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ANTIBIOTICS are typically used for animals in the same way as for people -- when one gets sick, antibiotics are prescribed. Commonly though, low-dose antibiotics are fed to animals in order to prevent illness and spread of illness in the herd. A producer that does not use antibiotics at all must rely on good health practices, genetics, and natural healing, risking animal death and possible multiple animal death, just as would be the case in the human population.
ARTIFICIAL HORMONES are those not natural to the animal. Cattlemen will insert growth hormones in calves in order to increase growth rate and weight gain. They also employ feed additives that increase growth and weight gain. Those practices allow calves to reach proper size for the grocery store butcher in a shorter time, typically about one year. Cattle raised on grass and natural forage alone, with no artificial hormones or feed additives, take almost twice as long to reach the proper size -- from one and a half to two years.
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CErtified Organic Produce (fruits and vegetables) must meet the USDA's Natural Organic standards specifying all organic seed, fertilizers and pest control.
Certified Organic meats (beef, pork and poultry) must meet the USDA's Natural Organic Program standards. Organically raised animals must be fed 100 percent organic feed and they may not be given growth hormones or antibiotics for any reason. Both grain-fed and grass-finished animals can qualify for the National Organic Program.
CRUELTY-FREE meats (beef, pork, sheep, goat and poultry) implies that animals have been raised in as natural an environment as possible with no confined areas or force-feeding practices.
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Free-Range means animals are not confined for feeding. It usually means natural, growing forage is made available rather than grains or harvested grasses, but that environment is not practical throughout the year in much of the United States since plants do not grow during winter months. There are 2 ways to provide forage for animals. One is to allow the animals a natural range (common with small poultry and some small animals) and the other is to practice managed grazing where animals are moved from pasture-to-pasture. Managed grazing includes provision of supplemental grains and hay during seasons when grass is dormant.
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Grain-fed is the most widely produced kind of meat (beef, pork, sheep, goat and poultry). Grain-fed cattle spend most of their lives eating grass in pasture before moving to a feedlot where they are fed grain, with vitamin and mineral supplements, for about four to six months. Pork and poultry are commonly fed grain.
Grass-finished or "grass-fed" comes from animals (beef, pork, sheep, goat and poultry) that spend their entire lives eating grass in pasture. Meat is typically leaner and is said to contain more health benefits to humans, derived from natural forage.
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Managed Grazing is a practice that employs fencing to maximize grass growth and regrowth as animals consume natural forage. Studies have shown that animals eat tops of plants first. If available forage real estate is limited, they will uniformly eat tops of grasses first. If cattle are moved while grass is still 3 to 4 inches tall (implying a healthy root system still intact), grass will regrow, given a rest period, before animals are put on that pasture again. A managed grazing system is a series of paddocks where farmers/ranchers practice "rotational grazing" in order to allow rest periods in each paddock for forage recovery. Records support that fixed acres can support more animals under the system.
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NATURAL meats (beef, pork, sheep, goat and poultry) are minimally processed with no additives during the packaging process. That means most grocery store meats are considered "natural" by USDA standards. There is no uniform government certification for animal farmers and ranchers. Many producers create their own definition that commonly includes statements that their product is artificial hormone and antibiotic free.
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Organic Produce (fruits and vegetables) must meet the USDA's Natural Organic standards specifying all organic seed, fertilizers and pest control.
Organic meats (beef, pork, sheep, goat and poultry) must meet the USDA's Natural Organic Program standards. Organically raised animals must be fed 100 percent organic feed and they may not be given growth hormones or antibiotics for any reason. Both grain-fed and grass-finished animals can qualify for the Natural Organic Program.
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PASTURE VEAL is young beef raised on mother's milk and grass alone. The young animals are not confined or specially fed to produce the mild meat conventionally known as veal, but rather free in pasture with the cow herd until about 6 months of age. Pasture veal is a rose color and delivers a delicate beef flavor.
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