For the compassionate carnivore, meat can pose a culinary challenge and is why many people are trying to eat less red meat due to health or environmental concerns. But there’s good news for your pallet and the planet. The solution is 100% grass-fed beef— and here’s why.
Healthy Dirt
100% grass-fed beef from US Wellness Meats is raised by implementing regenerative agriculture. These animal husbandry practices, and grazing techniques, restore and rebuild the soil and reduce negative climate impact. Growing 100%, grass-fed livestock builds soil health, improves the watershed, and reduces pollution.
Grass-fed cattle improve soil biodiversity and, in most cases, eliminate the carbon footprint of producing beef.
But simply because a label contains the phrase “grass-fed,” it does not mean that the cow was fed only grass, and the difference is genuine for you and the planet. That is why it’s essential to know your farmer’s practices and read meat labels carefully.
Almost all cattle begin life on milk and once weaned get at least some grass. Calves are customarily weaned after six to nine months. With conventionally raised beef, the livestock is transported in crowded trucks to feedlots for about 120 days. They are confined and fed high-calorie corn, grains, hormones and antibiotics to encourage weight gain. This process creates the “fat-marbled” beef that many consumers associate with a great steak but is the type of fat that can add to the risk of heart and many other diseases. By removing the cattle from the soil and grain finishing, the nutritional value of the meat is significantly reduced, and the benefits to the soil are eliminated.
US Wellness 100% grass-fed cattle spend their compassionately-tended lives on grass, eating fresh, lush pastures in wide-open sunshine. Since their feed is much healthier, they grow more slowly, as nature intended, and are processed between 18 to 24 months of age. Grass-fed cattle weigh less, and their meat contains far less unhealthy saturated fats and much higher values of nutrients and healthy fats.
See our farmers explaining rotational grazing and soil biodiversity.
Helping the Planet with Healthier Beef
Truly 100% grass-fed beef farming is rooted in regenerative agriculture.
Grass-fed livestock is a valuable resource for promoting soil health, and the longer you can raise cattle on pasture, the more soil they regenerate.
Producing cattle on vital, healthy land for their entire lives has numerous benefits, including restoring soil microbial diversity and increasing the land’s resistance to flooding and drought. Because the soil isn’t depleted, the beef’s nutrient content and flavor are also improved.
Grasses trap atmospheric carbon dioxide, and the grass-fed rotational feeding system can also help fight climate change. US Wellness Meats 100% Grass-fed cows have a smaller eco-footprint and are very effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Entirely grass-fed farms store enough carbon in their grasses to offset the methane emissions from raising cattle, often eliminating the farm’s total carbon footprint.
Responsible Farming Practices are Healthier
Many meat-loving consumers switch to grass-fed beef because cows are raised naturally and humanely, without added antibiotics and hormones. Managing cattle on pasture makes for happy cows that live as nature intended, ultimately producing a more nutritional product.
Grass-fed cattle hooves gently stir and aerate the soil, and their top grazing causes grass to draw more carbon into their roots. Since grass-fed cows have healthier guts, their perfectly pH balanced manure adds to healthy microbiomes in the soil.
Regenerative farming improves water quality and reduces toxic pesticides, lowering water pollution from runoff. Healthy soil also retains about 20 times its weight in water, avoiding unnecessary runoff and protecting our waterways.
Because of the lack of soil disturbance and the permanent cover of perennial rotational grazing, the pastures are higher in carbon, nitrogen, and organic matter than conventionally farmed fields. Grass-fed livestock grazing dramatically adds to the improvement of soil health.
Biology is the foundation of healthy farming for soil function. Over the decades, much of America’s farmland has degenerated due to destructive farming practices. But soil can recover, and the best way to support regenerative agriculture is by switching to 100% grass-fed meats. You can experience the deliciousness of your favorite steak or burger while helping our planet recover. Order your favorites from a large variety of meat and poultry products from US Wellness Meats today and take pleasure in the goodness you provide for your body and the planet.
Written by: Erin O’Brien
