Advantages of Beef Production for the Environment
The Northern Great Plains (NGP) ecosystem of North America is critically dependent on cattle grazing. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the most biodiverse section of the NGP, which spans over 180 million acres and includes five U.S. states and two Canadian provinces, is home to one-fifth of the beef cows in the United States.
In order to ensure that wildlife and the environment can coexist with cattle, these places must be safeguarded against overgrazing since cattle ranchers are present in some of the most diverse parts of the NGP. By enhancing soil quality and conserving open space for the diverse animals of the grasslands, grazing, when properly managed, aids in maintaining the overall health of the grasslands, according to the WWF.
Photo credits: New York Beef Council
Ten Surprising Benefits of Grass-Fed Beef
Conventionally raised beef comes from cows who spend their lives in crowded conditions, stressed-out and hopped up on medicine. Grass-fed cows offer a safer, healthier alternative that tastes amazing. There are many benefits to switching to meat from grass-fed animals.
1) Lower in Fat and Calories
Grass-fed beef is up to 2/3 lower in fat and calories than feedlot-raised beef. For example, a 6-ounce steak from a grass-finished cow will have 100 fewer calories than the same steak from an animal that has been grain-fed.
If you eat a typical amount of beef (66.5 pounds a year), switching to grass-fed beef will save you over 17,000 calories over the course of a full year.
Even if everything else in your diet remains the same you will still, on average, lose about six pounds a year from switching to grass-fed beef.
2) Antibiotic and Hormone Free
To keep illness at a minimum, feedlot cows have to take massive doses of antibiotics.
When you eat grain-fed beef you are consuming these antibiotics.
In addition to antibiotics, conventional meat is also laced with hormones. Hormones, such as RBST, make CAFO cows grow faster. This leads to more profit for factory farmers.
Cows raised in this manner reach full size up to a year faster than grass-fed cows. Studies show that humans can experience early puberty after consuming animals fed growth hormone for a long period of time.
Of course, our grass-fed animals are always hormone and antibiotic-free!
3) Tastes Better
Another undeniable benefit of grass-fed meat is that it tastes better. Grass-fed meat has a subtle, earthy flavour, attributable to the varied diet of the cows. The cow's clean diet allows spices to come through clearer. The addition of a little butter makes a grass-fed steak taste amazing!
The HuffPost conducted a blind taste test, and 100% of the tasters could tell the difference between grass-fed and grain-fed beef. All but one preferred the flavour of the grass-fed beef.
Our beef comes from Criollo cows who are naturally lean and tender. In DNA testing, they have 4 out of 6 genetic markers for tenderness, right up there with the best certified Angus beef.
4) Higher in Healthy Fats
One of the most notable benefits of grass-fed beef is that it has an ideal ratio of omegas. Meat from grass-fed animals has 2 to 4 times more omega-3 fatty acids than meat from grain-fed animals.
Grass-fed beef has an omega 6:3 ratio of 0.16 to 1, while grain-fed beef can often have an omega 6:3 ratio higher than 20:1.
5) Decreased Risk of Heart Disease
Omega-3s are good fat because they play a vital role in every cell in every system in your body. Of all the fats, omega-3's are the most heart-friendly.
People who have enough omega-3's in their diet are less likely to have high blood pressure or heart problems. They're also 50% less likely to suffer a heart attack.
Omega-3s are essential for your brain to operate at optimal levels as well. People with a diet rich in omega-3s are less likely to suffer from depression schizophrenia, ADD and Alzheimer's disease.
6) Helps Fight Cancer
Meat and dairy products from grass-fed ruminants are the richest known source of another type of good fat called Conjugated Linoleic Acid or CLA. Beef products raised on grass and forage alone, contain from 3 to 5 times more CLA than those raised conventionally.
CLA may be one of our most potent defences against cancer. In laboratory animals, a very small percentage of CLA reduced tumour growth.
7) Less Contamination By Staph and Other Bacteria
It's said that almost half of the US meat and poultry contains staph bacteria.
The constant feeding of antibiotics to feedlot cattle plays a large role in the spreading of staph, e-Coli and other antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
In one study, 47% of meat and poultry examined contained S. aureus. More than half of those bacteria, 52%, were resistant to at least three classes of antibiotics.
This was the first national assessment of antibiotic-resistant S. aureus in the U.S. food supply. DNA testing suggested that the major source of contamination was the food animals themselves.
8) More Vitamins and Minerals
Grass-fed beef is one of the most nutrient-dense proteins on earth. It has a high micronutrient profile, much higher than grain-fed beef.
It is higher in B vitamins, vitamin D, and iron because of the varied diets of grass-fed cows.
If you have ever eaten grass-fed beef, you may have noticed the yellowish tint of the fat from grass-fed meat after it cooks. This indicates the presence of Carotenoids which are abundant in the grass, especially quick-growing green grass.
9) Better for the Environment
In addition to the health benefits of grass-fed meat, it is also easier on the environment.
Cows raised in pastures use fewer fossil fuels than cows packed into feedlots. When they are grass-fed, cows maintain and fertilize the land they graze on themselves. This leads to the increased biodiversity of pasture ecosystems and improved quality of run-off water.
10) Peace of Mind
Knowing that the food you are putting in your and your children's bodies is free from antibiotics, hormones and other harmful substances is priceless.
We pride ourselves in giving you that peace of mind.
Our cows are never given antibiotics, or hormones, or crowded into dirty feedlots. They grow at a natural rate (24-48 months) and to full size before harvesting. They are then dry-aged to perfection for 12-14 days before we ship them out to you!
Make the Change Today!
Switching to grass-fed beef can revitalize your health. With fewer calories and more good fats than conventional, grass-fed beef can be an integral part of your healthy diet.