Why Grass Finished Is Best

Healthier

Grass finished beef are generally healthier than cattle that spend their days in a feed lot with thousands of other cattle from all over the country. Just as people are more likely to get sick when they are in large crowds of unfamiliar people, cattle are more likely to get sick too. Once an animal becomes ill it must be medicated. It makes sense then that if you keep the cattle healthy in the first place you don't have to give them drugs. By raising our own animals and limiting their exposure to foreign herds we have practically done away with the need to medicate our herd with antibiotics, so you can feel safe about the meat your family eats.

Leaner

Our cattle graze exclusively on naturally fertilized Bermuda, Annual Ryegrass, Tall Fescue grass, Alfalfa and clovers from the time they are weaned from their mother's milk. Grass is a very healthy and natural food for cattle. It is what they were designed to eat. Cattle can process this very low quality roughage into protein (meat) from which you and I benefit. In contrast, feedlot cattle are fed an intense regimen of corn and other grains that are high in calories. As you can imagine if you sat around and ate high calorie foods and didn't exercise, you would gain fat. Feedlots do this on purpose to increase the weight of their cattle. So by allowing our cattle to roam freely and eat what they need, Aquilla Hill Angus beef remains lean.

Great Taste

Great chefs enjoy the robustness of grass fed beef. Cattle that graze grass exclusively develop flavor characteristics that can vary depending on the vegetation they eat. By utilizing the Angus' genetic propensity for marbling and the 21 day dry-aging of the finished product, we are able to produce a succulent steak that will appeal to the most demanding palate!

All Natural

Most commercially produced cattle are subjected to growth hormone implants to speed up the growth and increase the size of their animals. The bigger the steer the more he weighs and the more money earned. Aquilla Hill Angus beef is never exposed to such stimulants. We raise our cattle for 2 years and allow them to mature naturally. Once again our customers benefit.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid

Recent studies have shown that grass fed cattle have increased levels of CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid). CLA has been shown to retard the growth of many types of tumors, including skin, colon, prostate and breast cancers. Conjugated Linoleic Acid can also be used as part of a weight management program to help reduce fat and maintain muscle mass. While there are synthetic varieties of CLA, studies have shown these non-natural sources can have potentially serious side effects such as insulin resistance, raised glucose levels, and a reduction of HDL, or “good “ cholesterol. Safety in young children, pregnant or nursing women, or those with severe liver or kidney disease is not known. So keep it natural!

Omega-3-Fatty Acids

Pasture fed beef is high in Omega-3- Fatty Acids which are produced by vitamin A found in green grasses. As cattle graze on these green grasses they store more Omega-3's. Once cattle are taken off green grass and fed grain, they loose the Omega-3-Fatty Acids. Most people are familiar with supplementing their intake of Omega-3's by eating fish. We now know that grass fed beef is an excellent source as well.

HDL (high density lipoprotein) Cholesterol

There is much discussion about cholesterol these days. Fortunately not all cholesterol is bad. Animal fats contain both HDL and LDL cholesterol. While LDL is considered bad for your heart and health, HDL is not only good for you but is believed to be a major player in the body's prevention of heart attacks. Grass fed beef is a great source for HDL.

Low Levels of E. Coli

E. Coli is a naturally occurring microbe found in most ruminants. Since the mid 80's we have been hearing much about this nasty little organism. The clammer is caused by a strain known as E. coli 0157:H7. It is an acid resistant strain that has developed in the confinement environments. When feedlot cattle are fed grain the PH level in their rumen (one of the 4 compartments of the cows stomache) is lowered to a level similar to our human stomaches. This allows the E. coli 0157:H7 to survive our natural defenses when we ingest the organism. Grass fed animals have a much lower instance of E. Coli and the ones that are there are easily taken care of naturally in our acidic stomaches.

Vitamin E

Where feedlot beef is fed Vitamin E supplements to try and regain this important antioxidant, grass fed beef has naturally occurring levels that exceed feedlot cattle by at least two times.

Beta-Carotene

Another natural occurring cancer fighter found in grass fed beef is Beta-Carotene. Beta-Carotene is an antioxidant that has been found to decrease the occurrence of cancer as well as heart disease. Again there is about twice the amount of Beta-Carotene found in grass fed over feedlot cattle.

No Mad Cow Disease

Although the risks of coming in contact with a cow with BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) in the United States are extremely low, with a herd of grass fed animals the risk is practically non-existent. Since an animal has to consume processed feeds that contain cattle nervous system tissue to acquire this disease, by feeding only naturally occurring grass this threat is eliminated.

Vacuum Packaged

We have our local abattoir process our beef and each cut is individually sealed in a clear vacuum package. This greatly increases the freezer life of your meat well beyond a year and makes for easy choice selection.

Allergy Fighting

A German study, published in the journal Allergy, found that participants who ate foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids were less likely to suffer allergy symptoms than those who didn’t regularly eat these foods. Omega-3s help fight inflammation and can be found in cold-water fish, walnuts and flaxseed oil, as well as grass-fed meat and eggs.