestation nor am I condoning overgrazing of grasslands, it's just that the environment is like a teeter-totter. When one component increases, there will be a decrease of another component. You can't have both. It's just that simple.

Source(s):
All this is part of my job.