Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Greener Pastures

We already have some pretty compelling reasons to pick organic beef over non-organic. If nothing else, organic regulations under the National Organic Program require that cows not eat slaughter by-products. (NOP §205.237: Organic livestock producers must provide a total feed ration that is organically produced and handled. Synthetic materials on the National List § 205.603 may be used as feed additives and supplements. Plastic pellets, growth hormones; supplements or additives in amounts above those needed for adequate nutrition and health maintenance; feed formulas containing urea or manure; mammalian or poultry slaughter by-products are prohibited.)

Today, however, the Agricultural Marketing Service of the USDA issued a final rule requiring that National Organic Program producers "provide year-round access for all animals to the outdoors, recognize pasture as a crop, establish a functioning management plan for pasture, incorporate the pasture management plan into their organic system plan (OSP), provide ruminants with pasture throughout the grazing season for their geographical location, and ensure ruminants derive not less than an average of 30 percent of their dry matter intake (DMI) requirement from pasture grazed over the course of the grazing season." 75 F.R. 7154. The "grazing season" is defined as not less than 120 days. The agency listed as one of their motivations a desire to meet "consumer expectations that ruminant livestock animals graze on pastures during the grazing season."

Organic producers were previously required to provide "access to pasture" under NOP §205.239. This phrase had not been clarified, however.

We already know that grass-fed beef is better for you than grain-fed. Organic beef and grass-fed beef still aren't the same thing, but this regulation may bring them a little closer together.