Grass-Fed
Basics
Printer-Friendly
Version
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.
© 2007 by Jo Robinson
Explore these topics in greater detail. Read Pasture
Perfect by Jo Robinson and continue to explore the wealth
of science-based information on Eatwild.com. To find a local
supplier of healthy, grass-fed products, visit http://www.eatwild.com/products/index.html
|
Pasture Perfect
by Jo Robinson
.
|