Cattle feeding

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Different cattle feeding production systems have separate advantages and disadvantages. All cows have a diet that is composed of at least some forage (grass, legumes, or silage). In fact most beef cattle are rasied on pasture until they reach a year of age. Then in pasture fed animals, grass is the forage that compromises all or at least the great majority of their diet. In corn-fed cattle, forage is supplemented with grain in order to increase the energy density of the diet. The debate is whether cattle should be raised on diets primarily composed of pasture (grass) or maize (corn). The issue is often complicated by the political interests and confusion between labels such as "free range", "organic", or "natural". Cattle raised on a majority forage diet are termed grass-fed or pasture-raised; for example meat or milk may be called grass-fed beef or pasture-raised dairy. However, the term "pasture-raised" can lead to confusion with the term "free range", which does not prescribe the fodder.

In the United States, cattle in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are traditionally fed corn and other grain feed. As a high-starch, high-energy food, corn decreases the time to fatten cattle and increases yield from dairy cattle. These cattle are called corn-fed or grain-fed. In the United States, most grass fed cattle are raised for beef production. Dairy cattle are usually supplemented with grain to increase the efficiency of production and reduce the amount of acerage needed to support the energy requirements of the herd.

A growing number of health and environmental proponents in the United States such as the Union of Concerned Scientists advocate raising cattle on pasture and other forage. Some claim that the adoption of a grass fed beef production system would dramatically increase the amount of land needed to raise beef. However, the efficiency of grass fed beef could depend on your definition of effective land management. While grass fed beef would take more initial land for foraging, when corn fed beef’s total is squared with the land needed for corn production to feed grain-fed beef, the total is more equitable.^{[citation needed]}

Contents 1 Health and Nutrition 1.1 Fats 1.2 Antibiotics 2 Disease 3 Environmental concerns 4 Taste 5 Proposed USDA label 6 See also 7 References

[edit] Health and Nutrition

[edit] Fats

While grass-fed beef contains less total fat compared to grain-fed beef, grass-fed beef and diary contain higher levels of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) and the Omega-3 fatty acids ALA, EPA, and DHA. ^[1]. While the research on CLA is unclear with regard to humans, it has shown many positive effects in animals in the areas of heart disease, cancer, and the immune system.

[edit] Antibiotics

Less intense population density is sometimes cited as a reason for decreased antibiotic usage in grass fed animals. However, bovine respiratory disease, the most common cause for antibiotic therapy has risk factors common in both forms of production (feedlot and pasture finished).^[2]

[edit] Disease

Meat and bone meal can be a risk factor for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), when healthy animals consume tainted tissues from infected animals. People concerned about Creutzfeld-Jacob disease (CJD) may favor grass-fed cattle for this reason. However, in the United States, this risk is low already as feeding of protein sources from any ruminant has been banned since 1997.^[3]

[edit] Environmental concerns

Raising cattle on pasture can decrease soil erosion and increase soil fertility.

[edit] Taste

Grass-fed beef has a much different flavor and texture than grain-fed beef. A high-grain diet is responsible for intramuscular fat in beef, called marbling. As a consequence, grass-fed beef produces less "juicy" steaks than conventionally raised beef.

A 2003 Colorado State University study found that 80% of consumers in the Denver-Colorado area preferred the taste of United States corn-fed beef to Australian grass-fed beef, and negligible difference in taste preference compared to Canadian barley-fed beef.^[4]

[edit] Proposed USDA label

The United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) released a revised proposal for a grass fed meat label claim for its process-verified labeling program in May 2006. ^[5] The Union of Concerned Scientists, which in general supports the labeling proposal, claims that the current revision, which contains the clause "consumption of ... grain in the immature stage is acceptable", allows for "feed harvesting or stockpiling methods that might include significant amounts of grain" because the term "immature" is not clearly defined. ^[6]

[edit] See also

• Free range

[edit] References

1. ^ http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/food_and_environment/greener-pastures.pdf, p. 58
2. ^ The medicine and epidemiology of bovine respiratory disease in feedlots. Australian veterinary journal Cusack 2003 vol:81 iss:8 pg:480-487 [1]
3. ^ http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040126.html
4. ^ Wendy Umberger, Dawn Thilmany and Amanda Ziehl, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economicse, Colorado State University. 2003. "Consumer Tastes & Preferences: What Research Indicates". http://dare.agsci.colostate.edu/aft/curriculum/3.1_cons_prefs.ppt
5. ^ Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA (May 12, 2006). United States Standard for Livestock and Meat Marketing Claim, Grass (Forage) Fed Claim. The Federal Register. Retrieved on 2006-08-02.
6. ^ Clancy, Kate (presumably 2006-08-02). What's At Stake?. Union of Concerned Scientists. Retrieved on 2006-08-02.