Nicolette Hahn Niman served as senior attorney for Waterkeeper Alliance, running their campaign to reform the concentrated production of livestock and poultry. In recent years, she has gained a national reputation as an advocate for sustainable food production and improved farm-animal welfare. She is the author of Righteous Porkchop and Defending Beef, and has written for numerous publications, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, HuffPost, and The Atlantic online. She lives on a ranch in Northern California with her husband, Bill Niman, and their two sons.
"I have long wished for a single compilation with all the
scientific evidence that counters the charges of the anti-beef
propagandists. Well, now we have it. It’s Defending Beef, The Case
for Sustainable Meat Production by Nicolette Hahn Niman.”--Allan
Nation, The Stockman Grass Farmer
"Defending Beef is full of important insights and information,
things anyone who cares about food and agriculture, including
vegetarians, ought to know.”--Edward Behr, editor and publisher of
The Art of Eating
The Art of Eating- "Serious thinking about food and agriculture
fills Defending Beef: The Case for Sustainable Meat Production
(Chelsea Green, softcover, $19.95).The beef Nicolette Hahn Niman
defends is unprocessed, raised outdoors using humane methods on
pasture or range. A lawyer, married to a rancher, she started with
an anti-meat bias and remains a vegetarian (seemingly from habit).
She answers criticism that cattle-raising contributes to
desertification, world hunger, and global warming. She presents the
ecological importance of trampling by hooves — natural grasslands
are a product of wild-animal grazing. The key for ranchers is
well-timed pauses to let plants regrow. Problems come when grazing
land is left to “rest” too long. Real environmental damage, she
argues, comes from plowing up grasslands to plant crops. …
Most of her assertions come with references to scientific
studies pro and con. Niman believes red meat is healthful, taking
an Atkins-esque view that animal fat is not responsible for making
people fat. In contrast to her own diet, she tentatively proposes:
“We should eat what our bodies evolved to eat” — mainly meat and
wild plants. And she ties benign methods to the highest quality
beef, giving her rancher husband’s view that the best taste comes
from the meat of British breeds; the cattle are at least two years
old and fattened on the year’s best grass. Beef is ideally a
seasonal meat, she argues, although she doesn’t believe it harms
cattle to feed them some grain.”
"In response to the ecological objection that cattle production
produces more harm than good, biologist, environmental lawyer,
long-time vegetarian and rancher, Nicolette Hahn Niman presents the
case that raising cattle can in fact have many environmental
benefits. These benefits, she argues, include helping to sustain
grassland as well as producing nutrient efficient products for
human consumption. Using scientific data, Niman argues how
small-scale, grass-fed cattle operations are actually part of a
long-term sustainability solution.”--Food Tank, "Top 10 Books About
Food in 2014"
"A longtime critic of industrial agriculture and a lawyer by
training, Niman mounts a lawyerly case for pasture-based beef
production. She does so from an interested position. She's the wife
of Bill Niman, one of the nation's most celebrated grass-based
ranchers. But critics who want to dismiss Niman's advocacy on
economic-interest grounds have to grapple with the mountains of
evidence she brings to bear. The main ecological question that
haunts grass-fed beef involves climate change. Cows emit methane, a
greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon, when they burp, which
is often. But by grazing, they also promote healthy, flourishing
grasslands, which suck carbon from the atmosphere and store it in
soil. In doing so, they convert a wild vegetation that people can't
digest into a highly nourishing foodstuff. So on balance, do cows
contribute to or mitigate climate change? The conventional
view holds that the burps win. Niman casts more than reasonable
doubt on that verdict. Citing loads of research, she argues that
enteric emissions (methane from burps) are likely overstated and
can be curtailed by breeding and techniques like abundant salt
licks, and more than offset by the carbon-gulping capacity of
intensive grazing (where farmers run dense herds through a pasture
for a short time, and then give the land plenty of time to
recover). She also shows that healthy pastures also provide plenty
of other benefits, including habitat for pollinating insects and
birds, which are declining rapidly as industrial grain
farming—mostly for grain to feed confined animals—expands.”--Tom
Philpott, Mother Jones, Best Food Books of 2014
“[T]he former environmental lawyer and now rancher Nicolette Hahn
Niman … has now collected her thoughts in the elegant,
strongly argued Defending Beef.”--Corby Kummer, The Atlantic,
Best Food Books of 2014
The Los Angeles Times- “If you are looking for a book to inspire
fisticuffs at the Thanksgiving table, you've found it. Her
"manifesto" calls for a revolutionized food system — one that
requires cows. … One after another, Hahn Niman skewers the, ahem,
sacred cows of the anti-meat orthodoxy. Eating meat causes world
hunger? No, livestock are critical food (and cash) for 1 billion
global poor, many living where plant crops cannot be grown.
Deforestation? Forests are cleared primarily for soy, almost none
of which goes to feed cows. Red meat and animal fat are the cause
of the current epidemic of cardiovascular disease? The 1953 Keys
study that spawned this belief actually showed no causation between
the two and pushed us into the deadly grip of trans-fats and the
true killer: sugar. Overgrazing ruined the American West? No, it
was improper grazing and, in some cases, not enough cattle. … She's
not trying to change your mind; she's trying to save your world.
And if you're an eater trying to pick your way through this
divisive debate, you're cheering the information on every
page.”
The Wall Street Journal- “Using a potent mix of scientific data and
neoteric theories about health and environment, Ms. Niman makes a
convincing case that grass-fed cattle should be a part of a
sustainable food culture. If I were not already a consumer of
grass-fed beef (I buy it frozen), I would be upon reading this
book. … The problems with beef today ‘are problems of land
management, water resources, pollution, animal welfare, and food
safety,’ Ms. Niman writes. She honors the cattleman culture, hoping
the industry will self-correct, and to that end she shares the
techniques that her husband developed to produce great-tasting
grass-fed beef. Some of the author’s observations touch on larger
topics, like the gross amount of food waste in this country (a
whopping 50% of all food produced) and how our system of food
subsidies ‘leads us to eat an abundance of unhealthy foods.’ These
problems actually suggest pathways by which you and I might drive
change, but they are not explored here. That may be because
‘Defending Beef’ is true to its title: It seeks to persuade, not
inflame.”
Publishers Weekly- "After learning from her rancher husband the
benefits of raising and eating beef, Niman (Righteous Porkchop)
delivers a head-on attack against everything negative that has been
said about the cattle industry. An environmental lawyer and
vegetarian, Niman is a force of nature when it comes to debunking
the untruths about how raising beef effects global warming, the
connection between eating beef and heart disease, and that eating
beef is the reason Americans are fatter than ever. Reading Niman's
pointed and convincing prose, like when she states: 'compared with
other ways of producing food, the keeping of grazing livestock,
when done appropriately, is the most environmentally benign,’ one
can only imagine challenging her combination of intelligence,
passion, and thoroughness. Despite the title, Niman isn't always on
the defensive. In fact, she continually proposes ideas how to make
meat production better by promoting the land- and animal-friendly
practices of free-range, grass-fed ranching as a safer, more
ecological, and healthier alternative to BigAg and industrial meat
farming. Niman saves some of her most convincing and damning
criticisms for her own vegetarianism as she demonstrates how
raising livestock is not only a better option for the world's
hungry masses, but also a better option for the planet's health. It
sounds hard to believe, but Niman is almost impossible to disagree
with.”
Acres U.S.A.- "The irony could not be more acute, for this
vegetarian makes as forceful and compelling a case for rational
livestock husbandry as could be imagined. … A wealth of
personal experience percolates through her case, giving it detail,
color and emotional logic. … The trick to telling this kind
of story has to do with rendering reams of data into a relatively
swift narrative without oversimplifying it. Whether telling the
story of Allan Savory and mob grazing or recapping the findings of
the late John Yudkin—author of Pure, White and Deadly that fingered
sugar for crimes against health 40 years ago—Hahn Niman never
misses a step. … Defending Beef gives advocates of sustainable
livestock a powerful weapon.”
Library Journal- "Niman (Righteous Porkchop), previously a senior
attorney for the Waterkeeper Alliance, has a simple premise: 'We
should eat what our bodies evolved to eat.' This title lays out her
arguments in two sections. The first deals with cattle and how
intensive factory farming has had a deleterious effect on certain
environmental aspects of raising beef, but the author contends that
these have been overstated. The link to climate change has been
exaggerated, according to Niman, who claims that if cattle were
permitted to graze on grass as they were evolutionarily designed to
do, alteration to the earth’s temperature might be mitigated, as
this would promote carbon sequestration. Traditional cattle farming
has other benefits, such as connecting people to the land and to
the rhythms of the seasons. The book’s second part enumerates the
health benefits of beef. Niman contends that bad science from the
1960s has led us to believe that fat and cholesterol should be
avoided. We have switched to a diet that is heavy in sugars and
carbohydrates and this has resulted in an increase in many chronic
health conditions. The author maintains that a switch to
less-processed foods and meats would reverse this
trend. VERDICT As a vegetarian, Niman is an intriguing
spokesperson for the beef industry. Her arguments seem sound and
well researched. Recommended reading for those interested in the
links between diet and health.”
"I hope this book, which is more about the future of humanity, will
be read by every citizen—not just those who feel the need to defend
their meat-eating preferences. Biologist, environmental lawyer, and
mother Nicolette Hahn Niman has provided a balanced report on the
effects of cattle production on our environment, health, and
climate change. Openly accepting the damage done by modern-day
cattle production—on the land and in factory feedlots—she
effectively argues that cattle themselves are not the problem; it
is the way they are being managed that is endangering our health,
environment, and economy. We can do something about that, and we
must for the sake of our children and grandchildren. Key to our
success will be an informed citizenry—for whom this book will be an
invaluable tool."--Allan Savory, founder and president, the Savory
Institute
"Creating healthful, delicious food in ecological balance is among
humanity's greatest challenges. In this insightful book, Nicolette
Hahn Niman shows why cattle on grass are an essential element.
Every chef in America should read this book."--Alice Waters,
executive chef, founder/owner, Chez Panisse, Berkeley, CA
“Anyone who doubts that beef can be part of a sustainable food
system and healthy diet should read this book. Defending Beef
proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that we can feel good about
eating beef that's raised the right way.”--Steve Ells, founder and
CEO, Chipotle Mexican Grill
"Defending Beef is a brave, clear-headed, and necessary addition to
the discussion about sustainable food systems. Using hard data and
solid scientific research, Nicolette Hahn Niman, a lawyer turned
rancher, presents a convincing case that everything we thought we
knew about the environmental and human health damage caused by beef
is just plain wrong."--Barry Estabrook, author, Tomatoland: How
Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed our Most Alluring Fruit
“In this remarkable book, Nicolette Hahn Niman proves herself to be
a true environmentalist—one who is willing to dig deeply, challenge
orthodoxies, and get to the truth. You should read Defending Beef
not only for the compelling case she makes for sustainable meat
production but also as an example of critical thinking at its
finest.”--Bo Burlingham, Editor-at-Large of Inc. magazine and
author of Small Giants and Finish Big: How Great Entrepreneurs Exit
Their Companies on Top
“I have traveled to every state in the U.S. during both summer and
winter and have seen the land in extensive rural areas. There are
huge land areas in this country that cannot be used for crops. The
only way to grow food on these lands is grazing animals. Grazing
done properly will improve the land. Defending Beef shows clearly
that beef cattle are an important part of sustainable
agriculture.”--Temple Grandin, author of Animals Make Us Human and
Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University
"Anyone hesitating to eat beef due to environmental or nutritional
concerns needs to learn the other side of the story. Defending Beef
is both scientifically accurate and highly readable. Kudos to
Nicolette Hahn Niman for successfully engaging in one of the
biggest environmental tensions of our day."--Joel Salatin, farmer
and author
"Nicolette Hahn Niman just became beef's most articulate advocate.
In Defending Beef, she pivots gracefully between the personal and
the scientific, the impassioned and the evenhanded. It's a deeply
compelling and delicious vision for the future of food."--Dan
Barber, chef/co-owner, Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns
"The prosecution will never rest after the case presented here by
this unusually well-armed defense lawyer. Exactly how much
and in what ways cattle benefit our world—whether or not we eat
beef—have never been more thoroughly explained. Cattle are lucky to
have such a remarkable rancher gal come to their aid on our
behalf."--Betty Fussell, author, Raising Steaks: The Life and
Times of American Beef
“Nicolette Hahn Niman’s Defending Beef is as timely as it is
necessary. With patience and passion she separates truth from
fiction in the emotional debate about the role of beef in our lives
and the effect of its production on our planet. Far from being a
bogeyman of climate change and other environmental concerns, she
argues, cattle, when properly managed, can play an important role
in local food systems, land health, and carbon sequestration. The
key is treating cattle as an ally, not an enemy, and exploring
opportunities instead of simply pointing fingers. In this
exploration, Defending Beef leads the way!”--Courtney White,
founder and creative director, Quivira Coalition, and author,
Grass, Soil, Hope
“In our collective confusion and desperation about the environment,
many zero in on cattle as an unlikely culprit for everything from
water pollution to climate change. In Defending Beef, author,
rancher and environmental lawyer Nicolette Hahn Niman takes a
nuanced look at the impact of livestock on land, water, the
atmosphere, and human health. With clarity and eloquence, she puts
research in context and shows that the raising of cattle can be
destructive or restorative depending on how the animals are
managed. Cattle—and common sense—have found their
champion.”--Judith D. Schwartz, author, Cows Save the Planet
“Issues related to the long-term health effects of red meat,
saturated fat, sugar, and grains are complex and I see the jury as
still out on many of them. While waiting for the science to be
resolved, Hahn Niman’s book is well worth reading for its forceful
defense of the role of ruminant animals in sustainable food
systems.”--Marion Nestle, Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and
Public Health at New York University and author of What to Eat
“Defending Beef is an important book. Nicolette Hahn Niman had me
at the chapter, ‘All Food Is Grass,’ where she unpacks the complex
clash of views over animal rights, ecology, and the legacy of human
impact upon bioregions. The more I read, the more I came to value
the passion and insight of someone who (like me) does not herself
consume meat but recognizes that it rests at the center of what’s
troubling with our food system and how we might set it right. At
Slow Food, we believe that better, less meat should become a
rallying cry for a shift in our relationship to animals and each
other. Scale, biodiversity, and rural economies get ample attention
in this comprehensive yet easy-to-digest manifesto. If we ever hope
to challenge the prevailing culture of confinement that defines the
industrial meat system today then we need to make this book
required reading for butchers, bakers and policymakers.”--Richard
McCarthy, executive director, Slow Food USA
“Defending Beef clearly and unequivocally connects the dots for us
on how vitally important raising pastured beef is to humanity. From
increasing the glomalin in soil that helps create healthy grass, to
sequestering carbon, battling desertification, enhancing the water
supply, mitigating climate change, and promoting biodiversity,
Nicolette Hahn Niman carefully draws a constellation for
understanding just how our food production systems affect people,
culture and our ecosystem—for good or ill. The case is airtight and
the jury is in: Cattle on pasture are an integral part of the
solution.”--Mary R. Cleaver, owner/executive chef, The Cleaver
Company and The Green Table, New York City
"A breakthrough book that reclaims our relationship with farm
animals and nutritious food. Comprehensive and insightful,
Defending Beef delivers a compelling description of a food system
that works with nature and wildlife, supports humane animal
husbandry, and builds strong local economies. With a keen mind and
passionate love of life, Nicolette Hahn Niman provides an
insightful solution to feeding our growing world population and
shows us a way of life that is both beautiful and
sustaining."--Judy Wicks, founder of White Dog Cafe and the
Business Alliance for Local Living Economies and author of Good
Morning, Beautiful Business
"It is so important that we free our minds of conventional beef
wisdom and open up to the solution set that uses nature's wisdom as
well as the smart agricultural practices of the future. In
Defending Beef, Nicolette Hahn Niman gives us an exacting and
compelling defense of land management that solves for environmental
resiliency, human health, climate change mitigation, and
prosperity. How could we not listen?"--Kat Taylor, CEO and
co-founder, Beneficial State Bank; co-founder and director, Tomkat
Ranch Educational Foundation
"As a chef, I am concerned with not just the flavor of my
ingredients, but also their ecological, economic, social,
biodiversity, and health implications. In Defending Beef, Nicolette
Hahn Niman delves deeply into the many impacts of beef production.
Through both scholarly research and her own personal journey, she
shows how, again and again, the ‘conventional wisdom’ has missed
the mark, while making an extremely convincing case for well-raised
cattle having a necessary place in our global agriculture system
and on our plates. Simply put, this book doesn't just make me a
better chef, but also a better person."--Michael Leviton,
chef/owner, Lumiere; chair, Chefs Collaborative
“Nicolette Hahn Niman, a lawyer, vegetarian and cattle rancher,
serves up a well-argued defense of an American icon: the hamburger.
Passionate and persuasive, Hahn Niman delivers a tough-minded
critique of industrial animal operations along with an eloquent
case on behalf of pasture-raised beef. The good news? It's safe to
eat steak again--so long as you know where it comes from.”--Marc
Gunther, editor-at-large, Guardian Sustainable Business US
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