Hereford Cattle Graze at Big Sur, California
Michael Pollan delved into what organic certification has wrought for the original idealistic movement born in the 1970s in his book the Omnivores Dilemma. Organic is now corporate, because the rules of organic have been set, it can be systematized in ways that can compromise the original purpose of organic food. Yet Pollan could not begrudge the corporate organic producers because their practices where treating the earth better than their non-organic peers. Organic farming in California can take two forms: small farms and mega farms like Earthbound Farms Organic where millions of pounds of lettuce are grown annually the same is true of meat and dairy production. I have seen both with my own eyes: I have traveled the coast and seen bucolic farms where Hereford graze with a full few of the Pacific ocean and I have also seen mega dairies in central California with large factory like barns set up in arid lots with no pasture to be seen. I have seen migrant workers and farm stands. California really represents America's agricultural extremes. It is not surprising that California has some of our biggest and profitable feed lots and is also host to America's first slow food festival. I think there are lessons to be learned from California’s organic movement and the success of its industrial organic producers: certification can sometimes hurt, not help, a movement.
Like the organic movement of the 1970s, grass-fed farming is a movement too. We all know that, we are part of it. As this movement becomes more popular and more people start to eat grass-fed meats, cheeses and eggs, the more need there will be for government regulation. A lot of grass-fed producers are actively trying to define what grass-fed farming means. We can all agree that grass-fed means: an animal should only eat grass, even the USDA has said that meat labeled grass-fed must only have eaten grass after it was weaned but this might not be as clear as it should be. We all want to purchase grass-fed meats because it is natural for cattle so they do not require antibiotics or hormones and yet these guidelines mean that a meat that is labeled grass-fed can be fed antibiotics. The American Grass-fed Association thinks the label is too vague and has set up its own certification program to help protect the grass-fed producers who practice grass-fed farming free of antibiotics and hormones.
Most people who purchase grass-fed meats do so with farmers they trust. However, as more people start to buy grass-fed products the USDA will want to regulate the market and the battle for what grass-fed means and represents will begin. A lot of farmers are not too happy about this. In my interview with Tom Warren of Stone and Thistle Farm he expressed reservations about standardized practices: “Unfortunately the USDA will have to implement practice standards for use of the term grass fed. This will probably turn out as badly as the NOP (National Organic Program). “ I agree with Tom, my hope is that this movement can stay true, but I also feel that if grass-fed farming becomes more popular we all benefit. What are your feelings on this? Do you think that grass-fed should be defined? And how?
