Energy subsidy. If you decide to have 400 calories of grass fed beef instead of 500 calories of feedlot beef about how many calories of energy inputs are you saving?
Answer = 4,500
Would you calculate this by 400*10+500?
No, that would not be the correct way to calculate the energy inputs saved.
To calculate the energy inputs saved, you would need to consider the difference in energy inputs required for producing grass-fed beef and feedlot beef.
One way to estimate the energy inputs is by using the concept of feed conversion ratios (FCR). FCR is the amount of feed (in calories) needed to produce a unit of beef. The FCR for grass-fed beef is generally higher than feedlot beef, meaning more feed is required per unit of beef produced.
Let's assume that the FCR for grass-fed beef is 10, meaning 10 calories of feed are required to produce 1 calorie of grass-fed beef. The FCR for feedlot beef might be around 5, meaning 5 calories of feed are required to produce 1 calorie of feedlot beef.
In this case, if you consume 400 calories of grass-fed beef instead of 500 calories of feedlot beef, the energy inputs saved would be:
Energy inputs saved = (500 calories of feedlot beef - 400 calories of grass-fed beef) * FCR of feedlot beef
= 100 calories * 5 calories/feed
= 500 calories
Therefore, you would save approximately 500 calories of energy inputs by choosing 400 calories of grass-fed beef instead of 500 calories of feedlot beef.
To calculate the energy inputs saved by choosing grass-fed beef over feedlot beef, you would need to consider the energy efficiency of the two production systems. The calculation involves converting the feed inputs into energy inputs.
Grass-fed beef requires less energy input for production compared to feedlot beef. The commonly referenced value is that feedlot beef requires around 10 calories of feed input to produce 1 calorie of beef, while grass-fed beef requires about 2-4 calories of feed input to produce 1 calorie of beef.
In this case, you are comparing 400 calories of grass-fed beef to 500 calories of feedlot beef. If we use the lower end estimate of 2 calories of feed input for grass-fed beef, we can calculate the energy inputs saved as follows:
Energy inputs saved = (500 calories - 400 calories) * (10 calories per calorie for feedlot beef)
= 100 calories * 10 calories per calorie
= 1000 calories
So, by choosing grass-fed beef instead of feedlot beef, you would save approximately 1000 calories of energy inputs based on the given calorie comparison.
It's important to note that this calculation assumes the energy inputs required for producing feedlot and grass-fed beef, and it may vary based on different sources and circumstances.