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40% of lost calories globally are from beef, needing 33 cal of feed per 1 cal

iopscience.iop.org

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Re: 40% of lost calories globally are from beef, needing 33 cal of feed per 1 cal

#11

Post by jvanderbot »

synasties wrote: post #3

Then can human process grass?

Most cows don't eat grass like a wandering herd. Most cows eat stuff we grow on farms that could grow stuff we can eat instead.

https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2024/december/ers-data-...

and

https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/corn-and-other-feed-gr...

Let me surface a more direct article: https://insideanimalag.org/land-use-for-animal-ag/#:~:text=1...

Of the total land area of the contiguous 48 states, ~45% is used for animal ag. This includes: Land for grazing livestock at ~35%. Land for crops going specifically to animal feed at ~9%. Animal ag farmsteads at <1%.[1-3]

Re: 40% of lost calories globally are from beef, needing 33 cal of feed per 1 cal

#15

Post by WorkerBee28474 »

> To feed a growing population, it is essential that the global agri-food system be managed to efficiently convert crop production into calories for human consumption.

It's really not. Efficiency is the enemy of redundancy. Countries want food security, so they must therefore produce excess calories.

Re: 40% of lost calories globally are from beef, needing 33 cal of feed per 1 cal

#16

Post by cameldrv »

kshahkshah wrote: post #6

Not trying to be overly flippant... who cares? The paper opens with "to feed a growing population" without asking is that what we need? want? where we are actually heading to? Is feeding the world a real problem? I've yet to see compelling evidence that it really is except as a secondary effect of logistics, energy supply, and war. edit: I understand the environmental impacts. I think we should solve our energy probl…

Exactly. The current world population is 8.3 billion and is expected to peak at 10.3 billion in 2080 and then begin declining. Now, there are a number of other reasons we might have food shortages, but population per se I don't think is a significant factor.

Re: 40% of lost calories globally are from beef, needing 33 cal of feed per 1 cal

#18

Post by all2 »

kshahkshah wrote: post #6

Not trying to be overly flippant... who cares? The paper opens with "to feed a growing population" without asking is that what we need? want? where we are actually heading to? Is feeding the world a real problem? I've yet to see compelling evidence that it really is except as a secondary effect of logistics, energy supply, and war. edit: I understand the environmental impacts. I think we should solve our energy probl…

> Is feeding the world a real problem?

Yes, but it is not a production capacity problem. The constraints on food are mostly in the logistics chain, often having to do with corruption or distribution targets (food goes where the money is), or regulation (did you know that cherry growers in the Upper Midwest are required --_by Federal law_-- to destroy unsold crops?).

A huge amount of food goes to waste simply because of regulation or subsidies, at least within the United States.

Re: 40% of lost calories globally are from beef, needing 33 cal of feed per 1 cal

#19

Post by WorkerBee28474 »

jvanderbot wrote: post #11
synasties wrote: post #3

Then can human process grass?

Most cows don't eat grass like a wandering herd. Most cows eat stuff we grow on farms that could grow stuff we can eat instead. https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2024/december/ers-data-... and https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/corn-and-other-feed-gr... Let me surface a more direct article: https://insideanimalag.org/land-use-for-animal-ag/#:~:text=1... Of the total land area of the contiguous 48 states, ~45% i…

The first link you posted says that 29% of the land is used for pasture and 15% is used for crops (which will include both human and animal).

So yes, most cows are eating grass like a wandering herd.

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