> One can think of meat eaters as greedily using 10x what they need in a world where resources are scarce.

Go ahead and try to replace the protein that meat gives. Cows feed so many people.

So, sure let's replace that ranchland with farmland, what's so hard about that?

That huge amount of natural grassland the cows usually roam on is going to need to be tilled, planted, and fertilized (synthetic via oil or animal based).

You're going to need a lot of water and a lot of fertilizer and resources (labor, machinery, etc.)

Man those cows in Arizona and Nevada really put up with some harsh conditions.

Looks like we need like... a lot water, and a lot more fertilizer...

You know what is scarce, fresh water! California knows this.