Why Organic Meat?

Rosie and Violet grazing at East River Organic Farm in Snover, MI.
Image courtesy of Les Roggenbuck

I'm ashamed to say that it was possibly two years ago when my niece asked me why she should eat organic meat...and I'm just now answering her.  The answer is so complicated that I wanted to take the time to answer thoroughly and thoughtfully...recently I realized how I had failed her in my silence, and how volumes of books have been written on the subject--how could I do the topic justice?  She didn't need a book--she wanted my short answer.

So here it is--I'll try and keep it as short as possible.

First of all, I don't think of myself as an organic meat person, but a local organic meat person.  It's an important distinction.

Top Four Reasons Why I Choose to Eat Local, Organic, Grass-Fed, Free-Range Meat
(Yup, that's a bunch more qualifiers I decided to throw in!)

1.  Animal Rights
 Although I think all of the following reasons are very important, some are closer to the surface.  The distinct revulsion I feel when faced with the reality of store-bought or restuarant-served meat encouraged me to put this as number one.   I refuse to support a food system which so blatantly, and without recourse, participates in animal abuse.  The animals we eat live natural, although domesticated, lives, roaming about on pasture, kept healthy by their living standards (as opposed to antibiotics), fed diets that support their bodies, and when killed, are done so in a humane way.  Obviously, animal rights exist on a spectrum, and there are many people who find our eating of these animals repulsive, but this is the place we are at.  Once, when we were visiting one of our beloved local farmers, Andrew noticed a cow who had isolated himself in the pasture.  Andrew said, "Do you think he's sad because he knows he's going to be a hamburger someday?"  He wasn't sad, or disturbed when he asked the question, but considering his omnivorous ways in a healthy manner, I think.  We know where our food comes from, we know how it lives, and we understand the consequences of life and death involved in it.  We don't take our meat for granted, and honor the life of the animal and its sacrifice.
  (I would be remiss to not point out that many industrial organic operations are just as cruel as conventional--another reason to go local.)

2.  Personal Health
  I find it so interesting that our society is quick to embrace the idea that our health is directly related to what we eat--yet few extend that to considering what our animals are eating.  We ALSO are what our food eats.  Many animals are fed a diet that would result in a very unhealthy animal, were they allowed to live a full life.  But it's a diet meant to deter acute illness (antibiotics are often simply blended into the food of all in the herd/flock) and to make them taste good.  I get it--grain-fed beef is yummy.  But grains make cows ill. So, pile on more antibiotics.  And while you're at it, we can make a lot more money if we feed them hormones as well.  And they have no business walking around outside...they need to just grow as big as they can as fast as they can....at least, that's the corporate food industry's mentality.  It's ridiculous to deny that a healthy cow is outside, in the sunshine, eating grass.  They are ruminants.  We, humans, are NOT ruminants....the cow is able to turn the grass into substances that are healthy, edible, and necessary for us.  That is the proper order of the food chain.  Many argue that the only animal meant to eat grain is a bird...and yes, corn is a grain.
  Meat from grass-fed and/or pastured animals is loaded with health benefits that are absent in industrially raised food.  In addition, that industrial food is full of things we shouldn't have in our bodies.

3.  Environmental Health
  There are loads of sources out there calling out the tremendous environmental damage industrial farming is causing.  Forget the obvious "farms" themselves, with their colossal sewage problems, antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria contaminating water, and thereby our produce, and the fossil fuels used in transporting this meat all over the globe, but also consider the food production required to feed these animals.  The amount of corn needed to feed the beef for fast-food joints alone is astounding...and  commercial corn farms use massive amounts of fertilizer (supporting the petroleum industry), which also gets into the watershed, resulting in many negative consequences, like dead zones.  Corn is almost always genetically modified as well, which is a whole other can of worms.  Really, I've barely touched on the outskirts of these issues--there are so many more (like pesticides!).  (Trying to keep this relatively short!)

4.  Local Economy
  As long as there are chickens, cows, sheep, and pigs in my area (of far superior quality, I should add), I see no reason why I should send my money out-of-state...which not only helps the local economy, but also keeps that carbon footprint of mine down.  In addition, as more people demand local organic food, there will be greater numbers of organic farmers, keeping even more money circulating locally. AND with more organic farms, there are less farms polluting our waters, poisoning our land with pesticides, fertilizers, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
  Food security is another big issue here I can't elaborate on as much as I'd like to--but if your store were to be empty tomorrow, where would you go for food?  There's no reason why, in a state as fertile and diverse as Michigan, we can't feed ourselves, for the most part (I, for one, would have a hard time giving up some tropical fruits)!
  Not to mention how healthy it is for your mind and soul to drive to your farm, know your farmer well, and sit down to a meal whose trail you can follow.

We've been eating as such for roughly 10 years--it began with baby steps, and I recommend baby steps for you, too, if you are intimidated by switching all at once.   Shout out to Les Roggenbuck of East River Organic Farm in Snover, MI for our beef, eggs, and veggies, the Warnke family in St Johns, MI for our pork (and formerly our raw milk--they no longer run a milk co-op), Jackie and Steve Good at Cloverlawn Farms (their CSA is called RC Organics) in Richmond, MI for raising the most delicious chickens I've ever tasted, and Nathan at Creswick Farms in Ravenna, MI for allowing us to purchase individual cuts to help fill in the gaps--and for also offering naturally processed meats, such as ham slices, sausages, bacon, bratwurst, etc.  No matter where you live in the US, you can find local farms at Local Harvest.

If you're interested in learning more about this topic, a great place to begin would be Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma.  If these seems too intimidating, you could try Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, or Sandor Katz's The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved for those of you looking for a little more eclectic read (the chapter on roadkill might turn some off)!  There are dozens of great books that deal with these topics--these are simply a few of my favorites.

I hope this very brief summary does justice to the importance of this topic.  Please pass it along if you think it has!

Warmly,
Jules