Consumers may be surprised to learn that cattle are able to eat many things that are considered waste and not allowed in the human consumption market. When foods begin to spoil, they cannot be sold for human consumption but some of them can be used in cattle feed.
Source: High Plains Journal, January 30, 2017.
Pumpkins, potatoes, oranges, sugar beets, and pinto beans can all be fed to cattle when they begin to spoil. Due to the four-compartment stomach and the microbial population of the ruminant digestive system, cattle have no problem including these products to some degree in their diet. Rather than ending up in a landfill, they can be fed to cattle, reducing the loss for the commodity producer, reducing the production cost for the cattle producer, and reducing the environmental impact of placing the waste in the landfill.