defining grass fed/pastured - edited version

[Guest guest]

hi all,

thanks so much for all the great feedback! I've looked over everyone's

comments and made a few modifications accordingly. Please take a look and

let me know if you have any further comments. This'll be the last round of

edits before I submit it to local harvest. One comment *i* have is that I

think it may already be too long. All the other definitions on the site are

much shorter We'll see what the site owner says.

you asked why there's a distinction between 'grass fed' and pastured.

The original reason to have both of these descriptors was to be sure we

covered the language most typically used, so, when a web visitor goes to

local harvest and types in 'grass fed', they'll get all the farms that

designated themselves as grass fed/pastured. And vice versa - people who

type in 'pastured' will get the same listings. If we put ONLY grass fed, for

example, and a site visitor typed in " pastured " they wouldn't get any of the

farms that checked off " grass fed. " So it was really to cover all bases.

Having said that, I think also that it's important to add 'pastured' for the

simple reason that pastureland includes other nutritious plants (besides

grass) that livestock eat (clover, for example). AND, goats and pigs are

natural 'foragers' not 'grazers' so " pasture " is a better descriptor for

what constitutes a healthier diet for all of them. So basically, " pastured "

is more *inclusive* than simply 'grass-fed.' AND, i think 'pastured' is

becoming a more popular term, although grass fed is still widely used.

hope that made sense!

OK, now i really have to get this to the local harvest site owner in the

next few days, so if anyone has comments, please send ASAP.

tia

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LOCAL HARVEST DEFINITION OF GRASS FED/PASTURED

Grass fed/pastured animals are raised on pasture, as opposed to being kept

in confinement and fed primarily grains. Depending on the region, some are

on pasture 100% of their lives, while others are on pasture seasonally

(spring - fall). Some animals are also supplemented with grains or hay while

on pasture.

Pasturing livestock and poultry is the traditional method of raising farm

animals, is ecologically sustainable, humane, and produces the most

nutritious meat, dairy and eggs.

In recent years research on pastured meat has shown it to be significantly

higher than conventional meat in vit. E, Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs),

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) which has anti-cancer properties,

beta-carotene and various other important nutrients. Pastured dairy and eggs

are similarly much higher in a number of nutrients (including vitamin B12,

folic acid, vitamin E, EFAs, vitamin A, and carotenes), than conventional

eggs and dairy.

Eating grass and other plants typically found on pastureland is the key to

the healthy nutrient profile of these foods. Cattle, lamb and bison may be

raised on 100% grass, as it's their natural diet, however commercial poultry

is typically fed grains, even when on pasture. But they do have access to

grass and bugs making their meat and eggs healthier than non-pastured.

Commercially raised goat and pork are also typically fed grains, root

vegetables and/or hay while on pasture. The general rule of thumb is that

more grass/pastureland and fewer grains produce healthier meat and fat. So

be sure to ask farmers what percent of their animals' diet is pasture.

(Note that ‘free range’ does not necessarily mean the animal has access to

grass/pastureland.)

For more information on the benefits of grass fed meat, dairy and eggs, see

http://www.eatwild.com

--------------------------------

Suze Fisher

Lapdog Design, Inc.

Web Design & Development

http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3shjg/

mailto:s.fisher22@...

[Guest guest]

Suze-

Great! I still have that one little nit, though -- I think it's important

to mention grain-finishing, since some operations claim their livestock is

pastured even though it's grain-finished for the last three months, which

destroys most or all of the benefit of the grass feeding.