From the News Archives...

Raising animals on grass helps conserve non-renewable energy

Ranchers who raise and finish their cattle, bison, and sheep on pasture are helping to conserve our non-renewable energy. Researchers at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College examined the amount of energy required to produce various types of animal feed. They focused on the amount of fuel required to operate and produce machinery, dry crops, ventilate and heat buildings, and produce inorganic fertilizers. Pasture was the most energy efficient by far, requiring an average of 20 Mcal of energy per ton. Feed concentrate, which is used in feedlots, was far less efficient, at 1,343 Mcal per ton. Energy requirements for grain ranged from a low of 489 for soybeans to a high of 2478 for the most inefficiently produced corn.

Read a more detailed summary of the report...

Return to News Archives