I heard something to do with Nitrogen and …cow farts(?) I am really unsure of this and would like to learn more.

Answer -

4 Parts

  • Ethical reason for consuming animals
  • Methane produced by cows are a harmful greenhouse gas which is contributing to our current climate crisis
  • Health Reasons - there is convincing evidence that processed meats cause cancer
  • it takes a lot more calories of plant food to produce the calories we would consume from the meat.

Details about the answers are in the comments

  • fkn@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    ~This is false. Cows in the US are primarily fed corn. Not the can’t/won’t eat stuff.~

    Edit: I am wrong. They said only fed about 8% human edible grain.

      • fkn@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Not in industrial farms. There is no grass there. They don’t bring hay.

        It’s literally a sales pitch in the US to disambiguate corn fed and grass fed cattle.

        • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          1 year ago

          you just don’t know what you’re talking about. cattle are raised in the field and then finished on feed lots.

          grass fed just means that the cattle were only fed grass. but all cattle eat grass

          • fkn@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Only until they are weaned. Then onto the feed lot they go and corn they eat.

    • Nuklia@lemdro.id
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      1 year ago

      I know that what you did say is wrong but here is some extra stuff about cattle in other places and how you are kind of right.

      Where I live (the U.k.) and the farms around me where there isn’t really factory farming like there is in other places. Yes, I understand there is factory farming in the U.K. but it doesn’t happen in the area that I live in, that I’m aware of. In these farms around me the dairy cows (only ones I have proper evidence for) will graze grass or eat hay when it is warm and will eat silage in the winter.

      Also, especially in Alberta, where you can’t grow corn as easily, they are raised on grass and “finished” with barley

      However you are right that cows are fed on mosltly corn BUT this is to finsish them and is mostly in the corn belt of the U.S.A. and other parts of the world where it is easy to grow corn.

      • fkn@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        95% of all cattle feed is corn in the US. Raised to 600lbs or so before being put on the feed lot. Finishing in this case can be the final 400-600lbs fed on 95% corn.

        About 40% of all corn grown in the US is grown exclusively for feed nearly all of which is used within the US.