Scientific evidence show grass-fed beef is healthy for you.
With the increase in cancers, chronic diseases, and inflammatory issues in the United States, many generalize “red meat” as unhealthy. As sustainable farmers, we are tired of “grass-fed” beef, and “feed-lot” beef discussed as being in the same category, so we want to clarify this for consumers. Grass-fed beef is healthy for you and should be an essential part of your diet.
As sustainable and regenerative farmers, we focus on growing food that is both good for the planet and the consumer. Check out our video on how Eremos Farm is making food better for you, the earth, and the animals.
Beef is tagged unhealthy- but that's feedlot beef. Grass-fed beef has many healthy characteristics that give people the healthy protein they need, plus so much more.
In addition, consumers can verify that their beef is ethically raised on our farm. Just check out this video of our recent pasture rotation, where cows joyfully move from one paddock to another. Our animals are given the best every day of their lives. They are given high-quality minerals, and tall, mature grass is offered daily. They can enjoy a salad bar of greens at their disposal. Their stress level is minimized by gentle handling and dependable schedules in a peaceful environment.
As a consumer, I need more data to back up the facts. Here are some notes from the article by Dr. Allen Williams and his staff @UnderstandingAg on the healthy benefits of grass-fed beef. The study information came from research by Dr. Stephan Van Vlient, Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences, Utah State University, and the Bionutrient Food Association.
Here are SOME of the study findings:
Grass-fed beef is up to 7 times higher in Omega three fatty acids. Omega three fatty acids are anti-inflammatory that help decrease inflammation in your body. Most feedlot beef is higher in Omega 6 fatty acids which are inflammatory to our body, much like vegetable and hydrogenated oils.
Grass-fed animals had lower levels of homocysteine, triglycerides, and advanced glycation end products- All of which are associated with improved cardiovascular health for the animal and humans.
If the animals take in phytonutrients by a variety in their diet, those benefits will be a part of their meat and passed onto the consumer.
Grass-finishing animals concentrate significantly higher amounts of phytochemicals, including polyphenols, tocopherols, and carotenoids (Beef Nutrient Density Project Report, Dec 2021).
Phytochemicals are naturally occurring bioactive compounds derived from plants with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in animals and humans. Phytochemicals have a role in the prevention and management of many chronic diseases.
Ruminants have access to nutrients that we do not have access to by plants that they eat. We cannot eat those nutrients because we cannot digest them. We can benefit by eating an animal that has been given access to a variety of nutrients in healthy grasses and forage.
Grain Finishing Negative effects
Grain finishing negatively affects glucose metabolism, and grass finishing improves mitochondrial/energy metabolism.
The muscle of grain-fed animals exhibits early signs of metabolic health issues.
The ratio of inflammatory Omega 6 Fatty acids verses Omega 3 fatty acids ranges between 35:1 to 55:1 in grain-finished beef when grass-finished beef ratios are 3:1.
Conventional grain finished beef has higher calories, lower protein, higher saturated fats, and lower essential vitamins and minerals than grass-finished beef.
If you want to check out the full Understanding Ag article on the Nutritional comparisons between Grass-fed beef versus traditional grain-fed beef, you can read it here! See the interview with Dr. Stephan Van Vliet about the nutritional aspects of healthy beef.
The bottom line is that grass-fed beef is shown to be healthy. We can sell you healthy, 100% grass-fed beef. You will be able to sleep at night knowing that you are not only doing your part to eat clean meat but also helping restore the environment.
Start the process here if you want to get on the waitlist for a half or whole cow. Get on track to eating your healthiest yet!
How to save $25,000/year with 6 horses
If you are managing a string of horses and find yourself spending too much time cleaning stalls and spending all your money feeding your horses, check out this blog post and video. We challenge the status quo and invite you to think differently about managing your horses. Your pocketbook will thank you, and your horses and the land will thank you.
As I was creating pastures yesterday, my mind continually thought about everything we are doing and how I can get the word out to others. I love to save people money and tell them about things that work. Adaptive grazing principles work with horses. You, your horses, and your pocketbook will benefit.
Today I want to tell you how I am currently saving $2000/month by NOT feeding hay and NOT cleaning stalls. The process is incredibly simple, and it also makes your pastures healthier. Our farm is not fancy. It is an old Angus cow farm from the 18th century. Many buildings are hanging on by a thread, and the infrastructure is very much in need of repair. We are very aware, and we are working on it! The money that we save through adaptive grazing allows us to spend money on what matters. Right now, the most important thing is that our animals and our pastures are thriving. I am so proud every time I go out and look around. Everything is glowing.
As a successful business owner in the property management space, I want to apply business principles to farming. If we can’t focus on decreasing excessive farm expenses to make farms more affordable, the next generation will never want to attempt this industry. What’s worse is how we house horses has been shown to cause significant harm via increased stress indicators. . You can check that information out in my other blog article discussing the latest Kentucky Equine Research on stress indicators in stalled horses. Their research is challenging the status quo.
Today I am discussing saving money with horses. As I created a new pasture space for them, I calculated how much hay we do not have to feed them and how much shavings we do not have to purchase. (When we feed hay at shows, we only feed hay purchased from Nicole@ SweetGrassFarms.)
Today, I made this video going over a new pasture space, and it only took about 45 minutes. I have six horses and created their living and eating space in 45 minutes. Let that sink in for a second. If you have cleaned stalls before, the average stall takes about 15 minutes, including filling water buckets, taking horses out to pasture after or bringing them in, replacing shavings, and sweeping up after. Folks, you are MOVING if it only takes 15 minutes/horse. That would mean cleaning stalls for six horses takes an average of 1.5 hours. Some barns take much more time, so the savings could continue to increase if the barn work is more tedious.
Here’s what I do NOT have to do/pay for by creating a new pasture space:
Clean stalls- Savings of paying barn help and an additional 1-hour day, 7 hours a week, or 365 hours/year. At $12/hour, that’s a $4380/year savings.
Shavings- $200/month or $2400/year in savings.
Barn utilities- Savings of at least $100/month or $1200/year.
Hay- Savings of $60/day for my situation- $1800/month or $21,600/year in savings.
That’s a total of $29,580 saved with 6 horses.
I have a large run-in barn where the horses can always go. I let the animal decide what it wants. It’s amazing what happens when you do that. Each of my pastures is connected to the run in the shelter so they can decide when they want to get shelter.
So how do you save over $25,000 a year if you have six horses?
For any of this to work, you have to think differently. You have to step away from current industry norms. The horse industry seems to be a big competition on who can create the most prominent and prettiest barn. It is just a little ridiculous when you think about it because none of it focuses on the benefit to the horse. It is all who can create the best aesthetics. Horses were meant to graze continuously in their herd. They wouldn’t run to the prettiest build barn if they had a choice. I want to encourage horse and land owners to use horses (and other herbivores) to work their land for them. Think about what spaces are not currently fenced in and wonder if they could put their horses there instead of turning on their mower. This is how you get healthy soil and don’t have to supplement it with hay. Think about heavily wooded areas that could be thinned to create more pasture space. You win by looking around and being creative with what you have. You may have too many horses that your land can handle. Leasing land may be a good option. Just drive down the road and contact landowners whose land looks forgotten. I bet they would be grateful if animals started grazing it. The ideas are endless.
If you want a jump start on adaptive grazing with your horses, sign up for our adaptive grazing mini course on our website. You can connect with us by clicking this link if you need more help.
The money you save could be used for things that matter. I’d love to hear your comments on what good things you can spend money on instead of things that may not matter.