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Why Certified Grassfed by AGW

Why Certified Grassfed by AGW Meat and Dairy is Awesome (and Why That Matters)

You may have heard that beef is bad, livestock is hurting the planet, and going vegan is the only way to save the world from the climate crisis. This is demonstrably false. As a science-based organization dedicated to building a healthy, sustainable food system for everyone, we’d like to take a moment to explain how grassfed meat and dairy animals (like the ones on AGW’s Certified Grassfed farms and ranches) are an essential part of our future.

For thousands of years, humans have depended upon grassfed livestock—during long periods of climatic stability. Cows, sheep, goats and bison (also known as ruminants) can do something amazing: they can thrive on grass—which grows on land that can’t grow human food, and which we cannot eat—while producing nutritious meat and milk which we can eat. The well-managed pastures they graze can also store carbon in the soil, helping to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

Numerous studies have shown that from a land and resource-use perspective, these foods make up an important part of an efficient, food-secure future. While industrial systems that depend on deforestation, routine antibiotics and a lack of environmental accountability are most certainly a part of our climate and public health challenges (in addition to dependence on fossil fuels), there are other ways to raise animals–and the farmers we certify are already practicing them.

As many say, it’s not the cow, it’s the how. A Greener World’s third-party audited certifications are how you know the “how.” Most people don’t have the time or resources to visit every farm their food comes from—and even if they do get the chance to visit, may not know what to look for. A Greener World’s trained auditors look at the whole system, ensuring it meets the world’s most comprehensive pasture- or range-based animal welfare and environmental standards. Here’s what you know when you see the Certified Grassfed by A Greener World label:

  • Requires additional welfare certification
  • Animals are fed a 100% grass and forage diet and raised outdoors on pasture or range
  • Farms meet the highest welfare and environmental standards
  • High-welfare handling, transport and slaughter
  • No added hormones or routine antibiotics
  • Independent farms using sustainable practices
  • Annual audits to ensure integrity and transparency

Want to see how different grassfed labels stack up? Check out our comparison chart here.

So, if you’re holding a carton of Certified Grassfed by AGW milk or a Certified Grassfed by AGW burger right now, congratulate yourself on being a part of the solution—and thank you from A Greener World!

Feel free to share widely and thank your local Certified Grassfed by AGW farmers and ranchers—they’re literally farming for our future.

AGW Farmers and Supporters: Want to share this? Download the QR code below and add it to your brochures, farm signs, posters at the farmers market or in-store materials–and let us know how we can help you spread the word!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Further Reading:

  1. The Grassfed Primer
  2. Certified Grassfed by A Greener World
  3. A Breath of Fresh Air
  4. Mythane
  5. It Wasn’t the Cows After All
  6. A Convenient Untruth
  7. AGW’s Grassfed Label Comparison Chart
  8. AGW’s Response to the Oxford Study
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