Conventional
Feedlot beef is a crime. I would say that it should be illegal, but I'm not interested in more government regulations. It should be universally boycotted instead. It is perhaps the most backwards of all agricultural practices. Let me explain.
Industrial poultry houses feed chemical GMO grain to crowded birds, industrial hog operations feed the same. But you see, these animals are omnivores like us. They have digestive tracts designed specifically for digesting large proportions of high energy and varied feedstuffs. Don't get me wrong, omnivores need low energy salads too, but they can't thrive on them, because they don't contain enough protein diversity to balance proper growth. We raise our birds on pasture because fresh greens are fantastic for birds, but the foundation of their diet is organic wheat and peas.
Now here is the crime. Cattle don't need grain to thrive. They have special bacteria in their stomach that can break down the protein in any green thing and rebuild whatever proteins they need for proper growth.
Why on earth are we denuding our topsoil with tillage to grow GMO corn so we can feed it to animals that would be much healthier and happier grazing a hillside without the stink of irresponsibly handled manure and diesel fuel fouling up the country air? Why not let them self-harvest and self-fertilize a crop that never needs cultivation or replanting?
Why does everyone stand idly by, complaining about the foul odour that blows in from these factory farms, while continuing to finance these environmental disasters with their grocery dollars? Especially when there is such a beautiful alternative.
If there were ever an area for shifting financial priorities, few decisions would have as large an impact on your health, your community, and your environment as switching out your feedlot beef for grass-fed beef. And let's not blame the farmers. There are many feedlot operators who would ditch the diesel and machinery bills for walking the pasture again if folks were willing to let their wallets speak on behalf of their noses.
Visit a farm and use your senses. If it's ugly or it smells unbearable, it's bad farming. And bad farming is bad for everybody.
I think we all know where conventional beef comes from. Need I say more?
Certified Organic
And don't think that because you're buying organic ground beef at Costco that you're getting feedlot free beef. Don't think that because it says organic, that the animals aren't being fed gross amounts of grain. Or that the farm isn't polluting local watersheds. Or that the neighbors don't plug their noses when the wind blows their way.
Harvest Haven Certified
Here's the Harvest Haven Certified guarantee. Whether our cows are on pasture for the growing season or in corrals for the winter, visiting our animals is a pleasure.
We are chemical-free and stink-free. We farm responsibly and beautifully.
Our grass feeds the cows, and the cows feed the grass. It's very simple here.
