Beef

Beef is a staple in most households, with the average American eating more than 50 pounds each year. It has many health benefits, including being rich in iron for circulation, zinc for a healthy immune system, and protein for essential brain and muscle function. Not all cattle are created equal, and sourcing from Loudoun farms can help unlock the additional benefits of responsibly-raised beef.

Beef That’s Better For You

Many of Loudoun’s cattle farms rely on grass as the primary form of feed, which makes the beef higher in vitamins A, B, and E. Grass-fed beef is significantly lower in saturated fat, which is better for your heart and your family.

Grass-fed beef also has two-to-six-times as many Omega-3 fatty acids, which has been positively linked to reducing cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, eczema and more.

Find Local Beef Farms

FUN FACT

A Loudoun-born bull named RORA Elevation, born in 1965, is a common ancestor for 95% of all Holstein cows alive today, or approximately 9 million offspring. He was named the Bull of the Century.

Lower Environmental Impact

Loudoun County is home to dozens of cattle farms using responsible and sustainable practices to produce the best beef with the lowest environmental impacts. How do they do it? It starts with scaling things down. Industrial farms tend to make less efficient use of their grasslands, either over-grazing or rotating herds through depleted fields. This taxes the vegetation, leading to less carbon capture (greenhouse gasses) and more runoff (damaging waterways). Most of Loudoun’s farms are fewer than 50 acres, which encourages farmers to try adaptive multi-paddock feeding, which is a great strategy for the environment.

At peak efficiency, cows can eat 130 pounds of grass each day, but they also crush grass when they lay down to rest. By rotating them quickly though a succession of small fenced-in areas, farmers can ensure they always have fresh grass and old fields have time to rest before the next rotation. This has been shown to decrease run-off and increase carbon capture, two essential environmental considerations.

DID YOU KNOW?

Beef is more than burgers – it’s also used to create gummy bears and medical products like insulin.

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