Grass Fed Beef Advantes for You
What Does Grass Fed Mean?
Grass fed means that the livestock graze on growing pastures from birth until they are "finished". At Shepherds Ranch, our livestock are "finished" (fattened) to a desired weight completely on hay and natural pasture grass. They receive no grain and spend no time in feedlots or confinement facilities.
Products from pastured animals are ideal for human health. They contain the amounts and kinds of nutrients that our bodies "expect" to be fed. The research suggests that switching to grass-fed products may reduce the risk of a number of diseases, including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
Because grass-fed meat is so lean, it is also lower in calories. Fat has 9 calories per gram, compared with only 4 calories for protein and carbohydrates. The greater the fat content, the greater the number of calories. A 6-ounce steak from a grass-finished steer has almost 100 fewer calories than a 6-ounce steak from a grain-fed steer. If you eat a typical amount of beef (66.5 pounds a year), switching to grass-fed beef will save you 17,733 calories a year--without requiring any willpower or change in eating habits. If everything else in your diet remains constant, you'll lose about six pounds a year. If all Americans switched to grass-fed meat, our national epidemic of obesity might begin to diminish.
Grass Fed vs Corn Fed
To understand what is not in our beef you must first understand what is in comercial feedlot beef. One critical distinction is that most beef sold in stores comes from a commercial feedlot, even if it says "grass fed", "natural" or "organic". The other distinction is that commercial feedlot beef are fed an exclusive grain and corn diet (and other stuff you wouldn't even dream of). Some producers have used everything from cement dust to chewing gum to add weight to their cattle. There is a recent article from the NY Times that describes one reporters experience with commercially produced beef. It is well worth the time to read and learn just how beef gets to your local grocery.
The Corn-Fed Myth
Corn-fed beef is sometimes touted as "superior" beef. In my opinion, feedlots use corn not because it enhances the taste of beef, or makes it more healthy, but rather to add weight to the animal more quickly. In fact, studies show that grass-fed beef improves nutrient value, and pasture lifestyle enhances taste. So why do feedlots use corn? Simple, because it's more cost-effective. Corn by-products are cheaper to buy than natural grasses such as alfalfa, or hay.
So why do feedlots tout corn-fed as better tasting? Well it does promote more fat in the cattle and some people do think fat tastes good. But, really, what else can they say and still hope to sell their product?
Grocery Store Ground Beef
Remember two things: First, virtually all beef purchased in retail stores comes from cattle that are corn/grain-fed on feedlots. And second, usually the least desirable parts of their beef end up becoming ground meat. An article in the Wall Street Journal on January 27, 2004 with the Headline: U.S. to Give Up on Mad-Cow Search, that was primarily about the failure of the USDA to locate the herd mates of the one infected dairy cow that was found to be BSE positive on Dec. 24, 2003, says it best: "... the USDA's mad-cow investigation appears to be running out of steam. Ron De Haven, the USDA's chief veterinarian, yesterday said it is likely that several of the dairy cattle that grew up with the infected Holstein cow and accompanied it from Canada two years ago have probably already been culled because of their relatively advanced age. The fate of most old dairy cows is to be turned into hamburger..." Interesting to say the least.
Our Grassfed Angus Beef comes from animals raised right here on the ranch. They are about 1 to 1-1/2 years old at the time of processing. They are not old culled dairy cattle. Our beef has NEVER been implanted with artificial hormones NOR have they been given sub-therapeutic levels of antibiotics. They eat only grass so whether their feed contains antibiotics or hormones or anything is moot, but just to be clear: the answer is NO! Neither do we inject our meats with solutions and chemicals to hold those solutions. We are a true all natural producer of grass-fed cattle. That's why we open our ranch up for visitors -- so they can see where their beef comes from.
Health Advantages
While most of the beef found in supermarkets is an engineered commodity, far removed from the source of protein and other essential nutrients it formerly represented, many producers are revisiting the 'grass roots' of the business and bringing you better beef. There are lots of reasons to seek out a grass-fed beef supplier in your area. Here are five of them:
Grass fed beef is low in saturated fat, yet high in omega-3 fatty acids, beta carotene, vitamin E, folic acid and antioxidants. Conjugated linoleic acid, thought to reduce the risk of breast cancer and diabetes, also is higher in pastured beef.
Grass fed cattle don't require regular administration of antibiotics to combat the spread of infection that is common in densely packed feedlots. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 70 percent of the antibiotics and similar drugs produced in the United States are used on livestock, creating antibiotic-resistant bacteria that health facilities are finding hard to treat.
Grass fed beef production practices do not typically include the injection of hormones to spur growth. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved six different kinds of steroidal hormones for use in food production, according to a Cornell University report, and many are concerned that these pharmaceuticals increase the risk of breast cancer and reproductive problems in humans. Wildlife, as well, can be affected. The hormones are present in cattle waste and can end up in creeks, rivers, lakes and ponds.
Grass fed beef is much less likely to harbor acid-resistant E.coli. A diet consisting primarily of grain creates an acidic condition in a cow's digestive system, and the bacteria that survive this pH level are resistant to a human's stomach acid. The result is not pretty. However, a natural diet of grass does not create this acidic environment, and study after study has confirmed that there is much less E. coli in grass-fed meat products.
Grass fed cattle herds have never been affected by Mad Cow Disease. Large confined feeding operations will add just about anything to the feed they use in order to produce the most weight gain in the shortest time possible.
You can read more about the science behind grass fed beef at Eat Wild.org
Ranchers who raise their cattle on grass from birth to market do not send their animals to large slaughter houses such as the Hallmark Meat Packing Company where extreme cases of abuse were recently documented. Instead, they slaughter the animals on the farm or take them to small, independent slaughter facilities. Due to state regulations, Sheppard's Ranch is required to take the cattle to independant slaughter facilities which are USDA inspected.
Ranchers who drive their grass-fed cattle to an abattoir go to great lengths to keep the animals calm. Some bring along cattle that are not earmarked for slaughter to give the animals the comfort of being with their herd mates. Many ranchers watch the entire slaughter process to ensure that their animals are being treated humanely every step of the way. We here at Shepherds Ranch are among these ranchers. The goal is to make sure all the cattle are well fed and cared for and do not experience unnecessary stress at any time of their lives.
Advantages For The Environment
When properly managed, raising Angus cattle on pasture instead of factory farms is a net benefit to the environment. To begin with, a diet of grazed grass requires much less fossil fuel than a feedlot diet of dried corn and soy. On pasture, grazing animals do their own fertilizing and harvesting. The ground is covered with greens all year round, so it does an excellent job of harvesting solar energy and holding on to top soil and moisture. Grazed pasture removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere more effectively than any land use, including forestland and ungrazed prairie, helping to slow global warming.
It’s a different story in a confinement operation. Here, the animals are crowded into sheds or kept outdoors on barren land and all their feed is shipped to them from distant fields. On those fields, the crops are treated with fossil-fuel based fertilizers, sprayed with pesticides, and planted, tilled, and harvested with heavy equipment. Each of these operations requires non-renewable fuel. Then the feed is shipped to feed manufacturers where it is dried, flaked or pelleted, and mixed with other ingredients and then, finally, shipped to the waiting animals, using yet more fossil fuel.
There is also a day-for-night difference in “manure management” on the two systems. On well-managed pasture-based farms, the animals spread their manure evenly over the soil where it becomes a natural source of organic fertilizer. The manure improves the quality of the grass, which increases the rate of gain of the animals. It’s a closed, sustainable system.
On factory farms, the excrement builds up in the feedlots and sheds where it fouls the air and releases ammonia and other gasses to the eco-system. The fumes stress and sicken the animals and farm workers, and they lower the quality of life of people in nearby homes. To get rid of the waste, it is shipped to nearby fields where it overloads the land with nutrients. The excess nitrogen and phosphorous pollute the soil and ground water and drain off into streams, rivers, and estuaries where it can create “dead zones” that threaten the fish population and the wildlife that depends on them.
Advantages For The Family Rancher
Ranchers and farmers who raise their animals on pasture enjoy a number of benefits including being able to raise their families in a peaceful environment. We are also spared the health hazards associated with factory farming. Just as important, many farmers are able to make a living selling their pastured products directly to consumers or restaurants. As the public becomes more aware of the benefits of pastured products, thousands of small family farms and ranches are provided with a chance to thrive and survive and pass this important legacy onto our children.
By marketing our quality Angus beef direct to you, we are continuing a family legacy of caring for the land, caring for our neighbor, and caring for our family. By purchasing your beef from Shepherds Ranch Angus Beef, you are helping small, commuity based ranchers gain independence from corporate food companies that care more about profit than product.