When you pick up a package of meat at the grocery store do you know where it came from? How healthy were the cows? What were they fed? Does that steak on the BBQ contain hormones, pesticides or anti-biotics? I never knew the answers but I wanted to. After watching a documentary called Food Inc and reading the Omnivore's Dilemma by Micheal Pollan it pushed me to dig deeper. According to Food Inc statistics, an average hamburger contains parts of 1000 cows and on average food travels over 1500 miles. That just never sat well with me! The simple way to answer these questions is to buy organic and/or local from a reputable farmer.
Roughly every 9 months for the past two years I have been doing just that and it is easier, healthier, eco-friendlier, convenient and I would argue less expensive. We usually purchase a quarter hind of beef at roughly 190-200lb "hanging weight". The hanging weight is the weight of the hind quarter before it is dry-aged, trimmed, and cut. We pay roughly $2.49 per pound from a farmer in Grand Falls who has been in business over 25 years. Before we moved back to Canada we bought our beef from a local farmer in Bartlett, Tennessee. The meat is cut, wrapped labelled, delivered for free (with most farmers) and all you need is a deep freeze the size of a dishwasher to store it.
Look for beef that is naturally free range and grass fed instead of corn or barley. Corn and barley are not digested by cows well causing high methane levels and it is responsible for higher saturated fat and lower beneficial Omega 3 fatty acids in the beef. I believe cattle should be treated humanely with sun, shelter and plenty of room to graze in a pasture and I don't want any hormones or anti-biotics used so I also look for farmers that hold my same beliefs.
However, one of the benefits I never expected from buying local and/or organic was the convenience factor. Working full-time with two young children it is so nice to look at what I have in my refrigerator and then grab something out of the freezer that works. Red peppers and onions in my fridge...pull out a round or 5 minute steak for fajitas or a stir fry. Potatoes, carrots or turnip...pull out a roast or thaw some beef cubes for stew. Nothing beats a sunny summer day t-bone or fillet steak, wouldn't you like to know one was always there waiting. No more drives to the local store and checking flyers for specials. You are buying quality meat and buying it in bulk at a great price.
Cost Savings: I am not sure I can put an accurate cost savings on this. There are just so many benefits that can't be assigned a dollar figure.
Don't want to buy so much? Many people buy individual cuts or buy "meat boxes" with a few different cuts from their local farmers market. That is also a perfect approach! If you do want to try the larger order this method also allows you to try beef from different farmers before you commit.
Here are a few links to check out:
What is a feedlot?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feedlot
Grass Fed vs Grain Fed Beef
http://angeles.sierraclub.org/News/SS_2004-07/grassgrain.asp
Organic vs Local?
http://www.foodnetwork.ca/Meat+Organic+Local+Debate/2193878/story.html
Watch Food Inc.
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/food-inc/
Michael Pollan - The Ominvore's Dillema Lecture
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFpjskn3_Pc
What does Free Range mean?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_range
How do they feed cattle in US and Canada?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle_feeding
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