When I started farming, I was a 24 year old mostly vegetarian eater.
With NO CONCEPT of how food was grown, raised, or slaughtered. After my life altering internship at White Oak Pastures everything changed for me.
Most importantly, my connection with food and cooking.
If you are like me, you may be wondering…What does Pasture Raised Mean? What is a CAFO?
On our farm, and ALL farms are different, pasture raised means they live outside ALL the time. They are living in the field, eating pasture grasses & hay in the winter (cows and lambs). Our Pork and Chicken are raised on grass + supplemental feed of the highest nutrient density and cleanest ingredients.
CAFO stands for Confined Animal Feeding Operation, this looks different for each type of animal being raised. But as the name suggests, these animals are confined, usually to cram high densities of living creatures into small spaces in the name of efficiency. They usually include a diet high in soy and corn, and most often these grains are heavily sprayed with pesticides, and herbicides.
These animals spend either their entire life indoors/confined chicken and pigs or the later portion as the case for cattle. These industrial feeding complexes strip all dignity from the animals and the farms raising them. They seek the highest efficiency for the lowest cost per pound. Over 90% of the meat sold in the US comes from these operations.
The animal suffers, and so does your health. The farming methods, feed given and stressful conditions lead to meat that is high in cortisol (stress hormone), filled with antibiotics, laden with harmful pesticides, and full of Omega 6’s.
In Stark contrast, animals raised in their natural environment and fed an appropriate diet are Naturally Nutrient Dense, filled with healthy fat profiles, delicious and humane. You feel good from the inside out, when you eat meat that supports your values.
Benefits of Grassfed Pasture Raised Meats. Click the Link for your PDF!
All of the Nutrient benefits are transferred to you when you consume protein from a clean source.
You are what you eat, eats. Think about it.
Do you want pork that was all raised on expired donuts and pastries? How healthy would you be if that’s all you ate?