Why should I pay more for grass-fed beef?

We cut pork and beef out of our diet 20 months ago because of growth hormones and antibiotic use so for anyone who enjoys eating animal meat try to switch to "grass fed". Yes, it is more expensive, but if you cut back on the number of times a week you consume it, it will average out to the same cost as the feedlot meat. See below with emphasis on the last paragraph.

Why should I pay more for grass-fed beef? —Nathaniel T, Washington

For starters, corn-fed cows are on drugs, and not in the Summer of Love kind of way. Most cattle ranchers focus on getting their cows fat as quickly and cheaply as possible. That means stuffing them with growth-inducing synthetic hormones and corn-based feed instead of letting them roam and graze on grass as nature intended. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, these unnatural animal feeds can also contain: same species meat, diseased animals, feathers, hair, skin, hooves, blood, plastics, and manure or other animal waste. This grody (corn-based) diet wreaks havoc on cows’ stomachs, causing ulcers and acidosis. Just to keep cattle alive until slaughter, ranchers have to hop them up on daily doses of antibiotics, which you the consumer then ingest. With so many people exposed to antibiotics through feedlot meat, bacteria that infect humans can grow resistant to antibiotic treatments.

Genuinely pasture-raised, grass-fed beef comes from healthier, leaner, and more humanely treated animals. It’s higher in vitamin A, conjugated linoleic acid, and Omega-3 fatty acids, and lower in saturated fat and cholesterol. Your risk of getting E coli-induced food poisoning or mad cow disease from grass-fed beef is lower, and cows allowed free range naturally fertilize their pastures, creating healthy land that actually removes CO2 from the air.

Not all grass-fed products are created equal—the USDA doesn’t monitor antibiotics, hormones, confinement, husbandry, or welfare when it grants the right to use the words “grass fed.” Your shopping alternative? The American Grassfed Association (AGA) works with small-scale ranchers nationwide (find one near you: americangrassfed.org) who exceed USDA standards. AGA is now working with the Food Alliance to develop its own stringent, inspection-based, USDA-and-then-some label. In the meantime, Rebecca Spector, Center for Food Safety’s west coast director, suggests consumers look for packages labeled as both USDA organic and grass-fed, as an extra precaution.

http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/stories/food-facts-grass-fed-beef-and-oyster-safety

 

I'm vegetarian, but my family isn't, so I get our meats from Fields of Athenry. They own a farm on Snickersville Pike, and you can either visit the farm to pick up your meat, or order online and get either home delivery or pick up your order at a home in in Broadlands. Their website is;

http://www.fieldsofathenryfarm.com/

Their products are excellent, and you can visit the farm to see where your food is coming from

 

I like the idea of grass-fed but where can you buy it locally? Wegmans? Harris Teeter? Trader Joes? I have been to Fields of Athenry and they are very good but was curious about local supermarkets.

 

Wegmans has a lot. It's expensive but my wife insists.

Bear

 

Lothar's Sausages- he's a German butcher you can find at local farmer's markets- best beef and pork EVER. all grass fed, hormone/steroid free- locally butchered, fresh, nitrate free wonderfulness.

find him on facebook to see when he's at which market- we always see him in Purcellville on Sturdays or Centreville on Fridays, but he's in other places too!

 

Re: Why should I pay more for grass fed beef?

See my post about Hemp Meats for grass fed meat.

Foodie (Katie)

 

Yep and get the Costco organic Milk. You think antibiotics, growth hormones in cows don't get to us...Govt. says it's safe...Hmm Lots of Very Tall uber skinny kids walking around now, and wow, lots of "normal" antibiotics no longer work on us humans...Just sayin'...

 

I like the idea of hormone free meats but grass fed beef does not taste as good to me. It is too lean. I like grain fed beef better.

 

Need to be very careful it does not get over cooked. Cooking it to 'medium' is almost over doing it.

 

Has anyone tried Wilson's Meat Market in Catlett, VA? Curious how their meats are treated.