What does Grass Fed or Grass Finished mean?

“Grass-Fed” is a term used frequently in the marketing of meat, but what does it mean exactly? In short, not much. All cattle are grass-fed for the first part of their lives. Cows are ruminants (as are sheep and goats), which is to say that they have a four-chambered stomach specifically designed to digest grass and grass and nothing but the grass.
So if not grass-fed, then what? Well, we like to use the term grass-finished, because, for us, that means the animal ate grass and was pasture-raised from the time it was weaned to the time it was harvested, with no grain-fed ever. There are some downsides, of course. Grass-fed and finished animals take longer to get to harvest weight, but the flavor is unequivocal and the health benefits are many.

Grassfed beef has 500% more Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) than grained beef. CLA is an essential fatty acid that, in animal studies, has shown to be:

  • Anti-carcinogenic: Studies have shown it not only reduces the likelihood of cancer, but it actually suppresses the growth of cancer cells.
  • Anti-diabetic
  • Anti-atherosclerosis (heart disease)
  • Increases immunity to disease
  • Increases bone density

Compared to grain-fed beef, grass-fed beef has:

  • 400% more Vitamin A
  • 300% more Vitamin E
  • 78% more Beta-carotene
  • 75% more Omega-3

Ultimately, you have to have trust in your rancher to believe their labels. How better to gain that trust than to meet your rancher and see where your food comes from? Come out for a tour and we’ll show you!