As of December 22, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association stated that the demand of cattle had risen 10 percent since 1998. And spending on beef increased $14 billion since 1999. This was due to the declining supply of cattle--according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are now 96.1 million cattle in the United States, a huge drop from the 103.5 million cattle in 1996 --that was coinciding with a jump in consumer demand for beef.
However, an announcement made one day later--a cow in Washington state had mad cow disease--greatly affected the sales of cattle. At a cattle auction held January 5, in Tulia, Texas, the number of cattle for sale was down 70 percent. Few producers wanted to be the first to sell their stock since mad cow disease was found in the United States. It was observed that many came to the auction to check the prices rather than buy. Out of the 3,000 cattle for sale only 800 were sold.
Washington Post December 22, 2003
Star-Telegram January 6, 2004
If youre concerned about the quality of your meat, your best option is to consume only "healthy meat." Obtaining healthy meat means obtaining not only meats that are free of disease but also avoiding most grain-fed meats. Grain-free meats not only provide a better balance of omega fats, but the animals are healthier, and the risk of acquiring an infection from a healthy animal is very remote.
Many stores will advertise beef as grass-fed, because virtually ALL cattle are grass-fed initially. But what matters is what they are fed in the months prior to their slaughter, not what they are fed initially, and most cattle are fed grains during this time.
The least expensive way to obtain grass-fed beef is by locating a farmer and purchasing the products directly. If you are unable to do this we have grass-fed beef suppliers on our site who can overnight the grain-free beef to you.
There are also other healthy meat options beyond beef. Two of the best meats on the planet--in terms of nutrition value and their incredible taste--are bison and ostrich. Please remember you can now get bison meat and exclusive omega-3-rich ostrich meat in our store. Both of these meats are free-ranged, fed primarily grass/alfalfa diets, and contain no antibiotics or steroids.
Disease runs rampant among commercial livestock, and the use of antibiotics is so widespread among these animals that whether from my site or elsewhere, I urge you to try grass-fed beef and bison and ostrich. Not only do these meats provide a healthy, clean source of protein and minerals, but they are great tasting too.
I encourage you to check out my article, Mad Cows or Mad Scientists? to learn about another theory of how organophosphate pesticides may play a major role in the cause of mad cow disease.
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