Tuesday, September 30

Grassy truths.


Time gets the best of us and time definitely flies for us at smallbatch, but we wanted to make a post completely inspired by our previous post (Grass fed, and happy.) regarding the health benefits of grass farming. Many people wonder what the difference is...is there any? So we decided to round up our knowledge on grass fed and pick-up some new stuff along the way. 
Most of us have been led to believe that meat is meat no matter what the animal has been fed and that the nutritional value of it's products remains the same. Not true. The nutrient content of an animal's diet has a profound influence. Therefore, the difference between grain fed versus grass fed animal products is huge. Here's the basic rundown.

Grass fed tends to be much lower in fat than grain fed products. When meat is lean it is known to lower cholesterol. Lower in calories as well.
Enter extra Omega-3's. Grass fed is low on "bad" fats including saturated fat, and it gives 2-6 times more of a type of "good" fat omega 3-fatty acids. Omega 3's are heart friendly, essential for brain function, and may reduce the risk of cancer. Many studies show that for both animals and humans essential fatty acids can slow the growth of cancers and keep them from spreading. Grain fed contains Omega 6 fatty acids a diet too rich in these can lead to obesity, diabetes, immune system disorders and cancer.  The reasons for going with grain fed are simple. The animals grow fatter faster. Grain is a higher concentrated force of energy than grass and provides way more calories. The end result with grain feeding is fattier meat.

Oh my, there you have it! Grass fed is here to stay and there are some wonderful ranches making this possible. As for us we love using grass fed in all of our batches, dogs and cats alike love the taste. You can see the difference in their energy, beautiful coat and lean muscles. 



Sunday, September 28

Grass fed, and happy.




We are proud to introduce Bear River Valley Beef to our smallbatch magic. These wonderful folks are located in Ferndale, 265 miles north of San Francisco. The ranch is a family run operation with Hugo leading the way, he is from Zimbabwe and has a huge ranching background. He is joined by his wife Elizabeth a native of England who holds a Cooper Institute Certificate in Nutrition and Kinesiology. The family is complete with three children and a ton of happy cows.
We were instantly excited about them and learning that after running a traditional cow/calf operation for many years and establishing a superior cow herd whose calves were sold into the commodity market, Hugo realized that he could provide a much better product and service by retaining ownership of the cattle and finishing them on grass. All natural 100% grass fed. Yes, sir!

We picked up some wonderful marrow bones, and organ meat for all of our beef diets. Tuula our pup enjoyed a very generous piece of bone.