Why can’t we grow livestock feed in areas with more abundant water?

Question

I saw [this](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/05/22/climate/colorado-river-water.html) article today which mentions that 55% of water usage in the west is used for livestock feed. Is there a reason we can’t grow this feed in different parts of the country with more abundant water?

In: 3

Answer 1

We farm where the soil and climate are good and water is abundant. Even if it’s well water. Livestock is just an insanely inefficient way to produce food calories in an industrial society. We need *so much farmland* that it happens in places which require wellwater.