What does “grassfed” mean?
It depends on who you ask, unfortunately. Some feedlot operators have been lobbying the USDA for a grassfed label that would apply to almost any beef cattle raised in the US, because nearly all of them begin life as range animals. On the other hand, some experts who have studied the benefits of pasture-raised livestock feel that they should be fed only on grasses and other forage legumes for their entire life cycle. Our lamb is 100% grassfed, but most of our beef has been fed tiny amounts of organic corn or wheat during freezing weather. We’ve tried to do without grain altogether, but the meat quality wasn’t as good. So our compromise is 97% grassfed beef, because we think your food should be delicious as well as healthy.
The American Grassfed Association defines grassfed products from ruminants, including cattle, bison, goats and sheep, as those food products from animals that have eaten nothing but their mother’s milk and fresh grass or grass-type hay from birth to harvest – all their lives. For grassfed non-ruminants, including pigs and poultry, grass is a significant part of their diets, but not the entirety of their diets, since these animals need to consume grains. Many products have been, and continue to be, marketed as “grassfed”, when grass is only a part of their diet. This lack of standardization on grassfed products is just one of the reasons the American Grassfed Assocation is pushing hard for strict U.S. Department of Agriculture guides on grassfed marketing claims.
