What are the benefits of grass fed beef?
We’re proud to produce quality, grass fed, Aberdeen Angus beef here at Bennetts Farm, which you’ll find in our shop. Over the past 7 years, we have been working on growing an Aberdeen Angus herd, with the aim of producing top quality beef
What is grass fed beef?
Grass fed beef is beef that is raised entirely on a grass-based diet. During the lovely summer months, we graze all of our cows, calves and bulls on our fields here at Bennetts Farm. We follow a rotational grazing system, whereby we walk them to a difference paddock every couple of days. This means that fresh grass is constantly in front of them and the land has chance to rest and replenish.
During those summer months, Si is also busy in the tractor, making hay and silage. Hay is cut grass that is dried and then baled, and stored in a barn. Whereas silage is preserved grass, that is baled and wrapped to maintain moisture and quality.
How do we achieve this?
Due to our weather conditions, we choose to house all of our cows from November to March. The cows have their calves between January and April. It’s much easier to keep an eye on them when they’re in our spacious barns. Although, they are very good at just getting on with it!
During the winter months, they’re fed on the hay and silage. This is a product made from grass that we make during the summer, so they continue their grass fed diet.
Why is it important?
We choose to feed a grass fed diet to the cows for a number of reasons.
Firstly, it’s totally natural to them. It’s so lovely seeing the cows out grazing, and for the calves’ first trip out to the field. It is really good for them to roam freely, enjoy the sun on their backs and have a change of scenery for the summer. Lastly, it’s really good for the soil, as the cows are regularly naturally fertilising the soil with their manure. This saves us having to buy in fertiliser to make the grass grow! And again, it’s more natural for the environment.
We grow purely grass here at Bennetts Farm. We also rent an additional 800 acres of grassland, which enables us to produce enough hay and silage for our growing herd and also sell some surplus to farmers and horse owners. The grass fields absorb the carbon produced on the farm. Therefore we are a carbon neutral establishment.
We also use minimal food miles to produce our beef. We produce all of the feed required, so don’t need to buy feed in. All of our cows are bred, born, raised and grazed right here on our farm. It’s sustainable, quality and local. But it also boasts many health benefits.
What are the health benefits?
Grass fed beef is a healthier option for you than grain-fed beef. It has less bad fats and therefore less calories. Meanwhile, it contains an abundance of good fats. An article written by Web MD highlighted that grass fed beef has as much as 5x the amount of omega-3 fatty acids as grain fed beef.
This article from Harvard states that these fatty acids provide the starting point for making hormones that regulate blood clotting, contraction and relaxation of artery walls, and inflammation. They also bind to receptors in cells that regulate genetic function. Omega-3 fats have also been shown to help prevent heart disease and stroke, may help control lupus, eczema, and rheumatoid arthritis, and may play protective roles in cancer and other conditions.
Meat from grass fed animals also has higher levels of vitamins A and E, and Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), which may offer a defence against heart disease and diabetes.
All in all, we say grass fed beef gets our vote!
You can purchase your very own grass fed beef from our farm shop, open from 8am-7pm 7 days a week. We are located just outside the Cotswold village of Leighterton, near Tetbury.