If you have yet to give a good evaluation of the way you utilize your resources to source nourishment for your home, then I hope this article will fill in some gaps by awakening your curiosity about the beef you buy and why it matters.

You are what you eat, right? Maybe a more accurate statement is: You are what what you eat eats. That just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?

Grass-Fed Controversy

It's no secret that there is a lot of debate these days on what quality of beef (or any meat in general) is best. People tend to have different standards that make up these opinions, and they're not all based on a full picture of how a steak makes it's way to our grill.

Not all farms function the same way, because all are unique. Individuality is not the only reason farmers differ, though. There are a number of reasons a farmer operates their farm/ranch a particular way and there are so many factors that effect the decisions they make.

Climate, weather, nature, and natural resources all play vital roles in the ways ranchers farm their animals. Many ranchers have inherited their farms from previous generations and while the world around them has changed drastically. Commercial beef requires huge numbers of cattle to get by financially to feed the masses instead of what was once direct communities supporting their local farmers.

With commercial farming in mass numbers comes the need to make it as efficient and cost-effective as possible. This inevitably means many steers lucky enough to be raised on pasture are too soon shipped off to a feed lot to see no more days of grass for the remainder of their lives. They are crammed into mud and muck and fed conventional grain, with the sole purpose of this to rapidly gain fat on an animal and give the beef a more robust flavor. Usually this grain is corn, and if you know anything about corn in the USA, this is bad news to you.

Corn in the USA 🎵

Did you just sing that, like I did? Springsteen would be proud. Once upon a time, there was a new and thriving country that grew many crops, like corn. It was organic, due to the fact that pesticides didn't exist yet, and GMO's were not a thing. Fast-forward to today and we have extremely different circumstances.

In 2022, GMO corn made up an estimated 93% of the corn planted in the U.S., occupying more than 86 million acres...
Field corn is the most commonly grown kind of corn, making up about 99% of the corn grown in the United States...
The vast majority of field corn isn't used to feed people. Instead, it is used for livestock feed or converted to ethanol for cars.
Source: Non-GMO Project

Why does this matter, who cares if the cattle that provides my beef is near-guaranteed to be fed GMO corn? In order to answer this question, you need to understand what the implications are of this GMO crop.

GMO Traits

The most common traits engineered into genetically modified corn are herbicide tolerance and insect resistance. Herbicide-tolerant (HT) corn is immune to weedkillers such as glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. Farmers who grow HT corn can spray Roundup directly on their crops without harming the corn. HT crops have led to a 15-fold increase in herbicide use and contributed to the rise of herbicide-resistant weeds.
Corn that is modified for insect resistance is known as "Bt corn," after the toxin Bacillus thuringiensis. Bt corn produces insecticide in every cell in the corn plant, poisoning insect pests that eat the corn. Because the insecticide is inside the cells, it can’t be washed away.
More than 87% of corn grown in North America is genetically modified “stacked” trait varieties that carry both HT and Bt traits.
Source: Non-GMO Project

Read that, again. Most beef cattle are finished on grain in feedlots, being loaded with a diet that for one is *not* their natural one (cows eat grass). The feed they are fed is almost certain to be primarily GMO-corn that has been sprayed to high-heavens with a known carcinogen (glysophate) and includes resistance that kills insects that ingest the corn...this is painfully obviously not good.

The Problem with Grass-Fed

Unfortunately, this issue with feed-lot finished beef isn't as simple as 100% grass-fed and finished beef. It's not easy to obtain the tenderness and flavor that we have grown accustomed to when a cow is fed grass only. This results in disappointing cuts of steaks that are tough and tend to have a slight gamey taste in flavor.

Plenty of people eat grass-fed beef without letting this bother them (we happen to be some of those people). I would argue, though, that most people would much rather turn a blind eye to the truth of where their beef is sourced than chew a tough New York Steak.

Grass-fed beef is difficult to get right, and practices like dry-aging make a big impact on flavor. It's also not as easy to source as we are used to grocery store shopping and rely on it's convenience. Laws allow for grocery stores to sell "grass-fed" beef that only has to be raised on pasture for a percentage of their life, and therefore could be grain-finished (likely with GMO corn) without your knowledge. It is this type of example that drives the need to "know your farmer."

Grass-fed meets the standards that nourished minded folks are seeking, but it suffers for want in terms of flavor and tenderness.

Breeds Make a Difference

Anyone who has tasted the difference between a glass of milk from a Jersey cow (the kind we provide our members with) and a glass of milk from a Holstein cow (the majority kind you'll find in the store) knows that breed makes a big difference in taste of product. This is why Wagyu beef has become such a popular option. Wagyu's superior in flavor and marbling and tastes fantastic when you put it next to another breed's meat. If you know, you know.

It also drastically does change the flavor and fat content of meat to grain-finish, which is a huge reason why feed lot set ups exist for beef cattle. It makes sense from that standpoint, it's just not ethical (or healthy for them or us, if you're asking our opinion).

So many ranchers have inherited farms from previous generations, and they are set in there ways satisfied with "just getting by" barely making ends meet and stubbornly set in their ways. Some of these ranches simply don't have the infrastructure to convert their current process to a more sustainable and regenerative way. Then there are some who simply care deeply about this topic and have set out to pave the way for their cattle, their communities, and the next rancher down the road.

A Better Way to Beef

Valley View Meat Company is one example of a a multi-generation rancher, Mark, who has taken the road less travelled to pursue what is good and right in the meat industry. Through his careful care and consideration, he has found a way to produce some of the best beef we've ever tried, without compromising the wellness of his cattle or his customers.

By keeping his cattle on pasture 100% of their lives and grazing them on specific grasses over the course of their days, Mark provides these animals with the life they deserve. This, in turn, provides us as the consumers with the nourishment we need. There is much to be said about the nutrients found in grass-fed beef versus it's competition, but that's for another day.

In addition to keeping his cattle on pasture consuming grass like nature perfectly intended, he has found that crossing Wagyu with Angus breeds produces an affordable and incredible flavor of meat. He also crosses Angus cattle with Braunvieh cattle to produce larger final weights.

Finally, he has learned that supplementing with grain does indeed make a positive difference, but that difference doesn't have to be made on the feed lot. Instead, keeping his cattle on pasture, he supplements using organic grains to finish off his cattle to produce the results most people are really looking for. Why is organic significant in this scenario? Organic products cannot contain GMO's! This is a huge deal with what we've learned above about the downsides to the majority of grain-finished beef.

After over a decade of nothing but grass-fed beef in our home, we are here to sing the praises of Valley View Meat Company and we sure are grateful to have connected with them as a source for folks in Houston, too.

Beef, It Matters

There's a lot more I could say about this. I could share the details (although fortunately for you not the stench) of the feed lots all up and down the 5 freeway in California and throughout places like Arizona that I've witnessed firsthand. I won't get into the fact that dairies function like this all over the country. I could get very negative, very fast on this topic. I could bring up the drastic rates at which farmers and ranchers are selling out every single day in our country because they just can't afford their way of life anymore, and don't know how to change it.

There are dozens of reasons why where you spend your dollars on your meat matters. I desire for people to know their farmer, know where their food comes from, and to support local. I dream of a day when this becomes the majority and not the minority. Where people truly know where their food comes from, and most of them raise some themselves. There would be a lot more understanding and appreciation for farmers if more people even attempted to simply homestead with farm animals.

I'll leave you with this...consider for your own household why this matters. If it's something you align with us with, then consider partnering with us to support our local farmers like Whitehurs Farm who we partner with each month to provide our members with their cuts of beef, pork, chicken, and so much more.

If you're interested in getting in on a beef buy for a whole, half, or quarter share, we are currently accepting deposits for a limited number of shares through Wednesday, July 17th. We'd love to support your family's wellness with this nourishing meat. Click here for full details, open to members and non-members alike.

If you're not already a member, click here to learn how to join us for local raw milk and so much more.

 

I hope this has helped you be just a little bit more empowered in the way you choose to feed yourself and/or your family. Feel free to drop any comments or questions you have in the comments, or shoot us an email at hello@nourishedmarket.com