PASS THE BEEF

Please use the background information to calculate the following problems.

-background: An average steer (a bull with its testicles removed) is finished out (ready to butcher) when it is 1,300 pounds
-background: It takes 12,009 pounds of water to produce one pound of beef
-1 gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds

Problem 1: How many gallons of water does it take to "finish" one steer for our consumption?

Problem 2: Please go to the feedlot pens picture and calculate the average number of steers in each pen by counting the black and white dots/blobs that are actual shot of cattle in a feedlot in SW Kansas just north of Liberal. Count 3 pens and find the average number per pen.

Problem 3: Assume the above pens are representative of the way the entire feedlot below is setup with cows per pen. Count the number of pens and calculate the approximate number of cows in this typical KS feedlot. How many cows are there?

Problem 4: How much water does this feedlot use in the two years it takes to get these cows to market?

-background: It takes 60 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of potato.
-background: There are1197.5 calories in 1 pound of beef.
-background: There are 288 calories in 1 pound of potatoes.

Problem 5: How many pounds of potatoes would it take to get the caloric intake equal to 1 pound of beef?

Problem 6: An average American eats 100 pounds of beef per year. How much water is used for that 1 American's beef production?

Problem 7: If an American replaced their caloric intake of 100 pounds of beef with a vegetable diet (similar to potatoes), how much water would be saved?