Most beef cattle spend the second half of their lives in confinement eating diets with a high component of grain, protein rations, and corn silage. The animals grow very fast and it is a cheap way to mass produce fat animals for the commodity markets. However, grains require higher inputs of fossil fuel and regular soil tillage. In grass-based systems, the animals do a lot of the harvesting themselves - with their mouths. Winter hay can be cut annually without soil tillage.
At Getaway Farm our animals are grass-fed and grass-finished. This means that, with the exception of calves drinking their mommas’ milk, their diet consists entirely of grasses and other diverse pasture plants. They graze our pastures in the green months and eat North Mountain hay through the winter, which frees us from purchasing feed grown outside of the province. These farming practices have profound benefits for the environment, most notably through the elevated rates of carbon sequestration and storage in the soil organic matter of permanent grass lands, and through the near absence of soil erosion which is often common with tillage-based agriculture. The animals’ stomachs have lower acidity levels when eating grass, hay and silage (so fewer belly aches) and in the green months they have vast natural spaces to romp and roam.
Grass-fed beef and lamb are now considered a health food of the highest order. Compared to grain-finished meats, it is higher in omega-3 fatty acids, beta carotene, and especially conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), an essential fatty acid largely missing from modern diets and found almost exclusively in the dairy and meat products of grass-eating ruminants (cattle, sheep, and goats).
Grass-fed beef has a significantly lower fat content than other red meats and, according to one study, is closer in fat content to chicken breast without the skin. Because of its leanness, our meat will cook about 15% faster than store bought beef and is best when cooked medium-rare.
All of these factors add up to make a healthy sustainable product that is produced entirely in Nova Scotia. We at Getaway Farm are proud to be members of the Nova Scotia agricultural community and we look forward to providing you and your customers with high quality locally raised beef.