Skip to main content

Converting Grass into Meat


I frequently hear the "fact" that livestock production is an inefficient use of land, so I thought I’d have a little fun and dust off some of my old pasture management information. We can debate the numbers, but I don’t think I’m too far off ...

Let's assume the following:

- Dry matter yield from perennial ryegrass & white clover pasture of 10,000 lb per acre
- 75% of the pasture dry matter produced is consumed by the grazing animal
- A conversion rate of 14 lb of pasture dry matter per lb of hanging weight
- An edible yield of 65% of the hanging weight
- A cooked yield of 56% of the raw weight
- A per meal protein requirement of 4 ounces of cooked meat
- 3 meals per day

Under these conditions, a piece of pasture less than 209 x 209 feet could produce enough meat to supply a person's daily protein needs for 260 days (not to mention the lovely fat!). Remember that this land can be completely unsuited to the production of grains, fruits, or vegetables.

If we could bump the pasture yield to 15,000 lbs of DM per acre, we could produce sufficient meat to supply a person's daily protein needs for 390 days!!

Oh, and by the way, perennial pasture produces about as much root dry matter as it does above-ground dry matter, thus fixing more carbon. Even poorly-managed pasture is equal to woodland in terms of "fixing" carbon, while well-managed pasture is many times better.

This from a perennial "crop" that requires minimal fertilizer, pesticides, equipment, or petroleum to produce. But it isn’t “green” ‘cause it’s not vegetarian!

*sigh*

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Those Mysterious Hand Gestures - The Mudras! a link to a post by Blissful Body Yoga

From blissfulbodyyoga.com I love mudras. They are one of my earliest discoveries of yoga, dating back to my childhood when I would "play" with my hands. Bend them, press them together, make them soar like wings. I let my hands dance as the true expression of my anahata (heart) chakra that they are. As I grew into an artist, yoga teacher and healer, the magical emanations of energy from my hands became an even deeper part of my practice, and how I share healing with others.  The Kripalu tradition is part of my lineage as a yogi, and Swami Kripalu, like many yogis, was known to have eruptions of spontaneous mudras while deep in meditation. Mudras create powerful energetic "circuits" in our system on many levels, in all of our koshas (energetic sheaths.) They hold energy, heal, protect, enlighten and express. Over the years I have learned mudras from my teachers, but many, many more have simply come through my hands in a natural way. This is the point I want most to s...

Upcoming Reminders for Silver Sneakers

All the afternoon classes now meet at 1pm - 2pm (Monday in El Cajon, Wednesday Casa de Oro, Friday Lemon Grove). Other upcoming reminders - see the schedule at under CALENDAR and/or FREE YOGA No class Tifereth Israel 9/28, 10/5, 10/12 (Jewish Holidays) No class Lemon Grove 11/4 (MS Challenge Walk weekend) No class La Mesa 11/5 (MS Challenge Walk weekend) No class Tifereth 11/9 (family event) No class Casa de Oro 11/9 (family event) No class Lemon Grove 11/11 (family event) No class La Mesa 11/12 (family event) No class Tifereth 11/23 (thanksgiving week) No class Casa de Oro 11/23 (thanksgiving week) No class Lemon Grove 11/25 (thanksgiving week) No class la Meas 11/26 (thanksgiving week)

#PPOTD Two-week Recap (from b'yomyoga on Twitter)

b'yom yoga‏@byomyoga Feb 14 #ppotd first day teach yoga #stmadeleinesophiescenter and i'm awash in goodwill. #lifeisgood #inmydharma b'yom yoga‏@byomyoga Feb 17 #ppotd thank your body for all it does, forgive it for all it doesn't, support it growing strong with a positive mind and deep full breaths b'yom yoga‏@byomyoga Feb 18 #ppotd if a friend offers a shared activity - accept! companionship does the heart good (thank you Claire Young) b'yom yoga‏@byomyoga Feb 20 #ppotd @YMCASanDiego open to the public all day today - get your family activities on!! b'yom yoga‏@byomyoga Feb 21 #ppotd never underestimate the power of alone time. b'yom yoga‏@byomyoga Feb 23 #ppotd #worldbeatcenter our school's 1st & 2nd graders were enthralled learning west African drumming and dance - a joy and privilege 2 see! b'yom yoga‏@byomyoga 19h19 hours ago #ppotd never miss a chance to tell someone you care about them