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Cows have been a pillar of the economy since prehistoric times. They turn cheap grass into valuable beef and dairy products, they're easy to herd, and they can harness land that isn't good enough for agriculture.
Where there is abundant water, farmers produce fruit and rice. Where there is little water, they produce cows.
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Cattle have as much biomass as humans, and far more biomass than any other mammal.
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Cattle are a major factor in world food production.
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Cattle are profitable and they are a major factor in the food economy.
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The feedstock with the highest protein content is soy. It takes less soy to grow a cow than with other feedstocks. If you can import soy then you can raise cattle with minimal land and minimal maintenance. This is especially important for nations with limited land.
Beef consumption:
Beef Cattle/person Cattle
kg/day/prsn million
USA .062 .11 35
World .009 .19 1400
Dairy production:
Cow milk production =10245 kg/cow/year Cattle feed requirement= 14 kg/day Average bull mass = 1090 kg Average cow mass = 725 kg Average cattle mass = 753 kg Beef fraction of cattle= .44
Bovine methane emissions can be neutralized with feedstock additives. The sources of methane are:
Fraction Anthropomorphic
Wetlands .22
Animals .21 *
Fossil fuel mining .19 *
Rice farming .12 *
Biomass burning .08 *
Landfills .06 *
Sewage treatment .05 *
Termites .04
Oceans .03
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Extinction Myears ago Haast's Eagle .0006 Year 1400 CE Woolly Mammoth .0040 Mastodon .010 Macrauchenia .010 American Lion .011 Glyptodon .011 Diprotodon .046 Marsupial Titanis 1.8 Deinotherium 7 Argentavis ~10
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