The grass-fed revolution

Until he saw the light, Jon Taggart--6 ft. 5 in., jeans, white cowboy hat, Texas twang--was a rancher like any other in the southern Great Plains. He crowded his cattle onto pasture sprayed with weed killers and fertilizers. When they were half grown, he shipped them in diesel-fueled trucks to huge feedlots. There they were stuffed with corn and soy--pesticide treated, of course--and implanted with synthetic hormones to make them grow faster. READ MORE

Heritage Beef

Some consumers, concerned about the hormones and antibiotics used in modern factory-farmed cattle--and worried that their burgers might turn them into vegetables--are turning to old-fashioned heritage beef. Taken from heirloom breeds of cattle--such as Galloway, Hereford, Devon and Highlander--that are grass-fed and raised on small family farms using traditional methods, the meat is free of hormones and chemical pesticides and tends to be healthier than cuts taken from corn-fed cattle. READ MORE

How Cows (Grass-Fed Only) Could Save the Planet

On a farm in coastal Maine, a barn is going up. Right now it's little more than a concrete slab and some wooden beams, but when it's finished, the barn will provide winter shelter for up to six cows and a few head of sheep. None of this would be remarkable if it weren't for the fact that the people building the barn are two of the most highly regarded organic-vegetable farmers in the country: Eliot Coleman wrote the bible of organic farming, The New Organic Grower, and Barbara Damrosch is the Washington Post's gardening columnist. READ MORE

Feedlots Vs. Pastures

What cows eat greatly determines
their environmental impact. A look at
two possible paths to your plate. READ MORE

Meat and Antibiotics: Getting Our Animals Off Drugs

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—gingerly, gingerly—took a step on Monday towards addressing one of the most fundamental but unknown threats to public health: the overuse of antibiotics in animal food and water. READ MORE

Food Renegrade

Grass-fed meats: Health benefits

According to a Mother Earth News story published last year, “Supermarket beef is an unnatural, industrial product. The good news is there are better and safer options.” Go read the full article for the low-down on precisely what I mean when I say industrialized cows are freaks of nature.

Okay, so if you shouldn’t eat industrialized meat, what should you do? READ MORE

Nu-Fit.net

GRASS-FED BEEF IS DELICIOUS & NUTRITIOUS

Many of my clients ask me what I eat. My food choices may sound boring to you, but I *LOVE* to eat, as well as what I eat!!

When you start with the highest quality ingredients, preparing them simply – and with respect -you will bring out their true flavor. READ MORE

The Amazing Benefits of Grass-fed Meat

I have been fascinated by the permanence and healing power of grassland for 15 years now. If we respect the great original wisdom of the prairies, I’m convinced we can heal the wounds inflicted on the American landscape by industrial agriculture.

But in America, the question is always does it scale up? This is the critical test of any potential solution to a major environmental problem. READ MORE

EATWILD

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.
READ MORE

John Robbins

What about grass-fed beef?

Feeding grain to cattle has got to be one of the dumbest ideas in the history of western civilization.

Cows, sheep, and other grazing animals are endowed with the ability to convert grasses, which those of us who possess only one stomach cannot digest, into food that we can digest. They can do this because they are ruminants, which is to say that they possess a rumen, a 45 or so gallon (in the case of cows) fermentation tank in which resident bacteria convert cellulose into protein and fats. READ MORE

MayoClinic.com

Grass-fed beef: What are the heart-health benefits?

Grass-fed beef comes from cows that eat only grass and other foraged foods, such as unprocessed grains. Usually, beef and dairy cows eat a diet of processed grain, such as corn. The difference in the diets of the cows is thought to change the nutrients and fats you get from eating the different types of beef. READ MORE

Organic Consumers Association

GRASS-FED BEEF MAY OFFER HEALTH BENEFITS

Grass-fed beef is healthier than grain-fed beef, and may even be healthier than chicken, says Jo Robinson, author of the book "Pasture Perfect."

Grass-fed beef is up to three times leaner than grain-fed beef, and can have up to 15 fewer calories per ounce than meat from a grain-fed cow. Grass-fed meat also provides more and more balanced omega-3s and omega-6 fatty acids, which help guard against a variety of ailments. READ MORE

The Daily Green

4 Reasons why grass-fed beef is better

Anyone who's seen Food Inc. or felt startled at the prospect of E. coli finding its way into your hamburger should care about the origins of your beef. READ MORE

Women's Health

Grass Is Greener: Buy Healthy Meat
Want steak without guilt? Eat grass-fed meat that's free of antibiotics

Environmentalists, E. coli sufferers, the Skinny Bitches--the list of beef haters grows longer every day. But let's face it: For a lot of people, biting into a thick, juicy steak ranks up there with make-up sex and cocktails on the company's dime as one of those priceless MasterCard moments. So what's a carnivore with a conscience to do? Instead of focusing on what you're eating, how about taking a look at what your prime rib had for lunch last week? READ MORE

OrganicGrassFedBeefInfo.com

What is Grass Fed Beef or Pasture Fed Beef?

Put simply, American grass fed beef is exactly that--beef animals that are fed grass or pasture raised. Most cattle in the United States are not grass fed beef, but are instead fed grain. There isn't much to the definition itself, but there are a lot of different aspects to grass fed beef, or pasture fed beef, to understand. To truly understand what grass fed beef is, you also have to comprehend how it is different from the vast majority of the beef that Americans eat. READ MORE

Fitness Spotlight

The Advantages of Grass Fed Beef and Dairy

Many people are always asking about what is the “big fuss” over “grass fed” when it comes to meat (beef), eggs and dairy. The big fuss is about choosing a better quality of meat that is more in line with what our bodies were designed to use. Little do many really know there is a big difference between a nice bison (grass fed) burger and a Big Mac. READ MORE

the Diet Channel

Going Grass-Fed: The Nutrition and Environmental Benefits of Grass-Fed Beef

Beef is back. Red meat, which has for so long been scorned by the health-conscious, is reinventing itself with a grass-fed vengeance. Traditional grain-fed cattle produces certain cuts of beef that are high in fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories. But an increase in the availability of grass-fed beef options yields a better nutrient profile and less environmental impact, proving that beef can be an environmentally and health-conscious component of your diet. READ MORE

Farm and Dairy

Grass-fed beef may have benefits for both consumers and the environment

Rotational grazing is making an impact, not just for the earth, but for consumers as well.

That was the message given by many in attendance at a pasture walk held in Lawrence County, Pa., May 20. READ MORE

Union of Concerned Scientists

Greener Pastures: how grass-fed beef and milk contribute to healthy eating

Americans love their beef and milk. With about 70 percent of the population consuming one or the other several times a week, the United States is the largest beef producer and one of the largest dairy producers in the world. But this love affair has serious consequences for the health of consumers, the environment, and the cattle themselves. READ MORE