The Value of Raising Your Family's Protein Needs on Grass

*All the information given here was taken from Jo Robinson's book, "Why Grassfed is Best!", published by Vashon Island Press. We hope to update this page periodically with additional information from her book and from other sources. Please stay tuned!

The beef you buy in the grocery store typically spent about six to eighteen months on pasture, with grain supplements, until being sent to a feed lot to be fattened for market. They are crowded into large feedlots and fed an unnatural diet of grains. Since grain can be expensive, the ration may also include ground up flesh, hooves, feathers and bones of other animals, chicken or cattle manure, stale pastry and ground cardboard. To make the animal grow faster, they are also dosed with synthetic hormones and antibiotics. A full 95% of feedlot cattle are being treated with growth-promoting hormones. The end result is lots of inexpensive, marbled beef.

There are several hidden costs to this type of management. The cattle are prone to all kinds of illness from this diet. To prevent death from the artificial diet they are fed even more antibiotics and medications. We have seen an increase in the amount of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in humans because of the feedlot use in the livestock industry. The use of synthetic hormones may be related to our risk of cancer and other disorders. The grain fed to cattle is treated liberally with pesticides, which find their way into our food supply.

Contrast this with grass fed animals. Our cattle is fed grass or hay alone. We feed no grain, we do not use pesticides, synthetic hormones or any unnecessary immunizations. We don't overcrowd the cattle because the grass must be managed carefully in order to insure sufficient pasture for all. We avoid the disease cycle by keeping clean pasture, a natural diet and responsible management.

Last revised: January 26, 2002