The Benefits of Beef

Ok, so the context is that the US beef herd is at a 75-year low--as in, if you went around and counted all the cattle in the US it would be the same amount that was in the US in 1951. As I understand it, this is because of widespread droughts over much of the US "cattle country." When you don't have water, you don't have grass. When you don't have grass, you have to get rid of cattle. Perhaps drought and our soil's ability to capture and retain moisture is a topic for another day. For now, I just want you to understand the context for why our beef costs are significantly higher.

We buy calves in the spring and raise them up for a couple years till they are ready for slaughter. The prices on those calves have more than doubled in the last 2-3 years, and I don't see how that price is going to come down anytime soon. Cows still only have only one baby per year and, of course, you've gotta have grass to add cattle. Living things are not dials you can crank up like you can on widgets.

Ok, so here we are: our costs are up, and, therefore, we have to raise prices. Not happy news. We are committed to being transparent and not insulting your dignity and intelligence with sneakiness.

So, if beef is more expensive than our other offerings - pork, chicken, and eggs - one question that bubbles to the surface could be "Why bother? Why not just forget beef and focus on other, cheaper meats?"

I see two primary answers to that question: the health of the land's ecology and our human health (ecology of our bellies!).

Land Health

Herbivores with their magical four-chambered, fermenting bellies, typically play a critical role in any balanced ecological system.  They are the magical ones that can actually metabolize this feast of perennial forages (grasses, etc.) that otherwise would be wasted. Perennial forages are the number one way to capture and utilize the fundamental building block of ecological wealth--sunlight!  Sunlight, photosynthesis, and herbivores are the foundation of ecological wealth that one-bellied animals rely on.  Taking four-bellied herbivores out of your ecological system is cutting your legs out from underneath you. 

The primary way soil is built rather than depleted is by growth and grazing. This "pulsing" cause roots to grow and break off, which builds soil (Sorry, grass and leaves rotting on the soil surface are not where this growth really takes place). Without herbivores grazing, the forages go rank and dormant, photosynthesis stalls, sunlight is wasted, and soil isn't built.

Human Health

Hopefully, I haven't bored you or lost you. Hang with me! On human health, think about this: These cattle are spending 6ish hours every day grazing our fertile and nutritious perennial forages (grasses, legumes, forbes, etc.). That's a lot of time and work and with their aforementioned magical fermenting bellies they are unlocking what we can't access (because we don't eat grass).  Herbivores can concentrate all those nutrients very efficiently in their fat, muscle, and organs, and we are the amazing beneficiaries of all of their work chomping and fermenting.  If you think about it, beef is really a sort of magic food with a whole backlog of work and biology that goes behind every beautiful, concentrated bite--like some elf food from the Lord of the Rings. So, if you want to be wizard, eat our grass-fed beef. You heard it here first.  
All of our customers are pretty much wizards and now after reading this blog you just happen to know you are a wizard. (Sorry, I'll stop with the wizard thread.)

Perennials (Forage) vs. Annuals (Corn and Soy)

Another important factor in this is the comparison of perennial forages and annual grains (corn and soy). Corn and soy grow and die in about 3 months. Therefore, their root systems and nutrient profiles are very superficial compared to a perennial forage that has been doing its thing for decades. So, 100% grass-fed beef is completely different from corn and soy-fed beef; the nutrient profile of each diet is totally different.

So, there you have it. You can't disregard the herbivores. The land needs them, and our health needs them.  
But also, I get it--we all have budgets.  Here are some tips: 

- Consider ground beef, shaved steak, sirloin strip, eye round, chuck roast, liver, heart (I know, the organs are weird, but they are so healthy and so inexpensive!).

- Look to other sources of protein temporarily while the market levels out. Eggs are an incredible, cheap source of protein, and, of course, we've also got chicken, turkey, and pork!

Thanks for hanging with me on all this, you dear wizardly customers!

-Jesse Straight