"Leif Erikson" > wrote in message
hlink.net...
> Dutch wrote:
>
>> > wrote
>>
>>>Dave wrote:
>>>
>>>>The figures I'm using here are basically the first ones I came across.
>>>>If
>>>>anyone wants to offer more reliable figures feel free but the nature of
>>>>these
>>>>types of calculations means that I shall be making major approximations
>>>>in any case so no point in splitting hairs over the data.
>>>>
>>>>"A beef steer gives us 459 pounds of beef to eat"
>>>>http://www.agr.state.nc.us/agscool/c...es/beefkid.htm
>>>>Note that the steers being discussed are fattened on
>>>>grain for the last three to four months of his life. I don't know
>>>>whether cattle fattened on grass alone can be expected to
>>>>reach similar weights.
>>>>
>>>>One acre of corn can produce about 211 pounds of usable protein
>>>>http://www.ciwf.org.uk/publications/...ts_summary.pdf
>>>>
>>>>Nutrition data for beef
>>>>http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?t...ofile&dbid=141
>>>>Data is for tenderloin. Obviously the whole carcass is not homogonous.
>>>>
>>>>Nutrition data for corn
>>>>http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?t...rofile&dbid=65
>>>>
>>>>Conversion from lbs to grams
>>>>http://www.metric-conversions.org/we...-kilograms.htm
>>>>
>>>>459 lbs beef = 208 kg provides 208,000 * 240.41/113.4 = 440964 calories
>>>>
>>>>one acre of corn provides 211 lbs = 95.7 kg protein.
>>>>For every g of protein corn provides 177.12/5.44 = 32.56 calories
>>>>*95,700 = 3 115 879 calories
>>>>
>>>>calories per acre of corn / calories per steer = ~7.
>>
>>
>> Cattle consume a much greater proportion of corn than humans do, i.e.,
>> the entire plant, not only the kernels, and convert it all into
>> bodyweight gain (consumable food). That is not figured into that
>> equation.
>
> Well, they don't convert it *all* into body weight gain. Quite a lot of
> it is burned off. Quite a lot as well exits from the other end of the
> steers and cows.
>
> ****wit David Harrison goes out into the fields and collects his breakfast
> from the second part.

lol! Proof of the old saying "You are what you eat"