Why Cattle Are Superheroes !
Did you know that cattle are like superheroes ? They have a special power that allows them to turn things we can ’ t eat into something super nutritious — beef ! But how do they do it ? Let ’ s dig into what makes cattle so amazing and why they ’ re a big part of sustainable farming .
Which of the two plates below would you like to eat ?
Super Stomachs : Digestion Superpower
Cattle are ruminants , which means they have a unique four-part stomach that helps them eat things that humans are unable to digest . The largest part of a cow ’ s stomach is called the rumen . It ’ s filled with millions of tiny bacteria and microorganisms that break down a substance called cellulose . Cellulose is what plants use to make their leaves , stems , and stalks strong . Cattle love to munch on foods high in cellulose , like grass , hay , and even leftover plant parts from food and ethanol production .
These food sources might look like a boring salad to us , but to cattle , it ’ s a delicious meal ! With the help of their powerful stomachs , they turn this plant material into nutrients , and ultimately , into healthy , tasty beef . Cows and cattle can even eat leftovers from human food production , like corn husks , almond hulls , bakery waste , and sugar beet pulp — things that would normally go to to the landfill ! According to a study by the Food and Agricultural Organization ( FAO ), 86 % of livestock feed is not suitable for human consumption .
Grass and forage
Beef jerky
Chew It Twice
Did you know that a cow spends six hours eating and eight hours chewing its food each day ? Follow the path food takes on its way through the cow .
As cattle eat , the food passes from the mouth into the rumen ( roo mihn ), where the food is partly digested by tiny bacteria . The food is then passed to the reticulum ( ruh tik yu lum ), which is a membrane with “ honeycombed ” ridges . These ridges break the food down into smaller pieces called cud . The cud comes back into the cow ’ s mouth . The cow chews its cud with its powerful back teeth to break the food down even more . As the cow swallows , the saliva washes the cud back into the cow ’ s system . The food now flows into the omasum ( o mey sum ). This is where the food breaks down into vitamins and nutrients that the cow ’ s body needs . The final digestive process takes place in the abomasum ( ab o mey sum ). Here the cow ’ s system gets all the remaining food value it needs before the food passes into the intestines . The intestines continue to absorb nutrients and store the unused food portions until there is enough to be removed as cow manure .
6 - COLORADO AGRICULTURE IN THE CLASSROOM