What is On the BHE's Mind? Cow Farts.

sorry, sports fans. i've been super busy lately. so in light of my hectic schedule, the BHE has agreed to write a post about what he's been into lately.

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so i've been thinking a lot lately about what we eat and how it gets to our table. frankly, the research i've done shows some very significant issues in our food supply. and since 2/3 of all americans are overweight or obese, i think it's a good discussion for us to have.

the topic is wide-ranging, so while we can make good arguments about the safety and sanitation in the meat supply or the damage that pesticides can cause in our bodies, i'll narrow it down to cow farts. i don't know if you know this, but global warming is kind of a big deal. and we spend a lot of time discussing the impact of carbon dioxide and different ways we can reduce our carbon footprint. and that's all well and good. however, if you really want to have an impact in reducing carbon footprint, you don't have to become a smug hippie who drives a prius 10mph below the speed limit. you have to worry about cow farts.

why?

because cow farts are made of methane, and methane is made of carbon. and what's worse, methane traps twenty times more heat than carbon dioxide. the average cow emits as much greenhouse gas as the average car, and worldwide production of beef and dairy are expected to double in the next 30 years. you can see the numbers problem.

so what does this have to do with our food supply? the vast majority of meat sold in the american marketplace is grain fed. even if you reject the resources consumed in producing the grain as food for our food, consider that it gives our cows indigestion. and that makes them burp and fart all over the place. if we fed our food grass rather than grain, or even just a grain diet that mimics natural grass, we can reduce their methane production by nearly 20%. there are health reasons why grass fed beef is much better for you, too. you can read up if you get off on omega-3 to omega-6 ratios.

food for thought.