On Tue, 19 Aug 1997, Grant Magnuson wrote:
> Concerned over the "rising price of grain and low stockpiles", they
> suggest "it's time to reconsider use of land for nonessential crops such
> as feed grain"!
>
> I read that as land is being wasted growing crops for the animals we eat
> and that instead, the land should be used to grow grains to feed people
> and not wasted on red meat?
>
> Grant

That's how I'd read it...  Jeesh, time for me to buy that farm and start
raising my own feed grain and beef!

> Ps both the above and below came from a newspaper article:
> - they also said (as far as I'm concerned this one is an excellent goal
> to pursue) - "an end to tobacco cultivation would free up enough land to
> grow 15 million tonnes of grains" -- I was wondering about how much
> "dressed" beef that could convert to?

Tobacco is one of the few really reliable crops in the area where I live
(So. Maryland); the corn (maize) crop has been hit hard by drought, but
the tobacco is very healthy.  The farmers really rely on it to carry them
through when their other crops fail.  As much as I hate smoking and
tobacco, I'm more in favor of the survival of the family farm.

Corbie