How grass-fed beef and milk contribute to healthy eating (PDF)
By Kate Clancy, Union of Concerned Scientists
"The production, sale, and consumption of beef and dairy products represent a significant segment of the American food system. In fact, the United States produces more beef than any other nation. Conventional U.S. dairy and beef production relies heavily on the feeding of grain, primarily corn. More than 50 percent of the corn grown in this country goes to animal feed. Not only does grain production cause water and air pollution, but feeding it to cattle can reduce the levels of certain fats in beef and milk that may be beneficial to human health. Conventional beef and dairy production also confines large numbers of animals in relatively small spaces, a practice that has serious consequences for the environment and the health of both animals and humans. Manure produced in feedlots, for example, pollutes the air and combines with the runoff from fertilizers and pesticides used in cornfields to contaminate ground and surface water. Furthermore, the practice of feeding cattle antibiotics to promote growth increases the risk of antibiotic resistance in humans, leading to potential complications from bacteria-caused diseases."

Click here to download the entire report.
(The download may take several minutes.)

Grass-Fed Beef May Be A Source Of Beneficial Omega-3 Fats
By Melanie Pinola
"Think all red meat is bad for your health? Maybe not. A new study in the British Journal of Nutrition is linking grass-fed beef with higher blood levels of omega-3s, which have been associated with positive health benefits, compared to more common grain-finished red meat."

Monumental Report from the President's Cancer Panel In April 2010, the President's Cancer Panel published its annual report on reducing environmental cancer risk. The Panel considered industrial, occupational, and agricultural exposures as well as exposures related to medical practice, military activities, modern lifestyles, and natural sources. Chapter 2 of the report specifically identifies the chemicals used in agriculture and the effects on the food we eat. Below is an excerpt from page 49 of this document.

Veterinary Pharmaceuticals
Except for animals raised on organic farms, most livestock in feed lots and poultry farms are given antibiotics, growth hormones, and feed that may consist in part of animal tissue that itself may be contaminated by these drugs. When excreted, these medications become part of the toxic run-off from agricultural operations. The impact of this contamination on human cancer is unknown at this time, but there is speculation that the growth hormones may contribute to endocrine disruption in humans.

Click here to download the entire report.
(The download may take several minutes.)

Meat That's Really 'Well' Done
FOX News
Going against the grain, U.S. Wellness Meats says its grass-fed steaks and chops can fight heart disease and cancer, as well as hunger.

Eating animals is making us sick
By Jonathan Safran Foer, Special to CNN
Foer addresses the negative effects of factory farming how they may be tied to global warming, swine and bird flu, other illnesses

Benefits of grass-fed beef
Sarah Moran, StarTribune

Here's a concise, updated overview of the key health benefits of eating grass-fed beef. You can read it in about one minute!

What you need to know about the beef you eat (PDF)
By Jo Robinson
This is a comprehensive must-read about the perils to food safety and nutrition posed by the current industrial model of livestock production and processing. The critique of the current system is accompanied by discussion of the increasing hope for healthy sources of meat now represented in the resurgence of family-scale, pasture-based livestock farms. This recent article was originally published in Mother Earth News, then published by americangrassfedbeef.com. Its author is Jo Robinson, an investigative journalist and New York Times bestselling author who specializes in science-based health information. Jo has been investigating the differences between animals raised in feedlots and pasture-based farms for the past seven years and owns and operates the authoritative web site on pasture-based food, Eatwild.com.

An entertaining tongue-in-cheek article on grass-fed beef, corn, ethanol, American consumption and international opportunism
First printed in the Washington Post

Here's a recent satirical account of a fictitious phone conversation between OPEC representatives and their K Street lobbyist in Washington. In it, they wrangle about how to avert the potentially grave threat to the oil-producing cartel posed by -- of course, none other than grass fed cattle, small farms and healthy Americans. A fun and brisk read with more than a little insight folded into the witty dialog, it was written by R. James Woolsey, head of the C.I.A. from 1993 to 1995 (yes, really!), and reprinted in the the Minneapolis StarTribune following its original publication in the Washington Post.

Omega3 fatty acids protect against diabetes: study
The linked article reports the results of a significant recent U.S. study. As the Thousand Hills Cattle Co. mission is focused on providing healthful food we want to keep you abreast of such news when we learn of it. And, though the study does not refer in any way to grass fed beef, other studies have shown that grass fed beef is high in Omega-3's. We are hopeful that, in addition to the other health benefits of grass fed beef, it may prove to be a valuable part of a diet that helps prevent or mitigate the effects of diabetes.

Grassfed has a far better story to tell than organics
CLA researcher says
CLAY CITY, Indiana: Dr. Tilak Dhiman of Utah State University speaking at the American Grassfed Association's convention said that American organic foods sales have grown from $7.5 billion in 2001 to $18.4 billion in 2005 and are projected to reach $23 billion in 2007.

Highlights from Michael Pollan's talk in the Twin Cities, April 19, 2007
from notes of attendee and enthusiast Will Winter, DVM (Will is Thousand Hills' consulting veterinarian and overall wellness, sustainability and love-of- good-food advocate.)

Survey: Organic produce, grass-fed beef among hottest menu trends
by Sustainable Food News
National Restaurant Association releases new research showing explosive growth of organic food demand at nation's restaurants

PBS Interview with Michael Pollan

Power Steer / This Steer’s Life by Michael Pollan
A ground-breaking and provocative account: New York Times Magazine contributor Michael Pollan follows the life of a calf he purchased as it grows its way through the industrial beef system. Offered in contrast is his experience with and research into the production of and eating grass fed beef. Pollan describes it as an effort to grasp first-hand and “own” what the production of red meat has come to mean –- to him, and to the well-being of all involved. A historical, swift, panoramic read. But not for the faint of heart.

Eatwild.com
The first and most comprehensive web site to date reporting on the health and ecological benefits of pasture-raised foods. It offers helpful distinctions between conventional and pasture-based agriculture. And, it includes numerous topical links, excerpts from and a bibliography of relevant scientific studies, and a host of grower pages for producers of like mind who are offering their foods via the internet.