Difference Between Organic Beef and Regular Beef

Health consciousness is an ever-increasing concern – in the political, environmental, social and personal wellness arenas.

Every bit Americans endeavor to eat healthier food, producers answer and new products appear in the market – and beef is no exception.

As "natural," "grass-fed" and "organic" beef become more visible in meat markets, on menus and in the media, producers and consumers akin take questions relative to production specifications, market potential and food content.

Many of these new beefiness products claim nutritional or wholesomeness superiority over conventionally produced beefiness.

Scientific discipline-based, peer-reviewed diet research reviews do not support such claims. Natural, grass-fed and organic beef refer to production systems that yield beef products like in food content, safety and wholesomeness to conventionally produced beef. Supporting evidence in the scientific literature includes:

Without question, food produced by American ranchers and farmers is safe and wholesome – perhaps the all-time in the earth.

The intent of this commodity is to help beef producers and consumers better empathise the bones similarities and differences between conventional, natural, grass-fed and organic beef product systems (come across Table 1).

Conventional

Over ninety percent of domestically produced beef comes from conventional product systems – cows consuming primarily forages, their calves grazing alongside until weaning at 5 to 8 months old. Upon weaning, beef calves typically:

• Are pastured as stocker cattle in a grazing organization, and so moved to a feedyard for finishing as described below, or:
• Are moved directly to a feedyard for finishing on a complete, balanced, loftier-concentrate diet

Wellness management – Primary focus is on preventative health intendance including vaccinations and biosecurity measures.

• Antibody use is primarily therapeutic
• An ionophore may exist fed to improve feed efficiency
• Growth-promoting implants may exist used to enhance weight gain

Marketing – Auction markets remain the main artery for marketing feeder calves and market cows and bulls. Other options include direct sale, video or Cyberspace offerings and retained ownership.

Natural

Many foods are described equally being "natural." To use the term "natural" on a nutrient characterization, USDA requires adherence to only three specifications, all of which pertain to the postal service-mortem treatment/processing of beef. The USDA specifications are product:

1. Must be minimally candy
2. Cannot contain any artificial ingredients, and
3. Cannot comprise any preservatives

By this definition, near fresh, conventionally produced beef qualifies as natural.

In the retail instance, this definition applies to beef that does not accept an ingredient characterization (products with marinade, tenderizer or other additives require a label). If in that location is no ingredient label, it is assumed the product is natural.

However, near branded beefiness programs accept additional requirements for their specific "natural" beef products. At the present time, there are over 30 companies that purchase cattle and/or beef that qualifies as natural.

Health management – Primary focus is on preventative wellness care including vaccinations and biosecurity measures. Natural beef programs may take a diversity of brand-specific specifications. Some examples include:

• No antibody utilize (known as "never e'er" programs)
• Limited antibiotic apply (known as "not lately" programs; most programs prohibit antibody use within the last 100 days prior to harvest.)
• Ionophore use may (or may not) be immune
• Utilize of growth-promoting implants is mostly not allowed
• Employ of feed containing mammalian protein or fat may be restricted

Marketing – To qualify for a natural-branded program, some level of source and direction verification is required. Consequently, most calves that authorize for natural beef programs are sold:

• As feeder, stocker or fed cattle through an brotherhood with one of the natural-branded beef programs, or
• Straight from producer to a packer, retailer or consumer

Adherence to the requirements of a natural-branded beef program is overseen and enforced by the branding company's management or a representative thereof.

Grass-fed

Grass-fed beefiness has at least three definitions.

According to USDA the term "grass-fed" applies to "ruminant animals and the meat and meat products derived from such animals whose nutrition, throughout their lifespan, with the exception of milk (or milk replacer) consumed prior to weaning, is solely derived from forage which, for the purpose of this merits, is any edible herbaceous plant material that can exist grazed or harvested for feeding, with the exception of grain.

"Animals cannot be fed grain or grain products and must take continuous admission to pasture during the growing season.

"Hay, haylage, baleage, silage, crop residue without grain and other roughage sources may besides be included as acceptable feed sources.

Consumption of seeds naturally attached to forage is acceptable. However, crops usually harvested for grain (including but non limited to corn, soybean, rice, wheat and oats) are but eligible if they are foraged or harvested in the vegetative state (pre-grain).

"Routine vitamin and mineral supplementation may also exist included in the feeding regimen. If incidental supplementation occurs due to inadvertent exposure to non-forage feedstuffs or to ensure the creature's well-being at all times during adverse environmental or concrete conditions, the producer must fully certificate the supplementation that occurs including the amount, frequency and the supplements provided."

The American Grass-fed Association (AGA) further defines their products:

• Animals having been, from nascency to harvest, fed on grass, legumes and forages, and
• Animals having not been: creep-fed as calves, fed for extended periods in confinement or finished on grains.

AGA further defines beef products according to a three-tier organization. AGA grass-fed and pasture- finished cattle "must be maintained at all times on range, pasture or in paddocks with at to the lowest degree 75 per centum provender cover or unbroken ground for their entire lives." Further, such cattle "cannot exist fed stockpiled forages in confinement for more than than 30 days per agenda year."

• Tier 1 – Animals must be maintained on 100 percent forage diets with no exposure to whatsoever not-forage supplements
• Tier ii – Animals may only be fed approved non-forage supplements to ensure the animal's well-being during periods of low forage quality or inclement weather condition
• Tier three – Pasture-finished cattle may be fed approved non-forage supplements at a charge per unit of 0.5 percent of bodyweight during the growth stage and 1.0 percentage of bodyweight (DM footing) during the finishing phase. Here, finishing is defined as the terminal 200 pounds gained earlier harvest.

The National Cattleman's Beef Association defines grass-finished beef as "that produced from cattle that grazed pastures their entire lives."

Wellness management – Primary focus is on preventative health care including vaccinations and biosecurity measures. Nearly grass-fed programs specify:

• No therapeutic or sub-therapeutic antibody utilise (a "never ever" programme)
• No growth-promoting implants
• No ionophores

Cattle that are injured or get sick typically receive therapeutic antibiotic treatment and are marketed as conventionally produced beef.

From an animal well-being standpoint, it is critical that cattle (in these not-conventional product systems) which go ill, injured or burdened with internal and/or external parasites exist treated in a timely manner and with the most effective production, regardless of whether or non the treatment will preclude them from being retained in these branded programs.

Marketing – Forage-fed cattle grow slower than like cattle in a conventional system. Consequently, most grass-fed cattle are harvested at an older age and a lower weight than those in a conventional or natural product organization.

Carcass fatty will probable not be bleached white in color. Depending on the quality and type of forage grazed during the 120 days immediately preceding harvest, carcass fat may be from pearl white to xanthous (beta carotene from green forages is stored in fatty tissue).

Whole muscle cut size and dimension may be different than conventional or natural beefiness, due primarily to the lower harvest weights.

Marketing – To qualify for a grass-fed branded program, source and management verification is required. Consequently, almost cattle that qualify as grass-fed beef are sold directly from the producer to a:

• Packer
• Wholesaler
• Retailer or
• Consumer

Compliance with the requirements of a grass-fed beefiness program are oftentimes monitored by on-subcontract/ranch visits and audits performed by the affiliated marketing alliance or a certifying agency.

Organic

Organic beef product and marketing is defined past USDA standards developed for all food labeled equally "organic."

Organic beefiness production requires more fourth dimension, effort and documentation than the other production systems described herein.

Livestock production and handling standards, outlined in USDA's National Organic Program (NOP) include:

• Animals for slaughter must be raised under USDA-certified organic management from the concluding third of gestation to harvest.
• Diets must contain feedstuffs that are certifiably 100 percent organic. Forages, cereal grains and oilseeds (ex., cotton, canola, soybean) must be grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. Initially, organic crop production is preceded by a three-twelvemonth menstruation of abstaining from the utilize of "prohibited substances" (for a listing, see National Organic Program standards). Preference will be given to the utilise of organic seeds and planting stocks. Nonorganic seeds/stock may be used in specific instances and with NOP approval. Use of genetically modified (GMO) crops is prohibited.
• Dietary vitamin and mineral supplements are allowed as warranted.
• Apply of growth promotants or antibiotics (for whatsoever reason) is strictly prohibited.
• Organically produced cattle must take access to the outdoors, including access to pasture. Daily intake requirements call for a minimum of 30 percentage of their daily intake come up from standing forages during the growing flavour. Temporary confinement is allowed for reasons of health, safety, phase of production or to protect soil or water quality.
• Animals must be candy and handled nether USDA certification.

Health direction – Primary focus is on preventative health intendance including vaccinations and biosecurity measures.

Co-ordinate to NOP standards, producers must non withhold treatment from a sick or injured animal; even so, animals treated with a prohibited medication may not exist sold as organic.

Upon recovery, treated cattle are marketed as conventionally produced beefiness.

Although non specifically addressed in the NOP standards, concerns over animal welfare issues are growing due to inadequate control of internal and peculiarly external parasites in some organic production systems.

Marketing – Equally mentioned above, cattle must exist processed and handled under USDA certification, from the last 3rd of gestation to consumer purchase.

Consequently, organic beef moves from subcontract or ranch of origin through a well-defined, traceable, certifiable processing, handling and marketing concatenation.

Inside Texas, the USDA's National Organic Programme (NOP) is managed and audited by the Texas Department of Agriculture, Organic Certification Program.

Summary

Beef producers considering a unlike production system should carefully consider the options and their respective requirements.

Similar breeds of cattle, it is not (and demand not) be "one kind fits all" when information technology comes to producing beef.

The electric current trend in consumer preferences indicates continued growth in need for natural, grass-fed and organic beef products; no doubt, the availability of such products has resulted in the retention of beef consumers that would otherwise have abased beef every bit their source of creature protein. Long-term success of the U.Southward. beefiness industry depends on customers repeatedly voting on beef with their food dollars.

However, promotion of any one product at the expense of beefiness from the other production systems is not in the best interest of the U.S. beef manufacture.

—Excerpts from 2010 TAMU Beef Cattle Brusk Class

PHOTO

Most "natural" beef labels mean the beef is minimally processed, has no bogus ingredients and contains no preservatives. Photo past David Cooper.

Rick Machen
Beef Extension Specialist
Texas A&K University

bembrysupolnester.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.progressivecattle.com/topics/beef-quality/understanding-natural-grass-fed-and-organic-beef

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