World food prices endanger grass-fed Argentinian beef

For 100 years, cattle breeders refined their beef on the vast Argentine grasslands. With the help of mild winters, regular rainfall and fertile soil, ranchers grazed top-notch British breeds like Hereford and Angus on rich grasses, producing meat with a texture and taste craved throughout the world. “Argentina is to beef what Cuba is to cigars,” says Juan Pablo Thieriot, co-founder of Estancia Beef, which exports Argentine and Uruguayan grass-fed meat. But soaring world food prices may spell the end of the great Argentine steak. Demand for grain and soy is pushing Argentine ranchers to till their pastures in crops. Cattle that once roamed the pampas are increasingly fattened on corn in...