The UN estimates that about 1 billion people in the world are starving or undernourished. About 70 percent of the grain that is produced in the world goes into meat or fuel production. In 1997, the US alone could have fed 800 million people with the grain that livestock ate, according to David Pimentel, professor of ecology at Cornell University. He reported that with only grass-fed livestock, individuals would still get more than the recommended daily allowance of dairy protein.
Confined animal feeding operations feed as much grain as possible to maximize the animal's weight and/or milk production. In these operations, about 50% of the cow's daily dry matter intake is from grain. This high-energy diet combined with the physical stress of being confined with no room for exercise can kill a milking cow in as little as a year and a half. Pasture-grazed cows get exercise and have room to be social, and generally give milk for seven to ten years.
A cow's digestive system is designed to digest grasses and forage plants, and is not designed to handle a high-grain diet. Cows are ruminants, superbly adapted to convert grass into milk. When cattle are allowed to graze on pasture, they have Ph neutral stomachs. When cows are fed a corn diet, it raises the acid level in the stomach to a dangerous level and creates acidosis, which is treated with medications and antibiotics, which in turn creates an ideal environment for the existence of E. Coli. When beef is recalled because of E. Coli contamination, it is because of the animal's diet.
When we bring commercialization into life, we lose the natural beauty, joy, and peace in life because everything is valued in terms of money, not in terms of human or divine values like love, kindness, and compassion. Modern dairy farming is the perfect example of commercializing a divine gift like the cow and destroying her in a seemingly tactful way.The dairy process exploits cows and tortures cows instead of caring for them.