FAQ's

What is the difference between grass fed, pasture raised animals vs animals raised in concentrated animal feeding operations(feedlots)?

CAFO's began in Alberta in the late  1950's.  Feedlots allowed farmers to convert much of their pasture into cash crops, and speed up the weight gain of their cattle so they could get them to market faster.  Feeding cows a diet of corn or barley versus their natural diet of grass allowed farmers to make more money in a shorter time frame. Grain feed simply made cattle gain more weight faster than grass could. But this “quick buck” comes with a price, simply put, cattle aren’t designed to eat grain as their main source of food; weight gain and cash crops were traded for healthy leaner animals, producing healthier leaner meat.

A bovine stomach is pH neutral, a perfect environment for digesting grass, but not so for corn and grains. High in starch, and low in roughage, calcium, and magnesium, corn turns the animal's stomach acidic causing the animal intestinal distress, and making the conditions perfect for pathogens like e. coli to flourish.

Sick animals need antibiotics, and when you place those sick animals in cramped quarters (as CAFO's do) with other animals, well, all of them get a dose whether they need it or not. 

By focusing on feeding cattle grass, the revolution has begun! Feeding cattle a diet thatthey are designed to eat results in finished products that are better for you. 

What are the health benefits of eating grass fed beef? 

NUTRITIONALLY, It's simply just  “Better for you” . Scientific evidence has concluded that:

• grass fed animals have 50% more omega 3 fatty acids (good fat)
•  less omega 6 fatty acids (bad fat)
•  significantly less overall fat content
• more vitamins
• more antioxidants.

Eat super. Be super. Grass fed cattle are fed a natural diet that helps improve the quality of their meat and their dairy. All food has a profile of various fatty acids including a variety of polyunsaturated fatty acids (such as omega-6 and omega-3), and saturated fatty acids.

Humans have two essential fatty acids that must be obtained from the diet; Linoleic Acid (LA, omega-6), and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, omega-3). While both play important roles in our health, especially with respect to cell membrane integrity and immune function, the balance of which we are eating in our diet has become skewed. Now days, most North Americans eat too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3, placing them at risk for low-grade inflammation, and the diseases that ensue from it, such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain forms of cancer.

The meat from factory farmed cattle mirrors that of the standard North American diet with ratios of omega-6 to omega-3 reported to be as high at 20:1. Compare this to grass fed cows that have a much healthier ratio of 3:1 (omega-6: omega:3), as well as lower levels of saturated fatty acids, and total fat in general.

Another unique nutrient found in grass fed meat and dairy is a type of saturated fat known as Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA). CLA is a powerful fatty acid that has been shown to have beneficial effects on weight loss, cardiovascular disease (including high cholesterol, high triglycerides, and high blood pressure), immune function, inflammation, food induced allergic reactions and osteoporosis. Again, as with LA and ALA, CLA cannot be made by the body and must be obtained through the diet.

Outside of the fatty acid profile, grass fed animals are not subjected to the same treatment of preventative antibiotics that factory farmed cattle are. It has been reported that residual amounts of antibiotics that are fed to factory raised cattle end up in the food system, impacting our own gut microflora, and creating antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria that can make us sick with infections that are difficult to treat.

In a recent study by the University of Toronto, it was shown that grass fed dairy contained higher levels of Omega 3’s and CLA’s. 

Why is it better for the cows? 

“Better for the Animal” Ethically raised beef cattle

Our animals have close to 300 acres of mixed grassland, native prairie, and forest to roam freely and graze. Also several natural springs to drink from. Ethically, doesn't that just sound better? 

At Wapiti Valley Natural Beef you will know exactly where your food came from and how it lived its life.  We encourage our customers to visit the farm and see the animals in their natural habitat.

• No question…..  Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) are not good for an animal’s health.
• No doubt that they will receive a constant flow of feed….and feed they really like….BUT... This feed does not have what the animal needs to be healthy.  The feed would more than likely be from genetically modified seeds, been sprayed with herbicides and pesticides, and would have growth enhancing hormones and antibiotics added to it.  The whole purpose of the feed is to fatten the animal, and that it does.  It would be like giving a young person a steady diet of sugar based food of 80-90 percent sugar….they will gain weight!...but would they be healthy?
• Confined space and close proximity of the animals does not promote healthy, happy living in my opinion.

Grass fed cows conversely, are allowed to graze in open pastures on a diet that nourishes them, instead of distressing them, resulting in healthier cows that don’t require antibiotics to keep them healthy.

Being cramped into a room with a thousand of your closest friends may make for a good party, but it is no way to live.

Cramped into small confined lots and corrals, sewage swills at the cattle’s feet, while troughs above deliver them a diet that causes nothing but digestive upset and illness. Coupled with stress and proximity to disease, it is no wonder these cows are a shell of their true selves.