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Note that in the U.S., all cows feed primarily on grass or hay for most of their lives. Cows get fed corn in the following situations: - in the last few month

Note that in the U.S., all cows feed primarily on grass or hay for most of their lives. Cows get fed corn in the following situations: - in the last few months, cows are "finished" on corn to fatten them up faster - at large-scale farms, hay is supplemented with corn during the winter in areas where grazing is not possible due to weather (i.e., snow) to maintain a year-round supply of cows ready for slaughter

ncmncm 5y ago
In the US, all calves are normally pastured until they mature. Beef cattle are often there just until they are big enough for the feedlot. Then they never walk again until just before slaughter. There is a US law that animals must walk into the slaughterhouse themselves. Sometimes they get amphetamines so they can make it. Dairy calves are likewise pastured. So the box always says "pasture-raised", which means nothing. Most adult dairy cows in the US are fed mostly corn. Somebody who feeds them grass and hay gets a big price premium for "grass-fed" dairy. It says so in big type on the label. That is why most US butter is almost white: it gets color from carotenes in grass, and the dairy cows mostly don't get any.
- gamblor956 5y ago
  That is simply wrong. Cows, including adult dairy cows, are primarily fed grass. They are only finished grain in the last few months, or supplemented grain during the winter months. https://www.usdairy.com/news-articles/do-dairy-cows-eat-food-people-could-eat https://www.usdairy.com/news-articles/do-dairy-cows-eat-food...
  - ncmncm 5y ago
    You cite propaganda from the Dairy Council? But that does not explain why most American butter is almost white, and of poor quality, or why "grass-fed" and foreign dairy products command such a price premium. Or why dairies that do not feed their cows heavily-subsidized corn cannot compete with those that do.
    - gamblor956 5y ago
      1) Your first assertion is false. Land o' Lakes and the store-brand butter I buy (in both cases, the non-organic varieties) are as yellow in my grocery store as the expensive Irish Kerigold butter I also buy. 2) Butter is less yellow in the U.S. because of lower levels of beta carotene. Grass has higher levels of beta carotene than hay (which is cut grass, the lower levels are due to the decay of the beta carotene). https://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-european-and-american-butter-229135 https://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-europ... 3) American butter is not "lower quality." It is lower fat. American butter can be used in more cooking situations than Irish butter, which is too fat for many dishes (including, for example, pizza). 4) Not all foreign dairy products command a price premium. Kerigold is less than the organic American butter in most grocery stores in Southern California. So much for that silly theory. 5) You are asserting EU propaganda without any support. Because...you won't be able to find any. More to the point, Kerigold only feeds its cows grass 312 days of the year. Let your imagination fill in the blanks as to what they feed their cows for the remaining 43 days (hint: sometimes it comes on a cob, and sometimes it rights with "boy"). https://www.irishcentral.com/culture/food-drink/kerrygold-lawsuit-grass-fed https://www.irishcentral.com/culture/food-drink/kerrygold-la...

ncmncm 5y ago

In the US, all calves are normally pastured until they mature. Beef cattle are often there just until they are big enough for the feedlot. Then they never walk again until just before slaughter. There is a US law that animals must walk into the slaughterhouse themselves. Sometimes they get amphetamines so they can make it. Dairy calves are likewise pastured. So the box always says "pasture-raised", which means nothing. Most adult dairy cows in the US are fed mostly corn. Somebody who feeds them grass and hay gets a big price premium for "grass-fed" dairy. It says so in big type on the label. That is why most US butter is almost white: it gets color from carotenes in grass, and the dairy cows mostly don't get any.

gamblor956 5y ago
That is simply wrong. Cows, including adult dairy cows, are primarily fed grass. They are only finished grain in the last few months, or supplemented grain during the winter months. https://www.usdairy.com/news-articles/do-dairy-cows-eat-food-people-could-eat https://www.usdairy.com/news-articles/do-dairy-cows-eat-food...
- ncmncm 5y ago
  You cite propaganda from the Dairy Council? But that does not explain why most American butter is almost white, and of poor quality, or why "grass-fed" and foreign dairy products command such a price premium. Or why dairies that do not feed their cows heavily-subsidized corn cannot compete with those that do.
  - gamblor956 5y ago
    1) Your first assertion is false. Land o' Lakes and the store-brand butter I buy (in both cases, the non-organic varieties) are as yellow in my grocery store as the expensive Irish Kerigold butter I also buy. 2) Butter is less yellow in the U.S. because of lower levels of beta carotene. Grass has higher levels of beta carotene than hay (which is cut grass, the lower levels are due to the decay of the beta carotene). https://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-european-and-american-butter-229135 https://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-europ... 3) American butter is not "lower quality." It is lower fat. American butter can be used in more cooking situations than Irish butter, which is too fat for many dishes (including, for example, pizza). 4) Not all foreign dairy products command a price premium. Kerigold is less than the organic American butter in most grocery stores in Southern California. So much for that silly theory. 5) You are asserting EU propaganda without any support. Because...you won't be able to find any. More to the point, Kerigold only feeds its cows grass 312 days of the year. Let your imagination fill in the blanks as to what they feed their cows for the remaining 43 days (hint: sometimes it comes on a cob, and sometimes it rights with "boy"). https://www.irishcentral.com/culture/food-drink/kerrygold-lawsuit-grass-fed https://www.irishcentral.com/culture/food-drink/kerrygold-la...