Grass-Fed Benefits

For many decades, the beef industry has fed cattle high-energy, grain-based diets. This trend began after World War II, with feedlots having access to a post-war oversupply of grain. Cow-calf producers would typically raise their cattle to roughly 700 pounds and then sell them to a feedlot where they would be fed grain until reaching around 1,000 pounds ― a procedure commonly referred to as "finishing." Commonly, beef is fed grain in feedlots for at least 90 days.

By contrast, grass-fed beef refers to cattle having a diet limited to grasses, rather than being finished in a feedlot. Studies have found that such grass-fed beef offers several benefits versus feedlot-finished beef:

The overall fat content of grass-fed beef is low, similar to that of skinless chicken²

• Grass-fed beef supplies two to six times more beneficial Omega 3 fatty acids than found in feedlot beef¹
• It is higher in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) than grain-fed beef. CLA is a fatty acid with significant potential for positive health benefits¹
• Grass-fed beef is rich in the antioxidant vitamin E, as well as the amino acids L-carnitine and carnosine¹
• Pasture-raised, grass-fed cattle are not confined to disease-prone feedlots requiring antibiotics. Headwater Farms grass-fed cattle are free-range, free of growth hormones and antibiotics²
• Cattle that are grass-fed have fewer health problems, including less stress and anti-social behaviour²
• Grass-fed beef benefits the environment through decreased soil erosion and carbon footprint, increased soil fertility, improved water quality and improved human health (due to reduced antibiotic use)³

1. Dr. Lopez-Jimenez, 2018. “Grass-fed Beef: What are the heart-health benefits?”
2. Beck, Lelsie, 2018. “Is Grass-fed more Nutritious than Regular Beef?”
3. Johnson, J, 2018. “The Benefits of Grass Farming”