With the goal of “creating some of the highest quality beef in the world,” founder and CEO of Meta (Facebook parent company) billionaire Mark Zuckerberg has resorted to farming, purchasing a herd of cattle to feed beer and macadamia meal.
The 39-year-old founder of Facebook claimed he would breed cattle on his property in Hawaii, giving them beer to help the animals relax and almonds for flavour and nourishment.
With a net worth estimated at $126.5 billion, Zuckerberg began accumulating hundreds of acres on Kauai in 2014. As of right now, he owns 1,400 acres of oceanfront land on the north shore, which is valued at an estimated $270 million.
“Started raising cattle at Ko’olau Ranch on Kauai, and my goal is to create some of the highest quality beef in the world,” he wrote on Instagram, and Facebook on Tuesday.
Only the best will do for the sixth richest man in the world, who raises wagyu and Angus cattle, which produce some of the most expensive meat in the world.
“Each cow eats 5,000-10,000lbs of food each year, so that’s a lot of acres of macadamia trees. My daughters help plant the mac trees and take care of our different animals. We’re still early in the journey, and it’s fun to improve on it every season. Of all my projects, this is the most delicious,” added Zuckerberg, whose net worth is currently estimated to be $129 billion, on Wednesday.
According to Mitch Jones, policy director of Food & Water Watch, a national nonprofit organisation focused on law and policy the disparities in our food system and the realities of a changing climate, we need genuine farm reform. “Beer and water-intensive macadamia nut cattle are just a bizarre sideshow of a billionaire,” said. Furthermore, encouragement should be provided to small and medium-sized farms striving to feed everyone, rather than solely catering to affluent celebrities, to ensure their continued viability.
One of the main causes of global warming, water pollution, and deforestation is beef. Scientists studying climate change caution that reducing consumption is necessary to mitigate the worst consequences of the climate catastrophe, particularly in the industrialised world.
A mature cow may produce up to 500 litres of methane per day, or around 3.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. However, cattle release methane into their belches, which is a very strong greenhouse gas that, over 20 years, causes around 85 times more heat than CO2.
