Here’s the latest edition of Pasture Posts – the weekly roundup from Watson Farms and your direct connection to your farmer! Enjoy!
The Case for Grass-fed Beef
Good farms are aesthetically pleasing. Sure, there might be some things out of place from time to time, or a group of chickens on pasture that stand in some water for a while right after a rain storm, but those should be the exceptions not the norm. It’s a standard that we adhere to especially when it comes to things that directly affect the well-being of our livestock.
Poor farming practices have the opposite result: they are generally not pretty to look at. One of the clearest examples of this is the stark difference between cattle on a feedlot and cattle that are pasture-raised for their whole life. Take a look at the photos below and see the difference for yourself.
Take note of one thing in particular about the feedlot photos above: they are completely stationary. Whether it’s barns or feed bunks, nothing on the feedlots move which of course is more efficient, but it doesn’t allow cows to be cows and therefore throws the ecosystem out of balance.
It’s also worth noting that everything the cattle eat in a feedlot has to be brought to them. It has to first be harvested whether it’s grain or forage. Then it has to be hauled from the field and stored. Finally, it has to be brought to the cattle. All this transportation and mechanized harvesting and feeding increases the carbon footprint of the feedlot system. There’s a better way!
When you invest in Watson Farms grass-fed beef, you’re supporting a system where the animals are on pasture their entire life, they self-harvest the vast majority of their forage, and they are content because this is how they were made to live.
Another thing to note in this comparison is the proximity to the customer of the cattle in the two systems. Most feedlots are located in the Western U.S. while grass-fed beef now days can be sourced many times from local farms that are closer to the consumer than a feedlot. Many times, as is the case on our farm, everything the cattle eat can be grown on the same farm. We import very little forage for our cattle, and when we do it’s from a farm within 10 miles of ours.
This practice brings the finishing stage of cattle production back to the community where the consumers are. It decentralizes the cattle herds and breaks them up into smaller herds that dot the landscape instead of massive herds concentrated on feedlots. With grass-fed beef, we can once again embed food production back into the community. This offers resilience and self-reliance which has proved all the more important in the pandemic of the last year or so.
One of the best parts is, this decentralization has been completely driven by consumers like you! It didn’t require large government spending or huge amounts of venture capital. If consumers keep demanding pasture raised proteins from local farms, then transitions like our farm is seeing will continue across the country and could completely revolutionize our food system. You have the power to create this change. Keep it up!
Next Tour Date
Want to see our grass-fed beef practices in action?
We are providing a great opportunity to do so on Saturday, May 8th! We will have a tractor-pulled hay ride ready that will transport you around the farm to show you first hand the benefits of pasture-raised livestock that are constantly moving.
- The date/time is May 8th at 10:00am.
- We look forward to these tours as it lets us talk with customers at more length than is usually possible. It also lets you see in person where and how your food is raised.
- We plan to have tour offerings about once per month.
- Hit the button for more details on the May 8th tour.
Help us free up some freezer space! ????
In the last month or so we have moved A LOT of chicken, but we still have some left. We’ve put Boneless Skinless Breast (including the bundle) back on sale as well!
Our FedEx Chicken Bundles are on sale as well so if you or someone you know is not in our Home Delivery area then be sure to tell them about us! (You can take advantage of our referral program also!)
These are some of the best prices EVER on our truly pasture-raised, non-GMO chicken products. As you can see below, many products are 25% off or more while our bundles are as much as 15% off the already-discounted bundle price. Head over to the website and stock up!
Thanks again for being partners in this endeavor of local, pasture-raised proteins that has truly transformed our farm. We look forward to continuing this transition while serving you long into the future.
Sincerely,
The Watsons
