Sunday, January 16, 2011

This Just In... Corn "Big Deal" In Iowa

Cows eat grass. You wouldn’t think it’s a big deal to state this, but at Iowa State University a highly qualified job applicant who had the temerity to voice this simple biological fact was ejected from consideration for a post leading a sustainable agriculture program.

What, one has to wonder, could possible be wrong with that?  Well, in Iowa, corn is a pretty big deal.   The quote that got Ricardo Salvador in trouble was so offensive that he didn't get the job, even after the number one choice passed on the offer.  He had the worst moment ever in a job interview, where the resounding silence lets you know that you just blew it.  I won't hold you in suspense any longer:

Corn allows cows to get fatter faster and be ready for slaughter sooner. But there are downsides, including the fact that cows have trouble digesting corn and must be fed antibiotics to prevent them from becoming ill. What’s more, the beef from corn-fed cows tends to have more fat.  
The remark that may have sunk Mr. Salvador’s candidacy came 37 minutes into his on-campus presentation. While discussing a research project in New York State, he mentioned meat being “produced in the natural way that meat should be produced, which is on land suitable for grasses and perennial crops.”

Salvadore made reference to grassland as being natural for raising meat, the rat bastard.   There may be some of you who are more, ahem, civilized in your upbringing that aren't sure where the joke is.  Allow me to introduce to you the mighty cow, provider of milk, steak, methane gas, and also known in the hillbilly states as "God's Lawnmower."  A little double checking seems to confirm Mr. Salvador's comments as being 100% correct.

Weigh this against Zandar's earlier post and you have a genuine conundrum.

No comments:

Related Posts with Thumbnails