Why Grass-Fed Beef?
Because it is a truly win-win-win proposition: good for the cow, good for the cattleman and good for the consumer. Let’s take them in reverse order:
The Consumer
The smart ones figured out a long time ago that grass-fed beef is far better for them. First, it doesn’t contain all those growth hormones, anti-biotics and animal by-products. It’s also lower in fat. Switching to grass-fed beef lowers your risk of a number of diseases, including high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer.
Grass-fed meat has two to four times more omega-3s— the so-called “good fat”. They’re an important building-block in every cell of your body. People with enough omega-3 are less likely to have heart problems. In fact, they’re 50% less likely to suffer heart attacks. They’re also less likely to suffer from depression, attention deficit disorder and Alzheimer’s disease.
In short, just from a health standpoint, grass-fed beef stacks up favorably against chicken, pork and fish.
The Cattleman
Feeding cattle is the industry’s biggest expense by far. Grass-fed cows feed themselves! Most Devons spend their lives never tasting grain. So check your budget and see what eliminating feeds bills does to improve your bottom line.
Grass-fed cows are great for the revenue side of your ledger, too. Today’s health-conscious consumers pay a premium for natural beef. It’s a growing market and grass farmers are having trouble keeping up with the demand. Prices keep going up!
And don’t even get us started on direct retail opportunities. It’s not uncommon for some of our members to double their income (or more) by taking their animals right through the final sale.
The Cow
They’re herbivores, of course. Sure they like grain— just as your kids like sugar. But it’s not good for them. Their stomachs aren’t built to process anything but grass. A lot of the drugs pumped into cows are just to overcome the affects of the grain they’re fed.
So cows do better doing what comes naturally. And Devon do better than most. They routinely breed back in six weeks— wean calves more than half their weight— and even “finish” on grass. Ever hear of British roast beef? Well, it’s Devon. Docility translates directly into tenderness.
Finally, and not to get too sentimental about it, have you ever asked a cow if it wants to spend the last months of its life in a feedlot? Enough said.