By Lydia Russell, Brooklyn Dairy Queen
Today's society is inflated with distortions and simple false accusations against the beef industry.
With 98 percent of Americans three generations removed from the farm and agriculture, and very limited exposure to "real farmers" or agriculture experts to turn to for answers, consumers focus on the information provided in books, movies, and newspapers (Gordon, 2012). While many resources contain valid information, there are many that hold a very biased and often misinformed point of view. In fact, some myths are supported by marketing opportunities in segments of the industry itself.
Among the myths that should be focused on, two popular myths are: cattle are allergic to corn and in today's day age, it is inefficient to raise cattle. These are only a couple of the myths that have developed over the years and have caused many groups and individuals to question the beef industry, which is why agriculture must continue to provide clarity to the issues around the provision of beef as a healthy, nutrient dense and safe product.
Ruminants (cattle and other creatures with multi-compartment stomachs) are almost magic in their adaptability to using a wide array of plant-based feeds. In fact for cattle (and the others), there are relatively few plant species and products that cannot be used for either sustenance or growth - the more lush and tender the better. Products (seeds, etc.) from those very same plants are also often usable in the diets of the multi-stomached animal. For the most part, livestock enjoy the seeds of plants as much or more than the plant itself and if given the choice, they will consume a healthy balance of each. The primary concern producers need to have is that the richer the diet, then the more time it takes ruminants to safely adapt to it.
There are also some who argue that it's inefficient to raise cattle in this day and age, and that it is unsustainable to provide feed for livestock that could be utilized by humans directly. But products from plants that cannot be directly used for human consumption, such as stalks, are fed to cattle to become a highly nutritional, nutrient dense, palatable product. Also, producers are becoming more and more efficient at raising cattle as years progress.
Jude Capper, an animal science professor as Washington State University established that "today's beef industry uses 30 percent less land, 13 percent fewer cattle, and 20 percent less feed than in 1977, all while producing more actual pounds of beef" (Gordon, 2012).
The beef industry is not without its issues. As production practices continue to evolve in our ever-changing world, beef production will continue to evolve as well. There will never be an end to the information put forth by groups and individuals both supportive and non-supportive of production agriculture. The challenge lies in trying to find the balance and truth among the never-ending flood of information provided in the "information age" we find ourselves in.
Today's society is inflated with distortions and simple false accusations against the beef industry.
With 98 percent of Americans three generations removed from the farm and agriculture, and very limited exposure to "real farmers" or agriculture experts to turn to for answers, consumers focus on the information provided in books, movies, and newspapers (Gordon, 2012). While many resources contain valid information, there are many that hold a very biased and often misinformed point of view. In fact, some myths are supported by marketing opportunities in segments of the industry itself.
Among the myths that should be focused on, two popular myths are: cattle are allergic to corn and in today's day age, it is inefficient to raise cattle. These are only a couple of the myths that have developed over the years and have caused many groups and individuals to question the beef industry, which is why agriculture must continue to provide clarity to the issues around the provision of beef as a healthy, nutrient dense and safe product.
Ruminants (cattle and other creatures with multi-compartment stomachs) are almost magic in their adaptability to using a wide array of plant-based feeds. In fact for cattle (and the others), there are relatively few plant species and products that cannot be used for either sustenance or growth - the more lush and tender the better. Products (seeds, etc.) from those very same plants are also often usable in the diets of the multi-stomached animal. For the most part, livestock enjoy the seeds of plants as much or more than the plant itself and if given the choice, they will consume a healthy balance of each. The primary concern producers need to have is that the richer the diet, then the more time it takes ruminants to safely adapt to it.
There are also some who argue that it's inefficient to raise cattle in this day and age, and that it is unsustainable to provide feed for livestock that could be utilized by humans directly. But products from plants that cannot be directly used for human consumption, such as stalks, are fed to cattle to become a highly nutritional, nutrient dense, palatable product. Also, producers are becoming more and more efficient at raising cattle as years progress.
Jude Capper, an animal science professor as Washington State University established that "today's beef industry uses 30 percent less land, 13 percent fewer cattle, and 20 percent less feed than in 1977, all while producing more actual pounds of beef" (Gordon, 2012).
The beef industry is not without its issues. As production practices continue to evolve in our ever-changing world, beef production will continue to evolve as well. There will never be an end to the information put forth by groups and individuals both supportive and non-supportive of production agriculture. The challenge lies in trying to find the balance and truth among the never-ending flood of information provided in the "information age" we find ourselves in.
