About 8,000 years ago, the relationship between cows and man began with the revolutionary advent of domestication in Mesopotamia, the Indus River Valley, and Africa. Discover how cows have altered human life, human biology, and the geography of the world.
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This program premiered February 22, 2004.
(38 votes)
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A superb overview of man and cow, but treads delicately on the industriazed manufacturing of meat and dairy. For those who want to see a documentary of merit on today’s treatment of cows, and other species, I would recommend watching Earthlings, available on google videos. 95 minutes and a must see, it’s our right and our responsiblility to know these things. Then if you want to change what your current habits are, good sources online are http://www.eatwild.com and http://www.sustainabletable.org.
Kudos to the Lasaters, and all the farmers and ranchers who are raising animals in the more humane and traditional ways. They are the hope.
Enjoyable and informative viewing. I was much encouraged to learn about Dale Lasater’s gentler, more ecologically sound practices; may more cattle raisers follow in his footsteps. If we could be more temperate in our consumption of beef, perhaps the horrid feedlots would ultimately go out of existence?
I actually went to watch earthlings. as suggested by Marilyn C. unfortunately, this is the way its going to be for animals, I don’t see any other way unless some how drop the human population to the level where we don’t put further strain on nature. this would probably mean dropping human well below 1 billion, where we can live off then land once again without factory farming, industrial fishing… etc. but even then, economics at work, not everyone is willing to pay for free range meat at WholeFood vs the stuff at costco. I don’t know if this issue can ever be solved… at least with me or us being alive. I would have to say that the best conservationist is probably the ones willing to kill themselves right off the bat, because by doing so you leave no foot print. I am typing on a computer made of plastic and heavy metals, consuming electricty and heat for my home…. the mear fact that i am alive puts burden on environment itself. 4-5 years from now this computer will become e-waste and sent to china, where it is broken down by chinese who are struggling with high cancer rates. I am sure that marilyn’s and sarah’s computer share the same fate. instead of convincing everyone to be a vegan, I think it’s best to convince 5.5 billions to suicide, then the world will be a better place, systematic population thinning.
i agree with sara. Everytime i Think of these feedlots it discourages me to eat beef.
I’ve been a vegetarian since the early 1970s. I can’t understand how people can find it in their hearts to eat animals.
“Sorry, this video is not available.”
None of the videos are available nay longer. What is the point of putting the site up then?
Unable to view any video for some time now!
This is ridiculous! The home page is advertising the video — only to guide the user to this page where “this video is unavailable.” You got me all excited for nothing! Otherwise, PBS is the greatest institution on Earth.
reg, you could continue to lament your computer and your impact while hoping for mass suicide or you could make a choice to do something that would actually make a difference—go vegan! It’s the single best thing any person can do to have a positive impact as far as global warming and the environment are concerned. We can only control what we ourselves do and being aware of huge problems, but choosing to do nothing, or hoping for someone else to do something, is the saddest, least responsible option. People all over the world have survived and thrived on a vegan diet, so that means you can too. Aside from the environmental impacts of a meat-based diet there are all the other associated issues that should be cause for concern for each of us; animal abuse (we are animals too, you know?), torture, death/murder of sentient beings that feel fear and pain, are social, and love their offspring; increased rates of domestic abuse, alcoholism, and drug addiction within the slaughter industry (the job with the highest turnover rate)—most people will never even give a thought to the conditions these folks work in, the things they are required to do to earn a living, and the effects on their families when they cannot deal with the trauma of their jobs. There is no excuse for the continued support of animal-based diets. Humans are perfectly capable of sustaining themselves without placing these demands on the environment or the specific animal species we demand endure horrific abuses to meet the needs of nothing more than our tastebuds. We would never tolerate the same treatment, commodification, or abuse of dogs, cats, horses, or any of the revered “wild” animals frequently showcased on Nature programs. We are capable of evolving and we are capable of recognizing right from wrong. Aside from all this, a vegan diet is healthier and provides more beneficial nutrients while remaining free from all the troubling diseases and illnesses that come only from eating animals and their “products.” As Paul McCartney says, so many good things are achieved with one simple choice; the animals, the environment, and the humans all win! If you’d like some extraordinary information about all these topics presented in a wonderfully clear, friendly, and thoroughly-researched way, look up the popular free podcast by Compassionate Cooks, it is truly wonderous. In addition, the author has two fabulous cookbooks out; The Joy of Vegan Baking and The Vegan Table. Even making a choice to eat vegan just one day a week will have an impact and is an easy way to try something new and so, so positive. Good luck!
That the Masai tribe would give some of their cows to the people of New York after the 911 tragedy is so moving.
Was this gift accepted and by whom?
The need for meat is more psychological than it is physical with little or no need for thought to what we fill our bodies with. Furthermore, the more we eat the more we desire. It’s like a bloodthirst as the blood of another sentient being, along with the footprint of their soul is absorbed into our own body through ingestion. It’s time to let go of this barbarian practice. Or only eat meat during special celebrations so you can honor and pay respect for the animal who gave up its life for your hunger. Their suffering while on this earth is inexcusable.
Please everyone. Support your local farmers, find a farm within a 100 miles of your location, and make a trip twice a month to buy all your dairy products only from them. It will help so much.
Many farmers also sell beef, and their cows are fed by letting them graze on grass… find your local farms and read about them on their websites… most have them. I shop only at my local farm, you also have to read about the benefits of raw milk: http://www.realmilk.com/healthbenefits.html (feel free to browse around they have many wonderful informative pages. I was brought up on raw milk, I am sure most of you still remember the milk in glass bottles being delivered early in the morning by your local farmer. Raw milk can be dangerous if the farm is neglectful as with everything else in life, but if the cows are clean and healthy you will never get sick and only benefit a 1000 times over ingesting the processed pasteurized and altered dairy at our local stores. Help support your local farmers, you can’t even find REAL raw dairy products at any store, not even health food stores, because the government is sticking their noses into our kitchens now. I will never buy another ounce of dairy from the market unless they start supporting the local farmers instead of the slaughter houses and mass produced dairy by tortured cows, raised and kept in cruel conditions. Just look at how many more diseases do we suffer from since we started drinking everything homogenized and pasteurized. More and more of us are ill with bone diseases and deficiencies, which in the process cause serious, even deadly consequences. Please go to http://www.realmilk.com and learn more about how much you will benefit your family and the environment by making even one hefty shopping trip to your local Farm ;)
I am reading a book right published in 2009 by an MIT professor Mark Dowie called “Conservation Refugees” and it is about people who are nomads and who tred lightly on the earth and work with the soil and plants and animals -the whole entire ecology. These people like the Masai in Africa are such a people and they are endangered as countries are not permitting nomads to wander in Africa or in Iran or anywhere.
well, i dont see how indians cannot eat a steak, yummy. they are so good, i love meat.. and the babies are soooo cute..
i couldnt be a vegetarian, i like smores to much, and marshamallows in my hot chocolate & coffee.. but to those of you who are, kudos! but dont eat smores
Umm…you could eat smores while you’re a vegetarian. It’s Vegans who cannot eat any animal products. Vegetarians just swear off meat. I’m a vegetarian but I still eat marshmallows and cheese
Kri, generally vegetarians do not eat marshmallows because they have gelatin in them. Which comes from hide scrapings and crushed bones. So you aren’t actually vegetarian unless you buy marshmallows that contain only plant based gelatins.
in indian calture cow arehaving great value if we want know this value we have to read the best novel of s l bairappa iam very happy about this articale still weare not having such articles about cows
HINDUcalture COW is kamadenu,we worship cow &it`s family .we are oppos to kill the COWfor eatable.we r very HAPPY about this articale we spred this2 thousands of e friends thanks lot to srivathsajoshi (who wrote articale in)& vijaya karnataka
i love beef and america is the greatest country in the world. we can eat as much beef as we want. i dont think boycoting beef is the anwser God gave us beef is a gift
I have forwarded Srivatsa Joshi’s article as well as this link to all my e-friends.
Kudos to Dale Lasater. And PBS – great show! As for the feed lots of beef being pumped with every conceivable chemical -they are going to be pushed out of business and we are going to be pushed to eat less beef, because:
EU, where much of our meet products go, having determined that all these chemicals and aintibiotics pumped into the animals we eat are making people sick – since they pay for medical – they are banning most meat/meat products imported from USA. Thus the ranchers will feel that sqweeze and cost of beef will sky rocket (we eat too much of it anyway).
Does Dale Lasater graze any of his herd on Public Lands – does anyone know? I am a nature lover, and a wild horse lover, not a horse person, I eat beef, I am not an eco-terrorist on either side of the issue. I just love the free spanish leneage american horse and the idea of the freedom they represent, and the western heritge and history of how we came to this country. The cattle industry, along with energy and mining, and those wanting to make the american mustang just another breeding horse for profit, is pushing this free american icon off our public lands. Watch the Cloud series on PBS and see some of the articles attached to that series. I’ll check back here for your thoughts. Thanks.