pathtofreedom
Member
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2013
- Messages
- 364
Myth #1 Cattle Aren't Meant To Eat Grains
What people who push this myth don't understand is that grains like corn, soy, and wheat ARE GRASSES! Cattle get their diets from a wide variety of plants in nature. Cattle eat grain just fine. There are some digestive problems caused by it but overall cattle are just fine with it. Feeding cattle grains does not break their bones as people imply either. Grain feeding can also offer a highly nutritious diet too.
Myth #2 We Feed Cattle Grain Because of Government Subsidies
I won't deny that government policies have play a role in cattle grain feeding but a farm bill hasn't been passed in years and all the latest ones end government subsidies to corn, soy, and wheat. Government policies seem to drive up the price of grain and if cheep grain is the cause of grain feeding then the government is doing a terrible job in causing grain feeding. Grain and grain fed cattle are cheap in spite of what the government does not because of it.
Myth #3 Nutrition
Grass feed beef does indeed have a higher amount of Omega 3 content but both grass fed and grain fed beef are not considered to be primary sources of Omega 3 content. Omega 3 content should be obtained through fish of supplements. Both grass fed and grain fed cattle however offer high vitamin content though.
Myth #4 Food Born Illness
Plenty of scientific evidence shows that the risk of food born illness is equal in cattle fed a diet of grains or a diet of grass. Animals naturally have e. Coli and Salmonella in them. If you eat either grass fed or grain fed beef you are putting yourself at equal risk and proper techniques for hazard controls and cooking should be used with both. Much of the food born illness could also be a result of the environment in which cattle live where they have very little space
Grain feeding cattle and other animals doesn't require factory farming with the usage of CAFOs or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (They feed them plenty of other things like chicken poop and anti-biotics!). Both proponents and opponents of grain feeding fail to distinguish between grain feeding and factory farming, they are not the same thing. We have been feeding cattle grain for around 200 years or about as long as there has been mass produced grain, however CAFOs or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations began to emerge in the 1970s when the government began to encourage farms to become larger. On the issue of taste that is completely subjective many people prefer the marble coating and taste of grain feed beef where as other people prefer the taste of grass feed beef. Also one has to consider the US lacks much of the conditions for year round 100% grass feeding due to weather conditions, if it snows you have to feed cattle something else which defeats much of the purpose of grass feeding. Much of the US also lacks the grasses which cattle like to eat and feeding them grains helps make up for this fact. Other countries have grass fed beef due to weather conditions and having proper grasses which cattle like to eat. Essentially grain feeding make cattle and other animal products more widely available. Before anyone brings it up I will do another separate thread on veganism and vegetarianism. The bottom line is that there is really nothing wrong with feeding cattle it is just the environment is which they live isn't good for their health. As for purchasing advice I recommend humane certified, certified anti-biotics free meat, organic, or buying from a butcher if possible.
Sources For Info
http://www.slate.com/articles/healt...2010/01/beware_the_myth_of_grassfed_beef.html
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/08/debate-conventional-v-grass-fed-beef/#.UvHs_PldWu8
http://freakonomics.com/2010/01/27/a-myth-of-grass-fed-beef/
http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1934
http://www.safefoodinc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=11
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-pers...inds-no-clear-safety-advantage-grass-fed-beef
http://www.meatami.com/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/93607
http://www.natural-beef.com/?main_page=page&id=3
http://www.meatmythcrushers.com/Myth
What people who push this myth don't understand is that grains like corn, soy, and wheat ARE GRASSES! Cattle get their diets from a wide variety of plants in nature. Cattle eat grain just fine. There are some digestive problems caused by it but overall cattle are just fine with it. Feeding cattle grains does not break their bones as people imply either. Grain feeding can also offer a highly nutritious diet too.
Myth #2 We Feed Cattle Grain Because of Government Subsidies
I won't deny that government policies have play a role in cattle grain feeding but a farm bill hasn't been passed in years and all the latest ones end government subsidies to corn, soy, and wheat. Government policies seem to drive up the price of grain and if cheep grain is the cause of grain feeding then the government is doing a terrible job in causing grain feeding. Grain and grain fed cattle are cheap in spite of what the government does not because of it.
Myth #3 Nutrition
Grass feed beef does indeed have a higher amount of Omega 3 content but both grass fed and grain fed beef are not considered to be primary sources of Omega 3 content. Omega 3 content should be obtained through fish of supplements. Both grass fed and grain fed cattle however offer high vitamin content though.
Myth #4 Food Born Illness
Plenty of scientific evidence shows that the risk of food born illness is equal in cattle fed a diet of grains or a diet of grass. Animals naturally have e. Coli and Salmonella in them. If you eat either grass fed or grain fed beef you are putting yourself at equal risk and proper techniques for hazard controls and cooking should be used with both. Much of the food born illness could also be a result of the environment in which cattle live where they have very little space
Grain feeding cattle and other animals doesn't require factory farming with the usage of CAFOs or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (They feed them plenty of other things like chicken poop and anti-biotics!). Both proponents and opponents of grain feeding fail to distinguish between grain feeding and factory farming, they are not the same thing. We have been feeding cattle grain for around 200 years or about as long as there has been mass produced grain, however CAFOs or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations began to emerge in the 1970s when the government began to encourage farms to become larger. On the issue of taste that is completely subjective many people prefer the marble coating and taste of grain feed beef where as other people prefer the taste of grass feed beef. Also one has to consider the US lacks much of the conditions for year round 100% grass feeding due to weather conditions, if it snows you have to feed cattle something else which defeats much of the purpose of grass feeding. Much of the US also lacks the grasses which cattle like to eat and feeding them grains helps make up for this fact. Other countries have grass fed beef due to weather conditions and having proper grasses which cattle like to eat. Essentially grain feeding make cattle and other animal products more widely available. Before anyone brings it up I will do another separate thread on veganism and vegetarianism. The bottom line is that there is really nothing wrong with feeding cattle it is just the environment is which they live isn't good for their health. As for purchasing advice I recommend humane certified, certified anti-biotics free meat, organic, or buying from a butcher if possible.
Sources For Info
http://www.slate.com/articles/healt...2010/01/beware_the_myth_of_grassfed_beef.html
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/08/debate-conventional-v-grass-fed-beef/#.UvHs_PldWu8
http://freakonomics.com/2010/01/27/a-myth-of-grass-fed-beef/
http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1934
http://www.safefoodinc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=11
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-pers...inds-no-clear-safety-advantage-grass-fed-beef
http://www.meatami.com/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/93607
http://www.natural-beef.com/?main_page=page&id=3
http://www.meatmythcrushers.com/Myth
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