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I grew up on a working ranch in northern California. We raised beef cattle (primarily Herefords) and sheep (mostly Suffolk) and farmed rice, milo corn (animal feed,) and alfalfa. There were many other farms around that are still there that farmed almonds, prunes, peaches, pumpkins, chickens, pigs, and dairy farms.

While I would rather not oppose Dan Barber's obviously lengthy research for this article, I cannot just stand by and let some of this misinformation pass. As a former cattle rancher, it bothers me that people who have obviously never set foot on a California cattle ranch would be so bold as to misinform the public in the "newspaper of record."

First, Mr. Barber is on the east coast. Of course New York carrots taste better than California carrots when one is in New York. All produce is tastier when it's fresh! Produce is also more nutritious the more recently it was harvested. The farther from the source and the more processing the less flavor and nutritional value. It's a basic food principle.

Mr. Barber is off base with regard to how cattle are handled, as well. Beef cattle spend the majority of their lives in a pasture. They eat grasses all day long. Their grass diet is supplemented with alfalfa hay once a day. They like alfalfa a lot and come running to the truck that delivers their dinner. When they are sold and go to the feedlot they are "finished" with a diet of grains, mostly corn, usually. They don't live at the feedlot for more than a couple of weeks. They are not fed a diet full of antibiotics for their entire lives, that's just malarky.

He's way off when it comes to dairy farming, too. The cows eat grass in pastures all day long, just like beef cattle. They line up on their own accord as soon as they hear people in the milking barn to be milked twice each day. Usually, they even come into the barn in a specific order. Yes, they get to eat grain, but only while being milked, or as a part of, say, oat hay. Dairy animals are actually very well cared for, after all their overall well being is checked twice each day. They get udder baths at every milking so there are no contaminants in the milk or milking equipment. They only get antibiotics when they need them, and usually it is only individual cows, not the whole herd.

Honestly, I can't comment on the bovine growth hormones because that wasn't happening back when I live on the farm.

I think Mr. Barber should do some more research on the reality of cattle farming, not just the feedlots.