Are You Eating Plastic? The Hidden Truth About Grocery Store Beef
How commercial beef practices are failing cattle, the land and your health.
The sunlight is shining through my office window this morning, warming everything it touches. The first rays just peeked over the Eastern ridge of Joy Valley and the whole valley is bathed in soft, rosy light. Out in the pastures, the cattle are already grazing, heads down, their glossy black and brown coats soaking up the sun’s warmth.
Yes, there’s snow, and plenty of it. It’s been cold. After all, it’s winter in Michigan. It’s what we expect. Last night, the air was clear…very clear… you could see stars, stars…oh yeah, and more stars.
That same clear sky is what makes it so darn cold the next morning. All the heat drifts away during the night.
So, here we are…morning on the ranch!
That same clear sky is what makes it so darn cold the next morning. All the heat drifts away during the night. So, here we are…morning on the ranch!
Even though it’s winter, the cattle are thriving. Their shiny coats aren’t just good at collecting solar energy; they’re also a sign of vibrant health. It helps that their ancestors hail from places like Scotland and Ireland, where they faced harsher climates and arctic winds that slam into the British Isles. Compared to that, our little ranch must feel downright tropical.
Our cattle’s health reflects their diet: Thanks to nutrient-rich grass and hay, we don’t need protein supplements, antibiotics or growth enhancers. Nature’s menu provides everything they need.
Cattle contribute to the ecosystem: Grazing on our nutrient-rich grasslands helps the cattle work alongside nature…sun, soil and plants…to rejuvenate the land.
Regenerative agriculture works: By rotating cattle through small pastures, we’ve seen soil organic matter increase…that’s a good thing. Living soil.
Compare that to a story I read recently that made me shake my head in disbelief.
In some parts of the country, cattle are fed plastic.
Yep, you read that right…plastic!
Farmers shred hay bales without removing the plastic netting…and it ends up in their feed. Why? Because it’s easier. That’s like you and me eating anything that is wrapped in plastic and not removing the plastic.
They know it’s there, but they leave it anyway. The article even admitted this could kill the cattle but shrugged it off because feedlot cattle don’t live long anyway.
Practices like this highlight a food system focused on profits over health or sustainability.
That mindset is mind-boggling.
It’s not just about the cattle, it’s about the whole system.
“If this is the right way to do it, I don’t wanna be right. ”
Industrial agriculture has turned farming into a commodity game, where living, breathing animals are reduced to data points on a spreadsheet, traded alongside crude oil and natural gas. I understand it, but we don’t have to eat it.
At The North Coast Ranch, we’re trying to do things differently. Some people say our methods aren’t scalable, but our observations of other operations tell a different story. By working with nature and “doing it wrong”, it allows us to double our grass productivity.