I need to upscale meat production and get it to hungry mouths. This is late middle-ages fantasy, so horse shoe hand grenade generalizations are fine. I just want it to at least make sense. There are two topics I would greatly appreciate help in. I'm ignorant, and not entirely sure where to look. 1. Using the land. So I've recently learned I greatly underestimated how much grazing land is required for cattle rearing. https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb1167344.pdf Very broadly, I'm fine with this approximation for foraging: My question is, leaving winter out of the equation for now, let's say I have 100 hectares arable land. I only want to produce meat from it. Is it more space efficient to use it solely for grazing, or would growing some kind of grain crop on some the land make for a better yield with which to feed the cattle? Let's say winter feed is covered for now, so it's left out of this hypothetical. 2. Moving cattle great distances. Would cobblestone roads be too hard on cattle hooves for distances of about 500km? I'm thinking yes, especially with all that weight, so are 'cow shoes' a must? About how many head can one person drive at a normal pace for that long? Would the cattle have to be tied up nightly so they don't have to be gathered every morning? I know cattle can move a fair daily distance (10-15 miles according to Google), but are there other severe logistical challenges in that trafficking that I'm unaware of? Any and all thoughts appreciated.
If I were a wizard in a fantasy setting, I would use my magic to shrink the cows while they're growing (to reduce the amount of feed) then use it to grow them in size when it comes to slaughter time. I'd make a killing. But in answer to question 2, cattle, at least in Europe, were rarely moved longed distances. Most were sold at local markets. Moving them a long way brings up the question of how to feed them. While they could graze on common ground, you can't drive them into another lord's manor and start letting them loose on his fields. Remember that meat, especially beef, is not the common fare of most people. It's expensive to produce. Pigs are cheaper to rear, hence why there are so many pork-based foods in Europe. It's especially not something you'd upscale to feed a lot of hungry people (unless they're RICH hungry people). You'd have to invent or include some modern-day innovations to make it feasible. This might also help: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ox#Shoeing Now, sing with me... "Rollin', rollin', rollin'..."
Short answer: Hell, yes. Cattle can be incredible pains in the neck, bent on causing a maximum amount of problems in the minimum amount of time. Someday I shall relate Tales of Hell Bitch, the most recalcitrant cow we even owned. She caused a whole herd's worth of problems, all by herself. We raise cattle in the Rocky Mountains. 1.5 to 2 acres per cow/calf unit per year? Rules of thumb are no good. It depends on the part of the country one lives in, the amount of rainfall, the type of grass, even the breed of cattle. Fifty acres of rangeland grass might feed a horse or a cow/calf unit for a year, but in all likelihood, it would not be nearly enough. Then there is the question of drinking water, which alone is enough to cause headaches in sensitive people. Raising and trailing cattle is really not something you can hope to write a convincing narrative about without investing some serious time in study. At the very least, you need a good textbook and access to ranchers or farmers who deal with the beasts daily, who are willing to talk about the same at length, and who will read your manuscript for accuracy.
This is very helpful, guys. Thank you. The demand is tyrannical, with no substitution accepted, but that doesn't change the fact that it's insanely impractical an ask. My cogs are turning on a solution though.
