14 S G M A G A Z I N E | S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 9 B U S I N E S S + C U LT U R E 15 The Healthy Choice With a healthier mindset, consumers are becoming more aware of their dietary choices. Free of antibiotics and growth hormones, many nutritionists are touting grass-fed beef as a better choice than traditional grain-fed options. Current research supports the findings that grass-fed beef is lower in calories and has less total fat, and higher amounts of omega-3 and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which is a type of fat that reduces heart disease and cancer risks. Where’s the Beef? While grass-fed beef represents only 1 percent of the U.S beef market—an approximately $68 billion industry—small- scale producers, like Grady Ranch, are selling grass-fed beef through independent retail outlets, direct marketing to customers, and locally owned restaurants. Starting close to home, the family first sold Grady Ranch beef at a small farmers market in Bainbridge. With a positive response, Grady Ranch expanded its direct to consumer efforts 30 miles to the south in Tallahassee. “We started at The Downtown Market, a beautiful sip and stroll style event with a variety of vendors and artists, for a year before settling into the Tallahassee Farmers Market,” says Catherine. “The Tallahassee Farmers Markets offers only agriculturally produced products, so it functions like a pop-up grocery store on Saturday mornings. We quickly learned this type of market is more productive for us in terms of selling meat. “Discovering where to locate our customer has been part of the learning process for us. We are grateful to everyone who has helped us with this along the way.” Grady Ranch grass-fed beef is also available at the newly formed Bannerman Road Farmers Market, a mid-week market located in Tallahassee. As a member of the Red Hills Online Farmers Market—a While nutritionally the grasses are similar, the goal is to use each type when they are at their nutritional peak. For example, Perennial Peanut, while categorized as forage (bulky food such as hay), offers a higher carbohydrate to protein ratio, allowing more marbling. “We spent several years switching out the grass types and taste testing the meat,” Bill says. “In the start, we gave away a lot of meat to family and friends. We wanted to see which type of grass and forage produced the best flavor in the meat.” The Grass is Always Greener As shoppers stroll through the grocery store, they will notice an abundance of meat choices including organic, natural, and grass- fed. The terms can be confusing and sometimes misleading. While it is true that all cows spend the first part of their lives grazing in pastures, grain-fed cows are moved to a feedlot at about eight months of age, where their diets consist of mostly grain to fatten them up as quickly as possible. However, 100 percent grass-fed cows, also referred to as grass- finished, spend their entire lives eating grass and forage. This requires a longer timeframe for the cows to reach their ideal finishing weight. “The biggest part of the flavor in meat comes from the fat,” says Bobby. “A true grass-fed cow will have more yellow in the fat and not pure white.” So how do consumers know they are getting authentic grass-fed beef? In 2016, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, discontinued its certification or endorsement of beef as grass-fed; however, the government agency still inspects and approves all meat, including grass-fed. With the USDA no longer verifying beef as 100 percent grass-fed, ranches across the country, including Grady Ranch, have turned to the American Grassfed Association (AGA) for certification. “We immediately applied for AGA certification as soon as we knew we wanted to be grass-fed producers,” says Bobby, who graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in dairy science. “We felt like it was important to have a third-party accreditation and set our standards high from the beginning.” As a certified member of AGA, Grady Ranch is committed to ensuring that all its cattle are fed a diet consisting of 100 percent forage, are raised in a pasture and not confined to pens, and are never treated with hormones or antibiotics. Grady Ranch is also certified Step 4 in the Animal Welfare Rating system through the Global Animal Partnership (GAP). “The GAP is another third-party verification that shows Grady Ranch follows a high standard of animal husbandry,” says Bill. “The AGA label and GAP rating assures customers they are receiving a quality grass-fed product.” We spent several years switching out the grass types and taste testing the meat. In the start, we gave away a lot of meat to family and friends. We wanted to see which type of grass and forage produced the best flavor in the meat. - BILL WEST Bobby Holden and Bill West help manage Grady Ranch’s continued growth. AGRICULTURE PAT GALLAGHER P A T G A L L A G H E R