--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We need to respect the fact that cows are…" description: "\"We need to respect the fact that cows are herbivores, and that does not mean feeding them corn and chicken manure.\" — Joel Salatin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/joel-salatin-3103_chicken_we-need-to-respect-the-fact-that-cows-ar_631247.png" --- # We need to respect the fact that cows are herbivores, and… ![“We need to respect the fact that cows are herbivores, and that does not mean feeding them corn and chicken manure.” quote by Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/joel-salatin-3103_chicken_we-need-to-respect-the-fact-that-cows-ar_631247.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/joel-salatin-3103_chicken_we-need-to-respect-the-fact-that-cows-ar_631247.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/joel-salatin-3103_chicken_we-need-to-respect-the-fact-that-cows-ar_631247.png) > “We need to respect the fact that cows are herbivores, and that does not mean feeding them corn and chicken manure.” [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues that respecting cows' natural herbivorous diet means avoiding grain and manure feed, promoting sustainable farming. **In simple terms:** Feed cows what they naturally eat. Key Takeaway Adopt natural diets for livestock. Themes sustainability animal welfare agriculture Mood thoughtful practical Type environmental ethical When to use this quote - Farm management - diet planning - organic certification Key Concepts Herbivory soil health ethical farming Questions to Reflect On - What are the ecological benefits of herbivore diets? - How can farmers transition to natural feeds? A Different Perspective Changing entrenched feed practices is costly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chicken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chicken/) [Chickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chickens/) [Corn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corn/) [Cows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cows/) [Cows Herbivores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cows-herbivores-5087883/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Fact Cows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fact-cows-5087885/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Feeding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeding/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Herbivores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/herbivores-301986/) [Herbivores Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/herbivores-does-5087884/) [Manure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manure/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) ## Related quotes > [It is the nature of carnivores to get power and then, having disposed of their enemies, to deploy the emollient powers of Great Art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hughes/it-is-the-nature-of-carnivores-to-get-power-and-then-having-disposed/) [Robert Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hughes/) > [“Oftentimes omnivores feel threatened by herbivores. But why? Neither one neither the others aren’t better peer see. It is just that herbivores automatically reduce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ema-dan/oftentimes-omnivores-feel-threatened-by-herbivores-but-why-neither/) [Ema Dan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ema-dan/) > [Because we lack sharp claws, aren't very fast on our feet, and aren't exactly endowed with lightning reflexes, it would be very difficult if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/because-we-lack-sharp-claws-aren-t-very-fast-on-our-feet-and-aren-t/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [“It was simple enough: Plants eat sunlight, herbivores eat plants, carnivores eat herbivores, “and so on,” he wrote, “until we reach an animal which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stolzenburg/it-was-simple-enough-plants-eat-sunlight-herbivores-eat-plants/) [William Stolzenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stolzenburg/) > [When we kill animals to eat them they end up killing us because their flesh...was never intended for human beings, who are naturally herbivores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-roberts/when-we-kill-animals-to-eat-them-they-end-up-killing-us-because-their/) [William C. Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-roberts/) > [If I discover a manure which will enable me to make a piece of land produce 20 per cent more corn, I may withdraw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/if-i-discover-a-manure-which-will-enable-me-to-make-a-piece-of-land/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [The return from cows and sheep in cheese is worth much money every day in the season, without calves and lambs, and without the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-grosseteste/the-return-from-cows-and-sheep-in-cheese-is-worth-much-money-every/) [Robert Grosseteste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-grosseteste/) > [We can move water easily with plastic pipes. We can move shade around with nursery cloth like a tinker toy for animals and plants.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/we-can-move-water-easily-with-plastic-pipes-we-can-move-shade-around/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [I'm suggesting that criminalizing chemically fertilized grass in favor of unnaturally-fed corn is not a rational trade off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/i-m-suggesting-that-criminalizing-chemically-fertilized-grass-in/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [“Even manure can accomplish great things when placed into the right environment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-c-nolan/even-manure-can-accomplish-great-things-when-placed-into-the-right/) [Raymond C. Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-c-nolan/) > [The fairest thing in nature, a flower, still has its roots in earth and manure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/the-fairest-thing-in-nature-a-flower-still-has-its-roots-in-earth-and/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Everything that Bush touches turns to manure in public policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-baldwin/everything-that-bush-touches-turns-to-manure-in-public-policy/) [Alec Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-baldwin/) > [I went horseback riding and got a big chunk of horse manure kicked into my face. It has a way of slapping you right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-carlton/i-went-horseback-riding-and-got-a-big-chunk-of-horse-manure-kicked/) [Vanessa Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-carlton/) > [My father left Ireland because he did not want to muck horse manure for the rest of his life, and he wanted to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/my-father-left-ireland-because-he-did-not-want-to-muck-horse-manure/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [ \[When her daughter suggested the President refer in his conversation with foreign dignitaries about lawn care to 'fertilizer' instead of to 'manure':\] But remember,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-truman/when-her-daughter-suggested-the-president-refer-in-his-conversation/) [Bess Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bess-truman/) ## More by Joel Salatin > [Read things you're sure will disagree with your current thinking. If you're a die-hard anti-animal person, read Meat. If you're a die-hard global warming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/read-things-you-re-sure-will-disagree-with-your-current-thinking-if/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [Know you food, know your farmers, and know your kitchen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/know-you-food-know-your-farmers-and-know-your-kitchen/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [If we fail to appreciate the soul that Easternism gives us, then what we have is a disconnected, Greco-Roman, Western, egocentric, compartmentalized, reductionist, fragmented,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/if-we-fail-to-appreciate-the-soul-that-easternism-gives-us-then-what/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [Remember, machines don't forgive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/remember-machines-don-t-forgive/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [Instead of buying into the global agenda, which is using food as just industrial stuff, we would say we view food as biological, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/instead-of-buying-into-the-global-agenda-which-is-using-food-as-just/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [Ecology should be object lessons that the world sees, that explains in a visceral, physical way, the attributes of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/ecology-should-be-object-lessons-that-the-world-sees-that-explains-in/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [I'm a Christian-libertarian-environmentalist-capitalist-lunatic. It's a humorous way for me to describe that I'm not stereotypical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/i-m-a-christian-libertarian-environmentalist-capitalist-lunatic-it-s/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [Frankly, any city person who doesn't think I deserve a white-collar salary as a farmer doesn't deserve my special food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/frankly-any-city-person-who-doesn-t-think-i-deserve-a-white-collar/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [Think of all the mesquite in Texas, the pinyon pines, the acorns in Appalachia, every place has the possibility of mass production. It's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/think-of-all-the-mesquite-in-texas-the-pinyon-pines-the-acorns-in/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [Our culture doesn't ask about preserving the essence of pig; it just asks how can we grow them faster, fatter, bigger, and cheaper. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/our-culture-doesn-t-ask-about-preserving-the-essence-of-pig-it-just/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [We only want autonomous collaborators that are incentivized to make or break their own income.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/we-only-want-autonomous-collaborators-that-are-incentivized-to-make/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [The wealth of any ecosystem is its perennials. The primal herbivore-predator-disturbance-rest dance is literally the breath and pulse of the earth. Grasses recycle oxygen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/the-wealth-of-any-ecosystem-is-its-perennials-the-primal-herbivore/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [From zoning to labor to food safety to insurance, local food systems daily face a phalanx of regulatory hurdles designed and implemented to police…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/from-zoning-to-labor-to-food-safety-to-insurance-local-food-systems/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [On a grander scale, when a society segregates itself, the consequences affect the economy, the emotions, and the ecology. That's one reason why it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/on-a-grander-scale-when-a-society-segregates-itself-the-consequences/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [When faith in our freedom gives way to fear of our freedom, silencing the minority view becomes the operative protocol.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/when-faith-in-our-freedom-gives-way-to-fear-of-our-freedom-silencing/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) [Explore all 139 Joel Salatin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) ## More Chicken quotes > [I have my meals delivered... you know what I like? Chicken and rice... But the problem with being a defensive lineman is, if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-douglas/i-have-my-meals-delivered-you-know-what-i-like-chicken-and-rice-but/) [Hugh Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-douglas/) > [“Oh it don't make no kind of sense. Big ol' ox like Grady won't sit next to a colored child. But he eats eggs-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/oh-it-don-t-make-no-kind-of-sense-big-ol-ox-like-grady-won-t-sit-next/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [I don't eat meat - chicken, fish, none of that. I eat a lot of vegetable sandwiches, like lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, cucumbers, whatever I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gza/i-don-t-eat-meat-chicken-fish-none-of-that-i-eat-a-lot-of-vegetable/) [Gza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gza/) > [I joined PETA for minks and dogs. I need my beef, my chicken, my seafood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waka-flocka-flame/i-joined-peta-for-minks-and-dogs-i-need-my-beef-my-chicken-my-seafood/) [Waka Flocka Flame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waka-flocka-flame/) > [The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-bird-fights-its-way-out-of-the-egg-the-egg-is-the-world-who-would/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Having parents who are chicken sexers - I had trouble explaining that to kids at school!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-isaac-chung/having-parents-who-are-chicken-sexers-i-had-trouble-explaining-that/) [Lee Isaac Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-isaac-chung/) > [I have a great time cooking and eating Thai green chicken curry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-have-a-great-time-cooking-and-eating-thai-green-chicken-curry/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [call it chicken salad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/call-it-chicken-salad/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [WE RUN OUT OF CHICKEN!!…i was like WHAT ON EARTH!!!...KFC RUN OUT OF CHICKEN…what kind of KFC is this?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-run-out-of-chicken-i-was-like-what-on-earth-kfc-run-out-of-chicken/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If I had a modelling job and then it became a poster, it meant that my kids and I could have turkey for Christmas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maye-musk/if-i-had-a-modelling-job-and-then-it-became-a-poster-it-meant-that-my/) [Maye Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maye-musk/) > [My standard Nando's order is a chicken breast burger served 'medium,' which is still fairly spicy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/my-standard-nando-s-order-is-a-chicken-breast-burger-served-medium/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [“The schizophrenic in the sleeping bag with a live chicken and a can of tomato soup spilling onto the sidewalk had no right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/the-schizophrenic-in-the-sleeping-bag-with-a-live-chicken-and-a-can/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Dinner is usually rice, vegetables and chicken, or I'll make fajitas, and we'll do roast chicken on the weekend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/dinner-is-usually-rice-vegetables-and-chicken-or-i-ll-make-fajitas/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [Chicken troll :P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritesh/chicken-troll-p/) [Ritesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritesh/) > [I eat a lot of chicken with salad or salmon with salad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-ellison/i-eat-a-lot-of-chicken-with-salad-or-salmon-with-salad/) [Jennifer Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-ellison/) [Browse all 941 Chicken quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chicken/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We need to respect the fact that cows are herbivores, and that does not mean feeding them corn and chicken manure.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joel Salatin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/we-need-to-respect-the-fact-that-cows-are-herbivores-and-that-does/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chicken" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/we-need-to-respect-the-fact-that-cows-are-herbivores-and-that-does/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/joel-salatin-3103_chicken_we-need-to-respect-the-fact-that-cows-ar_631247.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/joel-salatin-3103_chicken_we-need-to-respect-the-fact-that-cows-ar_631247.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/joel-salatin-3103_chicken_we-need-to-respect-the-fact-that-cows-ar_631247.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We need to respect the fact that cows are herbivores, and that does not mean feeding them corn and chicken…” — Joel Salatin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Joel Salatin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We need to respect the fact...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/we-need-to-respect-the-fact-that-cows-are-herbivores-and-that-does/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/we-need-to-respect-the-fact-that-cows-are-herbivores-and-that-does/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```