West Valley Beef
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West Valley Beef
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Table of Contents
Are your beef certified organic?No, our beef are not certified organic. However, they are naturally fed and raised with no growth hormones, steroids, animal bi-products or concentrated feeds. They are only fed grass or grass hay. The steers, however are finished on alfalfa hay. We do not wish at this time to go through the certification process. However, since the Mad Cow confirmation, grass-fed beef is considered safer and more desirable than organic beef. Back to TopAre your animals treated humanely?We really do care for our cows, and we walk amongst our herd almost every day to check on them and to keep them used to human contact. Our animals are kept in a calm environment, and we use humane killing treatments and low-stress handling methods. Back to TopDo you ever use antibiotics?We will use antibiotics only when absolutely necessary. There are times you need to use antibiotics. However, if an animal is sick or has had an injury that requires treatment, it will not be sold until absolutely healthy. In fact, it will be kept for us and not sold through our program. We keep excellent records of the health of our herd, and have regular herd checks by our veterinarian. Back to TopDo you vaccinate?Yes, we vaccinate our heard with the minimal vaccines as recommended by our veterinarian to keep our herd healthy. All calves are vaccinated at 6 months, but anything that will be sold is not vaccinated again after that. Will the meat look different?You may notice a difference in the color of the fat from grass-fed beef. The fat is usually yellowish in color. This is an indication of high levels of beta-carotene! Will the meat taste different than the meat I buy from the store?Most likely, you will find the meat better tasting than that you buy in the store. The flavor of grass-fed beef isn’t covered up like feedlot beef fed corn, grains, or concentrates that change the way beef tastes. Grass-fed beef is certainly not gamey tasting like some wild meat, but also not bland or without flavor. Back to TopWill the meat be tender?Like elk, antelope, or deer, grass-fed beef is not generally tough, UNLESS you cook it like store-bought beef. Grass-fed meat from cattle can have varying degrees of tenderness, just like grain-fed meat. Marbling, surprisingly, only accounts for 10% of the “tenderness factor”. Genetics accounts for 30%. The rest is due to other factors such as cut of meat, age and sex of the animal, and the stress level of animal prior to slaughter. We work very hard to keep our animals stress free, and select bulls and breeding stock that will produce quality meat. We also butcher younger, and allow the meat to age for at least 14 days.Back to TopHow do I cook grass-fed beef?Grass-fed meat starts out just as tender as other meat, but it CAN become tough if you cook it the same way you cook grain-fed meat. The reason is that grass-fed meat is very lean, and fat is an insulator. When there is little or no fat, heat is conducted more quickly and can toughen the proteins. You need to cook grass-fed beef more slowly. If you’re broiling, place meat farther away from the heating elements and cook it for a longer period of time. There are some excellent grass-fed cookbooks available now. You can find them on the www.eatwild.com webpage. For some of these questions, I used information available from: Why Grassfed is Best! The Surprising Benefits of Grassfed Meat, Eggs, and Dairy Products, by Jo Robinson Salad Bar Beef, by Joel Salatin. Copyright © 2001 [West Valley Beef]. All rights reserved.
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Last modified: 12/28/06 |
