Organic farmers may sell their beef, veal, lamb, pork, or poultry at farmers’ markets. But are they really organic? If they display a USDA Organic certification seal, ask them who certifies their products. They should be able to give you a straight answer and identify where the certifier is located. If they don’t have a certification seal, you may want to ask them the following questions:
How Much Grain, Silage, or Concentrate Were the Animals Fed and When?
Ruminants (including cows, sheep, goats, deer, and bison) that graze exclusively on grass, clover, and other green plants have the highest levels of Omega-3, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA, which has anticancer and antiobesity properties) or CLA, beta-carotene, and vitamin E in their meat and milk. However, few farms have green pasture twelve months of the year. When grass isn’t available, some alternative feed is required. The best way to preserve these desirable nutrients in the meat is to feed the animals stored forage, either in the form of hay or grass (not corn) silage. Feeding of hay or grass silage causes a reduction in the nutritional value of the meat or dairy products, but not as much as grain or corn silage. When the animals are pastured again, the nutritional value of their meat rebounds in eight to twelve weeks. The most nutritious meat comes from an animal that has been on fresh or stored pasture all of its life and on grazed grass for at least three months before slaughter. Be aware that poultry and pigs aren’t ruminants. They’ll always be given grain or other feed supplements, which are important for their health.
Did the Ruminants Get any Grains or Other Feedstuffs While They Were on Pasture or Being Fed Hay?
Some ranchers advertise their animals as “grass-fed” or even “grass-finished,” but supplement them with grain or other products while on pasture. The meat will have lower levels of Omega-3 and CLA because of the grain. Kelp or vitamin and mineral supplements are okay—they don’t detract from the nutritional quality of the meat. However, meat from an animal that has been grass fed in its last few months of life—even if the animal has also been given some grain—is still nutritionally superior to feedlot beef. You might also want to ask how the farmer knows that supplemental grain isn’t from GMO corn.
Were Pesticides, Herbicides, Antibiotics, or Hormones Used in the Production of These Animals?
An unscrupulous producer or purveyor of conventional meat trying to pass it off as organic will probably deny using any of these. An honest conventional farmer will own up to using them. Your best safeguard against the unscrupulous is to ask to see her certification. If a farmer says something like, “We’re all organic except we do use herbicides to keep down the broad-leaf weeds in our grass pastures,” then she is honest but doesn’t understand that you can’t be a little bit organic. Either you follow the rules or you are not organic. And the rules don’t allow for any of these substances.
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