Cattle were among the earliest animals domesticated by humans due to their lack of flight response and to their herding behavior. Their ruminant stomach biology, which allowed them to eat almost anything and convert it into the food, milk, clothing, and fertilizer that humans need, also made them essential to the rise of civilization. In some cultures with surviving ancient traditions, the sacred status of cattle is still observed. But something strange happened to the human-cattle relationship within industrial cultures. As cattle became items of production, they were genetically bred to yield the maximum amount of meat and milk. The recent use of assembly line slaughtering, feed lot fattening, and overuse of antibiotics, especially in the U.S., may be impossible to sustain in the future.
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