الأربعاء، 19 مارس 2014

The Advantages Of Grass-Fed Beef Farms For Cattle Raring

By Jaclyn Hurley


In order to achieve maximum weight gain in the shortest time possible with minimal cost, most factories resolve to an intensive cattle production method where thousands of cattle are confined in dirt feedlots and the main feeding diet is grain-based with hormones to contribute to faster growth rate. This method however raises a number of concerns including increased greenhouse gas emissions and unhealthy meat products. This has largely contributed to increased demand of products from grass-fed beef farms.

There are several disorders that can be associated to animal stress with the common one being subacute acidosis. The normal diet for cattle is pasture but in feedlots they are fed on grains. Animal stress is particularly caused by the change of diet from pasture to grain. In order to deal with these disorders, animals are normally given antibiotics and chemical additives resulting to meat full of chemicals. Overuse of medication is likely to result to new strains of bacteria. When these new strains of bacteria affect human, the medicine for treatment can be difficult to find.

The major attribute that attracts most consumers to beef products from cattle that are raised in grass farms is their nutritional value. The meat has lower levels of saturated fats and total fats in general. The cholesterol level and calories are also lower in quantities. Of major importance however are higher quantities of vitamin C and vitamin E that are recorded in meat products. Other beneficial attributes include higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, beta-carotene among several other nutrients.

In feedlots, the secret behind very fast weight gain lies in hormones and other growth supplements that these animals are fed on. These are obviously not good for your health, no one want foreign substances in their system particularly if such substances can influence your own growth pattern.

The issue of stress is also a major concern as it affects the final product that ends up on the table. Stress develops when several animals are confined in dirty feedlots where movement is restricted. The major factor that causes stress is the sudden change from normal diet of pasture to grains and other unnatural diet designed for faster weight gain.

Raring of animals in restricted and confined factory farms is also considered to be environmentally insensitive. In majority of cases, manure dumping is not done properly leading to very high concentration of nutrients in nearby soils. This can be the cause of soil and water pollution. This is not a concern when cattle are raised on pasture as the manure is evenly spread all over wide land as is able to work as organic fertilizer.

Several studies carried out casts dark cloud on factory farming. The majority of cases of E. Coli and Listeria are observed in meat products from cattle raised in feedlots with reported cases of up to 58% of total beef while only 2% of meat from pasture fed cattle has been reported to have the bacteria that have led to recalls hitting headlines.

According to the standards of Animal Welfare Approved husbandry practices, cattle must be raised as humanely as possible with natural living habitat so as to obtain safer meat for the consumers. This is well observed in grass farms for cattle feeding.




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