All this happy chatter about pastured meats comes at an important time for the nascent grass-fed beef industry: Earlier this month, the USDA proposed new regulations that would make it much easier for new producers to get their meat certified as grass-fed. Unsurprisingly in this political climate, the new rules would also let farmers be a lot more lax about caring for their animals; cows could be raised indoors on feedlots, given routine antibiotics, and fed a diet of hay (which is technically considered grass) instead of the fresh stuff (which is far more nutritious). Farmers on the scene today, who tend to see pasture-raising as a whole ethos that encompasses environmental stewardship and humane animal-husbandry practices, are none too happy with the proposed rule. 

Neither am I. As I continue to learn about the problems with grain-feeding (which I blogged about here), I'm increasingly inclined to think that grass-fed beef is the only truly sustainable and humane variety there is. Allowing industrial feedlot-style farms to get a grass-fed seal of approval would create one more meaningless label--and make it that much harder for the truly eco-committed farmers to get the recognition they deserve.       

The public comment period for the new grass-fed label has ended, but you can still voice your concerns by emailing marketingclaim@usda.gov. A sample letter can be found here.