Grass-fed "free-range" beef cattle worse for the environment and no healthier?

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her209

her209

No Lifer
Oct 11, 2000
56,336
11
0
DixyCrat said:
My point was that methane is a much worse green-house gas than carbon is and that keeping cows alive longer increases the methane production.

We do care about green house gasses still right? It isn't just mindless hate of plant food, right?
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Its a weak point. Corn needs to be picked (by combines) and transported (by trucks).
 
Fern

Fern

Elite Member
Sep 30, 2003
26,907
174
106
Ns1 said:
I don't eat grass feed beef cuz it's healther, I eat it cuz it's delicious.
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JS80 said:
I'll bet you dinner you couldn't tell between grass vs corn fed prime in a blind test.
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Whoaa...

I like beef. I grew up in FL, a pretty big cattle producing area (at least at that time). They were grass fed cattle. I think grass fed beef sucks compared to corn fed. I always liked visiting my relatives up in PA. The steaks were great because their cattle were corn fed. Corn is sweeter and the cattle get fatter.

I suppose I'm fine with this stupid 'grass fed' craze. Maybe the corn fed beef will then be cheaper.

BTW: I've never seen cattle penned up. In FL, and here in Western NC, cattle just roam around. The corn fed were just those fattened up with it during a period before slaughter

Fern
 
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JSt0rm

JSt0rm

Lifer
Sep 5, 2000
27,399
3,948
126
Fern said:
Whoaa...

I like beef. I grew up in FL, a pretty big cattle producing area (at least at that time). I think grass fed beef sucks compared to corn fed. I alwas liked visiting my relatives up in PA. The steaks were great because their cattle were corn fed. Corn is sweeter and the cattle get fatter.

I suppose I'm fine with this stupid 'grass fed' craze. Maybe the corn fed beef will then be cheaper.

Fern
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I dont know why people are getting all tripped up over this issue (except that its P&N). Its just more taste options for people. How can this be a bad thing?
 
Ns1

Ns1

No Lifer
Jun 17, 2001
55,420
1,600
126
Fern said:
Whoaa...

I like beef. I grew up in FL, a pretty big cattle producing area (at least at that time). I think grass fed beef sucks compared to corn fed. I alwas liked visiting my relatives up in PA. The steaks were great because their cattle were corn fed. Corn is sweeter and the cattle get fatter.

I suppose I'm fine with this stupid 'grass fed' craze. Maybe the corn fed beef will then be cheaper.

Fern
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I will say that any time I've been fed grass fed beef it's been from a top tier eatery, so I'm sure that comes into play as well.
 
shira

shira

Diamond Member
Jan 12, 2005
9,500
6
81
DixyCrat said:
My point was that methane is a much worse green-house gas than carbon is and that keeping cows alive longer increases the methane production.

We do care about green house gasses still right? It isn't just mindless hate of plant food, right?
Click to expand...

The bolded statement isn't meaningful in terms of net contribution to atmospheric CO2. Yes, if a cow lives twice as long it emits (say) twice as much CO2 in the form of methane. But it consumes twice as much grass, and that grass captured twice as much carbon from the atmosphere. This is an equilibrium state. This would be true even if a grass-fed cow were NEVER slaughtered and lived to a ripe old age.

Injecting "new" carbon into the atmosphere can occur only if fossil fuels stored in the earth are burned (or to a very small extent, if volcanoes erupt) and/or if the CO2 held in living things decreases (for example, if rain forests are turned into deserts).

Using corn for cattle feed depends on burning fossil fuels, which breaks the equilibrium, so corn-fed cattle are not as carbon friendly as grass-fed cattle. (Edit: This assumes "natural" grass grazing in situ. That is, this assumes that the grass used as cattle feed isn't grown as a commodity and shipped to cow-producing areas.)
 
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CADsortaGUY

CADsortaGUY

Lifer
Oct 19, 2001
25,162
1
76
www.ShawCAD.com
Modelworks said:
Won't change anything for me. I have seen cows shot in the head, cut open and slaughtered. Same for hogs and chickens. Also been in processing plants and my dad was a butcher for over 30 years so I know meat pretty well.

I don't think people would enjoy meat much if they visited a processing plant.
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Exactly. Trust me - I've seen it. I might have to stop eating ketchup after my next project...
 
Fern

Fern

Elite Member
Sep 30, 2003
26,907
174
106
JSt0rm said:
I dont know why people are getting all tripped up over this issue (except that its P&N). Its just more taste options for people. How can this be a bad thing?
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It's not a bad thing.

I've seen this issue before and have always been amazed that some people prefer grass-fed. I've never before, in this country or the others I've lived in, seen grass fed beef prized above corn fed.

I find it amazing. What was once widely considered lowly is now prized.

For those paying extra (that thought makes me shake my head) for grass fed, be careful. Not even in FL can you depend on grass all year round. They've gotta be fed something else during the Winter months. Might be hay (dried grass), might not.

Fern
 
her209

her209

No Lifer
Oct 11, 2000
56,336
11
0
Modelworks said:
Won't change anything for me. I have seen cows shot in the head, cut open and slaughtered. Same for hogs and chickens. Also been in processing plants and my dad was a butcher for over 30 years so I know meat pretty well.

I don't think people would enjoy meat much if they visited a processing plant.
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I've pretty much killed or helped kill and cleaned all the animals you've listed and more with the exception of cow as a kid. Killing a cow involved shooting it in the head with a rifle. When we go to a slaughterhouse, they zap the pig with an electric shot behind the ears and then chain it by a leg, hang it in the air upside down, and drain its blood with a stab to the throat.

:)
 
JSt0rm

JSt0rm

Lifer
Sep 5, 2000
27,399
3,948
126
Fern said:
It's not a bad thing.

I've seen this issue before and have always been amazed that some people prefer grass-fed. I've never before, in this country or the others I've lived in, seen grass fed beef prized above corn fed.

I find it amazing. What was once widely considered lowly is now prized.

For those paying extra (that thought makes me shake my head) for grass fed, be careful. Not even in FL can you depend on grass all year round. They've gotta be fed something else during the Winter months. Might be hay (dried grass), might not.

Fern
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Well there is also cattle that is grass fed up to the last 3 months then switched to corn. Then there is the kobi beef that is fed beer.

I love hog nosed snapper because they feed on shrimp and lobsters.
 
Fern

Fern

Elite Member
Sep 30, 2003
26,907
174
106
JSt0rm said:
Well there is also cattle that is grass fed up to the last 3 months then switched to corn. Then there is the kobi beef that is fed beer.

I love hog nosed snapper because they feed on shrimp and lobsters.
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Yep, I hear you.

What things eat influences how they taste.

I used to spear fish down in FL a lot. I went for snapper and grouper. Grouper also eat lobster, and it makes their meat sweet. When diving, if I saw a lobster, I knew grouper would be around, and vice-versa.

Reminds me of why I don't like catfish, they're bottoms feeders and taste like dirt to me. My wife says farm raised don't, I supposed they're fed pellets etc.

Fern
 
Amused

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
57,476
19,977
146
Fern said:
Whoaa...

I like beef. I grew up in FL, a pretty big cattle producing area (at least at that time). They were grass fed cattle. I think grass fed beef sucks compared to corn fed. I always liked visiting my relatives up in PA. The steaks were great because their cattle were corn fed. Corn is sweeter and the cattle get fatter.

I suppose I'm fine with this stupid 'grass fed' craze. Maybe the corn fed beef will then be cheaper.

BTW: I've never seen cattle penned up. In FL, and here in Western NC, cattle just roam around. The corn fed were just those fattened up with it during a period before slaughter

Fern
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My main problem with the grass fed fad is that people, as with the organic fad, mistake boutique small production quality with the fad.

Small production high quality boutique foods have always been better than the larger production foods. With these fads, the first to start were small production operations that specialized in boutique foods, thus the better taste and higher quality associated with boutique foods becomes confused with the fad.

You are correct, of course, that fattier grain fed cows taste better. That's why we switched to grain in the first place. Grain fed cows USED to be the luxury. then became the norm as grain became less expensive. Now that smaller growers have switched over to meet the demands of the latest fad, high quality low production grain fed meat is scarce.
 
Amused

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
57,476
19,977
146
JSt0rm said:
I see we can all get together around the dinner table hahahaha
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I think one thing beef lovers can agree on is that small, boutique beef is better than beef from large operations. Grass/corn/ organic/not has little to nothing to do with it.
 
N

nageov3t

Lifer
Feb 18, 2004
42,808
83
91
anyone have a link to the OP's article?

I want to post it on facebook, half my friends work for Whole Foods ;)
 
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