The #2 food farmers are afraid to eat.

[LazyWP]

How about we eliminate grain subsides so we can start the discussion on an even playing field.

Do you honestly think we would be feedlot finishing cattle at the scale we do in this country if grain wasn't subsidized?

Yes the graph came from a grassfed website, but the data came from an Animal Science Journal.

You are way off topic here. There no way that the US will ever quit subsidizing grain. Its just been going on way to many years. You are starting to sound like if we don't raise cattle your way, we just aren't doing anything right!
And just for the record I still don't like grassfed beef, and I have tried quite a few different cuts from quite a few producers, surely they all can't be poor finishers?

 

[PATB]

How about we eliminate grain subsides so we can start the discussion on an even playing field.

Do you honestly think we would be feedlot finishing cattle at the scale we do in this country if grain wasn't subsidized?

Yes the graph came from a grassfed website, but the data came from an Animal Science Journal.

You are way off topic here. There no way that the US will ever quit subsidizing grain. Its just been going on way to many years. You are starting to sound like if we don't raise cattle your way, we just aren't doing anything right!
And just for the record I still don't like grassfed beef, and I have tried quite a few different cuts from quite a few producers, surely they all can't be poor finishers?

The taste of grassfed beef is not for everyone. I agree with leaning H lets sell the most wholesome beef possible and let the customers decide which they spend their dollars on. The important thing is they are spending their dollars on BEEF.

 

[Haytrucker]

Not to nitpick, but the quoted article alludes to glyphosate resistant wheat. I know several neighbors who would be interested in some seed, if that is true.
Just sayin, one suspect "fact" casts a shadow on the whole "truth".

 

[Ben H]

How about we eliminate grain subsides so we can start the discussion on an even playing field.

Do you honestly think we would be feedlot finishing cattle at the scale we do in this country if grain wasn't subsidized?

Yes the graph came from a grassfed website, but the data came from an Animal Science Journal.

You are way off topic here. There no way that the US will ever quit subsidizing grain. Its just been going on way to many years. You are starting to sound like if we don't raise cattle your way, we just aren't doing anything right!
And just for the record I still don't like grassfed beef, and I have tried quite a few different cuts from quite a few producers, surely they all can't be poor finishers?

I disagree, the subsidies are an integral part of the discussion of grassfed vs. grainfed, and I will fight until my final breath to end the subsidies. If New Zealand can do it, so can we. In case you haven't noticed, our country is BROKE and we can't keep throwing good money after bad! If it doesn't pencil out without subsidies, then we shouldn't be doing it.

 

[Denny]

How about we eliminate grain subsides so we can start the discussion on an even playing field.

Do you honestly think we would be feedlot finishing cattle at the scale we do in this country if grain wasn't subsidized?

Yes the graph came from a grassfed website, but the data came from an Animal Science Journal.

You are way off topic here. There no way that the US will ever quit subsidizing grain. Its just been going on way to many years. You are starting to sound like if we don't raise cattle your way, we just aren't doing anything right!
And just for the record I still don't like grassfed beef, and I have tried quite a few different cuts from quite a few producers, surely they all can't be poor finishers?

I disagree, the subsidies are an integral part of the discussion of grassfed vs. grainfed, and I will fight until my final breath to end the subsidies. If New Zealand can do it, so can we. In case you haven't noticed, our country is BROKE and we can't keep throwing good money after bad! If it doesn't pencil out without subsidies, then we shouldn't be doing it.

And where is all this land going to come from to grass finish all the cattle.I myself prefer grain finished and I raise corn and don't sign up for any grain subsidies so I don't know how that works.

 

[loomixguy]

Some mediocre pasture near here recently sold for $2,000/acre. I'm sure corn will be planted there in a couple of weeks, but grass is becoming scarce and quite expensive.

I recently told my tenant that my grass was going to cost him $50/acre to rent this season. If he's not interested, somebody else will be, and they will get to pay $60/acre. The days of getting stuff on the cheap are over. I guess if they think the rent is too expensive, they can buy their own grass and see just what it will cost them.

 

[leanin' H]

How about we eliminate grain subsides so we can start the discussion on an even playing field.

Do you honestly think we would be feedlot finishing cattle at the scale we do in this country if grain wasn't subsidized?
Yes the graph came from a grassfed website, but the data came from an Animal Science Journal.

You are way off topic here. There no way that the US will ever quit subsidizing grain. Its just been going on way to many years. You are starting to sound like if we don't raise cattle your way, we just aren't doing anything right!
And just for the record I still don't like grassfed beef, and I have tried quite a few different cuts from quite a few producers, surely they all can't be poor finishers?

I disagree, the subsidies are an integral part of the discussion of grassfed vs. grainfed, and I will fight until my final breath to end the subsidies. If New Zealand can do it, so can we. In case you haven't noticed, our country is BROKE and we can't keep throwing good money after bad! If it doesn't pencil out without subsidies, then we shouldn't be doing it.

2 points to ponder Ben...... Your question asking about finishing cattle at the scale we do if grain wasnt subsidized leads me to ask you this- How can we feed this country and export beef which are both huge undertakings without a feedlot/packer/distribution network? You and i both sell finished beef. Both of us probably don't even make up 1% of our own state's production, so how do we feed America and beyond without the foundation that is currently set-up? I hear a lot of people bash feedlots and packers and they sure have problems. But we cannot get our product to the masses without a big distribution network. If we cannot consistently put our product in front of consumers, they will soon tire of the uncertainty and buy protien elsewhere. That kills profits and sinks ranches who don't have security systems like futures. While i think you should market your product anyway you'd like and wish you well doing it, i can't see how tearing down our industry helps either one of us? A lot of the smaller grassfed outfits holler to high heaven about large agriculture, industrialized production, subsidies, ect. But in order for them to fill the void if our current system went away tomorrow, THEY WOULD HAVE TO BECOME EXACTLY LIKE THE SYSTEM THEY COMPLAIN ABOUT! Or they would be lots of hungry folks in Detroit and L.A. and Boston who couldnt buy beef because there wasnt enough pasture to finish it and keep producing a new calf crop. It may work perfect for you, but it would be almost impossible to do it at the scale which we now do it.

And my 2nd point is, i already finish calves without a dime of subsidy money from grain. So it pencils out. But i am not going to knock down the guys who i buy my grain and hay from. With the price of diesel and equipment and power and seed and labor and land, it's a miracle they all don't have for sale signs at their front gates! You get subsidies as well. You deduct your mortgage interest, child credits, business write offs, ect. Every person that pays taxes in America gets some type of break if they look for it. While i agree with ya on the national debt, i sure don't expect farmers and ranchers to be the only ones to shoulder paying it off. You take all "Subsidies" and breaks away across the board from every man, woman, child and corporation i will support it. Until then, it's simply a matter of following the set of rules in place. You are a great guy and you are very passionate about what you believe. I applaude your enthusiasm, your heart and your skill set. I think we all gotta work together at making our system better. But blowing it up and starting from scratch isn't an option in my opinion.

 

[MO_cows]

:tiphat: Leanin H!

 

[gcreekrch]

Gee H, you're actually making sense!

Almost starting to sound like me. :lol:

I believe it was nearly the same conversation that made Grassfarmer get mad and quit the herd. Still the same topic, still the same players, and still the same answers.

You do what you do, I do what I do, they do what they do and hopefully we'll all make enough to keep the buggy wheels turning. :wink:

 

[TexasBred]

Corn-Fed Beef

The Expert: Joel Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farms and author of half a dozen books on sustainable farming.
The Reason: Cattle are naturally grass eaters… not grain eaters. In order to fatten the animals (and profit margins), farmers feed them corn and soybeans. And while the farmers are beefing up their earnings, they are minimizing the nutritional benefits. The article mentions the findings from a recent USDA-conducted study comparing corn-fed beef and grass-fed beef showing that grass-fed beef is "higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, magnesium, and potassium; lower in inflammatory omega-6s; and lower in saturated fats that have been linked to heart disease."
The Solution: Pretty straight forward: Opt for grass-fed beef instead.

WATCH VIDEO: Why Grass-Fed Beef? Emeril Answers

What they dont' tell you is the levels of these so called "goodies" contained in the grass fed beef. Most are very very neglible. We don't eat beef for all this...we eat it because it's good and as a protein source.

 

[morpheo18]

If an animal has survived for thousands of years eating many varieties of grass, dirts, bugs etc. Why do my fellow farmers believe it doesn't matter at all if you feed your cattle grain I was asked recently. It's sad really. I understand it is business and why wouldn't someone want to feed their cattle some cheap grain that boosts profit and makes it easier to industrialize and streamline your business. We are what we eat, plain and simple, when we eat grain/corn products in particular we don't get near as much, vitamin and mineral wise. But we do get many more carbohydrates, which turns to sugar, which turns to fat. That is why cows fed grain/corn are many times more tasteful than grass fed. We are programmed to seek fat and it is one of our favorite things. As you can see by the size of our fast food industry.

So, we are increasing what we don't need which is fat and decreasing what we do need which is protein, vitamins and minerals. It makes no sense for the health of our species as a whole. Think of the other side effects. It would help obesity which contributes to millions upon millions of dollars in health care bills. Fatter people also means less productive people. More vitamins and minerals in your body means you see farther, your brain neurons fire better, your bones , skins, every part of you is stronger. We are complex and need the complexities of organic things. The positives of grass fed beef are never ending. They just aren't as instantly gratifying as grain fed beef for the farmers wallet.

Also, keep in mind, we like other animals in the world have a population curve. We have not yet reached the peak of that curve. If we do not turn things away from huge industries and learn to survive within our limits, the amount of food available will continue to increase as well as population. What is the world like 7 billion humans strong or something now? China is seeing huge problems RIGHT NOW. They can't have more than one in urban areas because they cant support the population as it is. If we live sustainably in our ecosystem it will continue to provide. If we exploit it for another dollar or two we will fail and collapse. Simple as that. We are smart. Think logically and for the betterment of our society.


Cheers.
-Tim


:shock:

 

[LazyWP]

I am thinking you know what it takes to make a good leader in your Cattlemans Association there H. You covered all the basis, yet still uplifted both points of view. :clap: :clap: :clap:

 

[jodywy]

grain is just grass seed :!:

 

[leanin' H]

If an animal has survived for thousands of years eating many varieties of grass, dirts, bugs etc. Why do you fellow farmers believe it doesn't matter at all if you feed your cattle grain. It's sad really. I understand it is business and why wouldn't someone want to feed their cattle some cheap grain that boosts profit and makes it easier to industrialize and streamline your business. We are what we eat, plain and simple, when we eat corn products in particular we don't get much of anything from them but some carbohydrates, which turns to sugar, which turns to fat. That is why cows fed grain/corn are many times more tasteful than grass fed. We are programmed to seek fat and it is one of our favorite things. As you can see by the size of our fast food industry. Also, we like cows have a hard time breaking down and getting very many vitamins and minerals from corn.
So, we are increasing what we don't need which is fat and decreasing what we do need which is protein, vitamins and minerals. It makes no sense for the health of our species as a whole.

Also, we like other animals in the world have a population curve. We have not yet reached the peak of that curve. If we do not turn things away from huge industries and learn to survive on our own the amount of food available will continue to increase as well as population. It's supply and demand. China is seeing this RIGHT NOW. They can't have more than one child or it will be killed it is so serious. If we live sustainably in our ecosystem it will continue to provide. If we exploit it for another dollar or two we will fail and collapse. Simple as that.

Cheers.



:shock:

So it's perfectly fine that cattle have evolved over "thousands of years" to eat lots of things including grain? But if we, as an industry, choose to feed them grain, we are the problem? :???: Cattle take grass and grain and browse and lots of things that people can't process and turn it into protein called BEEF! It's full of vitamins and minerals and nutrition. Fat in beef is healthy, natural fat unlike margerine or other man-made substitutes. If you deep fry your steak in margerine it will be fatty! If you grill it, it will be a healthy, tasty piece of protein full of vitamins and minerals. Living sustainable makes great sense. Like taking inedible grass and brush and willows and hay and grain and turning into PROTEIN? Like using every available part of each animal and being as efficient as possible with our production methods? Like Taking amazing care of our land and it's resources? Like being a rancher? It is the perfect picture of sustainability and it happens all over the world as folks raise beef. If our lifestyle wasnt sustainable, we'd go broke quicker than we already do! What is killing us is attacks from zoning boards, politicians, food experts with a degree and an agenda and people who want to impose thier will without ever owning a cow or planting a seed. You have the right to your opnion, but you may want to do some more research before arguing that beef production isn't sustainable and meat doesn't have protein, vitamins and minerals! :?

 

[morpheo18]

What I meant is our "existence" isn't sustainable at the current rate of growth. Sorry you misinterpreted. I wasn't just referring to the beef industry alone.

Also, I didn't say whatever you grow doesn't have vitamins, minerals and proteins. In fact, it has many, just less per ounce than grass fed if you feed corn and soy consistently. I guess I should have said corn/soy to be more correct. Grain can be misunderstood depending on what types of grain a rancher has available. BUT, you said something about feeding them inedible grasses and a variety of plants I believe. I was not referring to your ranch in that case. Guess I should have taken a little more time writing it.

Corn and soy does have much more carbohydrates but much less nutrients..... it's science. Yes cows can digest it but it is harder and they don't get as much out of it other than fat. We all know Americans don't need fat. We need less fat and more vitamins and minerals and amino acids. Also, ranching practices like grass fed beef would increase the amount of land needed to raise beef but reduce land used to grow soy and corn to feed them. Also buying from the soy and corn industry means you are more and more likely contributing to the downfall of your fellow corn and soy farmer to subsidization. Every day another farmer becomes controlled by the "government." Heard of Monsanto? It's real and it's scary. I know of a couple farmers that have been taken to court and lost due to Monsanto saying they were planting "Monsanto corn" when they weren't. Also why buy feed that has been grown hundreds of miles away when you have feed in your pasture? Just saying

I know most of the beef industry do feed their cattle with grass for a good period of time and switch to corn and soy which is definitely better, but I am more referring to the feed lots who have a constant grain supply going to the cow. Lastly, Fast food industry was just a reference to our natural instinct to find and eat fatty food.

Looking forward to your response. Also, I have done quite a bit of research. If you know of any links or websites I can learn more let me know. I have not found many supporting corn and soy fed cattle. I am not on a zoning board, a politician etc. I have worked on several farms and am planning to raise my own cattle the grass fed way in 2014. Don't have quite enough money saved yet. I have also planted thousands upon thousands of seeds in my life so far. I am 26 and I am making a difference.

Debate is good. I respect your way of life and I know it is hard and honest work. I'm not saying the rancher is evil and should change overnight. It is just business. The more knowledge people have of what they eat and grow the better off they will be.

Love,
Tim

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

This is more the conversation I was hoping for.
While I appreciate the commitment and effort it takes to market your own beef and we have a few on here that do it quite well. I don't think it is something everyone could do now. I know it would be tough to go back to marketing 3 yr old grass strs off the ranch as we used to do. Just the interest on one would get ya. :shock:
I just think the self marketers should promote beef , themselves, humane treatment and healthy environment, whether it be Alberta grass or Iowa corn fed. I don't care for the ones selling "Natural" Antibiotic free beef then sell the animals they had to treat into the commodity market. Either they are safe or they are not.

 

[Larrry]

If an animal has survived for thousands of years eating many varieties of grass, dirts, bugs etc. Why do you fellow farmers believe it doesn't matter at all if you feed your cattle grain. It's sad really. I understand it is business and why wouldn't someone want to feed their cattle some cheap grain that boosts profit and makes it easier to industrialize and streamline your business. We are what we eat, plain and simple, when we eat corn products in particular we don't get much of anything from them but some carbohydrates, which turns to sugar, which turns to fat. That is why cows fed grain/corn are many times more tasteful than grass fed. We are programmed to seek fat and it is one of our favorite things. As you can see by the size of our fast food industry. Also, we like cows have a hard time breaking down and getting very many vitamins and minerals from corn.
So, we are increasing what we don't need which is fat and decreasing what we do need which is protein, vitamins and minerals. It makes no sense for the health of our species as a whole.

Also, we like other animals in the world have a population curve. We have not yet reached the peak of that curve. If we do not turn things away from huge industries and learn to survive on our own the amount of food available will continue to increase as well as population. It's supply and demand. China is seeing this RIGHT NOW. They can't have more than one child or it will be killed it is so serious. If we live sustainably in our ecosystem it will continue to provide. If we exploit it for another dollar or two we will fail and collapse. Simple as that.

Cheers.



:shock:

So it's perfectly fine that cattle have evolved over "thousands of years" to eat lots of things including grain? But if we, as an industry, choose to feed them grain, we are the problem? :???: Cattle take grass and grain and browse and lots of things that people can't process and turn it into protein called BEEF! It's full of vitamins and minerals and nutrition. Fat in beef is healthy, natural fat unlike margerine or other man-made substitutes. If you deep fry your steak in margerine it will be fatty! If you grill it, it will be a healthy, tasty piece of protein full of vitamins and minerals. Living sustainable makes great sense. Like taking inedible grass and brush and willows and hay and grain and turning into PROTEIN? Like using every available part of each animal and being as efficient as possible with our production methods? Like Taking amazing care of our land and it's resources? Like being a rancher? It is the perfect picture of sustainability and it happens all over the world as folks raise beef. If our lifestyle wasnt sustainable, we'd go broke quicker than we already do! What is killing us is attacks from zoning boards, politicians, food experts with a degree and an agenda and people who want to impose thier will without ever owning a cow or planting a seed. You have the right to your opnion, but you may want to do some more research before arguing that beef production isn't sustainable and meat doesn't have protein, vitamins and minerals! :?

LH you have hit the nail on the head, I agree.

Something not mentioned , in todays world whether we like it or not we must turn our money over as quickly as possible. Each day less we own steers is more money in our pocket.

All of agriculture needs to find common ground and work together instead of fighting each other. It would be an awful boring world if we all agreed on everything

 

[MO_cows]

Sustainable is just a catch phrase. It hasn't truly been defined in terms of agriculture, it is just a vague concept and different from one person's mind to the next. Just like factory farm and monoculture, the catch phrases of the "anti's".

Regardless of whether you like your beef grain finished or grass finished, I don't think anyone could argue that beef production isn't more natural, humane and environmentally friendly than pork or chicken production where the numbers not raised in high-production confinement type operations are miniscule. On the other hand, just about every beef spends a big chunk of its life contentedly grazing, its natural niche.

 

[Ben H]

You are way off topic here. There no way that the US will ever quit subsidizing grain. Its just been going on way to many years. You are starting to sound like if we don't raise cattle your way, we just aren't doing anything right!
And just for the record I still don't like grassfed beef, and I have tried quite a few different cuts from quite a few producers, surely they all can't be poor finishers?

I disagree, the subsidies are an integral part of the discussion of grassfed vs. grainfed, and I will fight until my final breath to end the subsidies. If New Zealand can do it, so can we. In case you haven't noticed, our country is BROKE and we can't keep throwing good money after bad! If it doesn't pencil out without subsidies, then we shouldn't be doing it.

2 points to ponder Ben...... Your question asking about finishing cattle at the scale we do if grain wasnt subsidized leads me to ask you this- How can we feed this country and export beef which are both huge undertakings without a feedlot/packer/distribution network? You and i both sell finished beef. Both of us probably don't even make up 1% of our own state's production, so how do we feed America and beyond without the foundation that is currently set-up? I hear a lot of people bash feedlots and packers and they sure have problems. But we cannot get our product to the masses without a big distribution network. If we cannot consistently put our product in front of consumers, they will soon tire of the uncertainty and buy protien elsewhere. That kills profits and sinks ranches who don't have security systems like futures. While i think you should market your product anyway you'd like and wish you well doing it, i can't see how tearing down our industry helps either one of us? A lot of the smaller grassfed outfits holler to high heaven about large agriculture, industrialized production, subsidies, ect. But in order for them to fill the void if our current system went away tomorrow, THEY WOULD HAVE TO BECOME EXACTLY LIKE THE SYSTEM THEY COMPLAIN ABOUT! Or they would be lots of hungry folks in Detroit and L.A. and Boston who couldnt buy beef because there wasnt enough pasture to finish it and keep producing a new calf crop. It may work perfect for you, but it would be almost impossible to do it at the scale which we now do it.

And my 2nd point is, i already finish calves without a dime of subsidy money from grain. So it pencils out. But i am not going to knock down the guys who i buy my grain and hay from. With the price of diesel and equipment and power and seed and labor and land, it's a miracle they all don't have for sale signs at their front gates! You get subsidies as well. You deduct your mortgage interest, child credits, business write offs, ect. Every person that pays taxes in America gets some type of break if they look for it. While i agree with ya on the national debt, i sure don't expect farmers and ranchers to be the only ones to shoulder paying it off. You take all "Subsidies" and breaks away across the board from every man, woman, child and corporation i will support it. Until then, it's simply a matter of following the set of rules in place. You are a great guy and you are very passionate about what you believe. I applaude your enthusiasm, your heart and your skill set. I think we all gotta work together at making our system better. But blowing it up and starting from scratch isn't an option in my opinion.

The farms you buy your grain from, do they receive subsidies? If they do, then you are buying the grain at an artificially low price.

Look at what Argentina did when the government set a price limit on beef, about $.35/lb if I recall, they finish their beef through grazing and a forage chain.

As far as "blowing it up and starting from scratch" I'd like to follow what New Zealand did.

I firmly believe that the more we can get away from relying on inputs, the more profitable we will all be. I consider corn to be a very input intensive crop. We have focused too much on production, and profit has suffered. It's not easy to get there, it's a big paradigm shift. But I think we'll be better off in the end.

It's kind of scary to focus all of our attention on a system that relies on cheap oil and affordable nitrogen made from natural gas. Compound that with a massive "just-in-time" distribution network that relies on cheap fuel and a fragile infrastructure that could come to a grinding halt instantly from multiple scenarios.

 

[leanin' H]

What I meant is our "existence" isn't sustainable at the current rate of growth. Sorry you misinterpreted. I wasn't just referring to the beef industry alone.

Also, I didn't say whatever you grow doesn't have vitamins, minerals and proteins. In fact, it has many, just less per ounce than grass fed if you feed corn and soy consistently. I guess I should have said corn/soy to be more correct. Grain can be misunderstood depending on what types of grain a rancher has available. BUT, you said something about feeding them inedible grasses and a variety of plants I believe. I was not referring to your ranch in that case. Guess I should have taken a little more time writing it.

Corn and soy does have much more carbohydrates but much less nutrients..... it's science. Yes cows can digest it but it is harder and they don't get as much out of it other than fat. We all know Americans don't need fat. We need less fat and more vitamins and minerals and amino acids. Also, ranching practices like grass fed beef would increase the amount of land needed to raise beef but reduce land used to grow soy and corn to feed them. Also buying from the soy and corn industry means you are more and more likely contributing to the downfall of your fellow corn and soy farmer to subsidization. Every day another farmer becomes controlled by the "government." Heard of Monsanto? It's real and it's scary. I know of a couple farmers that have been taken to court and lost due to Monsanto saying they were planting "Monsanto corn" when they weren't. Also why buy feed that has been grown hundreds of miles away when you have feed in your pasture? Just saying

I know most of the beef industry do feed their cattle with grass for a good period of time and switch to corn and soy which is definitely better, but I am more referring to the feed lots who have a constant grain supply going to the cow. Lastly, Fast food industry was just a reference to our natural instinct to find and eat fatty food.

Looking forward to your response. Also, I have done quite a bit of research. If you know of any links or websites I can learn more let me know. I have not found many supporting corn and soy fed cattle. I am not on a zoning board, a politician etc. I have worked on several farms and am planning to raise my own cattle the grass fed way in 2014. Don't have quite enough money saved yet. I have also planted thousands upon thousands of seeds in my life so far. I am 26 and I am making a difference.

Debate is good. I respect your way of life and I know it is hard and honest work. I'm not saying the rancher is evil and should change overnight. It is just business. The more knowledge people have of what they eat and grow the better off they will be.

Love,
Tim

Tim,
I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, around here they refer to me as the village idiot. But where i live would need a pretty big building boom to become a village. Any actual experts can feel free to jump in any time.

I want to visit with you about several of the points you are trying to make if i might?
1st- Your argument that raising grass fed cattle would increase the land needed to finish beef while reducing the land used to grow corn and soy. But the ratio of acres needed to finish a beef isn't anywhere near 1 to 1, corn fed VS. grass fed. The reason we put up crops wether its hay or grain is to increase our yeild. If you planted every acre in America currently growing corn and soy and barley into grass you could finish a drastically smaller number of cattle. Somebody might have a number but i'll guess it would be less than a quarter of the calves the way we currently finish them. That will effect everything from family ranchers to resturaunts to butcher shops and families who buy beef to feed thier kids. Again, in certain markets (usually higher end consumers) grass fed works. Mass production would face the same challenges as grain fed with higher prices for lower income folks and less cattle to market. Climate, urbanization, and consumer wants still play an important role in how beef is produced.

2nd-You mention farmers being controlled by the government? Agriculture folks are notoriously independent! Nobody controlls us! Government might try, but they fail. Do you and every other citizen get tax breaks? H&R block built an empire finding them. So farmers should just forget a payment to keep them above the water line while you get a low interest student loan? Maybe the folks who send the subsidy checks realize that it's bad enough being dependent on foriegn oil without losing our food independence! Remember, big cities take lots of groceries to keep folks happy. Farmers and ranchers feed them.

3rd- You claim we buy feed from hundreds of miles away when we could just use what is already in our pasture? The big feedlots are where the feed is! The cattle are shipped there not the grain is shipped to the cattle! I buy grain from local farmers as do lots of producers. But there is 2 parts of the beef production system.....cow/calf producers and feedlots that finish beef. If i graze off my forage finishing beef, how will i raise the same amount of calves every year? Cows eat too. Where you might finish a beef in 20 months back east, out here they will be closer, if not over 36 months because of the difference in forage. It doesn't work everywhere.

4th- Lastly, you mention feedlots that feed mostly corn? Try haylage and silage and hay and grain. A balanced ration that lets calve grow to finish weight is what they are fed. Backed by years of research and experimentation. And it has provided good, tasty, healthy protein for the better part of 100 years. The problem with our food culture isn't corn fed meat. It is a society that is lazy, that sits behind a desk too much, that processes everything from corn chips to sausage. It's the additives and preservatives and chemicals that aren't natural. Animal protein, i.e. BEEF is the solution to keeping folks healthy, not the problem. Feed it how you'd like, but don't discredit an industry that has decades of science and experience behind it!

You are a bright eyed 26 year old with the world in front of you! Those are the sunny slopes of long ago for most of us. But generations of ranchers have fed this country safely and efficiently and sustainably for many, many moons. We aren't perfect and can use a good brain like your as we approach our future. But we have to stand on the foundation laid for us instead of tearing it down if we hope to meet tomorrows challenges!

with affection,
H'