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Paula Tovar
Professor Olliff
English 115
24 November 2014
Feedlots vs Natural Grazing
Humans have been eating meat for a very long time and nothing had caused them to
believe that they shouldnt be eating meat until now. Perhaps now people are starting to
become more interested in the way that the animals are treated before they are slaughtered.
All of the meat people eat are bred on feedlots, and people never have a connection with the
animals. Since there is no physical or emotional connection to the animals, people are more
likely to consume more meat. Since the consumers dont really know what is going on behind
the scenes, they dont believe that the animals they consume are being treated poorly or they
believe that the cattle can be treated in any particular way as long as the humans get to
consume the meat. The use of feedlots can bring about negative consequences, such as the
conditions their livestock are in, livestock diseases, and human health, but the feedlots also
bring some positive economic benefits. The way that cattle are fed in the feedlots can lead to
health problems that not only affect cattle but humans, as well.
When we think of cows, the first thing that comes to mind is cows in an open field
grazing on grass. Cattle have been grazing on grass for a very long time and the grass never
seems to runs out: in fact, the opposite happens. Instead of the cows overgrazing on the fields
and leaving them empty, the cows fertilize the grass which helps it to grow faster. It has always
been normal for the cows to graze freely; it is the way that nature intended it to be. There is no

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ecological harm in allowing the cows to do what is in their nature, instead it allows for there to
be a balance. Pollan argues that cattle are supposed to live off the land and if they dont, there
are considerable costs to their health, the health of the land, and ultimately to the health of
their eaters. The healthiest method of feeding cattle is to allow them to roam free in the grass.
Industrial farming feeds their cattle corn instead of letting them graze grass. A cattles stomach
wasnt designed to break down corn because corn wasnt meant for them to eat. Cattle can
break down the high-protein grass since their stomachs contain rumen. The food industry is
aware that feeding their cattle corn causes the cattle to have digestive problems, yet they
continue to feed their cattle food that is inadequate. Since the cattles stomachs are sensitive
from eating corn, they become more susceptible to getting infections, and the cattles
infected meat can make its way into a humans stomach. There are some negative effects
that are brought on by having the cattle in the feedlots.
There are many factors that can cause cattle to become sick while they are in the
feedlots. Throughout their entire life, the cattle that are raised in Industrial Farming are put
through stress that can cause their health to decline. Cattle dont spend their entire life eating
mush on the feedlots; they spend a few months grazing freely in the fields. Since it is in the
cows nature to roam in the grass, the cattle doesnt undergo stress when they are grazing in
the field. The cattle spends a small portion of its life feeding on grass before they get sent to
the feedlots where they spend the rest of their short life. This transition from open fields to
being confined in a feedlot brings a lot of stress upon the cattle which can lead to depletion in
the overall fitness of the cattle (Rostagno). The cows arent used to being in small spaces when
they are eating, so the cows begin to feel stressed being surrounded by a lot of cattle. The

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cattles stress levels begin to grow each day that they are confined into a small space, and the
cows health lowers making the cows more susceptible to certain illnesses. The cattle becomes
more likely to contract a gastrointestinal infection, since they are eating a food that wasnt
intended for them to eat which causes a great strain to their stomachs (Rostagno). Not only are
they eating food that isnt healthy for them, but they are under a great deal of stress, which is
why they are getting certain gastrointestinal infections. These diseases dont only affect the
cattle, it has devastating effects on human health as well.
Most of the livestock that leave the feedlots and are sent to the slaughterhouses are
infected with some sort of disease. The diseases that the cattle are most likely to get infected
with are E. coli and Salmonella, and both of these diseases can be contracted by humans. If
humans eat the meat of infected animals and they dont handle the meat properly, they may
become infected by these diseases. Since the animals are brought to the slaughterhouse with
high levels of stress, they are carrying bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract which can then be
spread to other cattle through fecal matter (Rostagno). The cows are confined into a small
space, so an infection can spread from cattle to cattle quite easily. When cattle are slaughtered
and are rinsed off, some fecal matter may contaminate the meat which can then spread the
disease. This meat is then distributed to the supermarkets and humans buy the meat and make
it into their dinner. If people arent cautious with the way they handle or prepare their beef,
they could get sick from it. Not only is it important that people need to cook their meat
thoroughly, but the feedlots shouldnt be feeding the cattle something that isnt a part of their
nature. Feeding the cattle anything other than grass can cause negative effects. The feedlots
used to feed cow parts to cows, the cows were more likely to contract bovine spongiform

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encephalopathy or mad cow disease, and this disease could have spread to humans (Pollan 75).
Mad cow disease in humans can cause them health problems. Although these diseases dont
occur so often, they can be quite harmful to humans. Those who are in charge of running
industrial farming may state that these cases are very rare and it happens because people dont
handle their meat properly. Although they are very rare, those who ingested the infected meat
suffered from having to deal with this illness. Even if the person hadnt properly handled the
meat, those who allowed for this infected meat to be sold wanted to make a profit. Those who
are in favor of feedlots can say they can be quite beneficial.
Some may argue that having the cattle in feedlots bring about positive outcomes, such
as growth in the economy and the sales of these products. The beef industry provides more
than one million jobs in the U.S. which helps to improve the economy and allows families to
have jobs. If feedlots werent around lots of people would lose their jobs which would not only
effect the economy, but hurt the families who lost their jobs. Although the feedlots do have
some negative aspects to it, they create plenty of jobs to help the United States. $49 billion are
generated from the Beef industry alone, but this amount of money doesnt just come from
selling meat (Beef Production). Meat isnt the only cattle product that is sold in the United
States; cow byproducts are very popular as well. Leather and fertilizers are a few of the animal
byproducts that are used the most in the United States. Both of these products are produced
because of the feedlots that are all around the U.S. and they cause the economy to grow.
Without the sales of leather and fertilizers, there could be a decrease in the economy since
both of these products are very popular and are sold year after year. Selling these products also
helps to minimize the wastes that come from the feedlots; the leather comes from the cattle

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skin and the fertilizers are made from the cattles fecal waste. Both of these products are
innovative ways to find a different use for these products, so that the people who are in charge
of the feedlots dont have to throw them away. Not everything that comes from a feedlot
causes a negative impact to our society, but there are more negatives than positives.
The beef industry would become more productive if cattle were fed on open fields,
since people are willing to pay more money for animal products that were treated better
(Bonney). In the past, people would ignore the fact the animals arent treated ethically in the
feedlots, but now people have become more aware of the harm that comes from feeding them
corn. The costumers can greatly influence those who are in charge of the feedlots to change the
way they are feeding their cattle. If the consumers didnt purchase beef product or beef
byproducts because the cattle arent free to roam and eat in the grass, the corporations would
allow the cattle to graze on grass, so they could increase their revenue. The consumers have
begun to buy eggs that are from cage-free poultry and this can bring about the same changes in
the beef industry. Not only would the animals suffer less stress, be healthy and disease-free,
humans would also be less likely to contract any food-borne diseases. The beef industry
wouldnt lose any money or go out of business, they would produce more because the
consumers would have a peace of mind. This should be an incentive for those who run the
feedlots to allow their cattle to graze on grass because this will cause an increase in their
revenue.
Although feedlots are a great way to produce a substantial profit to benefit the
economy, they also cause harm to the cattle. It is not in the cattles nature to eat corn because
it causes their stomachs harm. Instead of allowing the feedlots to continue to feed their cattle

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corn, the consumers can help to transition the cattle from being in feedlots to being out in the
open fields. Not only is it unhealthy for the cattle to continue eating corn, it can also be harmful
for humans. If a human were to eat meat that were infected, it would cause them awful
stomach pains. After a human is sick from eating beef with E. Coli, then they might wonder
what happened to the meat that made it contaminated. This might bring upon curiosity and
they might research how this bacteria arises in cattle. The consumers need to bring about a
change in the way their food is being fed. Having cattle in feedlots causes for negative
impacts on the cattle and on a humans health, and the consumers need to do something to
change this. We cant allow for our supply of nutrients to be fed something that is unnatural
because it can not only cause harm to us but to the cattles well-being.

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Works Cited
Bonney, Roland James. "Farm Animal Welfare at Work." Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 1
November 2014.
Rostagno, Marcos H. "Can Stress in Farm Animals Increase Food Safety Risk?." Foodborne
Pathogens and Disease. 1 November 2014.
"Beef Production." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 9 Nov. 2014.
Pollan, Michael. The Omnivore's Dilemma. New York: Penguin Group, 2006. Print.