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Good Morning from your farmer,
One of the thoughts that goes through my mind is, "Why should customers pay more for our products vs. conventionally raised beef?"
Is there evidence that our principles of 100% grass-fed & finished, vaccine free (including mRNA), dewormer free, antibiotic free, hormone free, GMO free, raised on regeneratively managed land with abundant soil life, and humane handling - actually produces a more nutrient dense product than conventionally raised?
During our SHA, Dr. Williams shared information how conventionally raised food has steadily decreased in nutrient density (value).
 Included in his presentation was an introduction to Dr. Stephan van Vliet, a nutrition scientist with metabolomics expertise in DNFS at Utah State University. Dr. van Vliet routinely collaborates with farmers, ecologists, and agricultural scientists to study critical linkages between agricultural production methods, the nutrient density of food, and human health.
Dr. van Vliet says,
[paraphrasing]
"Farms that have more plant diversity have more nutrient dense meats... And animals that are raised on more monoculture pastures with less diversity are a little reduced [in nutrient density] when looking at omega 6:3 ratios; which is kind of the gold standard. Animals on biodiverse pastures are typically in the 1:1 or 2:1 ratio while grain finished is more like 8:1.
But even in grass-fed beef, it's the wild west. The best grass-fed beef sample is about 5-6 times richer in antioxidants than the best grain-fed beef sample. But the best grain-fed beef sample is better than the worst grass-fed beef sample. So it's the wild west amongst the grass fed beef industry.
People who are grazing their cattle in biodiverse pastures and doing it in a way that does not overgraze (this is the key part), they end up with a high quality piece of beef. This is kind of the conclusion."
-Dr. van Vliet on Peak Human Podcast (1:11:42)
*To summarize, Dr. van Vliet concludes that not overgrazing and increasing plant diversity are the two most important factors in raising a nutrient-dense product.*
Here is a podcast with Dr. Stephan van Vliet talking about the research his team has been doing looking at phytonutrients and omega 6:3 ratios in grass-fed versus grain-fed beef.
The omega 6:3 ratio is often referred to as the gold standard. Other farms like Gabe Brown in ND who graze diverse paddocks with frequent moves like we do, have had their beef tested. The results were 1.3 to 1 which is VERY GOOD.
Here is a picture I took with our yearlings enjoying their morning graze. Notice the diversity of forages and "faint" white polywire just in front of them. We move them daily after grazing about 50% and leave behind 50% for regrowth.
Another slide Dr. Williams shared included Fatty Acids analysis between regenerative vs. conventional raised beef. Consider the results from the following six key markers:
- Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) – helps lower the risk of heart disease, cancer, and liver disease. 50% higher for regenerative raised beef.
- Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA)- reduces risk of cardiovascular disease and improves healthy brain function. 69% higher
- Arachidic Acid – associated with decreased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 52% higher
- Heptadecanoic Acid – associated with lower risks of cardiometabolic diseases. 36% higher
- Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)- anti-cancer and anti-obesity properities. 75% higher
- Omega 6 to Omega 3 Ratio (6:3)- a lower 6:3 ratio is considered highly beneficial. ***Grassfed to Finished Beef has a ratio of under 2:1 Omega 6 to Omega 3
compared to a ratio of 11:1 to over 50:1 in feedlot beef.
All of this is great!!! But, at the end of the day, testimonies from our customers really speak volumes.
They will tell you that since switching to ONLY eating meat & eggs from NGF their blood work has drastically improved, they lost weight, and they feel great.
We notice the increased and consistent business.
So, does your diet choice include the nutritional health value or is your choice based on taste, price, convenience, etc.?
** Product Availability Update **
NOTE: Restocks are made about 6 PM on the dates indicated below!
Chicken -Restocked June 12th. Next Restock is June 26th
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Turkey - Sold Out! New poults arrived, but will be months before ready. Demand popped and I dropped the ball on this one.
Eggs - Restocked each Wednesday. We are well stocked on eggs - especially large at this time.
Beef - Next restock will be June 20th.
Pork - Next restock June 12th. Ground Pork & Patty Sausage restocked June 14th
Lamb - April 17th lamb did not work out. They were only 50 lb live weight or about half the weight needed for slaughter.
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