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Do you have a source on that? My understanding is that most cattle are finished on grain but most of that feed is distillers grains [1], which is an industrial
by akiselev 4y ago
Do you have a source on that?
My understanding is that most cattle are finished on grain but most of that feed is distillers grains [1], which is an industrial waste from ethanol and biofuel production. The majority of cattle spend most of their lives brackgrounding [2] in pasture. They're not put on the feedlots until the last six or so months of their life to fatten them up for butchering.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distillers_grains https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distillers_grains
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backgrounding https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backgrounding
- chrisco255 4y agoIt's not even true that most cattle are finished on grain. Feed lots utilize hay and silage as often as grain.
- nomel 4y agoAnd sometimes candy corn [1]. [1] https://www.nifa.usda.gov/feeding-candy-cattle-helps-producers-save-cash https://www.nifa.usda.gov/feeding-candy-cattle-helps-produce...
- chrisco255 4y agoI used to own a horse and would regularly feed her sugar cubes. I guess that works too!
- Broken_Hippo 4y agoWhich I wholeheartedly support. I worked as seasonal help in a local chocolate and candy factory. Any chocolate not fit for sale for whatever reason went to sheep (and possibly pigs?) It is a good way to lessen food waste.
- littlestymaar 4y agoFrom the perspective of this discussion, hay and silage are indistinguishable from grain: if you can grow and harvest them, you could have make human food directly off that land.
- robocat 4y agoA lot of the world production is grazing on land. Even in the US perhaps a huge percentage of the cattle growth is by grazing: Beef cattle production is done within a system that includes grazing on large amounts of land per cow; being fed high-calorie diets for a few months in large populations immediately prior to slaughter; long gestation and growth periods so that animals are sold for food 2-3 years from the time they were conceived; and, in most situations, more than two changes of ownership from birth to being sold for food. I would like to see some figures, but my presumption is that your understanding is correct. https://beef2live.com/story-world-beef-production-ranking-countries-0-106885 https://beef2live.com/story-world-beef-production-ranking-co...
- marcosdumay 4y agoA lot of people just get the data from the largest companies in developed countries, and pretend it applies everywhere. You can't talk about agriculture around here without one of them popping up.
- littlestymaar 4y agoMaybe in the US, where there's plenty of available space, but that's definitely not the case everywhere in Europe for instance. Also in the US, I wonder which part of that space in unsuitable for growing grain… By the way, even your Wikipedia link about backgounding mention that the animals are being given grain even in that period…