I want to clear up a couple of things for you city folk who believe anything fed to you.
#1. Animals that are not on antibiotics are often sick and often die. Anyone concerned about animal welfare would appreciate the use of antibiotics in animal feed. The amish around these parts refuse to use any antibiotics and their animals often get sick and die from almost anything. Half of their calves get scours and walk around in pain. These are cattle running around in the pasture and not in a feed lot.
#2. Cattle only spend a few weeks of their lives in a feedlot. They spend the first 1.5 years of their life on grass. Every time I read an article like that they make it sound as if cattle are raised in these feed lots.
#3. The "cattle have stomachs designed to eat grass and not grain" was just completely ignorant of the workings of a ruminant system.
Its a bunch of bull**** written by a person who never wondered outside of NYC but seems to think they know a thing or two about agriculture.
My wife is a veterinarian and I have a BS degree in animal science. If anyone has any actual questions about livestock production and they have an open enough mind to ponder that they might have something to learn give me a holler.
Do not learn about agriculture from the New York Times or a bumper sticker.