I've never attempted to run a colony start up so I've no idea how realistic the data in TNE compares to real life. Anyway, here's some real world data (from www.usnews.com/articles/news/2008/05/09/8-ways-to-fix-the-global-food-crisis.html?PageNr=5) that may be of use.
It takes...
7 lbs of corn to produce 1 pound of beef (15.4 kg/kg)
6.5 lbs of corn to produce 1 pound of pork (14.3 kg/kg)
2.6 lbs of corn to produce 1 pound of chicken (5.72 kg/kg)
Americans ate 234 lbs (106.4 kg) of meat per capita in 1980.
Americans ate 273 lbs (124.1 kg) of meat per capita in 2007.
Brazilians ate 197 lbs (89.5 kg) of meat per capita in 2007, double their 1980 intake.
Chinese ate 109 lbs (49.5) of meat per capita in 2007, quadruple their 1980 intake.
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Of course, this all assumes that the colony is low enough in TL that vat grown meat is unavailable (and this is just over the TL horizon for us. See: discovermagazine.com/2008/oct/22-i.ll-have-my-burger-petri-dish-bred and discovermagazine.com/2006/jan/technology).
We can debate whether or not corn will be around, or recognizable, in another 3,000 years, but as for providing a ratio of feed to animal growth, it should be useful. Obviously, local animals can be used in place of these three, but, once again, it's provides GM's a useful starting point.
As for meat consumption, these figures can be utilized to determine a relative standard of living. All politics aside, it's safe to say that the figures for Americans are ideal (obesity issues set aside), while Chinese figures for 1980 are grim.
I don't know where hunter gatherer groups fit in all this, especially the Inuit, but that's a whole different lifestyle and operates under a different set of rules than large scale projects like colonies.
\_/
DED
It takes...
7 lbs of corn to produce 1 pound of beef (15.4 kg/kg)
6.5 lbs of corn to produce 1 pound of pork (14.3 kg/kg)
2.6 lbs of corn to produce 1 pound of chicken (5.72 kg/kg)
Americans ate 234 lbs (106.4 kg) of meat per capita in 1980.
Americans ate 273 lbs (124.1 kg) of meat per capita in 2007.
Brazilians ate 197 lbs (89.5 kg) of meat per capita in 2007, double their 1980 intake.
Chinese ate 109 lbs (49.5) of meat per capita in 2007, quadruple their 1980 intake.
=========================
Of course, this all assumes that the colony is low enough in TL that vat grown meat is unavailable (and this is just over the TL horizon for us. See: discovermagazine.com/2008/oct/22-i.ll-have-my-burger-petri-dish-bred and discovermagazine.com/2006/jan/technology).
We can debate whether or not corn will be around, or recognizable, in another 3,000 years, but as for providing a ratio of feed to animal growth, it should be useful. Obviously, local animals can be used in place of these three, but, once again, it's provides GM's a useful starting point.
As for meat consumption, these figures can be utilized to determine a relative standard of living. All politics aside, it's safe to say that the figures for Americans are ideal (obesity issues set aside), while Chinese figures for 1980 are grim.
I don't know where hunter gatherer groups fit in all this, especially the Inuit, but that's a whole different lifestyle and operates under a different set of rules than large scale projects like colonies.
\_/
DED