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Dylan Hurley/ Argument Essay
Professor: Lisa Packer
18 November 2014
English 1010
Corn Fed Cattle Prison
GMO is a major problem with our food source across America and a total debacle with our
farming industry. I could say global but I’ll stick with good old local U.S.A. I remember when my mom
used to grow our vegetables and how cool it was to eat from our garden. She was a bit of a “green
thumb” to say the least. Those days are long gone and you (peers, and the rest of the local population)
and I shop until we drop from local food markets that unfortunately support factory farming and GMO
grown produce and meat products. No one is paying attention to the big kids on the block, the
Monsanto Company. Founded in 1901 by John Francis Queeny (Wikipedia), they are the leading
manufacturer for genetically modified seeds (GMO). Have you ever wondered why people talk about
the dangers of pesticides and the dangers of Round Up (weed killer) when spraying the produce gardens
people grow? The Monsanto Company developed it and the same company that made the infamous
Agent Orange in the 70’s during the Vietnam era. There is your flashback and some insight into this
rather threatening bio development company. They are the first company to bio engineer a plant. If
you eat vegetables or eat store bought beef, chances are these cattle GMO corn fed and the vegetables
you buy are GMO as well. Where has the integrity gone to make real vegetables naturally and farm
traditionally with produce and grass grazing cattle leading to healthier eating? We don’t question
anymore, we simply follow like sheep. If you’re going to argue my question, then question yourself as to
when you last had an organic meal? If you can’t think of a time then hear me out and really think about
the differences between what we are feeding cattle and we are settling for but in the long run its killing
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us as a population. The dispute that I have is that these are GMO vegetables a lot of farmers are using
to feed cattle as well as corn and it’s very harmful to us. So why are GMO grown practices still being
used throughout our country cattle raising farming techniques?
One of the questions that I have is how are cattle being affected by what they eat such as corn
for example and vegetables coming from GMO seedlings. According to healthresearchfunding.org there
are a few upsides and downsides from GMO that struck my attention. One of the downfalls is that these
modified plants fed to cows could give cows certain resistances to unknown diseases. One of the
diseases that is directly related to GMO raised cattle is E. Coli. According to John Robbins from
foodrevolution.org ,”The Truth About Grass Fed Cattle” is that E. Coli can kill you and it generally
happens when hamburger is under cooked. “I’ll have it rare” please isn’t a very manly response
anymore when ordering your burger. Death on a bun might be an exaggeration but I don’t want to test
the waters anymore, do you? Second, vegetation can be injected with vitamins to heighten the
nutritional value. The cows are eating the vegetation. Now does that change a cow’s daily vitamin
source info FDA label? I don’t see enriched B complex down from the protein percentage given on the
daily serving’s label. If in fact we are eating vitamin enriched beef shouldn’t that be put on the label?
My dispute is why do our cows need vitamins if what they are eating is already nutritious for them? I
look at eating my beef as paying it forward. What they eat is good for them so if I am eating them it
should be good for me. I see vitamins everywhere in the store but I don’t see nearly the variety of meat
choices. The shelves stocked with vitamins have quadrupled since I was a kid. If vitamins are being used
to enrich the cattle feed, shouldn’t the general public know what the steps are from a vitamin enriched
plant that farmers have used to feed their cattle to the FDA required labels put on packaging so the
consumers know what has been added to our meat? Another point that should be addressed is the cost
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difference of GMO farming. According to healthresearchfunding.org “The Pros and Cons Of Genetically
Modified Foods” there is really no economic value in GMO farming because it takes just as long to grow
crops and the same effort to grow them.
Next it’s an environmental hazard with the example of weeds crossbreeding with GMO plants
that become resistant to pesticides making it a calling for more GMO effort. So if cattle are grazing the
effects of their meat could possibly be contaminated. Another side effect from GMO is allergies from
GMO crops making a lot of health problems for people and resistance of these allergies becomes even
more abundant (healthresearchfunding.org). So if some of these crops include cattle vegetation such as
corn and other miscellaneous feed the cattle can carry these allergens in their meat when processed. In
my opinion people want the quick and fast shopping spree for their meat goods instead of taking the
time to shop at local farms or markets that sell organic grass fed meat products without these possible
allergens. There are some compelling differences on corn vs. grass fed cattle. According to Robbins
(foodrevolution.org), cattle that feed on corn have serious acidic issues because cattle have a neutral pH
balance unlike humans where a human’s stomach is quite acidic. The acid from the corn raised cow’s pH
in the stomach is incredibly higher and this pH fluctuation can actually kill a cow if not fed properly with
corn. The usual time raising a grass fed cow before being slaughtered is 3-5 years vs. the corn fed cow
process is 14-16 months until they are slaughtered. This is a drastic difference between the two feeding
practices in my opinion. Also Robbins (foodrevolution.org) explains that the side effects that corn fed
cows can get is E Coli 0157:H7 which can kill humans if hamburger meat is uncooked and the anti-biotics
farmers pump into cows create anti biotic resistant bacteria that creates ineffective anti biotics for
treating humans with disease.
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One of the controversial issues and the naysayers may dispute is that with corn fed cattle there
isn’t a big difference between grass fed cattle vs. corn fed cattle, beef is beef. However according to
foodrevolution.org, the saturated fat produced by corn fed cattle is substantially higher than grass fed
cattle by almost double and the grass fed cow is substantially lower in saturated fat and really high in
omega fatty acids. So in comparison with both corn fed to grass fed cattle, the health risks are greater
than what people assume at times as well as the cattle having health issues too. Some may say stop
eating beef or eat less beef because there are more people than places for cattle to graze, says
GreenAmerica.org “Too Much Bad Beef, fall 2014”. In reference to this point, Denis Hayes the author of
Cowed, consumption of beef is an issue on the environment. Hayes says “as a rough rule of thumb,
eating a pound of beef has a somewhat greater climate impact than burning a gallon of gasoline.
Conventional, grain-fed, feedlot beef produces five times more global warming per calorie, requires 11
times more water, and uses 28 times as much land as pork or poultry. Overall, the climate impacts of
cows stretch from the diesel machinery and fertilizer in the cornfields to the vast quantities of
greenhouse gases given off by the so-called “lagoons” into which feedlots dump their poop”. So the
object here that I’m seeing is less consumption of beef as a meat source and relying on other sources of
protein for a healthier diet. Not only do we help the environment but when we do choose to fill our
meat addiction void it’s better to go all natural and grass fed. The price for feedlot corn fed cattle is
substantially higher according to Ken Roseboro’s article “The Organic and Non Organic Report.org”.
Roseboro interviewed a farmer from Rock Rapids Iowa by the name Troy Knoblock. Knockblock states
he keeps extensive records of his operation found that drug treatments for sicknesses were cut in half.
He did see differences in the health of his sows and young hogs. The rates increased from percentages in
the 80s to 90s, and the size of hog litters increased. The switch to non-GMO feed “has made my
operation a lot more enjoyable,” Knoblock says. Knoblock’s farm help, Jon Blomgren, who works with
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Knoblock, agrees. “Switching to non-GMO lowered our input costs. The seed is much cheaper, about
$150-$160 per bag, while GM seed can cost $300 per bag.” They have seen a significant difference in
price feed and the overall health of cattle and other farm animals consuming GMO feed. That is a hard
argument to dispute. Businessweek.com “America’s third most hated company” by Drake Bennett
suggests there is huge issue with GMO seeds being grown. According to Bennett’s article, Michael
Pollan says “technology has already dumbed down everything from flying an airliner to filing one’s taxes,
and in so doing made those tasks safer and more efficient. But food feels different to many people. You
know, when this data-intensive system recommends you buy a certain seed, it’s going to be a Monsanto
seed, a prominent critic of industrial agriculture. So I have a strong objection to letting anyone company
exerting that much control over the food supply. It depends on the wisdom of one company, and in
general I’d rather distribute that wisdom over a great many farmers”. As an American population, we
have let one company basically justify what is or not going to happen with food production and it starts
with seeds to produce that feed cattle consume and it all comes back to us. It’s a dirty laundry cycle of
food and not only are these cattle paying for it so we are health wise.
In conclusion, I see both sides of the argument with GMO and non GMO. There are some valid
arguments from both sides of possible truth. Companies and farmers are indulging in these GMO
practices without the consideration of what is happening to our environment in my opinion because
they are stuck in between a rock and a hard place. You have the Monsanto Company firmly holding
their position on innovative food sciences and farmers at the other end saying there is a health problem
pertaining to factory cattle farming. In my opinion and the evidence I’ve stated there is a problem going
on with our future population with nutrition coming from our meat source that is directly related to
GMO farming practices. The constant questioning of our local supermarkets and grocery chains in how
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they are practicing their farming is a necessary and valuable practice so that companies like Monsanto
can’t bully all farmers with their unlawful engineering practices towards crop food and especially meat.
The change starts with everyday people questioning and standing against these farming practices
including famers standing up for what is proving to be a cattle prison.
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Work cited:
Bennet Drake “America’s third most hated company” July 3rd 2014 Businessweek.com
Hayes Denis Cowed “The Hidden Impact of 93 Million Cows on America’s Health, Economy, Politics,
Culture, and Environment”– March 9, 2015
Healthresearchfunding.org the Pros and Cons of Genetically Modified Foods- Dec. 4th 2013
Robbins John “The truth about grass fed beef” Foodrevolution.org
Roseboro Ken Organic and Non Organic Report.org farmer report better animal health with non GMO
feed- April 28th 2014