Why Choose Organic Meats
Organic meats can be expensive. We are often asked why chose organic meats over what you can get at the supermarket. "Give me just one reason why."
How about one reason for everyday of the week!
1. Free of antibiotics, added hormones and other drug treatments. The result is healthier, more nutritious meat. Those cuts of meat cost more than conventional meats, just remember: You can't put a price tag on good health.
2. Mad cow safeguard. Organically-raised cattle have been fed 100 percent organic feed; no ground-up animal parts.
3. More ethical treatment of animals. Organic farms look after their animals with great care, while conventional farms and factory farms treat animals like commodities. If you have ever felt guilty about eating meat, by switching to organic meat you can lessen the guilt.
4. Free-Range. Animals raised the free-range way are treated better, and that includes a better diet. The specific guidelines from the Department of Agriculture for animals, other than chickens, are more clear-cut. Cattle and sheep must be given continuous access to a pasture, and can never be locked in a feedlot. Pigs cannot be confined in a feedlot for more than 20% of their lives. When farmers meet these conditions, they can market the meat derived from these animals as free range meats.
5. Manure. Organic farms are typically smaller than conventional. Smaller farms use less manure. Too much manure is linked to health risks. Concentrated untreated manure typically is kept in storage pits or lagoons until it is sprayed or spread on nearby land. Precipitation or drift can carry land-applied manure directly into surface waters; such runoff also infiltrates into soils. Pit storage and leakage, in addition to manure spreading, contribute to the contamination of surface waters and groundwater, posing a threat to 42 million Americans who drink groundwater from untreated private wells. Microbes that normally inhabit the gut of livestock can cause illness and even death in infected humans. Most such infections are food borne; however, three microorganisms cause serious outbreaks via contaminated water. 6. No sewage on your dinner plate. Farmers who use conventional agricultural methods may use sewage sludge (sometimes referred to as "biosolids") because sewage treatment plants give it away or sell it as a cheap fertilizer/soil amendment. They are generally unaware that the sludge can contain toxic chemicals from industries, as well as hazardous materials from residential use of toxic products, prescription drugs and personal care products that sewage treatment plants have not been designed to handle. Thus, sewage sludge can be contaminated with radioactive material and thousands of toxic chemicals (e.g. dioxins, plasticizers, flame retardants, mercury, cadmium, lead) with potentially severe health effects.
7. Fewer chemicals are used. Chemicals concentrate most in animal fat, but also in the muscle, the part you like to eat the most, such as a pot roast, stew meats, cuts of steak, and ground beef, to name just a few. When conventionally-raised animals are given chemicals and eat pesticide-treated foods, their bodies' natural response is to shield vital internal organs from these toxins. Thus, the chemicals end up getting stored in the muscle; in other words, in the meat, - the part you eat!
