Soaring Demand for Grass-fed Beef is Changing the Industry

The sales of grass-fed beef is skyrocketing, as consumers are increasingly demanding the healthier and more ethically-produced option.

Can it be the real-food low-carb movement at work here? Probably. Regardless, it is great news for the environment:

Allowing livestock to graze on grasslands their entire lives is more costly and time consuming. But some ranchers and land advocates say this process moves beyond sustainability - which they say simply prevents further degradation - and can actually regenerate the land.

A 2016 study led by ecologist Richard Teague of Texas A&M University suggests that if soil carbon is factored into the equation, grass-fed beef produced through intensive rotational grazing results in lower greenhouse gas emissions than grain-fed beef.

Star Tribune: Rise of grass-fed meat forces industry to shift