n the U.S. in 1999, total beef consumption amounted to 98 lbs/person. a. If the average cow produces 1,000 pounds of beef, how many cows will be needed to meet U.S.'s beef consumption in 2050 (assuming the beef consumption remains constant and only grows with population growth)? The U.S. population in 1999 was 279.3 million and the average population growth rate between 1999 and 2019 is 0.83% (assume this will not change by 2050). The estimated carrying capacity for the U.S. is 900 million people. Answer: 3.59x107 cows