Grass Fed

Agro-ecological benefits

Since pre- history the world's grasslands and associated grazing ruminants co-evolved, animals relying solely on grazing or browsing available vegetation. It is only since mid 20th century we seen more concentrated diets, including cereals and cereal or oilseed by-products, fed to our farmed cattle. The intensification of agriculture has increased the homogeneity of landscapes, reducing forage and habitat opportunities for a range of wildlife species and classes . Managing grazing to increase sward heterogeneity provides increased forage and habitat opportunities for insects, and therefore the wider food web. Low-input livestock grazing can provide important year-round sources of food for invertebrates and aids in the maintenance and diversity of habitats such as meadows. The benefits of higher species richness in grasslands include; increased carbon (C) sequestration, improved soil nutrient cycling, increased soil stability, enhanced watershed function, soil invertebrate abundance. Higher species richness is also associated with lower parasite burdens and reduced anthelmintic use, improved fatty-acid profiles leading to the production of healthy food.

Nutritional and associated health benefits

If ruminants consume a pasture-based diet containing a variety of plant species, it is reflected in the quality of their meat and milk which contains a superior nutrient profile. Direct contrasts between grass and grain finishing rations consistently demonstrate significant increases and differences in the overall fatty acid profile and antioxidant content found in the lipid deposits and body tissues. A recent review of the nutritional benefits of fatty acids from organic and grass-fed beef found that the most notable differences in fatty acids between pasture-based, organic, conventional and intensive grain fed beef are for total omega-3, α- linolenic acid (ALA), EPA and DHA, which diet and nutrition literature suggest are fatty acids that should increase in the human diet

The nature of forage impacts the content of some beneficial nutrients such as omega-3 PUFA, vaccenic acid, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and ß-carotene, tocopherol while reducing levels of omega-6 fatty acids and palmitic acids.