Vermont Natural Beef is what the name implies. Our animals are not raised in confinement, are not fed antibiotics or hormones, and are not force-fed scientifically formulated rations.
On pasture
Our animals graze the lush pastures of the lower Champlain Valley of Vermont. We rotate the stock from one paddock to the next so they always meet fresh new growth — grass, alfalfa, and clover. With many paddocks in rotation, each one can rest for up to 21 days before the animals return.
Large ruminants are built to harvest and digest all the energy and protein they need in exactly this setting, with the least possible stress on their bodies and their temperament. There is no better feed and no better atmosphere for cattle to grow in. That is why we do not need antibiotics or hormones to control disease or push rates of gain. Our cattle stay healthy because they are not stressed, and they still average roughly two pounds of natural weight gain per day. They are given free-choice salt and minerals, which green grass alone does not supply in sufficient concentration.
What a feedlot is
Animals raised in commercial feedlots are confined in large lots and fed formulated rations built mostly from by-products of the human food industry — potato chip meal, cookie meal, pizza crust, blood meal, to name a few. Exercise is very limited, and the environment creates real social stress. Driven entirely by cost, these operations by design keep cattle on the edge of acidosis while gaining as much weight as possible on the cheapest available ration.
Why not organic?
Organic beef must be raised on certified organic feed, which does exclude antibiotics and hormones. But organic certification speaks to what the animal was fed — not to how it was raised. Organic cattle are often kept in confinement, with no guarantee of a low-stress environment, and are frequently fed rations high in grain.
What it means for you
- Beef raised primarily on pasture carries four to five times more CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) than beef raised primarily on grain. CLA is an active area of nutrition research.
- Pasture-raised beef has two to four times more omega-3 fatty acids than feedlot beef. Omega-3s must come from the diet; green grass is naturally high in them, and cattle lose that source when they are moved onto grain concentrates.
- Pasture-raised beef carries substantially less total fat than feedlot beef.
- Meat from grass-fed cattle can be several times higher in vitamin E than meat from feedlot cattle — again, straight from the grass.
- Confinement feeding creates conditions in which harmful bacteria spread more readily. Pasture and low-stress handling reduce that risk.
- Our beef is processed at small local butcher shops under U.S.D.A. inspection.
- Across all cuts — steaks, roasts, and burger together — our per-pound cost lands near what an average grade of supermarket hamburger costs. Your freezer holds a year of vacuum-packed dinners, and you stop wondering what to pick up on the way home.