SF Chron printed my letter Monday 2/16

February 16, 2009

[...caveats below]

The inefficiency of livestock

California faces severe drought, water rationing, depleted fish

populations and wildfires. Dairy farmers struggle to stay afloat. And

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack wants to fund up to $200 million a

year to subsidize the exports of American dairy products overseas.

Grain-fed cattle-raising wastes our limited water, grain, energy and

topsoil. Far too many pounds of grain and gallons of water yield just

one pound of beef or gallon of milk.

Californians should not be paying higher water bills for either

overseas or out-of-state dairy/beef sales. Grain-fed cattle operations

require too much water. Limit California's cattle operations to purely

grass-fed operations. Reducing the herd sizes will reduce supply and

increase prices for the remaining, more-sustainable farmers. Give

career-transition assistance to farmers who'll cultivate sustainable,

cholesterol-free crops: protein-rich grains, calcium-rich vegetables

(e.g. collards, bok choy, kale, broccoli). Use our desperate water

situation as a catalyst to let a revised, sustainable farm policy flow

as a mighty river.

MITCH COHEN

Berkeley

yes, they edited it a bit more than i'd like.

yes, i specifically asked for less than an ideal vegan diet, because i thought

the letter's request is " more adoptable " and less threatening to omnivores. it

conveys important info: plants are cholesterol-free, protein-rich &

calcium-rich; cows waste resources! if legislators acknowledge this fact, and

act on the suggestion, it enables good things to follow.

if anyone out there has good info about subsidy $$, they could tie this to state

and federal budget deficits. (i tried, in a longer op ed submission; but it

wasn't printed, so i submitted a shorter letter)

_______________

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