Health Benefits from Grass-Fed Products

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We've been grass finishing cattle for years for our own freezer and a few select customers. You need to get alot more money per lb to make it viable but there definitely is a market in the city for this type of product. I find that it just tastes better and I know where its been, unlike feedlot fed beef. We actually raise a few Scottish Highlanders and Galloways specifically for freezer beef because they finish well on grass and they are slightly smaller framed which makes them more attractive for city people's smaller freezer space.
 
For every article you post about the benefits of grass-fed beef, an article refuting the benefits can be posted:

The Omega-3 fat scam implies that feedlot beef is lower in Omega-3 fatty acids than free-range beef and wild game. The amount of Omega-3 fatty acid in any beef or wild game is strictly a function of the ambient temperature and temperature of the fat. The animal's body produces more Omega-3 fatty acid in the fat just under the hide, especially during winter. Cold fat will become stiff and brittle without the Omega-3 fatty acid. The internal body fat is lower in Omega-3 fatty acid because it is at a constantly warm body temperature. The scam is carried out by selectively testing the fat during summer in feedlot beef and testing free-range beef and wild game during winter months. It is all a bunch of big fat lies.
 
The Omega-3 fat scam implies that feedlot beef is lower in Omega-3 fatty acids than free-range beef and wild game. The amount of Omega-3 fatty acid in any beef or wild game is strictly a function of the ambient temperature and temperature of the fat. The animal's body produces more Omega-3 fatty acid in the fat just under the hide, especially during winter. Cold fat will become stiff and brittle without the Omega-3 fatty acid. The internal body fat is lower in Omega-3 fatty acid because it is at a constantly warm body temperature. The scam is carried out by selectively testing the fat during summer in feedlot beef and testing free-range beef and wild game during winter months. It is all a bunch of big fat lies.

That's an interesting perspective. Do you have any facts to back it up?
 
Cattle Rack Rancher":54k2rfwf said:
The Omega-3 fat scam implies that feedlot beef is lower in Omega-3 fatty acids than free-range beef and wild game. The amount of Omega-3 fatty acid in any beef or wild game is strictly a function of the ambient temperature and temperature of the fat. The animal's body produces more Omega-3 fatty acid in the fat just under the hide, especially during winter. Cold fat will become stiff and brittle without the Omega-3 fatty acid. The internal body fat is lower in Omega-3 fatty acid because it is at a constantly warm body temperature. The scam is carried out by selectively testing the fat during summer in feedlot beef and testing free-range beef and wild game during winter months. It is all a bunch of big fat lies.

That's an interesting perspective. Do you have any facts to back it up?

Do you have any facts to refute it? Please use other sources (i.e. educational institutions) and not just an organic website or link.

This is just like in politics. Statistical data can be twisted & turned to fit whatever purpose the originator intends.
 
D.R. Cattle":3sdlaldu said:
Where can the truth be found? Is there a health, taste or tenderness advantage to grass fed or no?

The answer depends on who you ask. Ask a grass-fed proponent and of course they'll say it's healthier, tastes better & more tender whether it is the truth or not.

The truth is grain-fed (finished) beef is no less healthy than grass-fed. Taste will depend on your preference.
 
Well here's one:

http://www.csuchico.edu/agr/grsfdbef/health-benefits/ben-cla.html

But you would think that it would be intuitive that a cow that is eating lush greens (salad) would have less fat than a cow eating grain just like in people. People who eat more salad are usually thinner than people who eat alot of bread and other grain based foods. Also the fat should have less buildup of insecticides and pesticides than what you would find on an organic pasture. The truth is of course, just like the BSE issue, it is the customers perception that makes the market and determines how much you can charge for your product.
 
Cattle Rack Rancher":drkeqopa said:
Well here's one:

http://www.csuchico.edu/agr/grsfdbef/health-benefits/ben-cla.html

But you would think that it would be intuitive that a cow that is eating lush greens (salad) would have less fat than a cow eating grain just like in people. People who eat more salad are usually thinner than people who eat alot of bread and other grain based foods. Also the fat should have less buildup of insecticides and pesticides than what you would find on an organic pasture. The truth is of course, just like the BSE issue, it is the customers perception that makes the market and determines how much you can charge for your product.

That's from a grass-fed website in the land of fruits and nuts. I asked for one that wasn't from an organic website. Anything else?

http://www.csuchico.edu/agr/grsfdbef
 
The study was done at California State University.

Concentrations found in Grass Fed Beef:
C.A. Daley1, A. Abbott1, M. Basursto1, G. Nader2, and S. Larson2
College of Agriculture, California State University, Chico1
University of California Cooperative Extension Service2
 
Cattle Rack Rancher":ymyqeqm8 said:
The study was done at California State University.

Concentrations found in Grass Fed Beef:
C.A. Daley1, A. Abbott1, M. Basursto1, G. Nader2, and S. Larson2
College of Agriculture, California State University, Chico1
University of California Cooperative Extension Service2

You are correct. Granted, it isn't an organic website but a grass fed website. It was done at California State University in Chico and was published under their grassfed educational website. They are promoting grassfed beef and doing research to support their own cause. Of course they will only publish data that supports their cause. Anything else?
 
You are correct. Granted, it isn't an organic website but a grass fed website. It was done at California State University in Chico and was published under their grassfed educational website. They are promoting grassfed beef and doing research to support their own cause. Of course they will only publish data that supports their cause. Anything else?
Boy, and I thought I was a conspiracy theorist. Who do you want to see a study on grass fed beef by? The feedlot association?
 
You are correct. Granted, it isn't an organic website but a grass fed website. It was done at California State University in Chico and was published under their grassfed educational website. They are promoting grassfed beef and doing research to support their own cause. Of course they will only publish data that supports their cause. Anything else?
Boy, and I thought I was a conspiracy theorist. Who do you want to see a study on grass fed beef by? The feedlot association?

I'm still waiting for you to show me anything that says grain fed beef is healthier.
 
Cattle Rack Rancher":itp33vw7 said:
You are correct. Granted, it isn't an organic website but a grass fed website. It was done at California State University in Chico and was published under their grassfed educational website. They are promoting grassfed beef and doing research to support their own cause. Of course they will only publish data that supports their cause. Anything else?
Boy, and I thought I was a conspiracy theorist. Who do you want to see a study on grass fed beef by? The feedlot association?

An independent would be fine. Like I said earlier, statistical data can be interpreted many ways. What if I were to head to some gay bars & do a poll of the approval of gay marriages? I could then report that over 95% of citizens polled approve gay marriages.

Interesting thing about the research as well is that it doesn't mention breeds or what type of grass. I would venture to guess that herefords and angus fed in a feedlot would have more fat than longhorns on grass. If you choose your subjects right, you can probably prove any theory.
 
In the last post you asked for educational institutions which I supplied. Who would you consider to be an independent? Why would somebody publish something if they had no stake in it?
 
Cattle Rack Rancher":2xyjulmr said:
In the last post you asked for educational institutions which I supplied. Who would you consider to be an independent? Why would somebody publish something if they had no stake in it?

And I gave you credit for the educational institution but not for the non-grassfed website. A ton of research is performed every year in which the researchers have no bias as to the output.
 
That looks to me like a comparison of grain fed to alfalfa silage (legume) not free range grass fed. These cattle all look to be fed in a feedlot environment, not grazing as normal cattle do. Even so, it also shows that Omega 3 fatty acid is three times as high in the Alfalfa Silage beef as the Corn fed beef so you have proved my point.
 
Cattle Rack Rancher":3jyoeedj said:
That looks to me like a comparison of grain fed to alfalfa silage (legume) not free range grass fed. These cattle all look to be fed in a feedlot environment, not grazing as normal cattle do. Even so, it also shows that Omega 3 fatty acid is three times as high in the Alfalfa Silage beef as the Corn fed beef so you have proved my point.

No, you have to look at the grass-fed cattle slaughtered at the same backfat as the grain-fed. Just as I mentioned earlier, certain points of research can be picked out and emphasized. Yes, according to the very research I posted, the grass-fed animals slaughtered (regardless of their backfat) when the grain-fed animals reached a certain backfat had less fat, but when fed to the same levels most things were equal.

All I'm trying to say is be careful what you read. The very sources that were initially quoted (EatWild) could very well use the article that I posted and not list all the information (for example, that when finished to the same end-point) and use that to their advantage to promote their agenda.
 

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