FAQ
Q. What is grass fed beef?
Grass fed beef comes from animals that have been fed a forage (grass) based diet for most or all of their lives. The grass is often supplemented by hay or silage in the winter months or times of slow grass growth. The meat is leaner and contains higher amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids. The animals enjoy a natural diet in open space. Producing grass fed beef is better for the environment, people, and the animals than with conventional grain fed beef.
Q. How is grass fed beef different from grain fed beef?
It is important to understand that grass fed differs from the traditional grain finished beef found in the store. Grass fed animals have been finished on a forage diet – primarily grass and sometimes supplemented with hay or silage in the non-growing season. Grain finished animals are fed large quantities of grain products and are often housed in confinement or feedlots. Some producers advertise that their animals are fed “natural grains”. Grain is still grain and not grass! Consuming large amounts of grain will make them grow and put on fat, but it can be harmful to the cattle. It is not a natural diet for them. The environmental factors are also of concern. When managed properly, an animal grazing in a field will help the environment while a feedlot may create a myriad of environmental problems.
Grass fed animals are not as fat compared to grain finished beef cattle. This is great for the consumer from a health standpoint, but less fat also means less tenderness. Therefore, grass fed beef will need to hang (age) longer. It has a slightly different (but good) flavor and should be prepared in a way to maximize tenderness. Grass fed beef is also juicier. When you empty the fry pan, you will see water, not grease. Once you’ve eaten properly prepared grass fed beef, you may have trouble going back to the traditional fatty kind.
Q. What is Holistic Management?
Holistic Management is a decision-making framework based on a single comprehensive goal. It may be used in any aspect of life or business. The process is especially helpful when dealing with the complexities of the environment. Creating a “holisticgoal” helps keep social, economic, and environmental balance.
It involves planning, testing decisions, monitoring results, and re-planning as needed. The decision to produce grass fed beef came from this process.
Q. How does holistic grazing differ from conventional grazing?
Holistic planned grazing takes into account many complex variables such as grass growth rate, plant recovery time, natural cycles, human factors, and life stage of the animals. The animals are moved to new grass often – usually every day or two – and therefore maintain a high level of nutrition throughout the growing season. A large number of animals graze on a small pasture for a short time before moving to the next pasture eating the forage uniformly and naturally fertilizing the ground. They do not return until the plants have had a chance to recover. The results are more healthy plants and animals, better nutrition, greater production, and improved ecosystem processes, more biological activity in the soil.
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