Grass Fed

Question: Why is it easier to get grass fed beef in Hawaii then the mainland? When I went to Hawaii I could get a grass fed burger in a ton of places and they barely have land. Now if I try to eat mainland mainstream beef it is like eating a turkey burger or something and they make me poo right-a-away.

Answer: There is a really big free range cattle ranch on the Big Island of Hawaii. Lots of cattle, relatively few local people and no shipping costs. It is basic supply and demand economics. When Captain Cook first explored Hawaii he dropped off a few cattle to see if they could survive. When he came back a few years later there was a thriving herd of wild cattle. And they are still there to this day.

Question: What is the best kind of hay to feed grass-fed only cattle? I'm raising grass-fed cattle on my small farm for beef. Is there one kind of hay that's better than another? I live in zone 4, in western Pennsylvania.

Answer: barley and rye and winter wheat all have high nutrients. I would check with your local extension center to make sure.

Question: Grass fed steak - how to prepare it? I've recently switched to grass-fed cow for it's greater health benefits. I know this contains less fat than the corn-fed, thus less marbling - and I have noticed that once cooked (we typically grill) that it becomes very tough. The taste is still great, but cutting it is like sawing into concrete. Any tips for preparing grass-fed steak so it stays tender?

Answer: as you said it has less marbeling. dry cooking methods will make it tough and rubbery. if you want to prepare it and have it tender you'll have to do one of two things. switch to a moist cooking method like braising or learn to enjoy a raw steak. the health benifits of eating grass fed beef are there, and not just because of lower fat levels. however the preperation is a much mure complicated and difficult procedure than with normal grain fed beef. you will most likely never be able to duplicate the tenderness of a cornfed steak on the grill. But if you do, hook me up with the secret. edit: marinades will help some, meat tenderizers do work. however it will be hard to get the steak to the level of tenderness you expect from past experiences with cornfed. if you mariniade too long you will end up with a mushy mess, not long enough and you just have the same problem. most tropical fruits have natural meat tenderizers in them (papaya, mango, guava etc..) or you could go for synthetic ones like baking powder, which work but may impart a flavor on the beef. just whatever you use dont let it sit for too long or will ruin the steak.,

Question: Does anyone have a good online source for grass fed meats/dairy? I live in the Atlanta area and I am trying to find quality sources for grass fed meat, chicken and dairy. Does anyone have a good reliable source in this area or who ships? Thanks.

Answer: Try site below or look for organic food in yellow pages.

Question: I'm interested in finding out more about grass fed beef production and distribution. What are some resources? For example, where can people buy grass fed beef? Who are the types of customers? Are there projections of future growth of this niche market?

Answer: The best resource I've found for information on grass-fed beef is EatWild.com (link below). It contains numerous articles about the benefits of grass-fed beef, how it is raised, etc. To find a grower in your area, I've also listed a directory of farms that have websites and sell directly to consumers. Going with a local option is your best choice because you know where the animals were raised, how they were treated, and you reduce the number of places your meat goes before you eat it.

Question: Are there any reliable places that produce grass fed kosher meat? They have to be reliable, as in they can't be lying. They have to be as humane as possible, with grass fed beef and correct kosher slaughter.

Answer: Organic would be the best and as for Kosher, it would have to be raised on a farm with the approval of the local Kasharuth society, then slaughter under rabbinical supervision and the fore quarter only.

Question: Where can I find grass fed beef? or wild caught fish? Any stores sell them? Instead beef is feed grain and that does not give us as much Omega 3.s. We are getting plenty of 6's in foods I understand and not enough 3's. I take fish oil and it has been so good to my body. Just wondering if there is any grass fed beef anymore? JC-I live near Memphis Tn.

Answer: Well, grass fed beef( not the best eating) is available where there is no 4 seasons( Florida) for example. Argentinian beef is also grass fed and I believe they still import it. Unlike wild caught fish ( more expensive) the grass fed beef is usually cheaper because there was never much of a market for it. I see people asking for it on very rare occasions( in our shop) but mainly everyone wants wild fish and grain fed beef. If you would have mentioned where you live it would helped immensely. Some fish are always wild IE Tuna, Sea bass etc etc. Salmon for the most part is farm raised and wild is spotty and seasonal( again, depending on where you live). I just received some great "Copper River" wild Salmon, but again, next week it may not be available( but another one may be). Whole Foods for many wild fish( or even just a good seafood market).For the beef, I would look on line for a mail order company ( like Lobel's) in NYC. Have you seen this site corncob? http://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/grass-fed-beef-map.asp?state=Tennessee

Question: Can I grow magic mushrooms in Guinea pig poop if they are grain or grass fed? I have been trying to find what ways shrooms can grow naturally besides in cow poop, and I read that they grow from the feces of "grass and grain fed" animals. Theoretically, would it be possible to grow magic mushrooms out of guinea pig poop, given that they are fed food comprised of seeds/grains and timothy hay? Or do animals that have poop that produces magic mushrooms have unique biological processes that enable the mushrooms to grow?

Answer: Get out of the 60's dude they were nuthin but bad

Question: What is the average going price per lb for grass fed, hormone/antibiotic free beef ON THE HOOF in mid WI? I have a 600lb Holstein steer that has been grass fed and naturally raised all his life, what should I charge per lb on hoof? (No this isn't an add. I have offers, I just want to make sure I'm not getting ripped off) thanks.

Answer: The Univ. of Wisconsin has a great page explaining hanging weight v. take-home weight (link below). Working backwards it basically comes out to around 30-40% of the on-the-hoof weight ends up being meat in your freezer. If you figure grass-fed beef retails for around $5/lb. (average of all cuts and types) then you should probably get around $1.50 to $2.00 per pound on the hoof. Hope that helps.

Question: Where do I buy 100 percent grass fed beef? Where do I buy 100% grass fed beef? As far as I know, there are NO regulations and standards for this type of meat and most are finished off with grain. Animals that are feed with grain are fattier and less healthy and flavorful, but more tender. I want to buy some oxtails and braising meats from 100% grass fed cows for maximum flavor, but I have no idea where to buy them, and I have no idea whether the producers are telling the truth. Anyone have any suggestions? For the vegetarians out there: Humans are naturally omnivorous. I understand where you are coming from in your beliefs. But I also belief meat is part of a natural human diet. That's why my diet consists of MINIMAL meat, but only meat of the highest quality and from animals that have lived natural happy lives. Excesses in vegetation, excesses in meat, excesses in ANYTHING leads to diet imbalance and imbalances in the environment and nature in general. People who eat too much meat have their life expectancies shortened due to heart disease, cancer, etc, but vegetarians have to consume much more produce and supplements to reach their minimum, which ulimately results in more trees being cut down for farms anyways. Humans are omnivorous and were meant to eat mostly fruits vegetables, some grains, SUPPLEMENTED with meat. Listen I don't want to get into the vegetarian arguement, but I'm saying the only reason why most developed countries are messed up because of meat eating is because they eat TOO much meat. That doesn't mean that meat should be totally barred from human diet. Paleolithic diets consisted of 2/3 vegetation and 1/3 meat. Just because one way is supposedly wrong doesn't mean you should resort to the opposite extreme. Life isn't black and white. Can I please have some answers to my real question? Oh yea, whole foods is the worst place to get grassfed beef. Real grass fed beef comes from local farms with high standards. Whole foods just ships from far away places with shoddy standards, and we end up just using alot of unnecessary energy just to transport something we could get at the local farm we can trust. No more whole foods answers. I really wanna know some farms where I can get TRUE grass fed beef, and how I can tell they are telling the truth. Anywhere in VA? good suggestions, but I haven't gotten any locations for 100 percent grass fed, only partial percentage. My conclusion is that very few exist in america.

Answer: Niman Ranch (http://www.nimanranch.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/WFS/NimanRanch-NimanRanchStore-Site/en_US/-/USD/ViewApplication-DisplayWelcomePage;pgid=Uvag40q1_ZA000QLCyUa.Db900004QnUN-Cu) is a pretty well known rancher in california that does grass fed beef. Check out thier website to get a better idea. They will also ship beef to you. There's also Alder Spring (http://www.alderspring.com/ ), I haven't ever tried thier beef, but Slate Magazine gave them a really good review.

Question: How do I know if the halal beef I am buying is also grass fed. The feed if it is animal protien? makes the animal unclean. Are there any regulations to ensure the slaughtered animal was grass fed and did not consume unclean feed. The feed is typically animal protien derivitaves in most cattle. Slaughtering it in accordance to make it halal is pointless if the feed is not vegetable derivative or grass fed. If cows or any other animal for halal slaughter are kept near pigs that also makes it useless.

Answer: SOMBER QUESTION!

Question: Can I buy grass-fed beef from local supermarkets? We saw the movie Food Inc. It made a lot of sense that we shouldn't be buying/eating corn-fed beef. But where does one get grass-fed beef, do they sell it at normal supermarkets? We live in suburban NY, not a heavy farming area.

Answer: Local supermarkets will be hit and miss, but most Whole Foods stores carry grass-fed and/or organic beef. Also look for farmers' markets because rural farmers often will drive over an hour to reach more suburban areas where there are a lot of potential customers. The best online directory to find a grass-fed grower would be EatWild.com. Search there and you might be surprised to find a local grower. Lastly, consider searching Google. Many grass-fed growers are very web-savvy and will appear in search rankings (ie search Yahoo for "Idaho Beef" and you'll find BradysBeef.com, which is a small grower in a very rural area).

Question: what are the benefits of eating grass fed beef? What are the benefits of eating grass fed beef? Whole milk?

Answer: What makes you think there are benefits? Grass fed beef vs. corn fed beef is what I presume you are talking about. Frankly, the difference is in taste, not so much in health. Having said that, cows were designed to eat grass, not corn (and technically, corn is a grass - it is in the same biological family as grass, but the cows aren't typically being fed the stalks). They can pick up some stomach digestion problems, which can fester into disease. For that reason, cows on corn fed beef often get more antibiotics than grass fed beef. Do these antibiotics make their way into the beef. According to science, no. According to anti-science crackpots who base their assessments on their feelings rather than observations, tests and data, yes. In some cases, corn fed beef is not given as much room to move around, consequently has more fat and less muscle. Having said that, the fat is trimmed of by the butcher (except in the case of cuts that are "marbled", like say a ribeye), so I'm not so sure it makes that big of a difference. Whole milk has 4% milkfat, compared to the more common 2% or skim (i.e. 0%). Kids under 2 years of age need that milk fat for brain development. They also need more vitamin A & D, so typically these are added to whole milk. Milkfat can be fattening. Having said that, of all the things in your diet, when you look at cutting out fat, milkfat would not be at the top of that list. Unless you're under 2 (and if that's the case, way to go learning how to type and get on the internet, as well as your grasp of the English language), there aren't any benefits to whole milk. It's also not nearly as harmful as some have made it out to be. There is some reason to believe that those who drink 2% vs. Skim are less likely to get osteoperosis - but that research is still under investigation.

Question: Is there a word for someone who only eats organic appropriately raised meat? (grass fed beef, free range chick? I eat very limited meat and when I do eat meat or dairy products it is organic and must be appropriately raised (grass fed, free range, wild caught salmon, etc.). It is difficult to explain my lifestyle to people so I am looking for a word that describes it.

Answer: Flexitarian works. For you, though, I'd suggest conscientious carnivore. FYI, be sure you are doing a lot of VERY careful research about your meat. "Free range" means nothing when it comes to poultry (it just means that they are uncaged, it does NOT mean that they are pastured). Also, if you're concerned about the ruminants that you eat, you want to look for pasture raised and pasture finished. (Grass-fed can still wind up on a feedlot, sadly enough.) Lastly, be really careful about fish. It can be highly wasteful (due to by-catch), destructive to the environment (depending on the methods used), and pretty unhappy for the fish. (There really is no painless way to catch or kill a fish.)

Question: Is all/ most or any New Zealand lamb fed on grass alone? I've been reading about the benefits of pastured animals vs grain fed ones, and purchased some NZ lamb at Whole Foods but forgot to ask. It is to feed my 6 month old baby! What are the chances that it is grass fed?

Answer: Its definitely grass fed.. all of the meat that comes from New Zealand, which is mainly lamb, is grass fed.

Question: where can i find grass-fed milk? I live 20 miles from the nearest Whole Foods(which is in Princeton) so I can't go there all the time. What are some good places in NJ where I can find it? Grass is the natural diet of cows by the way. It's better for them than corn so the milk that comes from grass fed cows has more vitamins and nutrition. It also tastes lighter even though it has the same fat content and corn-fed milk.

Answer: In the udder of a grass fed cow?