In the early 2000s, Arjen Hoekstra created the water footprint concept. A water footprint, like a carbon or ecological footprint, shows how much water was used in a process or activity. When you think about all the farming, packaging, and shipping that goes into making the food we eat, the results are shocking. A surprising amount of water is used to get food from farms to our tables. Beef uses the most water of all the foods we eat.
The process of making beef and other animal products usually needs more water than making fruits and vegetables. This is because cattle have mouths to feed. Denver Water says that over the course of its life, a beef cow eats thousands of pounds of grass, corn, and soybeans. All of these crops need water to grow. It makes sense then that beef cattle meat has a much bigger water footprint than meat from other, smaller animals.
As a beef lover and avid griller I was shocked when I first learned how much water is required to produce the juicy burgers and steaks I enjoy. According to recent estimates it takes a staggering 1,847 gallons of water on average to produce just one single pound of beef in the United States. That’s enough water to fill up around 39 bathtubs!
In this article, I’ll break down where all this water goes, why beef has such a high water footprint, and how carnivores like myself can reduce our water consumption The numbers really put into perspective how all of our food choices are interconnected with water usage and sustainability
Why So Much Water for Beef?
The vast majority of water used for beef production goes towards irrigating the crops and pastureland used to feed cattle. Let’s follow the process:
-
Cattle spend the first 6-10 months of life on pasture, eating grasses and hay. This forage needs adequate rainfall or irrigation.
-
For the next 3-4 months, cattle move to feedlots for “finishing” on grain, usually corn. Cultivating corn and other grains takes lots of water.
-
Cattle need drinking water throughout their lifecycle. The average cow drinks 30-50 gallons of water per day!
When you add up all the water to grow feed, the drinking water, and the water for processing, you reach the staggering 1,847 gallon figure for just one pound of beef.
Water Usage Varies by Location
Where cattle are raised significantly impacts the water footprint. In drought-prone areas like California and the Southwest U.S., the water usage for beef production is higher:
-
California: Approximately 2,500 gallons per pound
-
Texas: Approximately 1,320 gallons per pound
-
Iowa: Approximately 560 gallons per pound
In contrast, in lush pasturelands like Ireland and England, the water usage can be 95% less per pound of beef.
Reducing Your Beef Water Footprint
While it may not be realistic to eliminate beef from your diet completely, here are 3 tips to reduce the water resources needed:
1. Eat Less Beef Overall
Cutting back on beef, even by one serving a week, can make a significant dent in your personal water footprint. Substitute alternate protein sources like chicken, fish or beans in some meals.
2. Choose Grass-Fed Over Grain-Fed Beef
Grass-fed cattle rely primarily on rainwater instead of irrigated crops like corn. Their water usage is reduced by up to 50%.
3. Buy Beef Raised in Low-Water Regions
Choosing locally raised beef from your area is ideal. If buying beef from other states, research which regions have lower water requirements for raising cattle.
How Beef Stacks Up to Other Foods
To put beef’s water usage into perspective, here is how it compares to other common foods:
-
Beef: 1,847 gallons per pound
-
Pork: 576 gallons per pound
-
Chicken: 468 gallons per pound
-
Soybeans: 216 gallons per pound
-
Corn: 107 gallons per pound
-
Wheat: 100 gallons per pound
-
Rice: 34 gallons per pound
It’s clear that animal products like beef, pork and chicken require significantly more water than vegetarian staples like grains and legumes. Keep this in mind when making food choices.
The Importance of Sustainable Water Use
With a growing global population and increasing pressure on water resources, it’s important to consider the water footprint of everything we eat and drink.
While occasional beef indulgence can be part of a sustainable diet, I plan to be more mindful of how much I consume and continue learning ways to reduce my personal water usage. Small changes by many people can positively impact the planet.
I encourage you to calculate your own water footprint and identify areas where you can cut back. It’s enlightening to grasp the true scale of how much water we each utilize indirectly on a daily basis.
Next time you grill up a juicy burger or steak, think about the near bathtub-sized amount of water needed to produce it. Appreciating and respecting this precious resource is something we can all do, one meal at a time.
Industrial raised vs. pasture-raised
When raising beef cattle, two processes largely determine the amount and type of water supply it will take to turn a 1,000-pound-and-change cow into a neatly packaged burger patty: industrial-raised and pasture-raised processes. It might come as no surprise that in the United States, industrial processes that prioritize quick turnarounds are the norm, with 80% of beef cattle raised industrially (via FoodPrint). While time spent in industrial feedlots allows for rapid weight gain, its not without consequences like land use, waste, pollution, and stressed water supplies.
By comparison, pasture-raised cattle slow down production time because they take a longer time to gain weight. For grass-fed cattle, the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture says it takes between 24 and 28 months to reach market weight. The water footprint of pasture-raised beef is much smaller, though, because the cows eat grass that gets water from rain. Still, it doesnt mean its environmentally sound. Pasture-raised cattle not only take up a lot of space, but they also make more methane gas over the course of their lives because they grow slowly (via PubMed).
How much water is needed to produce a pound of beef?
FAQ
How much water to make 1 pound of beef?
What percentage of beef is water?
How many gallons of water does it take to produce one pound of grain fed beef?
How many gallons of water does it take to raise one beef cow?
How much water does a pound of beef take?
Source: Water Footprint Your answer: gallons Correct answer: About 460 gallons for 1/4 pound of beef, or about 1,750 liters per 113 grams Estimates vary a lot due to different conditions of raising cows.The number also varies depending on how far back in the production chain you go.
How much protein is there in 100 grams of lean beef?
For every 100g of lean meat, there is an average of 32g to 35g of protein, in addition we have 7g of lipids, 84mg of cholesterol and 4. 3g of saturated fat.
How much water does meat use?
Beef has the largest global water footprint out of all types of meat. In fact, estimates show that it takes 1,675 gallons of water to produce one pound of pork and 257 gallons of water to produce one pound of poultry. However, not all water has the same importance when it comes to sustainability.
How much water does a pound of steak use?
In the US to produce one pound (1 lb, 0.4kg) of steak requires, on average, 1,799 gallons of water – for pork it is 576 gallons of water and for a pound of chicken it is 468 gallons of water. Johns Hopkins University says that in general the ratios for water use are approximately 7:1 for beef, 5:1 for pork and 2.5:1 for poultry.