More on the destruction of the world's grasslands

Intense government efforts to keep meat affordable through taxes, export restrictions and price controls have enabled Argentines to eat record amounts of beef this year, but the short-term bonanza has come at a very steep cost. With little or no profit left in meat, ranchers are selling out, slaughtering even the female cows needed to maintain their herds.

President Cristina Fernandez, who famously dismissed soy as a "weed," has said her government must protect consumers at a time when booming soy production has taken over 32 million acres (13 million hectares) of grassland once used for ranching.

Her government also has paid huge subsidies for massive feedlot operations where previously grass-fed cattle are fattened on corn and grain.

Clearly, this is political self-punking rather than agronomic or economic problems.

The agricultural economy is already being hit hard, and that will likely mean less revenue for the government. Even with steep taxes, beef exports totaled 4.4 million tons in 2008, worth $1.5 billion. This year's numbers aren't in yet, but the chamber expects a steep decline in 2010.

To maintain meat supplies, the government has applied not only a 15 percent export tax, but other rules such as a requirement that butcher freezers allocate 60 percent of their cuts for domestic distribution.

The Fernandez administration has repeatedly modified these rules to adapt to market pressures, and the changing landscape has made it difficult for producers to make long-term investments in herds.

The idiocy of politicians is destroying Argentina's agricultural sector as well as its grasslands. The environment, and humanity, both suffer. Worse perhaps, calling soy a "weed" is an insult to weeds, which are often very beneficial for grasslands and good to eat as well. . . at least for ruminants.