Cows cannot eat just corn. They need to eat grass or hay as well or some substitute. Their digestive system is completely different than humans because they have four stomachs while we only have one. They spend most of their time eating or regurgitating what they previously consumed and chewing it more thoroughly. They are built to handle roughage, so, for example, they can consume corn leaves and stalks that we could never manage.

Farmers initially had the same concerns as the public about genetically modified seeds and what they would produce. That seed is much more expensive than regular seed, but it saves money because production improves with lower chemical use and/or lower labor and fuel expenses (not to mention wear and tear on equipment) for things like weeding. It’s pretty much a battle for farmers because weeds and insects and diseases will always be around, so we’ve got to balance how we can deal with these things while satisfying the public and protecting our land and animals at the same time. By the way, almost every farmer I know consumes their own product. We always drank our own milk and butchered our own meat (for example, if a cow suffered a fractured leg). We do occasionally eat field corn when very young when we get impatient for our garden corn to ripen.

The Amish, ah. We have a lot of Amish and Mennonite neighbors and they are the same as everyone else. It drives me nuts that everyone seems to think whatever they touch is germ-free and pure because I’ve seen otherwise more than once. They’re just like anyone else.