Locally-raised, Grass Fed Beef
Monday, September 22nd, 2008Big things usually start small. The local food movement started small among those reacting against the industrialization of our food supply, and its impact our health, food quality, and the environment, but it is growing rapidly. The number of Community Supported Agriculture groups (CSAs) has grown dramatically, allowing consumers to buy a portion of the produce from local farmers, guaranteeing top quality in-season produce for themselves, and a better return for farmers.
The environmental benefits of local food have received a lot of attention, with people looking at “food miles” and the impact of food distribution on climate change. The difference in local food is not just where it is raised, but how it is raised, and the resulting quality of the product. Local food is often higher in quality than food passing through the national food distribution system, provided an added benefit, and probably the most important one to many consumers.
Beef in your grocery store is often transported across the country, and even if the price is high the quality might not match. The vast majority of beef in grocery stores today is raised on corn, and lots of it. In his book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma“, Michael Pollan describes how most cattle in the US are raised, completing their lives being fed vast quantities of corn in feedlot CAFOs, concentrated animal feeding operations with thousands of animals crowded together. The animals in feedlots are given hormones and antibiotics, encouraging the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria that contribute to human illness. Their meat is fatty, and probably loaded with the wrong kind of fats, those that lead to heart disease. Finally, the transport of the cattle and meat across the country and through the industrialized food system put an additional strain on the environment.
Locally produced grass fed meat is better for the environment and for our health, as reported by the Union of Concerned Scientists. Cows evolved to graze on grasses, not in crowded pens eating corns. Cows raised grazing on grass are healthier, with no need of constant antibiotic protection, and they are leaner. The beef from these cattle is also higher in the omega-3 fatty acids widely believed to protect against heart disease.