From CNN Food & Health Correspondent Linda Ciampa

(CNN) -- Simply feeding beef cattle hay instead of grain could go a long way in reducing dangerous E. coli outbreaks, according to new research.

Agriculture Department studies at Cornell University have found that cows fed hay had far less E. coli bacteria in their digestive tracts.

"Our studies indicate the difference between the grain-fed animals and hay-fed animals could be as much as a million fold in the number of acid-resistant E.coli," said USDA microbiologist James Russell.

Beef cattle are often fed diets made up of grain rather then hay to fatten them quickly and create more tender beef.

But some of the grain passes undigested into the animal's intestines and produces acid that creates a prime environment for E. coli. Acid-resistant E. coli can survive and cause terrible stomach problems when ingested by people.

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In the Cornell experiment, E. coli that did grow in cows fed hay were easily killed by chemicals that mimic stomach acid. The study found feeding cows hay for just five days before slaughter is enough to relieve the acid problem.

"This looks to be a relatively inexpensive, potentially important intervention that farmers can do; hay is lot cheaper than oats," said Robert Buchanan of the Food and Drug Association and lead scientist for the Clinton administration's food safety initiative.

The National Cattlemen's Association said the new finding "may be a significant tool in reducing the risk of E. coli."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the dangerous strain of E. coli, E. coli 0157, sickens up to 20,000 people in the United States each year and kills several hundred.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.