On Wed, 19 Oct 2005, Jed Rothwell wrote:
Jones Beene wrote:
Not with the U.S. diet. We eat a tremendous amount of meat, and this takes
10 times more starting plant food (mainly cattle feed).
Wrong (partially). We do eat too much meat here but not more than Europe,
where the 1/4 acre standard has been in place for a long time - and it only
takes 10 times more land IF you allow predominantly open-grazing . . .
It does not take 10 times more land. It takes 10 times more starting plant
food, mainly corn which is fed to cows. As you note, corn grows very densely
in North America, whereas most nutritious vegetable food and wheat for people
takes more space.
(Incidentally, corn is a terrible thing to feed to a cow. Cows are not
evolved to eat corn, and it causes terrible stomach upsets, misery and
disease which can only be treated with massive amounts of antibiotics, which
is causing yet another crisis.)
Recent research show that cows given mostly grain and protein-rich fodder
yeilds a more unhealthy milk, causing more heart disease in humans.
Don't know about the meat, though.
Cows are adapted to *GRAZING*.
[snip]
- Jed
/Mathias
