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LC · Live Cattle ·Bridge of Death · Question 02 of 11

The Cow Snake

The scene

You are a Knight of the Round Table — a Launcelot, a Galahad, a Sir Robin, perhaps King Arthur himself — and your quest, as you shall shortly declare, is to seek the Holy Grail. The road requires crossing the Gorge of Eternal Peril. The only way across is the Bridge of Death. There stands the Bridgekeeper, an old man with a staff, who will ask you three questions. Answer rightly, and he waves you past. Answer wrongly, and — into the gorge you will be thrown. Good luck.

At the bridge

“STOP! Who would cross the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, ere the other side he see.”

, Gorge of Eternal Peril.

1Question the first

What… is your name?

“

Answer

State your name.

2Question the second

What… is your quest?

“

Answer

I seek the Holy Grail of trading.

3Question the third

What… is the length of the line if every cow slaughtered by the Big 4 packers in a single year is laid, nose to tail, across the open plains?

Tyson, Cargill, JBS, and National Beef. Four companies slaughter 85% of US beef — roughly 22 million cattle a year. Imagine them laid out, nose to tail, as a single line marching across the prairie and beyond. The Bridgekeeper asks how far it reaches.

Select one of the five answers below. Choose carefully, and accept your fate.