TRENDS: The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association reported that organic beef sales had a steady rise and peaked in the 2008 recession, and have again rebounded, hitting levels at 14 percent higher at mid-2009 than they were a couple of years previous. One farmer noted that people buying her grass-fed beef weren’t “elite,” nor buying it because of health scares. Rather, it appears many buyers were middle and lower class, and just wanted to be ecologically responsible.
For the small scale farming community following the threat to enforce expensive control devises on every farm animal in the country (making it easier for farm factories and more difficult for micro farming and small scale farming), that idea has been successfully opposed and has been suspended.
As consumers get more sophisticated in regenerative small scale farming, they’re understanding the differences between free-range, grass-fed, and grass-finished, and appreciating the latter over the other two choices. Expect this trend to grow.
For those interested in grass-fed cattle for beef or dairy on small scale farming or micro farming plots, our article on mini cattle breeds at the Center for the Micro Eco-Farming Movement under the animal profile library may be of interest.
— www.MicroEcoFarming.com