I\u2019m deeply immersed in public policy but do my best to steer clear of politics. After all, the National Bison Association has cultivated strong personal relationships during the past two decades with leaders on both sides of the political aisle. Bison is our National Mammal because Republicans and Democrats in Congress worked together over a four-year period. More recently, three Democratic and two Republican Senators sent a joint letter to USDA and FDA urging support for honest labeling of water buffalo in the marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just as important, liberals and conservatives alike across the country have embraced the great taste and nutritional benefits of bison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s with a bit of trepidation that I even mention three words generating a firestorm across the country: Green New Deal<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In barely a month, this phrase has emerged as a political lightning rod, with politicians, pundits and others speculating whether ice cream and hamburgers will disappear as flatulating cows are outlawed under a tidal wave of sweeping new laws and regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Please: let’s not hunker down in silos of hardened opinions. An open, honest discussion about our role in climate change should be welcomed among the agriculture community. Rather than girding ourselves to argue over farting cows, let\u2019s educate the public on the environmental benefits of bison and other grazing animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bison ranchers are well positioned to stand at the forefront of that effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, grasslands comprise nearly 40 percent of the earth\u2019s landmass. Closer to home, grasslands dominate most areas west of the Mississippi River, stretching from northern Mexico to the Yukon Flats. Those grasslands are North America\u2019s version of the Amazon Rain Forest, where native vegetation filters carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and returns it to the soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n