[Doji]

You make a strong argument. I think this is a case where we'll find the global optimum somewhere in the middle.

Deforesting the amazon to grow corn for cows is something I'm sure we can all agree is bad.

Should we use livestock to eat cover crops and waste products like corn husks and cobs? This way we reuse waste and produce high quality protein to supplement our diets.

Should we graze cattle on natural grasslands like the great plains? Especially in rotation with human foods, like the cover crops mentioned before?

[wumpus]

I'm pretty sure that feedlot studies say that the usual situation in the US is that 1/2 of beef calories come from a 10:1 ratio of human edible calories.

So sure, go for 100%-grass-and-not-human-edible-food-fed beef, but that's not the current system.