There has been a lot of discussion about Grass-fed versus Grain fed livestock. As a beef producer, I have witnessed first-hand the difference between the two. The two sides do have positive and negative qualities to extol and condemn. I am writing to tell you why OUR farm and OUR family chooses to raise and consume all-natural, grass-fed beef and why we only eat all-natural, grass-fed chicken and pork.
What is a cow? The immediate response of my 4 year old is a hairy, four-legged, animal with horns and hooves that can be any color except pink. They are depicted in Paleothic cave paintings. They are one of the first animals to be domesticated. Most importantly, the cow is probably the most efficient converter of the sun’s energy into protein that exists, which is why they have always been so valuable to man.
Cattle can produce milk continually. When the cow gets too old or the meat is needed, the animal produces more than 500 pounds of protein. So how do cattle convert the sun’s energy to protein? By eating a diet of grasses, legumes, and other vegetation, the animal grows larger over time. Cows have evolved to eat this sort of diet. Contrary to popular belief, the cow has 1 stomach which has 4 compartments; each designed to help breakdown vegetation and convert it into muscle mass. When the cow first eats, it chews the food just enough to swallow it. The unchewed food travels to the first two chambers, the rumen and the reticulum, where it is stored until later. Its rumens, the first chamber, can hold 50 gallons of chewed grasses!
When the cow is full from this eating process, she rests. Later, the cow coughs up bits of the unchewed food called cud and chews it completely this time before swallowing it again. The cud then goes to the third and fourth chambers, the omasum and abomasum, where it is fully digested. Some of this digested food enters the bloodstream and travels to a bag called the udder, where it is made into milk that will come out of her teats, while the rest goes towards the cow's nourishment
I bring this information to light because you have to understand how the cow eats before you tackle what it should eat. When the cow consumes what it is designed to eat, the animal is healthier—logically. Its body can perform the tasks it is designed to do. On a grass-fed diet the animals are higher in Omega-3 fatty acids, higher in vitamins, lower in fat and calories. It does not require antibiotics, because it rarely has cause to get sick with a healthy immune system. Without a synthetic growth hormone, it does not grow too fast, therefore not stressing joints and connective tissue. When you leave the animal to do what it was meant to do—eat & grow—they are healthy, happy, productive cows.
When you feed an animal grains, especially corn or anything else designed to make the animal fat, bad things start to happen. With corn and grains, the animal still eats until it is full. The problem starts in the rumens. The corn and grain begin to ferment in the rumens, causing an infection. I have heard feedlot cattle cough and hack when first introduced to this diet and it sounds awful. The logical next step is to feed the animal antibiotics to eliminate the infection, but as long as the animal eats a diet of corn and grains, it will continue to be sick and continue to need antibiotics. Its immune system is constantly compromised.
Another additive to a grain-fed cow’s diet usually includes a synthetic growth hormone to help them gain weight faster. This additive makes the cow grow faster than it is designed to, stressing the body further. The muscle mass is put on faster than it can adjust leading to weakend connective tissue and putting undue stress on the joints. So a feed-lot animal has horrible digestion issues and it hurts to move, which is good, I guess, if you want them to grow fat. This diet and lifestyle lead to a less nutritious animal. The animal spends its energy on getting healthy instead of being healthy.
Grass-fed animals rarely require antibiotics, because it rarely has cause to get sick with a healthy immune system, so the animal feels good. Without a synthetic growth hormone, it does not grow too fast, therefore not stressing joints and connective tissue. It can move and graze at its leisure.
I won’t get into the discussion of whether these antibiotics and hormones get into the proteins that humans then eat. I think you can decide that for yourself. But would you rather eat a healthy cow that has done what it was designed to do, or eat a sickly animal laced with antibiotics and growth hormones that stands in its own business because it hurts to move?
Regardless of whether you choose our Scotch Highland Beef or some other local producers, ask how the animal lives and what it eats. We respect the cow for what it is and what it can do. As Michael Pollan says, “You are what you eat eats.” Consider that the next time you choose your meat products.
We at the Sheppard Mansion & Sheppard Mansion Farms are happy to discuss this topic with you at our July 2nd BBQ at the Friday’s Farm Fresh Market from 10-12pm. Executive Chef Andy Little will be on hand to cook up some delicious local, all-natural, grass-fed offerings. Both Andy and myself will also be offering ideas on how to cook more unusual cuts and techniques…or even the old stand-bys—roasting, braising, even grilling. We hope to see you on July 2nd and I personally hope that you think a little more about where your meat comes from.
Heather Sheppard Lunn
Sheppard Mansion Farms
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