There is no doubt that grass-fed beef is trendy. And there are many reasons why grass-fed beef is beneficial as compared to grain-fed beef.
But I want to be clear that the benefits are not all one sided. For example, feeding grain can mitigate drought conditions, allow more beef to be produced on fewer acres, and significantly reduce the time to harvest. In other words, feeding beef cattle grain allows more beef for more people for less cost. That sounds pretty good. I certainly want more people to have access to plenty of beef. And I also want agricultural pursuits, particularly raising beef cattle, to be profitable. I want more people directly involved in farming and ranching. I think it’s good for families and therefore good for society.
So, if all that is true, what is so cool about grass-fed beef?
I would like to approach this question from three fronts: the environment, the cattle, and the people.
Grass-fed beef is good for the environment.
The ground and the air. Including water and vegetation. This is primarily what I mean by the environment. It’s crucial for people to live and flourish.
Imagine a green, luxurious, well drained pastures with shade trees, wildlife, and cattle grazing.
That’s the goal of most grass-fed beef producers. That’s our goal. In my mind, cattle and pasture management go hand in hand in three primary ways.
- Soil health.
Manure and urine as natural fertilizer and microorganisms in the soil. Carbon sequestering. Eating the grass (as is natural). Turning the soil and putting stuff in the ground as they graze and walk. All this works together with the sun to produce healthy natural grasses which means healthy root systems.
- Erosion control.
Healthy root systems hold the soil in place. Even heavy rains won’t cause the ground to wash away.
- Water quality downstream.
Because the grazing cattle provide the fertilizer themselves and help create healthy soil that doesn’t erode, artificial fertilizers and pesticides aren’t needed or used. So they can’t get into water supplies, streams, rivers, or oceans, which is a big issue for the industrial beef industry. And it isn’t just feedlots that have this battle to face, but also the grain producers that supply the feed those cattle eat. A 100% grass-fed operation just isn’t involved in all that.
Now, my job here isn’t to defend industrial beef producers or industrial agriculture as a whole. But I want to. Like I said before, more beef for more people at less cost is a good thing. I’m for it. And while the grain-fed cattle business has many conservation issues to deal with, I believe that they are dealing with them the best they can. I’m for more people eating more beef more often.
Grass-fed beef is good for the cattle.
Cattle are on the earth for a reason. Beef for people to eat…
And natural pasture management. Buffalo used to do this before people killed them nearly into extinction for robes and sport and profit and westward expansion.
So cattle are a natural resource (at least in my mind) and should be treated with respect. And care. And honor.
Grass-fed cattle aren’t forced to live in a way that requires prescriptive antibiotics, because they rarely get sick, because they live and graze the way they are supposed to. And they eat what they are supposed to as well.
Grass-fed beef is good for the people.
All the way around. Healthy food. Great protein. Good balance of omega 3 fatty acids vs omega 6 (as compared to grain-fed beef, as you can read more about all over the internet, like here.) Good for the environment… and the scenery.
That’s all true. And matters. And would probably matter more if all the other parts of our lives were completely dialed in. Like if the rest of our diet was perfect, we exercised the right amount, at the right time, and in the right ways, we didn’t have bad stress, got the right amount of sleep, and our relationships were all humming along the way we wished they were. That’s not me. And I doubt it’s you, either.
It’s also true that some people enjoy knowing where their food comes from, how it was produced, and who all was involved in the process. That the food they eat comes from natural processes that build up rather than tear down. That the people involved are ethical and real. Those people know there is a story to be told and they want to be a part of it. I know I do. And if I could buy everything I need or my family needs through that grid, I would. And even though I can’t, I do when I can. Grass-fed beef is one thing we can buy like that.
Those are all good reasons why grass-fed beef is cool.
But perhaps more importantly than all that is what grass-fed can mean for family.
For my family, that means family dinner. Relationships. Conversations. Stability. Memories. Dreams shared. Laughter. Encouragement. Plans. Vocabulary. Tales from the journey so far and hope for what lies ahead… and the certainty that no matter what, at the end of the day, whatever comes, good or bad, knowing that we’re not alone, but that there are those who know us and love us and put up with us, even when we’re a mess. Even when we’re annoying. Even when we’re selfish. No matter what, there is a spot at the table for us.
And while we don’t do it perfectly, having a freezer full of beef represents a step towards intentionality in what matters most.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (ESV) Genesis 1:27-28
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. (ESV) Psalms 8:3-8
Note: Virtually all beef cattle produced in the US are grass-fed for at least part of it’s life after they’re weaned from their mother’s milk. Some grain-fed beef cattle graze right up until processing and grain fed only as a supplement. Some grain-fed spend that last part of their lives in a feedlot and fed only grain until they are ready for processing. So it’s fair to say that all beef produced in the US is grass-fed. What is generally understood by grass-fed, and what I mean by that, is cattle that only ever eat grass, even if in the form of baled hay. No grain, ever.
*Photo by RDNE Stock from Pexels