There’s no shortage of food at the 750-acre J. R. Simplot feedlot in Grand View, Idaho, which can feed up to 150,000 cattle. Simplot was an Idaho potato magnate who pioneered the frozen French fry for McDonald’s restaurants in the 1950s. He later realized he could make cattle feed from his leftover potato scraps and built one of the world’s largest feedlots. Ranchers and dairy farmers bring their cattle here to be fed a mix of grain, potatoes, and hay until they reach slaughter weight of 1,200 to 1,400 pounds. Although the mild dry climate of the Snake River valley is perfect for cattle, the waste they produce isn’t great for the nearby Snake River. In 2023, the company was sued by environmental groups for polluting the river with runoff from the nearly 50,000 tons of manure the cattle excrete each year.