How does it take over 600 gallons of water to make a single hamburger?

Question

How does it take over 600 gallons of water to make a single hamburger?

In: Biology

Answer 1

A major reason beef systems are so inefficient:

You have to maintain a herd of cows (females) and a few bulls to produce the calves that are grown for beef.

And each cow only has one calf at a time, and the calves take 1-3 years before being slaughtered.

So, to produce 100 beef calves for slaughter in a given year, you have to maintain >100 cows and a few bulls. That requires a lot of resources.

So, it’s not just the resources that go into growing the calf. It’s the resources that go into growing and maintaining its mother, year-round, to produce one calf.