Rancher Michaela Mann discusses the balance between grass and grain finishing in cattle and challenges faced by U.S. agriculture including land loss and sustainability efforts. 

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-----------------Show Notes-------------------

0:00 Intro
1:30 Ranchers care about their animals and treat them well.
7:30 Ranchers get emotionally attached to some of the animals.
8:30 Michaela’s goal for her animals is to have them only have one bad day.
10:20 The US has high processing standards.
11:30 Pre-slaughter stress changes the pH and changes the meat.
15:30 The beef calf stays with its mother for 6 to 8 months.
16:43 Northern states do not have year-long grass for grazing.
17:55 Grain finished cattle only had 11% grain in their diet.
18:20 80 to 90% of grass finished beef sold in the US is from overseas.
19:30 Antibiotics are only used when an animal is sick or injured.
22:38 Large meat packing plants test meat for antibiotics.
23:50 Older cows/bulls are used for cheaper grocery store meat or dog food.
30:30 Cattle dogs and flashing ear tags deter predators.
34:00 Bison are different to raise and harvest from cattle.
41:45 Regenerative and sustainable farming is done by most ranchers and farmers to some
extent.
43:40 Ranching utilizes natural grassland and provides habitat for wildlife.
53:15 The US has lost 100,00 farms/ranches between 2011 and 2018.
53:30 Bill Gates is the largest landowner in the state of Nebraska.
56:30 The US has lost 31 million acres of ag land since 1982.
01:00:40 Avian flu can be a problem with poultry, but not in cattle production.