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97%[0] of cows are finished on feedlots, i.e. get a substantial amount of calories from corn and other feed. Other animals like pigs are exclusively fed feed. A
by mmiyer 4y ago
97%[0] of cows are finished on feedlots, i.e. get a substantial amount of calories from corn and other feed. Other animals like pigs are exclusively fed feed. Animal factory farming already consumes a terrifying amount of resources, using up a lot of the plant agriculture that we do.
[0] https://littlecreekmontana.shop/blogs/ranch-blog/food-for-thought-are-cattle-born-on-feedlots https://littlecreekmontana.shop/blogs/ranch-blog/food-for-th...
- rdtwo 4y agoThe finishing process changes the tase quite a bit. Some folks like the grain taste some like it grassy.
- algoatecorn 4y agoBlind taste-testing overwhelmingly favors feedlot-finished beef.
- hollerith 4y agoPeople used to eating grain-fed beef prefer grain-fed beef, yes.
- algoatecorn 4y agoGo out and find an isolated tribe who only eats occasional wild game. Serve them grain-finished beef and grass-fed beef. Do you actually believe they will choose grass-fed over grain-fed?
- hollerith 4y agoI prefer meat that has been fed only grass and never buy grain-fed meat. (I eat mostly lamb, not beef.) I prefer the taste and believe it is better for my health; in particular, the omega 6 fatty acids in grains and in grain-fed meat promotes chronic inflammation. (I don't buy grains either.)
- algoatecorn 4y agoThat's your n=1 opinion and it doesn't change the reality of human preferences which are clearly documented in the literature. Even the overall health outcomes associated with grass-fed are not significantly different than grain-fed. The tissue composition may be different, but not health-outcomes.
- z33k 4y ago86%[0] of livestock feed is inedible by humans. They consume forage, food-waste and crop residues that could otherwise become an environmental burden. 13% of animal feed consists of potentially edible low-quality grains, which make up a third of global cereal (not total crop) production. All US beef cattle spend the majority of their life on pasture and upcycle protein even when grain-finished (0.6 to 1). [0]http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/home/en/news_archive/2017_More_Fuel_for_the_Food_Feed.html http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/home/en/news_archive/2017_More...
- mmiyer 4y agoA lot of inedible feed is going to be stuff like alfalfa, which is specifically grown as feed and whose farming has massive negative effects like starving the Colorado river of water [0]. [0]https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/12/colorado-drought-water-alfalfa-farmers-conservation https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/12/colorado...
- algoatecorn 4y agoThen we need to reassess water-use and water rights and let the market sort itself out. Make alfalfa farmers pay for water and send the cost down the value chain. Consumers will signal how much they are willing to pay, and producers will respond by reducing their supply.
- mmiyer 4y agoI agree - currently a lot of farmers have essentially unlimited water rights, and they should pay the true price of water.
- somehnacct3757 4y agoAlong the lines of letting the market sort it out, we could vote for the government to end meat subsidies, or generalize them into protein subsidies available to alternative proteins.
- Gordonjcp 4y ago
- LtWorf 4y agoYou know cows are ruminants and people aren't right? That's why we don't eat grass. Because it doesn't feed us. But it feeds cows.
- gadders 4y agoFinished, yeah, but most of their time they're on land that can't be farmed. Pigs used to be fed swill but mad cows disease and foot and mouth put paid to that.