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The New York Sun has made a resolution to eat more steak. Not just any steak, mind you, but steak from "progressive beef," raised in a way that's healthier for you and for the environment. As we learned from reading The Omnivore's Dilemma, cows are not supposed to eat corn; they are ruminants, and as such, should be eating grass. Due to a glut of corn and government subsidies, we have taught our cows to eat corn, which is not particularly good for them, health-wise. Grass-fed beef is the purest of the "progressive beef" out there, but it's not always so easy to find.
Try your local greenmarket, to start. For example, the folks at New York Beef sell their wares at the Union Square Greenmarket on Mondays and Wednesdays, but you can order online as well. Read your menu -- many restaurants (especially the "haute barnyard" types) often tell you a great deal about their beef, and will definitely let you know if it's grass fed. If you can't find 100% grass fed beef, you may be able to find beef that is primarily grass fed, then finished with grain. Brgr, one of the recent additions to the burger joint trend, uses Montana Legend beef, which is raised on grass, then finished with granola rather than the more traditional corn. Niman Ranch, which supplies a great deal of hormone and antibiotic free meat to New York stores and restaurants, starts their cows on grass, then finishes with a barley, corn, wheat, soy, molasses and hay mixture.
So for those who want to include eating more beef as one of their New Year's resolutions, we say, go for it, but consider eating "progressive beef" if at all possible.
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and don't forget grassfed Bison! Elk Trails has it at Union Sq on Saturdays. It has all the same benefits of grassfed beef, plus a gamier taste and lots of omega-3s and less fat. All that, and it's delicious.
It would be really 'progressive' if individuals learned how to maintain and operate a rifle or a bow, stalked a prey animal, shot it, tracked the blood trail, field dressed it (gutted), dragged the carcass back to their home, and butchered it. I am amazed at the lengths that individuals go to quiet their discomfort with the realities of their plate. That said, if it tastes better, bring on the grass fed steaks.
i've had both - i'd have to say the difference is negligible with good cuts. high end meat is high end meat, and organic/gourmet (however you want to group that) tends to be on the higher end side (at least in terms of price).
pollen is an interesting guy who writes interesting things, but he does suffer from a bit more flakery than i care for.
just this morning i was reading on the subway about a recent UN paper detailing the harmful effects on the environment from raising animals (primarily cattle) for food. the conclusion was that we should all reduce our meat intake to help slow the deforestation, pollution, etc. not sure if grazing or corn-feeding makes a difference to these consequences, though. i'm not saying i'm ready to become a vegetarian or anything, though.
http://clf.org/general/index.asp?id=452
yes, will.xls, it would be great if more people learned how to operate a rifle or bow because otherwise how would we catch those fast moving cows? what a dumb idea.
Laren,
Thanks for spreading the word again. If you, or anyone else reading, wants to buy some grass-fed Devon beef from Pine Plains, New York, you can contact me at lukeforelle@yahoo.com or give a call at 917-439-6858.
We just slaughtered a steer and I'd like to offer some free sample packages or larger orders at a reduced rate. This could be a great way to support a local farm and get some reasonably priced good meat. Grass-fed beef shouldn't be a luxury!
I'm certainly no expert, but it would appear that the practice of managed intensive grazing can help a farm not only keep its animals healthier on a more natural diet, but can also help to rejuvenate the land the animals are feeding off of. The grass section of the omnivore's dilemma is full of interesting information without getting too technical. The book is more than worth the wait for it on the NYPL lists.
What Omnivore's Dilemma doesn't spend much time discussing is that organic farming and cattle raising on the scale that could feed 300 million Americans would require many times more people working on farms. As the center of the country has pretty much emptied since WW II you have to wonder where the famers are going to come from.
hey will.xls and dhex, Slate recently published an interesting article/review addressing the quality of flavor of grass-fed versus industrial beef.
i'm from new zealand and our cows feeding in the pastures are just the normal way - yay !!
Warren, though I was speaking of actual prey animals, like deer, it is quite difficult to kill a cow. You usually must use a heavy caliber rifle thought the skull. I just believe that painting factory style slaughterhouses with a 'progressive' brush is kind of absurd. Stalking, killing, and eating an animal for the first time was a very sobering experience. It made me see my plate a little differently, and not in a PETA/hippie way. Life is a struggle; it serves well to remember that.
Here in Belgium we only eat cows that eat grass, but I love the flavour of your soy fed beef. If you're looking for lean beef, order a filet mignon in a good belgian restaurant.
if you're really looking for progressive beef, look for oregon country beef or another farm or farm group that subscribes to grazewell principles:
http://www.managingwholes.com/graze-well.htm
#8: Why do you suppose there's no farmers? Couldn't have anything to do with all the farms that were forced to close due to imports, could it? The U.S. ran them out of business. And now they say Ethanol for alternative fueled vehicles won't be any cheaper due to the shortage of corn. WTF???
mmm, heart disease.
Umm, Bobo, no, it has nothing to do with imports, but everything to do with increased productivity. Farmers got too good at what they do, and those that weren't on the cutting edge either turned into boutique farms or had to sell out. If it weren't for this, most of us wouldn't have time to sit around and make asinine comments on blogs. Instead we'd be in bed now, like my dad and my brother, both of whom have to get up at some ridiculous hour tomorrow morning to take care of the cows.
When's Gothamist going to sponsor a hunting trip? Seriously. If you are looking for the pinnacle of progressive meat, there is nothing like venison. Killing an animal that has spent its life living according to its own free will, gutting it, butchering it and ultimately eating it should be required for anyone that eats meat.
to continue on #16, when it comes to corn, wheat, and soy, the seed companies, the fertilizer industry, and combine manufacturers kept improving their product. Coupled with the change in agriculture subsidy system in the 1970s we have created a glut of grain. Imports tend to be out of season vegetables and fruits.
My memory of the subsidy system may be off but essentially the old system worked that if the farmer couldn't get a price he liked he could "sell" to the government at a floor price. But it wasn't really a sale. It was more like a loan and the grain went into storage. At any time the famer could pay back the loan and sell his grain assuming the price had risen. The effect was to moderate supply and keep prices relatively stable. In the 70s there was a drought or something and prices shot up and the people got pretty cranky with the government. So some genius came up with the current sytem where the farmer gets a floor price regardless of how much he grows. So individually the famers decide to grow as much as they can which depresses the market price. So the farmers get the government cash but the real benficiery is the few grain buyers like Cargill and ADM.
check out lacensebeef.com