The Benefits of 100% Grass-Fed Beef
What do we mean by “100% grass-fed” beef? At Houston County Farms, “100% grass-fed” means that our cattle have never been fed grain, nor are they given growth hormones, or antibiotics. They graze on chemical-free grass their entire lives—no pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers, just natural organic grass all year, supplemented with pesticide-free hay in the winter. Most beef is grain-finished, which means the cattle eat lots of corn, soy, and other grains during the months before they are slaughtered.
View more details about “grass feed” beef from the Beef Board
Health Benefits of 100% Grass-Fed Beef
Eating 100% grass-fed beef helps lower the risk of heart disease, and it has the following advantages over grain-finished beef:
- 10 times higher in beta carotene
- 5 times higher in CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), which has antioxidant properties
- Half the saturated fat content
- 4-6 times lower in overall fat
- 2-4 times higher in omega-3 fatty acids and a healthier ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s
- 4 times higher Vitamin E
- Higher in Vitamin C
- Higher in B vitamins thiamin and riboflavin
- Higher in calcium, magnesium and potassium
- Virtually no risk of E coli
- No antibiotics, hormones or steroids used
- No by-product feedstuffs used
Environmental Benefits of 100% Grass-Fed Beef
- Feedlot cattle stand in manure lagoons with nitrogen and phosphorus levels that contain heavy metals and hormone residues that create toxic waste.
- Certified naturally grown, 100% grass-fed cattle are raised on pastures that are naturally fertilized (no chemicals) and fed all natural hay as supplements in the winter.
- By not shipping cattle to feed lots, we lower transportation costs and fossil fuel use.
- Grass in pastures absorbs more methane in a day than a cow can produce in a year.
Moral Reasons to Buy 100% Grass-Fed Beef
- Cows are by nature designed to eat grass, but industrial feedlots, which supply most supermarket meat, force them to eat grain to fatten and “marble” the meat.
- Corn fed beef is part of the industrial food chain powered by fossil fuels (petroleum)
and defended by the U.S. military. - Factory farms may use (non-ruminant) animal protein for feed.
- Because feedlot cattle are fed an un-natural diet of grain, they are sick to one degree or another and require antibiotics just to stay alive.
- Our 100% grass-fed cattle are treated humanely their entire lives up to slaughter.
Why Buy Local 100% Grass-Fed Beef
- Purchasing local, 100% grass-fed beef supports local East Texas farmers.
- Purchasing local food lays the groundwork for new social, economic, and ecological relationships.
- Purchasing local, 100% grass-fed beef supports an agricultural landscape that protects grasslands and watersheds.
- Locally-raised 100% grass-fed beef is based on free solar energy and no chemical use.
- Buying local allows you to understand your connection to the food chain and see exactly where your food comes from.
What is Local?
For many environmentally-sensitive eaters, purchasing local produce and meat means purchasing within a 200-mile radius of home. Houston County Farms is 170 miles from Austin, 140 miles from Dallas, and 115 miles from Houston. You can be sure that you are getting a local, Texas-grown product of the highest quality. Furthermore, you can even come by to see where your cow is grazing and track it with our GPS ear tags. From a cost perspective, buying a whole, side, or quarter of beef means fewer shopping trips and lower fuel consumption.
“… eating a grass-fed burger when you can picture the green pastures in which the animal grazed is a pleasure of another order, not a simple one, to be sure, but one based on knowledge rather than ignorance and gratitude rather than indifference.”
— Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food
