[smorgdonkey]

That the meat industry is bad for the environment is old news actually. Reducing meat consumption just never gains traction as an method to save the environment because people are:
#1 lazy and
#2 they want to do what they want which is typically
#1 (be) lazy

[andyt]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

andyt andyt:

You've never seen a feed lot? Cows spend up to half their lifetime in crowded pens eating corn or soy to make them fat.

It's not pretty.

And methane is a much stronger greenhouse gas than Carbon Dioxide, but the amount of forest and land lost - not to mention environmental damage - is far more than the damage methane does.

http://science.time.com/2013/12/16/the- ... roduction/

$1:

Cattle are raised on range or pasture land for most of their lives (usually 12-18 months), then transported to a feedlot for finishing. These cattle usually spend about three to six months in a feedlot, during which time they gain between 2.5 and 4 pounds per day.

From your link:

$1:

1.3 billion tons of grain are consumed by farm animals each year — and nearly all of it is fed to livestock, mostly pork and poultry, in the developed world and in China and Latin America.

So it seems pork and poultry are a bigger problem as far as land use is concerned.

$1:

That lack of efficiency also means that cattle in countries like Ethiopia and Somalia account for as much as 1,000 kg of carbon for every kg of protein they produce — in the form of methane from manure as well as from the reduced carbon absorption that results when forests are converted to pastureland. That’s 10 times higher than the amount of carbon released per kg of protein in many parts of the U.S. and Europe, where livestock production is much more intensive.

As I said, we're doing OK in Canada

$1:

The highest total of livestock-related greenhouse-gas emissions comes from the developing world, which accounts for 75% of the global emissions from cattle and other ruminants and 56% of the global emissions from poultry and pigs.

Again.

[DrCaleb]

andyt andyt:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

andyt andyt:

You've never seen a feed lot? Cows spend up to half their lifetime in crowded pens eating corn or soy to make them fat.

It's not pretty.

And methane is a much stronger greenhouse gas than Carbon Dioxide, but the amount of forest and land lost - not to mention environmental damage - is far more than the damage methane does.

http://science.time.com/2013/12/16/the- ... roduction/

$1:

Cattle are raised on range or pasture land for most of their lives (usually 12-18 months), then transported to a feedlot for finishing. These cattle usually spend about three to six months in a feedlot, during which time they gain between 2.5 and 4 pounds per day.

Different sources give different times. Cattle can be 6 months old when they go to the feedlot (barely off milk), and stay for 6 to 12 months.

$1:

Calves leave their ranch or farm of origin between six and 12 months-of-age.

http://www.brookover.com/beefeducation.html

$1:

Once cattle obtain an entry-level weight, about 650 to 700 pounds (300 kg), they are transferred to a feedlot to be fed a specialized animal feed which consists of corn, corn byproducts (some of which is derived from ethanol and high fructose corn syrup production), milo, barley, and other grains as well as roughage which may consist of alfalfa, corn stalks, sorghum, or other hay, cottonseed meal, and premixes composed of microingredients such as vitamins, minerals, chemical preservatives, antibiotics, fermentation products, and other essential ingredients that are purchased from premix companies, usually in sacked form, for blending into commercial rations

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feedlot

andyt andyt:

From your link:

$1:

1.3 billion tons of grain are consumed by farm animals each year — and nearly all of it is fed to livestock, mostly pork and poultry, in the developed world and in China and Latin America.

So it seems pork and poultry are a bigger problem as far as land use is concerned.

Yup. I didn't even mention those, but they are even more intensive. Chicken is a terrible calories in vs calories produced product. It's more efficient to eat the grain ourselves than to feed it to chickens and then eat the chicken.

[BartSimpson]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Yup. I didn't even mention those, but they are even more intensive. Chicken is a terrible calories in vs calories produced product. It's more efficient to eat the grain ourselves than to feed it to chickens and then eat the chicken.

The problem here is that cracked corn doesn't taste like chicken.

[andyt]

Yet chicken and pork are held up as far better for global warming than ruminants. Because of the methane from ruminant manure.

The trophic pyramid tells us that of course it's more efficient to eat autotrophs. Not as tasty tho. And we did evolve as omnivores.

[PluggyRug]

My local farmer uses the methane from his cattle manure to heat his house and a small barn.

[DrCaleb]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Yup. I didn't even mention those, but they are even more intensive. Chicken is a terrible calories in vs calories produced product. It's more efficient to eat the grain ourselves than to feed it to chickens and then eat the chicken.

The problem here is that cracked corn doesn't taste like chicken.

No, but chicken doesn't taste like Polenta or Cornbread either. Sauteed black eye peas with cornbread is just .

Just because it doesn't have meat in it, doesn't mean it isn't delicious!

[andyt]

Nobody's argued for an all meat diet. I like cornbread with chili con carne.

[PluggyRug]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

[q) Sauteed black eye peas .

I use them for shotgun loads.

[DrCaleb]

PluggyRug PluggyRug:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

[q) Sauteed black eye peas .

I use them for shotgun loads.

Waste of good peas.

[ShepherdsDog]

Contributing to global warming right now, with a VERY rare piece of methane production.....with a nice dollop of horse radish and a roasted red pepper.

[rickc]

andyt andyt:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

andyt andyt:

You've never seen a feed lot? Cows spend up to half their lifetime in crowded pens eating corn or soy to make them fat.

It's not pretty.

And methane is a much stronger greenhouse gas than Carbon Dioxide, but the amount of forest and land lost - not to mention environmental damage - is far more than the damage methane does.

http://science.time.com/2013/12/16/the- ... roduction/

$1:

Cattle are raised on range or pasture land for most of their lives (usually 12-18 months), then transported to a feedlot for finishing. These cattle usually spend about three to six months in a feedlot, during which time they gain between 2.5 and 4 pounds per day.

From your link:

$1:

1.3 billion tons of grain are consumed by farm animals each year — and nearly all of it is fed to livestock, mostly pork and poultry, in the developed world and in China and Latin America.

So it seems pork and poultry are a bigger problem as far as land use is concerned.

$1:

That lack of efficiency also means that cattle in countries like Ethiopia and Somalia account for as much as 1,000 kg of carbon for every kg of protein they produce — in the form of methane from manure as well as from the reduced carbon absorption that results when forests are converted to pastureland. That’s 10 times higher than the amount of carbon released per kg of protein in many parts of the U.S. and Europe, where livestock production is much more intensive.

As I said, we're doing OK in Canada

$1:

The highest total of livestock-related greenhouse-gas emissions comes from the developing world, which accounts for 75% of the global emissions from cattle and other ruminants and 56% of the global emissions from poultry and pigs.

Again.

I recommend that you watch the documentary: Food Inc. Its a real eye opener about food production in North America. Talk about monopolies, Standard Oil Co. never had it this good. Its on Youtube.

[andyt]

Different topic. If we're going to worry about big business controlling things, well it's way too late, and the citizens united decision did't help matters in your country. But cows gonna produce methane, whether raised by a hippy or by Wall Street.

[herbie]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

I love lamb.

It's the ethical dilemma that keeps me from eating it.

I have friends with the same problem as you, plus a vegan daughter. Don't come to my house for dinner cuz I make cute little bleating sounds while I eat it just to drive them bonkers!
Speaking for Argentines, Brazilians, Texans, Albertans and the Cariboo, that's bad news about beef farming. Guess you Euros will have to park your cars and walk. Won't be too much problem on a continent the size of a ranch!

[ShepherdsDog]

Lamb

Not a big fan of veal because it has very little flavor. It's also not very cost effective as opposed to a yearling heifer or steer....more meat that's still tender. An older cow usually gets turned into hamburger or stewing meat.


How come we had no worries when there were tens of millions of bison?