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What's the Deal with Organics?

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Organics. What's the deal with them, anyways? They've obviously caused quite a stir lately, what with all this fear of genetic engineering (aka GMOs). The general public perception is that organic crops and livestock must somehow be better because they're more expensive and come in a prettier package. However, like any food product, there are both pros and cons. Since we here at The Truth About Agriculture only care about cold, hard facts, I'll help you sort through the benefits and drawbacks so that you get all the truth, and none of the pseudoscience. I realize that to some of you who are reading this, it may come across as anti-organic. Not so. As I said, there are both pros and cons. You as a consumer deserve ALL the facts so that you can make an informed decision about what type of food you eat. If you refuse to eat anything other than organic after reading this, good for you! At least you made an informed decision! If you can only buy conventional because or...
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Protein in Context

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We hear quite a lot about protein nowadays. Can you get enough protein from plants? If so, why do people need animal protein? Couldn't we use the grain fed to them to end world hunger? This post aims to answer these questions. The truth of the matter is that advocates for animal agriculture and advocates of plant-based diets want the same thing. Our common goal is to, "Simultaneously optimize the food supply, health, environmental, and social justice outcomes for the world's population,"(1). In other words, our goals are the same. We merely tend to differ in how to get there. To answer the first question, we must examine animal proteins and plant proteins, and their similarities and differences. Opponents of animal agriculture often focus too much on gross calorie/protein intake and output values without considering the finished product. In short, too much attention is paid to feed conversion ratios, not WHAT is being converted. Animals, especially ruminants like co...
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Livestock Production Systems: Beef

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We all like steak. Just thinking about it gets my mouth watering. There's nothing more satisfying than visiting my local grocery store's meat market and picking out a nice juicy steak, criss-crossed with seams of succulent marbling, just begging me to grill it until the outside is done, but the center is pink and juicy. Nothing beats a tender, rare steak (I like mine with minimal seasoning, cooked just enough to be safe to eat. The rarer the better). People like their steaks all sorts of ways, but what exactly does it take to put that steak on your plate? Do you prefer grass-fed or grain-fed? Organic or conventional? What exactly did it take to get that steer or heifer from the pasture to the store? Is implanted beef safe to eat? This post aims to answer these questions and more. So without further ado, I'll begin my explanation of beef production systems with the cow-calf operation. Birth to 7 months: The Cow-Calf Operation The life cycle of beef cattle starts as all...
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