Children are great learners, absorbing what they hear from friends, family, and at school. My grade-schooler tells me what he’s learned each day, whether it’s facts about penguins or how to count to 100. But when industry materials find their way into the classroom, children’s understanding of science and agriculture can become confused. Industry PR for Big Beef is one thing — targeting children is another thing entirely.
A recent article in Wired exposed how the beef industry has ramped up efforts to target schoolchildren. The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture has been producing industry-backed lesson plans and hosting school events. According to funding documents, the goal is to revarnish the reputation of the industry and leave educators with a “more positive perception” about the role of beef in climate change and sustainability.
Lesson plans include menu designs and talking points for introducing cattle into conservation projects. Children practice counting using cow pasture acreage, and teachers are encouraged to tell students that beef is a nutritious source of protein they should eat daily. To drive home the spin, teachers and administrators are even sent to visit ranches — and then pass the propaganda on to impressionable students.
The strategy of influencing children and educators with the pro-beef line seems to work. Survey data from the meat industry indicate that the programs lead educators to be more likely to trust industry claims and believe that beef is “very important” to society.
The industry already uses creative accounting to mislead the public about emissions. But the fact is that cattle production has the highest agricultural carbon footprint. And, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, when it comes to methane, cattle production runs head-to-head and toe-to-toe with the oil and gas industry.
So while it’s important to discuss food and environmental issues at school, messaging from vested corporate interests is not a credible resource. These efforts start even earlier than grade school — and aren’t limited to the classroom. Consider the promotion of meat in baby food, encouraging infants and toddlers to slurp up processed beef and turkey-flavored applesauce.
The beef industry is manipulating adults, too. As I explained last fall at the COP28 global climate conference, the meat industry tripled the number of lobbyists it sent to broadcast the claim that more cattle is a sustainable climate solution (despite the science showing otherwise).
Some of these efforts are funded by government. The Beef Checkoff program, overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, disperses $42 million annually to change the way you think about beef. The Farm Bureau Foundation is a contractor to the Beef Checkoff program, where cattle producers and importers pay a fee that funds programs to promote and boost demand for beef. The Farm Bureau Foundation’s school campaign has an $800,000 budget.
Other industry projects come from nongovernmental organizations. Using documentaries, webinars and events, social media, internships, funding opportunities and other efforts, campaigns spin the industry from the leading agricultural contributor to climate change and biodiversity loss into an agricultural savior.
Many people want to know more about how regenerative grazing factors into all this. Soon we’ll delve into how a working definition, and the latest science, can bring things into sharper view.
What You Can Do
Eating less beef is a big factor in climate-friendly diets. Learn more about the Center’s work on food in schools at our website Take Extinction Off Your Plate.
Has your child or school received this type of lesson plan or handout? Send them my way.
Email me with questions at [email protected].
