Where’s the beef?

[EatenByLimestone]

Corn is a monocot, like grass. It makes sense.

 

[begreen]

who really knows for sure what percentage comes from eating beef, and to obtain something with the same biological value, can be achieved with fewer resources, with less pollution

There have been a lot of studies on just this topic. It's not without some controversy and some disinformation. Compounding the issue is that there are both natural and human caused sources. Many of them in fact. It's the imbalance created that is causing issues. Methane as a greenhouse gas is much more serious than CO2.

"Methane is more than 28 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. Over the last two centuries, methane concentrations in the atmosphere have more than doubled, largely due to human-related activities. Because methane is both a powerful greenhouse gas and short-lived compared to carbon dioxide, achieving significant reductions would have a rapid and significant effect on atmospheric warming potential."

Agriculture is high on the contribution list. However, going just after beef is not going to solve all issues. It's just one data point of many. And there are some solutions to notably reduce cattle burps if employed.

Methane and climate change – Methane Tracker 2021 – Analysis - IEA

Methane Tracker 2021 - Analysis and key findings. A report by the International Energy Agency.

www.iea.org

Importance of Methane | US EPA

Introduces key features of methane that make it a potent greenhouse gas.

www.epa.gov

 

[NHWS]

This article doesn't say much new about the environment, but it addresses resistance to change. The headline picture is interesting: 2200 tractors blocking traffic in a protest.

Nitrogen wars: the Dutch farmers’ revolt that turned a nation upside-down

The long read: In 2019, a looming crisis over pollution led the Dutch government to crack down on farm emissions. The response was furious – and offers a warning to other countries about protecting the environment without losing public trust

www.theguardian.com

 

[sloeffle]

That’s interesting that they grade different based off of the color of the fat. I’ve seen a few beef carcasses in my day and yellow fat is usually associated with grass fed beef, and white fat is corn finished beef. Most of the beef in the U.S. is finished on corn or some kind of corn byproduct such as distillers grains. I’ve heard of folks even finishing them out on bakery products. I finished some pigs one time on barley. I couldn’t tell the difference in taste.

Hopefully your imported beef has country of origin labeling. Big Ag has the USDA by the …. so beef that’s imported into the U.S. can be labeled as U.S. beef if value add is added to the beef in the U.S.

 

[sloeffle]

Corn is a monocot, like grass. It makes sense.

Yep, corn is maize. Maize is a grass.

(broken link removed)

 

[ABMax24]

That’s interesting that they grade different based off of the color of the fat. I’ve seen a few beef carcasses in my day and yellow fat is usually associated with grass fed beef, and white fat is corn finished beef. Most of the beef in the U.S. is finished on corn or some kind of corn byproduct such as distillers grains. I’ve heard of folks even finishing them out on bakery products. I finished some pigs one time on barley. I couldn’t tell the difference in taste.

Hopefully your imported beef has country of origin labeling. Big Ag has the USDA by the …. so beef that’s imported into the U.S. can be labeled as U.S. beef if value add is added to the beef in the U.S.

Canadian grades are a little more stringent than the equivalent USDA grades, but not that far apart, color being the biggest differentiator.

We don't really have country of origin labelling, it's either Canadian beef or US beef that make up the lion's share. Locally all that's sold is Alberta beef, as it's local and cheaper. The US country of origin labelling is a kind of a thorn in our side as about 35% of Canadian beef is sold across the border into the US. At