I love this discussion-- I see so many that DO understand where food comes from and how it is porduced!!
THere is no one way to produce the food; many producers choose very different feeding options. ONe presented in an organic farming magazine presented a pretty ungly picture of the feed lot industry feeding bread and bubble gum to feedlot cattle. I was horrified to read this--it certainly did not match the feeds and nutrition classes for livestock in college. Later, after ruminating, lol, I realized even the organic farming magazine had a very slanted view to promotes it's angle.
We do need MORE food to feed the world. We do have a world wide food shortage. WE need EVERYONE to raise what they can locally: a few laying hens, to a victory garden. Does nayone know what a victory garden is??? During WW II all families were encouraged to grow their own vegies as the war effort was rapidly using up our resources. As local food should always be first choice for many reasons, which is too lengthy for this discussion, we CAN grow a few of our foods, even if it is a tomato plant in a pot.
My chickens are omnivores, even the ducks slurp down a worm. Both turn a resource I would not eat into one I will eat. Try duck eggs for a little change from chicken eggs!
Grass fed beef has far more vitamin A because of the natural content in grass versus the heavier grain diet at the feet lot. Feed lot cattle still MUST have fiber for the GI to function properly and keep the cattle on the healthy side. Clearly those cattle in the feedlots are being pushed to the limits because of the cost of production. THe reality is that our food animals are commodities destined for the food market and a profit is necessary to keep the pipeline of food filling our stomachs.
We need to increase our food production world wide and I would like to see Americans ( and everyone else) eating a heaping plateful of greens and vegies EVERY day for better overall health. Great micronutirents in those foods to boost our immune systems in our high stressed modern lives.
Producers of livestock and fruits and vegetables will do what it takes to keep us buying an idividual brand label; that is the competiative nature of marketing. If you buy local, that competition is reduced because usually there are only a few sources to buy locally. Buying locally becomes a win-win situation. We directly need each other. Perdue plays on the non-meat based diet because it SELLS. Many people would like to believe the creatures are then more humanely treated, which cannot be gaged by feeding practices. Humanely treated has legal definitions; otherwise, each of us as individuals have our own standards of humane and I know that again is another in depth discussion to fully appreciate.
THe bottom line is that the commercially produced food IS feeding us; and they do still have a near monopoly. However the other markets have taken hold and are growing, and I hope in the end the net result is MORE food is being produced in total because we sure need it. Many of our high production areas have been feeding us for years, and that starts striping the minerals out of the soil and shipping it to the cities in the form of food. WE need more land in production to slow the stripping and too have our food contain a healthy amount of micro minerals for our good health.
OP-- good points, I somewhat disagree about the beef but otherwise right on. Advertising sells.Thanks for getting this discussion going!!
