Grass-Fed vs. Grain-Fed Beef

Was the paper published in a peer-reviewed journal? (4.00 / 2)

Did they take into consideration the CO2 involved in growing the corn versus growing grass? Corn requires a lot of nitrogen fertilizer made from the Haber process--how much fertilizer, planting, and tilling does corn versus grass need? Also, steers that consume corn require more antibiotics. Do they take into consideration the energy required to manufacture and administer the antibiotics?

Am skeptical and will wait for more data. In any case, I try to eat more chicken and seafood than red meat for health reasons. We do a lot of stir-frying which is a technique that uses less meat and uses the meat to flavor the high proportion of vegetables in the dish.

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by: cybercitizen @ Fri Jan 29, 2010 at 05:29:49 AM UTC

Also, I've read in the past that the meat in a grass-fed steer has (4.00 / 2)

a healthier lipid profile than that of grain-fed steer.
So you also need to take into consideration the need for the humans who get more sick eating grain-fed cow and then requiring expensive statin medication.

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by: cybercitizen @ Fri Jan 29, 2010 at 05:35:40 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

funding (4.00 / 2)

Apart from the vegetarianism plug, perhaps you missed the second-most salient part of the article:

funded by Meat and Livestock Australia

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by: count @ Fri Jan 29, 2010 at 05:50:51 AM UTC

crap (4.00 / 2)

I updated the diary. Thanks for the find. Why didn't the person who emailed this to me find that one? Dang it! Serves me right for just skimming and trusting that the person who emailed it was right.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

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by: Jill Richardson @ Fri Jan 29, 2010 at 06:53:55 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

problems with the original article (4.00 / 3)

Many good questions about problems with the original article are raised in the comments there.

Advertisement in form of a short movie is an infomercial, right? What's a good word for corporate brainwashing made to look like science?

It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society. J. Krishnamurti, author, speaker, and philosopher (1895 -1986)  

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by: leon @ Fri Jan 29, 2010 at 12:49:46 PM UTC

I find this, um, interesting (4.00 / 3)

"Also, although the (total) emissions are higher on the feedlot, the animals gain weight quicker," Schulz said, so the animals are slaughtered sooner, emitting less gas overall. "On a per-kilogram-of-meat basis, the feedlot performs better," he said.

These studies actually crack me up, bending over backwards to prove mass produced food is greener, lol!~ I mean if they ever really did one right and took in all the factors, including the assumption that people eating grassfed are eating less meat (portion size plays a factor here also), it could be interesting, but until then I think I'll stick with the grass fed cows grazing under the trees in the orchards and pastures along the hills (yes, I've been sourcing meat in CA!) vs the plastic wrapped crap from feedlots. When are they going to start in on pastured chickens and pigs?

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by: nycstray @ Fri Jan 29, 2010 at 14:37:20 PM UTC

Local grain fed beef (4.00 / 2)

I finally asked the butcher at our local farmers market where he sourced his beef.  Happily (I think), he told me it was sourced at a small, relatively local farm.  He said the cows are grain-fed because they think the beef tastes better than grass-fed.  Should this raise any flags for me?  

I'm relatively new at this - I've just started asking where things are sourced and I've just joined my first CSA (yay!), but I could use some direction as to what to worry about, and how to buy the best food for my family.  FWIW, the butcher also said that their lamb is from New Zealand and the pork and veal are from somewhere local. Upon further research, I think the veal comes from one of the bigger veal producers in the country, but I don't buy it anyway.  We're in Pennsylvania, if that matters.

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by: Pansy P @ Fri Jan 29, 2010 at 15:22:57 PM UTC

Did you get the name of the farm? (4.00 / 2)

I generally try and get names and then do my own research on the farms and decide from there.

I usually buy my meat direct from the farmers and in bulk. I invested in a spare freezer and it was one of the best investments. You shouldn't have a prob finding sources in PA or surrounding areas. I get my beef and pork from upstate NY and my poultry also, come to think of it. I prefer just finding a source and buying bulk and forgetting about it until next time around. That way I don't have to worry every time I shop if anything's changed from the last time I went grocery shopping. I just go back to the same folks every several months :)

Here's a source for finding local small ranchers: www.eatwild.com I'm currently using it to source food in CA before I move there next month. www.Localharvest.org is another

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by: nycstray @ Fri Jan 29, 2010 at 17:48:33 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

grain v. grass (4.00 / 1)

I'm not a farmer, but here goes...

CAFO could stand for Confined Animal Feeding Operation or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation, and these massive feedlots, where animals are fattened as quickly as possible with as little animal activity as possible, is what so many of us find objectionable. Feedlot animals would generally be considered "grain-fed."

Away from the feedlots, there's a lot of variability in how an animal might be raised. Many people might think that "grass-fed" is synonymous with "pastured", but perhaps even pastured animals are fed some grain. And a "grain-fed" animal could also be fed some hay, chopped-up corn stalks, wheat stalks, etc.

As I say, I'm not a farmer, but perhaps the important thing is how the animal is treated and raised. Some (not all) people prefer grain-fed because pastured or grass-fed animals are leaner. And of course, grain-fed  as it is done in industrial feedlots skews the omega6/omega3 balance the wrong direction. But, try grass-fed and see what you think, if you have the opportunity. Otherwise, I'm not sure one or the other is to be avoided on that criterion alone.

The floor is open to any of my betters who can correct me.

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by: count @ Sat Jan 30, 2010 at 00:04:21 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Think you're pretty spot-on... (4.00 / 1)

Joanne and Jill would know more than both of us, but I'm pretty sure that the feeding method in and of itself wouldn't be the cause of concern, rather the ultimate issue would be how the animals were treated.

I'm no expert either, but I think it goes something like "all factory farmed beef = grain fed"; while "not all grain fed necessarily = factory farmed"...

Fwiw, re: the much prevalent "grain fed tastes better than grass fed"  - Serious Eats just did a piece today comparing grass-fed to grain-fed hamburgers, and the grass-fed won the blind taste test of 8 food bloggers.

I found that interesting.  I think the whole "grain-fed tastes better" belief just might be due to the fact that that's what pretty much every American now living has grown up eating, and that good pastured beef is still even to this date not widely available to everybody in most of the country.

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Sat Jan 30, 2010 at 00:41:21 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

grass is good (4.00 / 1)

One of my brothers has a big freezer and spends his money for halves of pastured beef. His family loves it.

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by: count @ Sat Jan 30, 2010 at 01:49:11 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

That's what I do (4.00 / 2)

it's so nice having a side or quarter in the freezer. Between buying bulk meats and my CSA + farmers markets, grocery shopping for me is generally a rare thing. I can't wait to get to CA. Year round CSAs! Already have several farms/ranchers edited down to check out for beef/pork/poultry. One of the CSAs by me does pastured pork and the other does fresh eggs.  

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by: nycstray @ Sat Jan 30, 2010 at 02:41:10 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

You know what the other great thing about buying beef by the half is? (4.00 / 3)

You're not paying $10/lb for fancy steaks. Our local slaughter was selling whole/half/quarter last year for $2.69/lb cut up anyway you want. And, once it's in the freezer, you're set for how ever long it takes you to eat all that. You've got a larder.

Regarding locavores as elitists - explain to me how supporting local business is elitist....

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by: Joanne Rigutto @ Sat Jan 30, 2010 at 13:40:18 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Oh yeah! (4.00 / 3)

Mine ran about 4 bucks a pound when all was said and done, but I can tell you, I really dig 4 buck prime rib roast, lol!~ Fancy steaks around here run closer to 15-20 bucks a pound. I gifted my friends with steaks and ground. That was a big hit {grin}

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by: nycstray @ Sat Jan 30, 2010 at 20:02:44 PM UTC

[ Parent ]