Subject: Forwarded mail....

From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 1995 19:27:46 -0400 (EDT)

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Lawrence F. London, Jr. - [email-masked] 
http://sunSITE.unc.edu/london/Information_By_Topic.html
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 95 10:13:26 -0500
From: Tomas Hansmeyer <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]

With the amazing fact in hand that 80% of grain produced goes to meat
production, one begins to wonder what would be so wrong with returning those
cows to graze on 80%of the cropland in the US.  Oh you say, we are able to
grow much more beef by feeding high energy crops within the context of a
feedlot.  As you may have already percieved, I am not so sure.  It would
seem to me that if our perspective on meet production were to be challenged
more strongly,  alternatives would present themselves.  Image a breed of
animal (cow,pig,chicken) which would have the ability to gain very
efficiently from grazing.  What is so interesting to me is that the
philosophy which created the feedlot corn fed beef is continuing.  Take for
example the concept of (pass through) protein.  The goal being to prevent
protein from being digested in the ruman.  In effect the goal is to totally
disregard or avoid the ruman.  But how can this be accomplished when the
animal is indeed a ruminant, then to disregard the animal, to dis-aquaint
ourselves from the ruman.  Why not concentrate on the rumen and return these
animals to their home!!!   

Tomas