Grass fed beef
Cattle evolved as grass-eaters. They have a four-chambered stomach, and are able to digest the cellulose in plants with the help of special bacteria. Many cultures around the world developed relationships with cattle, where the animals eat plants that humans cannot digest, and humans use the milk, blood and/or meat as food or their dung and pulling power to improve crops. Only in the last few decades have cattle been fed on grain, as the feedlot system developed by agri-business to make cattle grow faster and provide a higher-fat, more tender meat, and as a market to consume more of the large grain companies’ product.
In response to health, animal welfare and ethical concerns about grain-fed beef, more and more farmers and consumers are returning to completely grass-fed cattle.
Studies are showing that beef from grass-fed animals has higher beta-carotene and beneficial fatty acid content. Keeping land in pasture instead of cultivating it for crops promotes biodiversity – peaceful co-existence between cattle, ranchers and many wild species – and pastured land is not subject to soil erosion from strong winds and heavy rains. Pastured land, much like natural grasslands, builds soils and sequesters tonnes of carbon in the intricate root system.