Why eat grass fed meats?
Grass fed beef, pork and lamb is becoming more popular as the public is starting to realize that conventional farming has become hazardous to the environment, to the consumers health and to the farmers health. Cattle feedlots have been in the news because of the stench created by the abundance of wet manure and the dangers caused by the runoff. Locally the tragedies of Walkerton and the outbreak of E.coli bacteria that sickened and even killed several residents, was linked to manure run off. The E.coli bacterium that causes the problem is actually a "new" variety of bacteria that was created specifically because of feed lots. Feed lot cattle are fed huge amounts of grains with only enough hay to keep their digestive system working. The problem is that cattle, sheep and goats are not meant to consume huge amounts of grain. That diet produces an acidified environment in their digestive system that is not natural. This acidified environment has produced the new and very dangerous bacteria that cause humans to become very sick when water or the environment becomes polluted. Another issue that is caused by the acidified digestive system is the cattle develop ulcers. Since their digestive systems of ruminants have developed over millions of years to be a more neutral environment, ulcers develop in the new acidified system. To keep the cattle from dyeing from infection, small amounts of antibiotics are continually added to the feed. These antibiotics can also pass through the cattle and pollute our streams and lakes.
Why do feed lots feed grain?
Simply put it is economics. Like everything else in our world now, time is money. Feeding large amounts of grain, speeds up the growth of livestock. Grain also "finishes" the animal. Finishing is fattening the animal which gives the meat its grade. So AAA beef has a much higher fat level than grade beef. The problem with this is that the fat is what gives red meat its bad reputation as far as health goes. The type of fat is also changed. Grain fed beef is high in OMEGA 6 fatty acid. North American diets are usually high in this type of fat causing an off balance between omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids. This off balance has been linked to many health issues including cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure and hardening arteries. These diseases are the ones that everyone is told about when people are eating red meats.
Grass fed is the difference.
Ruminants have been eating grass since long before humans started consuming them. The problem is grass fed animals is that they grow slower and have less fat finish. The good thing is they grow slower and have less finish. This sounds confusing but it is true. People want finishing because they feel it produces more tender beef. Grass fed beef is kept tender by processing younger animals, or allowing the animal to mature naturally. All animals will begin to finish when they mature. Grass fed animals can take up to 3 years to finish compared to 18 months for grain finished animals. The difference is in the fat. Grass fed animals have an almost perfect omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acid ratio. The meat is also more nutritious, being higher is both macro and micro nutrients. True grass fed red meat is actually a healthier protein then skinless chicken. Grass fed red meat is actually subscribed by some physicians as a treatment for high blood pressure and cardio vascular disease..
Environmentally ruminants eating grass produce manure that is broken down easier and is spread over a large pasture. The manure actually fertilizes the pasture creating a healthier environment. Studies have indicated that a healthy full pasture actually consumes more CO2 and produces more O2 than forested areas.
Lastly is the health of the farmer. Our farm is a family run farm. Our children spend much of their time helping. Feedlots produce huge amounts of water and air pollution. The ammonia and other deadly chemicals produced and used by intensive meat production are not things I want my children exposed to. Studies done on intensive farming operations show higher cancer rates, high infertility rates, higher respiratory problems, and many other health issues.
All this being true we have to consider the health of our animals. In cooperation with our veterinarian we work on improving our feed formulation to ensure our cattle are as healthy as possible. We constantly strive to increase feed value. However sometimes do to factors beyond our control our hay is deficient in nutrition or energy. During these times a very limited amount of grain may be necessary to keep the cattle in a healthy state. However there is a big difference between supplementing with grain and feed lotting, where cattle stand around being force fed grains.
Why do feed lots feed grain?
Simply put it is economics. Like everything else in our world now, time is money. Feeding large amounts of grain, speeds up the growth of livestock. Grain also "finishes" the animal. Finishing is fattening the animal which gives the meat its grade. So AAA beef has a much higher fat level than grade beef. The problem with this is that the fat is what gives red meat its bad reputation as far as health goes. The type of fat is also changed. Grain fed beef is high in OMEGA 6 fatty acid. North American diets are usually high in this type of fat causing an off balance between omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids. This off balance has been linked to many health issues including cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure and hardening arteries. These diseases are the ones that everyone is told about when people are eating red meats.
Grass fed is the difference.
Ruminants have been eating grass since long before humans started consuming them. The problem is grass fed animals is that they grow slower and have less fat finish. The good thing is they grow slower and have less finish. This sounds confusing but it is true. People want finishing because they feel it produces more tender beef. Grass fed beef is kept tender by processing younger animals, or allowing the animal to mature naturally. All animals will begin to finish when they mature. Grass fed animals can take up to 3 years to finish compared to 18 months for grain finished animals. The difference is in the fat. Grass fed animals have an almost perfect omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acid ratio. The meat is also more nutritious, being higher is both macro and micro nutrients. True grass fed red meat is actually a healthier protein then skinless chicken. Grass fed red meat is actually subscribed by some physicians as a treatment for high blood pressure and cardio vascular disease..
Environmentally ruminants eating grass produce manure that is broken down easier and is spread over a large pasture. The manure actually fertilizes the pasture creating a healthier environment. Studies have indicated that a healthy full pasture actually consumes more CO2 and produces more O2 than forested areas.
Lastly is the health of the farmer. Our farm is a family run farm. Our children spend much of their time helping. Feedlots produce huge amounts of water and air pollution. The ammonia and other deadly chemicals produced and used by intensive meat production are not things I want my children exposed to. Studies done on intensive farming operations show higher cancer rates, high infertility rates, higher respiratory problems, and many other health issues.
All this being true we have to consider the health of our animals. In cooperation with our veterinarian we work on improving our feed formulation to ensure our cattle are as healthy as possible. We constantly strive to increase feed value. However sometimes do to factors beyond our control our hay is deficient in nutrition or energy. During these times a very limited amount of grain may be necessary to keep the cattle in a healthy state. However there is a big difference between supplementing with grain and feed lotting, where cattle stand around being force fed grains.
Our Pork
Our pig are a mix of old world heritage breeds and commercial breeds. We find the old world heritage breeds bring a flavorful marbled meat and the commercial breeds bring a faster growth rate. Pastured pigs are happy to roam free on our pastures doing what pigs love to do.. and that is to root and wallow. It is our belief that happy pigs produce quality pork with a higher level of nutrition compared to factory raised hogs.
Our cattle
After many years of breeding cattle we always come back to the angus. They handle our Canadian winters with ease, their medium frame size helps with calving and their mothering instincts are second to none. Their remarkable ability to graze on gorgeous grass land and turn it into top quality beef that is nutrient dense and delicious is amazing. Angus cows are an old British breed that is known for its hardiness, fast growth and mothering ability. But the cows are only half the herd. It is imperative that we buy top quality bulls to give us the best genetics so that when we keep our future breeding cows we will be bettering our herd quality. Every year we keep a select few female calves to grow out for our breeding program. We select these calves based upon a list of traits that we would like to see carried into future generations of our beef herd. We buy our bulls from a top angus breeder who has been breeding angus cattle for many decades. His bulls are tested for many of the favorable traits that we are looking for in our herd.
Lamb
Lamb is produced in a similar fashion to cattle. Some grain is fed in small amounts to the ewes in winter to keep them in good condition. The reason for this is they have a very small digestive system compared to cattle. To keep them from getting too skinny in the winter small amounts of grain may be fed. If hay quality is good enough then grain is not fed. All sheep are pastured during the summer to produce our grass fed lamb. Lamb is a fattier meat, so grass finishing is perfect for lamb.