Nutrient Dense Grass Fed Beef & Lamb – the Proof
Nutrient dense, pesticide free food that has true flavour and nourishes our bodies is what we aim to produce – be it beef, lamb or olive oil. Is there any proof however that some foods are produced in a manner that means they are more ‘nutrient dense’ than other systems? Excitingly, yes there is!
As you know, we farm using organic and biodynamic practices, with our sheep and cows always 100% grass fed. Organic or grass fed however are not always necessarily guarantees of nutritious outcomes. Whilst organic is great for guaranteeing the exclusion of harmful substances in the production – it is just that. Similarly, while grass fed is great – as we’ve always explained grass fed animals fed on monoculture crops may not produce the same meat as those fed on diverse species. These points provide some explanation for why we choose not to be certified under either of these assurance schemes.
With regard to food quality, we do know that there is evidence of significant variation in nutrient density of the foods produced today. What production method is it then that results in the most nutrient dense food? Dan Kittredge and the Bionutrient Food Association based in the US are exploring just this and they’ve condensed it down to just one predominant factor. They’ve found that
‘the level of life in the soil is the only thing that correlates with
increased nutrition in food.’1
So if you repeatedly hear Derek and I ‘banging on about’ the fungi, bacteria and other life in the soil – this is why! It really is that important – to the point that it is THE correlating factor between what happens in the paddock and the quality of the food.
When the association refers to ‘nutrient density’ of meat they are referring to not just mineral and vitamin contents, but “enzymes, amino acids, and fatty acids… polyphenols, terpenoids, and alkaloids, a broad spectrum of compounds in the meat”1, – other compounds that you may have heard us write about.
So, how do we measure these things in our meat? Short answer – we don’t. The spectrometer instrument that the above mentioned association is using to measure nutrient density is currently inhibitively expensive, but they’d like to develop a hand held affordable devise for the future. What we do know however is that the correlating factor between farm practices and food nutrient density, which is soil life, is something we most certainly focus on in the management of our farm and its soils.
One example of soil life is mycorrhizal fungi, a group of fungi of which the hyphae form a significant extension of a plant’s roots, allowing it access to more and different minerals and nutrients in the soil, taking carbon deep into the soil profile and forming great nutrient sharing networks of plants connected beneath the ground. Disturbingly, 50% of the predominantly grown corn and wheat varieties today don’t support mycorrhizal fungi – at all! The trials undertaken for the breeding of ‘best’ varieties are grown under ‘industry best practice’ methods of high fertiliser inputs, with pesticide and herbicide applications. The breeding of varieties that might perform best in a biologically rich environment don’t seem to be being done; one reason why conscious farmers and gardeners are reaching for heirloom or older varieties. Large seed companies that dominate the food seed production market are literally breeding crop varieties in an environment inhospitable to the very things that will make that food the most nutritious! Craaazy…
Fear not however, there is a growing understanding, measurement of and move toward the production of nutritious foods on alive and thriving soils. Here on our farm, we are really quite pleased to know this correlation between soil life and food quality and it confirms to us that we are on the right track with our farm practices as we go about producing meat that we hope truly nourishes your bodies. The added bonus along the way is that it also great tasting beef and lamb!
If you’d like to enjoy one of our 100% grass fed, chemical free Beef or Lamb Hampers (produced on soils managed for optimising soil life! ha!) you can do so here.
References
- Interview with Dan Kittredge by The Organic & Non-GMO Report editor- https://non-gmoreport.com/articles/bionutrient-food-association-aims-to-increase-nutrient-density-of-foods/
- Brown, Gabe. Question Time. Beyond Soil Sustainability: Wisdom from Gabe Brown, Col Seis & Walter Jehne Event. Upper Mooki Landcare, 3rd March 2025, Royal Theatre, Quirindi.
