11/16/2022
Buying Red Meat is Confusing!
Organic? Grass-fed? Grass-finished? What’s the difference?
The truth is that the chosen farming method DOES impact both your health & the environment. So where you will you put your hard earned $$?
So all cows eat SOME grass. Any company can technically list grass-fed on its label. But if it's not certified as "grass-finished", at the end of its life, the cow is put into a feed lot and fed grains and soy (not what it was meant to eat). This makes the animal fat and sick and we end up consuming sick meat as a result.
There are 4 general categories of beef:
1. Conventional Beef (Feed lot cattle)
Kept in confinement, no roaming, need antibiotics to prevent disease. Fed grain and soy. Even expired candy makes its way into cattle feed. But the grains make them sicker than skittles, believe it or not. Not to mention this type of cattle farming is TERRIBLE for the environment.
2. Pasture-Raised
Cows roam and eat grass part of their life. However, they are still grain and soy finished at end of their life (changes the whole picture of their health).
3. Grass-fed only
Cows are kept in confined grass feed lots. They do not roam but are being confined inhumanely. And it's not even real grass from the ground they are eating, but a “pelletized” grass. Not a natural way of eating at all. This is not helping rejuvenate the land!
4. 100% grass-fed and grass-finished
For it's whole life, the cow roams and eats grass out of the ground (not pellets) with no confinement restrictions at all. This is what you want!
Health benefits of 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef:
*Most nutrient dense meat (beta-carotene, B6, and Omega 3's, choline)
*The right ratio of Omega Fatty Acids for our bodies
*Regenerative effect on the land and planet
Here are some of the companies that are 100% grass fed and grass finished that I really trust and buy from. Farmer Charles, please share your 2 cents and cover anything I missed!
Mayfield Pastures (TN) https://app.barn2door.com/QAEEa/all
Peaceful Pastures (TN) https://peacefulpastures.com/
Grand Teton Meat (made into sausages, hotdogs, etc) can find these at some Krogers and Fresh Markets). Listen to a podcast about them here: https://www.maxlugavere.com/podcast/126-mike-murray-teton-waters-ranch
