I thought that you might find various aspects of the certified organic grassfed beef business interesting and meaningful. So I thought I would begin by briefly discussing the “certified organic” in the beef we produce and eat. In upcoming articles, I’ll share with you other aspect of our operation and elaborate on the ways we produce “beef the way you remember it”.

As a health conscience person, you understand that eating clean, sustainable food is the foundation of good health. Ultimately, food is medicine, and certified organic grass fed beef is one of those foods.  But what does “certified organic” mean?  Our beef begins with our animals rotating in chemical-free pastures, which means we never use chemicals to kill weeds, pests, insects or fungi.  Ultimately, these chemicals end up in the cattle that eat the plants treated with such poisons.  So “certified organic” means that the land is kept free from compounds used to kill life, rather than to build it up. Our ranch (and all certified organic producers) is subject to annual inspection and random soil, water and plant tissue tests to verify that we don’t use any such poisons.

Secondly, hay, salt and mineral supplements fed to our cattle must also be free from chemicals. Our hay is either produced on our ranch or bought from other “certified organic” producers.  Most cattle supplements contain chemicals to increase consumption, maintain color, add caking or preserve the shelf life of the product.   For example, most cattle supplements use dark molasses produced at commercial sugar factories processing GMO sugar beets that are so-called “Roundup Ready”. Again, these chemicals end up in the cattle that consume them, and ultimately end up in you if you eat the beef.  Certified organic eliminates the chemicals used in beef cattle supplements. Our mineral supplements (mineralized pink salt, humic clay and magnesium limestone) are dug from the earth, crushed and bagged with no additives, chemicals or preservatives.

Lastly, certified organic means that animals are never treated with hormones, antibiotics or dewormers. There is no doubt that animals implanted with growth stimulants and fed daily antibiotics has led to the rise of early puberty, and the danger of antibiotic-resistant “super bugs”. On top of that, beef raised in commercial feedlots wade in pens of urine and feces as they compete to get to feed bunks full of chemical-laden, high carbohydrate rations designed to speed the fattening process. These conditions mean that the typical commercial beef comes from animals that have diseased livers, and are diabetic with high blood pressure, while being kept alive on antacids and antibiotics. Our grassfed cattle never see living conditions similar to commercial feedlots, and are harvested at the peak of health. Certified organic grassfed beef- our beef- provides a great, safe protein laden with omega 3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid with wonderful  flavor and nutrition for you. To learn more information on our organic beef contact me.

Sincerely for better nutrition and health,

Mark Smith, Aspen Island Ranch