North Dakota Ag Connection - Cornucopia's New Report Highlights 'Beef You Can Feel Good About'

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Cornucopia's New Report Highlights 'Beef You Can Feel Good About'
North Dakota Ag Connection - 06/10/2021

A newly published report from The Cornucopia Institute tells a story few are writing about: Underneath the dark cloud looming over the beef industry is a commendable sector that's vital to retailers, chefs, eaters, and local farming communities.

Published at the very moment magazines, restaurants, and the public are reconsidering their relationship with meat, Value Meal: The Benefits of Authentic Organic Beef Production offers a road map.

Value Meal is research presented with a range of audiences in mind. It includes both a deep dive into beef production and an easy-to-digest list of 10 reasons to support authentic organic beef farmers. It draws on a range of devices, including an infographic, video, and a captivating illustration, entitled The Spectrum of Beef, that will stay with readers long after they've stepped away from their screens. The takeaway is that it's possible, and necessary, to find better beef. The payoff is personal health and the greater good. These farms and practices bolster, rather than destroy, soil health, climate resilience, and biodiversity.

"It seems like everyone hates beef these days, but the real trouble is in how it's produced," said Marie Burcham, Cornucopia's Policy Director, "The best farmers and ranchers are focused on land stewardship and often consider themselves 'grass farmers' who happen to harvest their crop with cattle."

The accompanying Organic Beef Scorecard is a tool for understanding the dizzying spectrum of beef production practices and getting the best that's out there, while avoiding bogus claims from questionable organic brands posing as cleaner alternatives. Ranking more than 175 brands, the scorecard offers information that takes the guesswork out of finding beef you can trust.

Value Meal is a call to action in need of a megaphone. It flips the narrative that beef is simply bad and the only ethical alternative is a burger with an impossible mission. Authentic organic farmers invest in systems that deserve a higher price point (think habitats for pollinators and subterranean relationships that cycle water); they produce beef that offers a wide-range of advantages, from the health of our families to the resilience of our communities; and they do it all with the gamble that eaters will support these practices with their wallets.

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