Quality source: Colvin Ranch

When I posted about my wonderful results making hamburger buns I briefly mentioned Colvin Ranch as the source of my beef.  I had been interested in trying grass finished beef since reading Michael Pollan's books, in which he makes the point that "We are what we eat, but also we are what we eat eats."

Nearly all cows in the U.S. are fed corn to fatten them up more quickly and use up the surplus of corn that is being grown.  Since cows don't naturally eat corn they have a difficult time digesting it and often become sick.  The cows are then given medications so they can survive until they are large enough for slaughter.  This all seemed quite silly to me, but since it is done on a large scale it allows for beef to be produced at a lower price.  Since raising cows on grass alone takes longer the cows need a larger grazing area and not as many cows can be managed at the same time.

Price is the main reason you can't find all grass fed beef in most grocery stores.  On average the price will be two to three times higher for the grass beef.  However, after making a hamburger out of grass fed beef, the extra cash is worth the extra deliciousness in my opinion.

If you are interested in finding a source of all grass fed beef in your area or learning about how much more nutritious grass fed beef is, Eat Wild is an excellent resource.  You can use their mapping tool to find ranches and farms in your local area.  Some ranches only allow you to buy beef in large quantities (like quarter or half beefs) but many have stocked freezers where you can purchase the cuts of meat you prefer.

Visiting the farm directly can be a bit intimidating but realize that these farms list their contact information because they want you to try their product.  I've visited Colvin Ranch twice and both times it couldn't have been a better experience.  I set up a meeting time with Fred Colvin via e-mail, drove to the ranch, and rang the door bell on the office door.  On the first visit I was greeted by Fred and on the second by his wife because Fred was out with the herd.  Each time they showed me what they had in stock in their freezer, walked me through a chart to explain the different cuts, and showed me a few of the packages to make sure I was happy with what I was getting.

Like I mentioned before, the meat is a little more pricey than what you might be use to in the grocery store (I paid $6 per pound for the ground beef) but at least I knew I wasn't getting any pink slime.