So, how can a simple thing like eating meat have a negative effect on the environment? The most important impact of meat production is through the use of water and land. Two thousand five hundred gallons of water are needs to produce one pound of beef, whereas only twenty gallons of water are needed to produce one pound of wheat. One acre of farmland that is animals, we can make more efficient use of the land and water. One acre of farmland that is used for raising livestock can produce 250 pound of beef. One acre of farmland used for crops can produce 40,000 pound of potatoes, 30,000 pound of carrots, or 50,000 pound of tomatoes.