Sustainability expert Myriah Johnson joins TSCRA Talk host Kristen Brown to discuss three components that make up the broad scope of sustainability — environmental, economics and social. Later in the conversation, Johnson shares about ongoing research to continue to strive for improvement in terms of sustainability.
Digging deeper into the environmental pillar of sustainability, Johnson explains it includes greenhouse gases, water, ecosystems but, often, each topic overlaps with another pillar. The economic pillar focuses on the financial viability of each level of the industry but also includes how the local economy is impacted by the beef industry as well as the generational transfer of cattle operations which keeps working lands working. The social pillar encompasses health and nutrition of beef as well as the mental health component of beef producers.
Johnson shares that a lot of current research is focused on the social pillar as that has been an under-studied area. Community security is a specific topic that is being evaluated as researchers look at the ways in which ranchers contribute to their communities and, in turn, what ranchers need from a community.
Wrapping up the episode, Johnson says that continued conversations about sustainability are important because consumers are asking questions and it is also a great way to continue to improve the industry. Resources to learn more include beefitswhatsfordinner.com and beefresearch.org.