The Co-op’s beef is better!

The Co-op’s beef is 100% USDA Certified Organic, supplied by Prather Ranch in Northern California.

USDA National Organic Program Standards require:

• Livestock must be fed vegetarian organic feed that has been raised on land that is pesticide and herbicide-free for at least three years and grown from seed that is not genetically modified.

• Animals have access to the outdoors, shade, shelter, exercise areas and pasture.

• Any animal that has received antibiotics must be permanently removed from the herd.

• Manure is managed so that it doesn’t contaminate crops, soil, or water, and so that it recycles nutrients.

• Animals’ welfare is promoted in a way that minimizes pain and stress.

• Extensive records must be kept, providing traceability from birth to marketing of the animal.

• Separate processing of organic meat from processing of non-organic meat.

• Antibiotics, growth hormones, plastic pellets and formulas containing urea or manure are strictly prohibited.

• Livestock can not be fed animal byproducts.

• Livestock can not be cloned or the offspring of cloned animals.

Prather Ranch beef follows the above guidelines, and is also Certified Humane Raised and Handled for its high standards in how the animals are treated. Prather Ranch supports a herd of approximately 4,000 cattle who graze on 28,000 acres of certified organic pasture near Mt. Shasta. The animals’ diet consists of grass and hay until the last 3-4 months of life when it is supplemented with barley and rice. The cattle are never fed corn. Prather finishes their beef with grains added to their forage to improve the taste of the meat.

Prather harvests an average of 22 animals a week – compared to 400 an hour in a conventional slaughterhouse that Michael Pollan wrote about in The Omnivore’s Dilemma (p.330). Prather Ranch is ‘Certified Humane Raised and Handled’ annually for their high standards in how they treat their animals. Prather’s cattle are all processed and hand-cut on the ranch to reduce the stress on the animals that can be caused by transporting and handling them in unfamiliar places. Lower stress levels means less cortisol in the bloodstream – high cortisol levels make the meat tough.

Prather also dry ages their beef. Dry aging has become a rare practice and is done for a very limited market. This practice helps to tenderize and develop the flavor of the meat while decreasing the moisture content. Prather Ranch states that dry aging results in tender yet firm steaks with incomparable flavor.

All Prather Ranch cattle are born and raised on their ranch. They have maintained a closed herd – meaning that the animals they raise have been born on the ranch – for decades. Having a closed herd mitigates the potential transmission of diseases such as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (mad cow disease).

Get a taste of Prather Ranch organic beef and learn more at the Co-op’s Grill It Up! tasting event on Friday, June 20 from 5-8 pm.