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RE: [RC] slaughter Sorry it's so long - heidiBarbara, I'll respectfully disagree with Lud on this one. Beef
cattle in this country by and large ARE maintained on grass or hay much
of the year, with the exception being the time they spend in the feedlot
in the so-called "finishing" process. It is in the feedlot that
they are fed high-concentrate rations, and it is is these rations that
necessitate the addition of prophylactic antibiotics, etc. to the diet,
because they are maintained at a level of rumen acidosis (due to the
carbs) that begins to threaten the lining of the rumen itself, putting
the animal always on the verge of having bacteria and toxins leak out
into the bloodstream. By the time these animals hit the
slaughterhouse, instead of the nice clean livere you see in grass-fed
beef, the livers are often full of small abcesses, etc. After a
couple of months in the feed lot, these animals are stressed to the
point that they could not go back out and lead long, healthy
lives. Just what you want to eat---NOT! But that's what you
find on the supermarket shelves. Additionally, the unhealthy
feeding practices marble in the fat (which in years past has been
considered "desirable") and cause a shift in the omegas and the healthy
vs unhealthy types of fats. Feedlot beef is a contributor to our
country's obesity and unhealthful life style--grass-fed beef is
practically a health food. There's that much difference.
So, since the young slaughter cattle are maintained on grass right up
to the point of going into the feedlot anyway, my question has always
been, "WHY NOT JUST SLAUGHTER THEM AT THAT POINT?" You get
healthier meat, smaller cuts, better (IMO) flavor, far less need for
any sorts of unhealthy additives, etc.
Furthermore, given our energy crisis, the corn that is poured down
the gullets of previously healthy bovines to make them walking time
bombs to slaughter and serve to the public could be used to make
ethanol with which we could fuel our cars. (I believe it is
Brazil that relies almost entirely on ethanol for motor vehicle fuel,
and at about half the cost that we are currently paying for
gasoline....)
To make this endurance-related, not only would we be healthier riders
if we ate grass-fed beef instead of the feedlot stuff, but we could also
have cheaper fuel so that we could afford to go to a lot more rides!
Heidi
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