Pasture fed animals are raised humanely, their meat is GOOD for YOU, and their production is sustainable.

1. Humane living conditions: Advantages for the animals

Pasture-raised, grass-fed sheep and cattle spend most of their lives outside, with fresh air, a veritable salad bowl of fresh natural foods to choose from (pasture!) and lots of fresh air and sunlight. In contrast, feed-lot animals eat a high percentage of grains which cause rapid weight gains but are often actually harmful to the animal over the long run (they create an un-natural acid environment in the rumen). Inexpensive food by-products, such as chicken carcasses and feathers, and even excess chewing gum, are fed to improve profit margins. As a result of these huge differences in diet, pasture-raised livestock are physically healthier than closely-confined or feed-lot fed stock, and they also experience less stress, crowding, and exposure to feces and other disease-causing agents. Finally, the social needs of pasture-raised cattle and sheep are met, as they can engage in natural behaviors and social activities in a herd setting.

The advantages are even more pronounced for pasture-raised poultry. Conventional poultry farms confine their birds indoors in small cages, then remove half of the upper beak to stop the stressed birds from canibalizing each other. Meat birds are fed small amounts of arsenic each day, as it irritates the gut lining and therefore increases the birds' growth rate. Egg-laying hens deplete the calcium reserves in their bones to produce egg shells, until their bones break and they are trampled by their cagemates. Both meat birds and egg-laying birds are constantly breathing powdered feces. (For more information about convential "factory" animal-raising practices, please see Factory Farms at factoryfarming.com).

2. Healthy Meat: Advantages for YOU, the consumer

We've all heard the saying, "You are what you eat". But is there a link between what your food eats and the nutrients that you, in turn, get from that food?

Jo Robinson thinks there is a link between your food's food and your health. In her article "You are what your animals eat", she discusses not only what your meat eats (see above) but how this diet may affect your health. (See also Consumer Reports. January 2005. "You are what they eat" 70(1): 26-31).

Various studies have shown that grass-fed livestock are leaner and have less saturated fat and cholesterol than do their grain-fed counterparts. Perhaps more importantly, meat from grass-fed livestock has been shown to contain higher contents of vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and beta-carotene. Vitamin E, an antioxidant, has been associated with decreased cancer and cardiovascular disease as well as increased reproductive health. Omega-3 fatty acids are also found in fishes, and improve brain function while also protecting and against cancer and cardiovascular disease. CLA enhances immune function, acts as an antioxidant, and reduces cancer risk. Finally, beta-carotene is a precursor for vitamin A, necessary for healthy eyes.

3. Sustainable farming: Advantages for the environment

When animals harvest their own food (by grazing) no fossil fuels are burned. In contrast, many gallons of fossil fuel are necessary to plant, fertilize, harvest and transport grains to feed-lots or commercial poultry farms. Then, there is the problem of the fecal waste produced. In a grazing animal, it is spread across the pasture and is naturally integrated into the soil, but feedlots must manage concentrated waste in lagoons which sometimes leak into local waterways, poisoning fish and threatening human health.

Grass-fed pasture-raised animals are healthier, they are better for you, and they are better for our environment.