Dear Glamour

Please get your facts straight before you publish your magazine.

About a month ago, I subscribed to Glamour through one of those deals too good to pass up. I guess I should have known that it was too good to be true.

Today, I received my first issue and I was super excited to page through and get some new fashion and workout tips. Instead, I got tips on going vegan and saving the world...by not eating meat.

Not only did I have to read a biased article about veganism ("The Shocking Way Celebs Lose 20 Pounds Fast") that suggested animal products are unhealthy and unsustainable, but then in their "16 Ways to Save the Earth" they falsely claim that livestock production is responsible for 18 percent of the world's greenhouse gas.

Dear Glamour, here are the real facts:

• According to the Environmental Protection Agency, studies show that U.S. livestock production accounts for less than 2.4% of total GHG emissions. 
• A global estimate of livestock production found worldwide, livestock and manure contribute 5.1% to world GHG emissions (World Resources Institute).

I don't know about you but neither of those figures from beefboard.org are anywhere near close to 18% in my world. Glamour clearly didn't fact check. Or if they did, they chose to ignore anything that downplayed their story. As a journalist myself, I am completely disappointed in their writers, editors and production staff. Beef production is a sustainable practice. In fact, grazing animals on land not suitable for producing crops more than doubles the land area that can be used to produce food. If 1955 technology were used to produce the amount of beef raised today, 165 million more acres of land would be needed – that’s about the size of Texas!

As most of you know, this week we celebrate Earth Day. For American farmers and ranchers it's our opportunity to show how we are everyday enviromentalists. We don't just boost up our game this week; every week we strive to take care of our workplace and produce a safe and sustainable product.

I have said this before and I will say it again. If you chose to be a vegan, you chose to be a vegan. But for the sake of an industry that is striving to feed the world, don't falsely spread messages that beef is unhealthy and unsustainable. Lean beef is a extremely beneficial source of protein, zinc and vitamins and our modern technology practices allow us to today produce more meat using less energy, land and water.

I know and trust American agriculture and without their efforts, we would have an awful hungry world...I think that Glamour needs to realize that is a story worth sharing.

For more facts and information on sustainable beef production, visit the Earth Day section on  beefmagazine.com.