Grass-fed cattle emit 3x more methane than crop-fed cattle and are the cause of massive deforestation to create grazing pastures. Unfortunately, grass-fed ruminants (cows, goats, sheep, etc) are actually more destructive in terms of climate change.
SIDE NOTE: Factory farm opponents sometimes promote grass-fed cattle as an eco-friendly alternative. Intensive (factory) farming represents the overwhelming majority (>98%) of meat produced in the United States. These numbers are important as crop-fed, factory/conventionally-farmed animals are the norm in industrialized countries and the global growth-rate of meat is alarmingly high. Typical feed crops are grains and legumes: corn, soy, and wheat. In other words, how much more food each animal consumes than they produce. The calculations represent FCRs for crop-fed farmed animals. The section below explains some of the factors that produce vastly different published numbers and makes recommendations based on the most useful measures. We also use these shortcuts for illustrative purposes, while acknowledging that that there is wide variation in the actual FCRs of particular animals based on age, breed, internal and external environment, type of feed, and a multitude of other factors.Īs interdisciplinary scientist Valcav Smil explains, “definite rate is valid only for a particular animal, herd, or flock.” ( p.146) Producing meat is inherently inefficient, but since the livestock industry creates much of the language (and math), they are able skew public perception.įor practical reasons, feed ratios are generally assigned based on animal species (see below).īroad estimates are sometimes even used to represent the entire category of meat (ex: meat requires 10x more crops than feeding people directly). This is an example of the importance of language. Unfortunately, (spoiler alert) chickens are still very inefficient in that they consume more than twice as many calories and protein than they produce. However, given the inherent loss of crops and natural resources involved in producing meat and other animal sourced foods (ASF), “inefficiency” is a far more accurate term.įor example, cows are far more inefficient than chickens in terms of feed ratios.
They have a lower FCR, meaning that it takes less feed to create a pound of chicken than a pound of beef. How much food (calories, protein, and nutrients) is lost by cycling crops through animals for meat versus eating a plant-based diet directly? And what are the consequences to food security, personal health, and the planet?įeed Conversion Ratios (FCRs) measure the amount of feed/crops needed to produce a unit of meat.įCRs and related issues are generally discussed in terms of “efficiency.”įor example, chickens are more efficient converters crops that cows. The question is not “IF” animals are inefficient food converters, but “HOW” inefficient are they? That farmed animals consume more food than they produce is undisputed. FoodĪnimals Are Inefficient Converters of Food Animals Are Inefficient Converters of Food Feed Conversion Ratios Feed:Meat Ratios Mainstream Feed Conversion Ratios FCR Mainstream Examples More Comprehensive FCRs Energy Flows in the Broader Food System Conclusion: Feed vs.
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