Grass-fed vs. certified organic beef. Why don’t we see more certified beef programs? That requires a full understanding of what becoming certified organic or grass-fed entails. Strict regulations, high certification/renewal costs, and limited processors keep many programs from leaping to grass-fed or organic productions.
Before you even begin to think of making the transition to an organic operation your pastures will have to be free of use from any prohibited materials or substances for at least 3 years. Many of the fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, medicines, and fungicides used by conventional farmers are prohibited in organic production. Every aspect of the operation to qualify as organic has to be managed “organically”. That includes your pasture management. So basically you have to register your pastures as organic that your organic cattle will graze on. Becoming and staying certified organic takes micro-management and extensive record-keeping to the maximum.
Does the USDA offer a grass-fed certification? The USDA offers the Grass Fed Small & Very Small Producer Program. For this program, the only qualifications are that ruminant animals be fed only grass and forage, except for milk consumed prior to weaning. Animals certified under this program cannot be fed grain or grain by-products and must have continuous access to pasture during the growing season. There are no restrictions on the use of insecticides, pesticides, medicines/vaccines for cattle, or pasture management. But with anything, there is a catch. The title of this program gives it away, “Small and Very Small Producer Program”. This program is designed for producers who market 49 cattle or less each year.
What if you have a program that markets greater than 49 cattle per year? The USDA does not have a grass-fed certification program for larger cattle operations. You’re going to have to search for other accrediting organizations to help market your beef. The largest and probably the best of the options out there is the American Grassfed Association (AGA). The AGA states that as a member of their program your animals were fed a lifetime diet of 100% forage, your animals were raised on pasture/not in confinement, and your animals were never treated with added hormones or antibiotics. There are also a few additional restrictions on the use of synthetic herbicide and pesticide being prohibited.
All of these different certifications/regulations make cattle ranching sound very involved and complicated. So what’s the point? Many of the larger cattle operations still use grain as a feed source or to at least finish their cattle on. It gets the cattle to slaughter weight faster and brings a good price. Time is money. The faster a cow can be finished and bring top dollar the better. The truth is with the grass-fed certification you command a higher price for your beef because of all the extra work that has to go into grass-fed cattle. Consumers are much more aware of what they are eating in today’s market and are willing to pay for higher-quality beef.
Believe us, if the “cage-free” chicken movement taught us anything, it’s that consumers care how the animals are raised/cared for. Slogans like “no added hormones or antibiotics” resonate with a large portion of the consumer market today. If you plan to raise cattle by pasture grazing; then the grass-fed or organic certification options might be helpful to you.
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