The Implications Of Grass-Fed Beef Farms

By Minnie Whitley


Before 1990, many ranchers were fond of fattening their animals on grain and soy among other supplements. They did so by taking the animals in the feedlots, where such food was provided. However, there has been a growing trend among farmers in keeping them on ranges at home where they feed on their native diet, pasture. Grass-fed beef farms are simply farms that entirely feed their animals on grass.

These ranchers do not resort to hormone treatment of their animals and neither do they feed them with growth promoting additives. This treatment is responsible for the growth of the animals at a natural pace. They hence live a low stress life which makes them very healthy and needless of antibiotic or any other drug treatment.

The farming results in more nutritious products, with healthy implications. Meat from grass fed and grain fed livestock are incomparable. A pasture fed beef possess quite less total fat and calorie. It also has less cholesterol and saturated fat. The level of vitamin C and E is quite higher in pastured meat than ingrained meat. The natural grown meat also has more beta carotene, omega 3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid.

The omega 3 good fat substances found in pasture fed meat have been proved to be healthier. These essential fatty acids slow down the growth of a varied array of cancers. It keeps them from spreading. They can also speed up the recovery after cancer surgery.

The animal study suggests further that the people with cancer and having high levels of this acid in their tissues are likely to respond well to chemotherapy. This is opposed to people having low omega 3 levels.Omega 3 is contained and formed in green leaves (in chloroplasts). This explains why pasture-fed animals stand a high chance of having more omegas compared to grain fed animals.

The practice, however requires knowledge and skill as opposed to just sending the animals to a feedlot. In order for the pasture fed animals to be more succulent and tender, they need to feed on grass and legumes of high quality. This is particularly the case in the months before the slaughter. This natural and nutritious diet relies on a healthy soil, together with a careful pasture management to maintain the plants at an optimal growth stage. The quality of the pasture is the sole determiner of the quality of animal products. It is therefore important for the farmer to raise great grass.

Although the grain fed beef and animal products are quite cheap and convenient, the highly mechanized operations involved have elicited much concern. The practice leaves the animals stressed and abused and employs the unnecessary use of antibiotics, hormones and other drugs. It also produces products with relatively less nutritional value.

Although the practice of raising livestock on grass is seen as a paradigm shift from the modern ranching, it is, out of doubt, a return to a balanced and secure system. When intending to eat meat, it is upon you to make a choice, as a word of advice, remember to make the healthiest choice. Choosing products from a pasture fed farm reduces environmental degradation, promotes small scale farmers and enhances the health of your family. It is a win-win-win situation.




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