In order to achieve maximum weight gain in the shortest time possible with minimal cost, most factories resolve to an intensive cattle production method where thousands of cattle are confined in dirt feedlots and the main feeding diet is grain-based with hormones to contribute to faster growth rate. This method however raises a number of concerns including increased greenhouse gas emissions and unhealthy meat products. This has largely contributed to increased demand of products from grass-fed beef farms.
In farms where cattle are raised on grass, the animals are allowed to forage over a large land mass with well-maintained pasture. The effect is that animals are able to leave their life in the most natural manner. Eating grains as the main diet as opposed to grass completely alters the natural behavior of these animals. The process of gaining weight with grass as the main food is a challenge.
The most important benefit of pasture fed cattle is the nutritional value associated with the resulting beef. The commonly sighted nutrition benefits include less saturated fat and total fat in general, less calories and less cholesterol. Vitamin C and vitamin E content is also higher. The same can be said of beta-carotene, omega-3 fatty acid and many other health promoting fats.
In order to achieve maximum weight with grass, the farmers need skills that cut across scientific knowledge and acquired art. The target is to raise healthy grass for animal to graze on particularly in months preceding slaughtering time. In order to grow such high quality grass and legumes, there must be proper land management practices and healthy soils. This is in addition to skillful pasture management that targets to utilize pasture when at the optimal growth stage.
The issue of stress is also a major concern as it affects the final product that ends up on the table. Stress develops when several animals are confined in dirty feedlots where movement is restricted. The major factor that causes stress is the sudden change from normal diet of pasture to grains and other unnatural diet designed for faster weight gain.
The statistics on the other hands tends to support farms feeding cattle on grass. The studies put the highest percentages of discovered cases of E. Coli and Listeria bacteria at about 58% in feedlots meat products with only 2% found on meat from cattle raised in open pasture. Other common bacterial diseases that is likely to be found in feedlot cattle products is campylobacter. These are serious infections that have led to recalls making headlines on newspapers.
The other issue is environmental degradation that is common with factory way of fattening cattle. Other than increased greenhouse gas emission, this method is responsible to high level of manure concentration over a very small portion of land. This has effect of increasing nutrients to the extent that the surrounding land and water is polluted.
According to the standards of Animal Welfare Approved husbandry practices, cattle must be raised as humanely as possible with natural living habitat so as to obtain safer meat for the consumers. This is well observed in grass farms for cattle feeding.
In farms where cattle are raised on grass, the animals are allowed to forage over a large land mass with well-maintained pasture. The effect is that animals are able to leave their life in the most natural manner. Eating grains as the main diet as opposed to grass completely alters the natural behavior of these animals. The process of gaining weight with grass as the main food is a challenge.
The most important benefit of pasture fed cattle is the nutritional value associated with the resulting beef. The commonly sighted nutrition benefits include less saturated fat and total fat in general, less calories and less cholesterol. Vitamin C and vitamin E content is also higher. The same can be said of beta-carotene, omega-3 fatty acid and many other health promoting fats.
In order to achieve maximum weight with grass, the farmers need skills that cut across scientific knowledge and acquired art. The target is to raise healthy grass for animal to graze on particularly in months preceding slaughtering time. In order to grow such high quality grass and legumes, there must be proper land management practices and healthy soils. This is in addition to skillful pasture management that targets to utilize pasture when at the optimal growth stage.
The issue of stress is also a major concern as it affects the final product that ends up on the table. Stress develops when several animals are confined in dirty feedlots where movement is restricted. The major factor that causes stress is the sudden change from normal diet of pasture to grains and other unnatural diet designed for faster weight gain.
The statistics on the other hands tends to support farms feeding cattle on grass. The studies put the highest percentages of discovered cases of E. Coli and Listeria bacteria at about 58% in feedlots meat products with only 2% found on meat from cattle raised in open pasture. Other common bacterial diseases that is likely to be found in feedlot cattle products is campylobacter. These are serious infections that have led to recalls making headlines on newspapers.
The other issue is environmental degradation that is common with factory way of fattening cattle. Other than increased greenhouse gas emission, this method is responsible to high level of manure concentration over a very small portion of land. This has effect of increasing nutrients to the extent that the surrounding land and water is polluted.
According to the standards of Animal Welfare Approved husbandry practices, cattle must be raised as humanely as possible with natural living habitat so as to obtain safer meat for the consumers. This is well observed in grass farms for cattle feeding.
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