Benefits for the Land

   Currently the United States is losing three billion tons of nutrient-rich topsoil each year.
   Growing corn and soy for animal feed using conventional methods causes a significant
   amount of this soil loss.  Compared to row crops, pasture reduces soil loss by as much
   as 93 percent.

  Benefits for the Rancher

   Ranchers who raise their animals on a pasture enjoy many benefits including being able
   to raise their families in a peaceful environment and eat nutritious, all-natural food.
   These ranchers do not have to deal with the health hazards that can occur from factory
   or feedlot ranching. Many of these ranchers are also able to make a living selling their
   pastured products directly to consumers or restaurants.  As the public becomes more
   aware of the benefits of grass-fed beef, thousands of small family ranches can survive.

  Benefits for the Cattle

   Stripped of all living matter, feedlots can become a mud bath in wet weather and a dust
   bowl in dry weather. When it’s dusty, the cattle are at risk for “dust pneumonia,” according
   to USDA-ARS researcher Julie Morrow-Tesch, Ph.D. from Texas University who studies the
   behavior and psychology of feedlot cattle. She reports that “The level of dust on feedlots
   can be high, which springs the cattle’s immune system into action and keeps it running on
   a constant basis.” She has found that many of the respiratory deaths in feedlot cattle can be
   attributed to dust pneumonia.
   Animals that are kept on a pasture do not have “dust pneumonia” because the are in a
   natural environment where the dirt is carpeted with a dense mat of nutritious grass and
   legumes.

  Benefits for your Health

   There are marked nutritional differences between the meat of pasture-raised and feedlot-
   raised animals.  To begin with, meat from grass-fed beef is lower in total fat.  For example,
   a sirloin steak from a grass-fed steer has about one half to one third as much fat as a similar
   cut from a grain-fed steer.  Below you will find a graph that shows grass-fed beef has about
   the same fat content as skinless chicken breast. When the meat is this lean, it actually lowers
   your LDL cholesterol.

                          

   Grass-fed beef is so lean, it is also lower in calories as well. A 6-ounce steak from a grass-fed
   steer has close to 100 fewer calories then a same sized steak from a grain-fed steer.  If you
   eat a typical amount of beef (approx. 66.5 pounds per year), switching to grass-fed beef will
   save you 17,733 calories a year without having to change your eating habits. If you keep your
   diet constant, by switching to grass-fed beef, you’ll lose around six pounds a year. If Americans
   could switch to grass-fed meat, the national epidemic of obesity might begin to diminish.

   The above information was gathered by Jo Robinson. To find out more about the benefits of grass-fed beef
   and other grass-fed products.  Please visit her web site http://www.eatwild.com.