Thought this may be worth a little discussion, especially for all of
you who are convinced that land is better put to crops for human
consumption than for animals.

I heard it postulated today, in a Crop Mechanisation lecture, that the
power consumption of a powered forage harvester giving a precision (or
metered) chop, working width maybe three metres, in
chemical-energy-required terms, would, in one years use on one farm,
consume enough energy (chemical) to feed 3000 people for a year. Of
course, the conversion can't be workied, as science has yet to find an
efficient way of feeding people unrefined crude oil, but it does give
some food for thought perhaps.
I would be glad of some other views on this, either for or against, or
either, since at the moment I'm taking that with a pinch of salt, so
to speak!

Dave