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Almost one-third of the water used in the western United States goes to crops that feed cattle. Eating beef isn’t just bad for the climate. The irrigation of alfalfa, hay, maize (corn), sorghum and other crops eaten by cattle is the largest consumer of water in the United States — and the leading cause of abnormally low river flows. In many areas of the United States and around the world, freshwater use is approaching or exceeds the rate of natural replenishment, and is depleting rivers and hurting fisheries.