Grass and human nutrition

L. A. Moore explained that the vitamin A content of milk usually drops to 50% of the amount present in milk during the pasture season. When humans adopted agriculture, most ruminant animals grazed grasslands and crop residues. The predominate omega-3 fatty acids in the human food supply are alpha linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid. A number of opportunities exist to further forage-based strategies that may enhance the nutritional value of livestock products for humans. Grassland livestock producers, for instance, can combine or stack enterprises to optimize grassland productivity, for example, by grazing heifers and dry cows after milk cows, or cograzing sheep with beef cattle. Inaddition to fat quality differences, pastured beef and poultry have been found to be leaner than cattle and poultry fed grain-based diets in confinement. Consumer education programs also should include informing consumers that meat with less marbling should be prepared differently than high-fat meat.