Using an implant (added hormone) is a practise some ranchers and feedlots can use to increase the animals ability to convert feed to muscle. This is an individual ranchers choice and can have benefits to their operation and it is SAFE for human consumption! The implants are tiny round pellets and are put under the skin of the animal’s ear. On our ranch we have used implants, but currently we are not using them. They cost money for us to purchase, so sometimes that added expense doesn’t work out for us. Below is a good fact sheet that shows a comparison of hormone levels in beef to hormone levels in other products. https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/f1ef9cf3/files/uploaded/AlbertaBeefHormonesHighRespdf-578.pdf

Actually all beef in Canada is antibiotic free. Regardless of what some ads might lead you to believe. On our vet prescriptions(antibiotics or vaccines) there is something called a withdrawal time. That is a time (either in days or hours) that has been scientifically proven to be the amount of time for that product to leave the animals systems and not have a residue in the meat. Whenever we are treating our animals whether it be because an animal is sick and we are giving antibiotics to clear up bacteria infection that product has a withdrawal time on it and as ranchers we are not allowed to sell that animal until the withdrawal time is up. For example, if I have a cow with pink eye and I give her liquamycin (an antibiotic) and I give that injection under the skin (subcutaneous) that withdrawal time is 42 days, so I cannot sell that animal for 42 days. You as the consumer can feel assured that there is no antibiotic residue in any beef you buy. Programs like Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) are in place to help ranchers and farmers record and track their treatments and prove we are adhering to withdrawal times. Below is a video where I talk about this in more detail.

Our cows do have a diet that is predominately grass. All summer and fall they are out grazing. However, in the winer when the grass is no longer growing and its -40 we need to feed them, so they have enough energy to maintain body function and stay warm. Winter feed varies from ranch to ranch, but on our ranch we predominately feed a ration of silage (that we put up in the summer and store it until winter) and mix that silage with hay, straw and usually some type of grain. Sometimes that’s barley or oats. Last year during the drought it was corn because that was all that was available. Grains are high in energy which is important for the cattle to stay warm during our cold winter months.

In a lot of the areas where cattle are grazing that land is marginal land and is not suitable for growing crops. If it weren’t for cattle and their amazing ability to turn low quality forage into high quality protein this land would be virtually useless. Because of cattle on the land there are able to produce protein for us as humans to sustain us, but also these grasslands are amazing habitats for many other species. Cattle and these other species can co-habitat on the grasslands perfectly. In addition to, keeping our native grasslands intact and providing biodiversity, cattle also help in the fight against food waste. Cattle are up cyclers. Because they are ruminants (they have 4 stomachs) they can use food that would otherwise go to waste. There are many farms and ranches that use the byproducts from human food production to feed to their cows. Many of these operations would have a nutritionist that can balance the animals ration (diet) to ensure they are getting the proper amount of nutrients vitamins and minerals, but also making sure what is being fed is adequate in quality and quantity for the animal to meet their nutritional requirements in terms of energy and protein. French fries are fed to cattle and carrots these are food products that weren’t the right size or shape so aren’t sold for human consumption. On our ranch we also try and use some by products. We have fed beet pulp pellets and grain screenings and pea and lentil flour and screenings. All these things are by products and the parts of the that are left over from processing from human consumption. If we didn’t have cattle to up-cycle these products we would have even more food waste. I am biased because I think cows are awesome anyhow, but I think all these things combined really show cattle positive impact on the environment. Below are some great videos about how cattle impact our environment. Video: "How to Cattle Combat Food Waste?" Part 1 and 2 https://vimeo.com/458652017 https://vimeo.com/458652017

ROASTS: 3-4 lb roasts STEAKS: 2 per package and 3/4 inch thick GROUND BEEF: 1 lb packages

DISCLAIMER: I am not a dietician or nutritionist. However, I will share some of my beliefs below. Beef is a real food, it isn’t made up of multiple ingredients or highly processed. I like to feed my family real food and its great that I have the ability to feed them beef that we raise. I know not everybody has that ability and I am very grateful I do. What doesn’t change is beef is a great source of protein and many other nutrients. I have a video below that share more knowledge about the goodness of beef.