Hi there
I'm having trouble with the question, "What's wrong with grazing livestock on land unsuitable for tillage?" and the questioner often includes the fact that, without this use of such land, "farmers in remote locations would be out of a job" or some such.
Now, my responses are usually, "Why do humans feel the need to exploit every last inch of land? What's wrong with land just being there?" and "The need to exploit marginal land ignores the larger issue of all good arable land being exploited for livestock and the subsequent problems with soil erosion, nutrient depletion, forest clearance" etc etc - you get the picture.
It's still a hard argument to counter, especially over here where 'bad land' is used for sheep grazing or cattle during summer and the livestock farmer feels embattled already without me taking a shot!
What's your take on it?
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