Grass-Fed Basics
Back to Pasture. Since the late 1990s, a growing
number of ranchers have stopped sending their animals to the feedlots to be
fattened on grain, soy and other supplements. Instead, they are keeping
their animals home on the range where they forage on pasture, their native
diet. These new-age ranchers do not treat their livestock with hormones or
feed them growth-promoting additives. As a result, the animals grow at a natural
pace. For these reasons and more, grass-fed animals live low-stress lives and
are so healthy there is no reason to treat them with antibiotics or other drugs.
More Nutritious. A major benefit of raising animals
on pasture is that their products are healthier for you. For example, compared
with feedlot meat, meat from grass-fed beef, bison, lamb and goats has less
total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories. It also has more vitamin
E, beta-carotene, vitamin C, and a number of health-promoting fats, including
omega-3 fatty acids and “conjugated linoleic acid,” or
CLA.
Read
more about the nutritional benefits of raising animals on pasture.
The Art and Science of Grassfarming. Raising animals
on pasture requires more knowledge and skill than sending them to a feedlot.
For example, in order for grass-fed beef to be succulent and tender, the cattle
need to forage on high-quality grasses and legumes, especially in the months
prior to slaughter. Providing this nutritious and natural diet requires healthy
soil and careful pasture management so that the plants are maintained at an
optimal stage of growth. Because high-quality pasture is the key to high-quality
animal products, many pasture-based ranchers refer to themselves as "grassfarmers" rather
than “ranchers.” They raise great grass; the animals do all
the rest.
Factory Farming. Raising animals on pasture is
dramatically different from the status quo. Virtually all the meat, eggs, and
dairy products that you find in the supermarket come from animals raised in
confinement in large facilities called CAFOs or “Confined Animal Feeding
Operations.” These highly mechanized operations provide a year-round
supply of food at a reasonable price. Although the food is cheap and convenient,
there is growing recognition that factory farming creates a host of problems,
including:
• Animal stress and abuse
• Air, land, and water pollution
• The unnecessary use of hormones, antibiotics, and other drugs
• Low-paid, stressful farm work
• The loss of small family farms
• Food with less nutritional value.
Unnatural Diets. Animals raised in factory farms
are given diets designed to boost their productivity and lower costs. The main
ingredients are genetically modified grain and soy that are kept at artificially
low prices by government subsidies. To further cut costs, the feed may also
contain “by-product feedstuff” such as municipal garbage, stale
pastry, chicken feathers, and candy. Until 1997, U.S. cattle were also being
fed meat that had been trimmed from other cattle, in effect turning herbivores
into carnivores. This unnatural practice is believed to be the underlying cause
of BSE or “mad cow disease.”
Animal Stress. A high-grain diet can cause physical
problems for ruminants—cud-chewing animals such as cattle, dairy cows,
goats, bison, and sheep. Ruminants are designed to eat fibrous grasses, plants,
and shrubs—not starchy, low-fiber grain. When they are switched from
pasture to grain, they can become afflicted with a number of disorders, including
a common but painful condition called “subacute acidosis.” Cattle
with subacute acidosis kick at their bellies, go off their feed, and eat dirt.
To prevent more serious and sometimes fatal reactions, the animals are given
chemical additives along with a constant, low-level dose of antibiotics. Some
of these antibiotics are the same ones used in human medicine. When medications
are overused in the feedlots, bacteria become resistant to them. When people
become infected with these new, disease-resistant bacteria, there are fewer
medications available to treat them.
Caged Pigs, Chickens, Ducks and Geese. Most
of the nation’s chickens, turkeys, and pigs are also being raised in
confinement. Typically, they suffer an even worse fate than the grazing animals.
Tightly packed into cages, sheds, or pens, they cannot practice their normal
behaviors, such as rooting, grazing, and roosting. Laying hens are crowded
into cages that are so small that there is not enough room for all of the birds
to sit down at one time. An added insult is that they cannot escape the stench
of their own manure. Meat and eggs from these animals are lower in a number
of key vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids.
Environmental Degradation. When animals are raised
in feedlots or cages, they deposit large amounts of manure in a small amount
of space. The manure must be collected and transported away from the area,
an expensive proposition. To cut costs, it is dumped as close to the feedlot
as possible. As a result, the surrounding soil is overloaded with nutrients,
which can cause ground and water pollution. When animals are raised outdoors
on pasture, their manure is spread over a wide area of land, making it a welcome
source of organic fertilizer, not a “waste management problem.”
Read
more about the environmental differences between factory farming and grass-based
production.
The Healthiest Choice. When you choose to eat meat,
eggs, and dairy products from animals raised on pasture, you are improving
the welfare of the animals, helping to put an end to environmental degradation,
helping small-scale ranchers and farmers make a living from the land, helping
to sustain rural communities, and giving your family the healthiest possible
food. It’s a win-win-win-win situation.
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