Deadly e coli... guess where it comes from?

[NancyM]

Grain fed cows! Grass fed cows don't produce it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/21/opinion/21planck.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

In 2003, The Journal of Dairy Science noted that up to 80 percent of dairy cattle carry O157. (Fortunately, food safety measures prevent contaminated fecal matter from getting into most of our food most of the time.) Happily, the journal also provided a remedy based on a simple experiment. When cows were switched from a grain diet to hay for only five days, O157 declined 1,000-fold.

This is good news. In a week, we could choke O157 from its favorite home — even if beef cattle were switched to a forage diet just seven days before slaughter, it would greatly reduce cross-contamination by manure of, say, hamburger in meat-packing plants. Such a measure might have prevented the E. coli outbreak that plagued the Jack in the Box fast food chain in 1993.

[Kitt]

It will be interesting to see what they come up with after all the testing is done and the results are in as to how the deadly strain originated.

Kitt

[annelb]

This is really interesting Nancy. Thanks for posting. The deadly strain of e.coli might decrease if the cattle are fed hay before slaughter but pasture raised beef does not even have O157. Another reason to eat Grass fed beef.

What is grass fed beef? The picture in my mind is cattle roaming around acres and acres of beautiful green pasture. The truth may soon be far from this. The Agriculture Department has proposed a standard for grass-fed meat that doesn't say animals need pasture and that broadly defines grass to include things like leftovers from harvested crops. http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/09/10/news/business/75-usda.txt

Even the cattle with 4 stomachs shouldn't eat huge amounts of grain!
Anne

[rachelb]

That dang USDA. Why does it always seem like they don't really have our best interests at heart???

Rach

[NancyM]

They have a surplus of stomachs for a reasons, they're meant to be able to get nutrition out of things that don't have a lot of nutrition for us 1 stomach'd beasts. Easy to digest stuff can't be good for them.

[mrsD]

I read in a nature book about deer...that they cannot digest grain
during certain parts of the year.

http://www.gov.ns.ca/natr/wildlife/lgmams/feeddeer.htm

We feed our deer salt and some corn, as the moms wean their fawns.
We put out only a small amount...each day..and the deer leave and eat
the natural sources for the rest of the day. Since doing this we have had
several generations of heathy deer. But too much corn, and they will get sick.

Deer are ruminants too, and the locals feed hay in the "deer yards" during the winter. They have a small tract of township land that they farm just for the deer. (they do profit from the hunting season...so this is their investment).

But you know, too much omega-6 corn for cows...leads to poor fat types for us to eat. Free range beef is not only better for them, but for us, as then,
the meat has some omega-3 in it as well.

[Kitt]

I like your cat taking down the "X". Cute:)

[mrsD]

thanks Kitt...

That little kitten is sure getting alot of attention lately! I didn't anticipate that!

I think she is too cute for words...and I found it on a free avatar site over
a year ago!

[jccgf]

Interesting read~ They would probably enjoy their last week set out to pasture (not like that's going to happen). I know I always feel happy when I do see cows grazing as I drive through the countryside.

Did anyone hear the NPR podcast about an autistic woman who designed a cattle moving system that was less frightening to cattle as they were moving through to be slaughtered? Not pleasant to think about, but it was sort of an intersting story.

Gosh, I entered autistic cattle slaughter into google and found all sorts of articles about her. This is one~ http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Feb06/temple.grandin.ak.html

Cara

[mrsD]

That reminds me....

A friend of mine's husband is a free lance photographer. He is a Pulitzer Prize
winner too. He travels all over the world free lance now.

Years ago he had to do a piece on the meat industry and he had to
photograph the "slaughter" process. It upset him so much -- the animals
screaming---that he and his whole family went vegetarian from that point
on!

I know the gal you are talking about...I saw her on a news magazine on
TV where she demonstated the "squeeze box" that she herself uses when she is upset. It is a variant on that now used for cattle.

[NancyM]

The problem is, during the entire time they're grain-fed they've got to feed the cows antacids because their whole digestion is so messed up (sound familiar to anyone?). But it takes longer to grow cattle to slaughter size if they're not grain-fed, and they feed dairy cows grain so they'll produce more milk.

Well, I'm not a big beef fan anyway. I prefer chicken and pork. I'd love to try goat sometime.

[jamietwo]

And lets not forget how Mad Cow Disease came about - from feeding cattle their brothers and sisters. :eek: