Grass Fed Beef:
Ten Tips for Choosing a Grass Fed Beef Supplier
by Dr. Patricia Whisnant
American Grass Fed Beef
Beef is an excellent source of high quality protein and is a nutritious addition to our diets when raised and processed properly. Grass farmers who are conscientious about their cattle production methods are your best source of healthy, grass fed beef for your family.
Here are a few tips for helping you choose a quality grass fed beef supplier:
1. Make sure your rancher raises grass fed beef so that you can take advantage of the health benefits associated with higher omega-3 fatty acids, CLA, lower saturated fats, lower cholesterol, and fewer calories.
2. The cattle should be grazing in an open, clean pasture and with no use of artificial supplements, grain or animal by-products (mad cow disease is transmitted via cows eating animal by-products).
3. Your grass farmer should be committed to using NO herbicides, NO pesticides, NO hormone implants, NO antibiotics.
4. Cattle must be moved directly from pasture to processor with no stop in a feedlot. The incidence of E.coli is dramatically reduced in cattle raised on forage and mad cow is not an issue with forage-raised beef.
5. Make sure your beef is processed in a plant that takes pride in processing each animal one at a time... not the big, high speed, factory assembly-line processing plants. This will contribute greatly to the purity of your beef.
6. Your beef should be processed in a USDA inspected facility whose HACCP protocol is of the highest standard. Also, this processor should use NO chemical baths, NO chlorine and NO irradiation for treating your beef... a common process in large assembly line operations.
7. Choose a grass farmer who adheres to high ethical standards in the humane treatment of livestock. Raising cattle as they were intended to be raised... on open pasture, not in confined pens full of mud and manure.
8. Your grass farmer should incorporate genetics, grazing management protocol, and low stress handling of the animals in concern for the high quality of the beef produced and the consistency of quality.
9. Your grass fed beef should be dry aged for tenderness and flavor enhancement. Grass fed beef needs dry aging for the full experience of gourmet beef.
10. Your grass farmer should be committed to a management protocol with the greatest of concern for the environmental integrity of the land. They should practice rotational grazing which naturally replaces the nutrients removed from the soil.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Reprinted from "American Grass Fed Beef Newsletter," a free ezine published by Dr. Patricia Whisnant. This ezine features health information, recipes and tips about grass fed beef. Click here to subscribe and enter a drawing for free grass fed beef.
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