Bob,

Yup. And we might be closer than we think to the tipping point. It really disturbs me to think about it, because when the population corrects itself it isn't going to be pretty.

Now as for the issue of the meat industry harming the environment...yes, factory farming definitely is.
However, anyone who thinks that clear cutting natural habitats to grow cereal grains and soybeans doesn't also lead to native species going extinct is terribly uninformed.

The second I saw the article was from Salon I knew the comments would be full of self-righteous vegetarians/vegans crowing "See? SEE? MEAT IS EEEVIL IT KILLS ALL THE OTHER ANIMALS!!!1!!11!!!ELEVENTY!!!" Fortunately there were a few voices of reason in there.

If there's one good thing that's come out out of the whole LC thing for me it's purchasing as much of my food as I can from local farms. The farmer gives me tasty food, I give him/her revenue, win/win for everybody. And I agree with Bob and many others--human overpopulation is what eventually will kill this planet. Don't bitch to me about how my ribeye is ruining the ecosystem and then drive off in your minivan with your three kids.

Row crops is very hard on the ecostystem and environment but no one cares to complain about the all mighty soybeen or corn or wheat.

No, they are always quick to criminalize meat.

The problem is that vegetarianism is for many people a cult, or pseudo-religion, and they want to make everyone join the cult.

And most people who call themselves vegetarians aren't - only the vegans are vegetarians. Those lacto-ovo and fish-o are just cult wanna-be's. After all, what plant did that egg or cheese block grow on?

But the Jehovah Witnesses came to my door and wanted me to join their cult too. Neither the veggies or Witnesses have a chance at my conversion.

But anyone who is saying that the pollution of our planet, wildlife extinction, habitat loss, and even global warming has any cause other than overpopulation is just fooling themselves.

But they aren't fooling me.

Bob

If the whole world became vegans - what would happen to farms and the animals in them?? And what would happen to all of those cutesy little rodents that live in amongst crops at harvest time???



Jo xxx

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Doreen

Look at the Galapagos Islands. With no predators to control its numbers, he iguana ate everything it could digest on it's island. So it started diving into the surf to eat the seaweed which is not the best thing for a cold blooded terrestrial animal.

As time went on they ate more and more of the easy to reach seaweed and eventually only the iguanas who can hold their breath the longest and keep from getting hypothermia the longest get to eat. The rest starve.

And after they do eat, they have to lay in the sun on a hot rock to raise their body temperature so they don't die.

The carnivores and omnivores are part of the balance. If it weren't for the meat eaters, the herbivores would eat all the plants on the planet and in theory pass a tipping point where there is no longer enough plant growth to sustain life.

So when you eat that delicious steak, just think of all the good you are doing for the planet!

Bob

All cattle spend approximately the first year of their lives grazing on rangeland, which in many cases is land that can't support anything else. Once the cattle reach a certain weight, (usually around 600 pounds), they are transferred to a feedlot. That's where they spend 3 or 4 months being fed the super-crappy diet which causes them to gain about a hundred pounds a month. The next step is the slaughterhouse.

(I'm no cattle expert, but grazing cattle are common where I live, as soon as you drive out of the city. Also, DH used to spend his summers as a teenager on a cattle ranch, sort of like a cowboy.)

I read an article recently where grazing is good for grassland, as long as the grazing animals are moved around and not left to overgraze. The grassland and grass eaters evolved together and each benefit one another, as long as it's not overdone. And in the day when herds migrated to get the best grass, it worked well. So in some places they are rotating pastures to try to mimic the natural order of things.

When the steer go to the feedlot they are fed lots of Genetically Modified Corn. Even non-GMO corn is bad for the beef.

Corn fed beef is not as good for us either. It raises the omega 6 acids, destroys the CLA, and so on. Plus it isn't good for the steer (although the steer doesn't have time to feel the effects).

Add the GMO corn and the beef get even worse, eating tons of Round-up herbicide, and passing it on to the beef buyer, and ingesting the insecticide that has been put in the corn's DNA and passing that insecticide on to you.

Properly managed grassland and grass fed beef is good for the steer, good for the environment, and good for the end consumer (us).

I only buy grass-fed, organic beef. It costs a little more, but I'm worth it.

Bob

I love articles like this, because I'm planning on starting a sustainable farm soon and market locally. No grizzlies, wolves, or pumas will be injured in the growing of my food. I'm hoping there are enough people who aren't going to give up on meat but care enough about wildlife to seek out farmers like me (whether this story is accurate or not - I have no idea if it is or not).



Yes, I've heard about this too, and it's really exciting to me. I don't know if it really works that way or not, but I'd like to know more.

Grazing cattle poop a lot and walk around distributing it well! It is natural fertilizer for the grass and no machinery is required to spread it. Near me there are rangeland co-ops, where adjacent landholders use all the land to rotate the cattle around so that large chunks of land can be left cattle-free long enough to recover.

This is where 80% of our family meat comes from, along with ALL of the eggs and butter and some of the cheese.

It seems pricey, but on the other hand, it takes less to satisfy. Some of these items from the grocery store are completely inedible to us now, not to mention the ground beef that looks fine under the special lights in the store, and looks like zombie special effects when you take it out of the bag in your own kitchen.

I always buy what I believe to be healthier food - grass fed organic beef, non GMO foods, no rBGH dairy. Sure it costs a little more, but I'm worth it.

I'd buy from your farm costello22 if you sold your food in my area.

I know a lot of people who complain about the extra cost of better food, but drive a huge gas guzzler and spend a few hundred dollars a month on cable TV. We all have our priorities, and there is more than one way to go through life, but I think feeding the body healthy food is a high priority for myself and my family.

Bob

I hope I find many like you in my area.



I agree. Priorities.