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Grass Finished Meat
The Siskiyou Sustinable Cooperative is pleased to be able to offer high quality, nutricious meat from two local ranchers. Tim and Beth Franklin, of Yale Creek Ranch provide the community with beef and lamb, and Tobias and Abigale Hatfield of Full Cirle Bison Ranch offer buffalo.

The best reasons to buy their products are
1. to support Southern Oregon local agricultural economy,
2. to eat meat that is organic, hormone free and salmon-safe
3. to eat meat that has been grass-finished.

Recent studies have highlighted the health benefits of grass finished animal products. To give a little background on the termonology, “grass-finished” differs from “grassfed” in that the animal graze on grass for their entire lives. “Grass-fed” animals eat grass until the last few months of life, when they are “grain-finished”.

Ranchers choose to grain-finish animals because animals gain more weight on grain, so the rancher can earn more per head of animal. Also, chefs believe that grain-finished meat is richer and moister. The following information, compiled from the Full Circle Bison Ranch website details the health benefits of grass-finished meat: Grass-fed meat is higher in Omega 3 fatty acids as well as CLA (Conjugated linoleic acid). Omega-3's are “good fats” that originate in the green leaves of plants and algae. They play a vital role in every cell and system of your body. People who have enough omega-3's in their diet are less likely to have high blood pressure or an irregular heartbeat, and are 50% less likely to suffer a heart attack. Omega-3's are essential for your brain too. People with a diet rich in omega-3's are less likely to suffer from depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder, or Alzheimer's disease. Additionally, animal studies have shown that omega-3's may reduce your risk of cancer. Meat from grass-fed animals has 2-4 times more omega-3 fatty acids than meat from grain-fed animals.

The reason 100% Grass-fed bison has such a high level of omega- 3 fatty acids is due to the green grass that they eat. When animals are switched to a grain diet, the levels of omega-3's quickly decline.

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), is another type of “good fat”. Meat and dairy products are the richest known source of CLA. The meat from grass-fed animals is four times higher in Vitamin E than the meat from grain-fed animals. In humans, Vitamin E is linked with a lower risk of heart disease and cancer. This potent anti-oxidant may also have anti-aging properties. Most Americans are deficient in vitamin E.

In terms of taste, Beth Franklin explains that because grass-finished meat is much lower in fat, it must be cooked at lower degrees for a longer period than grain-fed meat. The Franklins give detailed cooking instructions and recipes with meat orders.

For more information, Click here for a comparson of Bison and non Organic Beef contact info is provided below.
Yale Creek Ranch (541) 846-7361
Full Circle Bison Ranch www.fullcirclebisonranch.com (541) 899-1351