There is a persistent myth, probably courtesy of the many labels in grocery stores, that most cattle spend their lives eating only grain. What happens most often is cattle spend their lives eating grass or similar forages before being “finished” for up to six months with a diet of grain tailored specifically to their nutritional needs by a beef nutritionist before making its way to the grocery store.

The point is, sometimes, we don’t know what we don’t know. That is often the case with subsidies and discussions around the irrigation that takes place across Eastern Washington. Walking in someone else’s shoes can be as easy as asking a question and listening for an answer, but we’re human, so too often we don’t think to ask the question or don’t know there’s a question to be asked.

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