Introduction
This essay dwells on the increasing number of benefits that can be achieved when siding with the strategy, which is based on grass-fed beef. Even though grain-fed beef also holds vital potential for the market and customers, grass-fed beef can be anticipated to exceed all expectations. Therefore, the idea is to help as many restaurants as possible switch to grass-fed beef and invest in marketing initiatives to help customers recognize the benefits of this type of meat as well.
Economic Impact
Grass-fed beef requires local farmers to invest in their supply chains. Ultimately, consumers also spend money to enhance the local community when they buy products from well-known providers in the area. It shows how grass-fed beef rewards businesses and makes them less reliant on the import of goods (Prache et al. 859). The fact that local leaders have access to business controls shows how grass-fed beef keeps much more money being re-spent locally. With grain-finished beef, it is not the same because a larger amount of money will be necessary to purchase meat and process it (Hayek and Garrett). Therefore, grass-fed beef is a healthier and significantly more economically viable option.
Environmental Impact
There is an increasing number of tradeoffs that have to be considered when discussing the sustainability of grass-fed and grain-finished beef products. Grain-fed beef is generally known to generate a smaller carbon footprint than its grass-fed counterpart (Tichenor et al. 1622). Therefore, grain-finished beef is sustainable in its own way. Grass-fed-grass-finished beef also has a sustainable advantage, which is the ability to produce food from inedible plants (Tichenor et al. 1622). The grade of carbon footprint does not seem too impactful in the case of environmental influence because of the different sustainability advantages offered by the two types of beef.
Impact on Customers
The next category is the comparison between two types of beef based on customer responses. It is generally believed that grass-fed and grain-finished beef do not differ that much to affect a person’s diet, so identical health benefits can be seen in both cases (Miller 433). The area of impact on customers does not define grass-fed beef as an inimitable winner because proteins and vitamins in the two types of meat are fundamentally the same (Miller 447). The only advantage that can be attributed to grain-finished beef is that it contains a healthier fatty acid profile.
Beef Production in Colorado
One of the reasons why grass-fed beef is so popular in Colorado is that it does not contain as much fat as its grain-finished counterpart. It means that there are irreplaceable health and economic benefits that motivate farmers from Colorado to invest in a much more sustainable way of meat production (Home Ranch). At the same time, one of the biggest reasons why Colorado could pick grain-finished beef is the reduced cost of respective initiatives. The strain on the environment should be reduced as well.
Conclusion
Based on the evidence presented within the framework of the current essay, it can be safe to say that grass-fed beef currently wins the battle. Grain-finished beef also represents a beneficial option for various businesses, including restaurants, but it is not as sustainable and advantageous for the environment. Beef production in Colorado should continue focusing on grass-fed beef in order to witness new achievements in terms of customer satisfaction and meat production ratios.
Works Cited
Hayek, Matthew N., and Rachael D. Garrett. “Nationwide Shift to Grass-Fed Beef Requires Larger Cattle Population.” Environmental Research Letters, vol. 13, no. 8, 2018, pp 1-8.
Home Ranch. “Grass Fed American Wagyu Beef – Home Ranch Beef Shares Now Available!” Home Ranch – Clark, Colorado, Web.
Miller, Rhonda. “Drivers of Consumer Liking for Beef, Pork, and Lamb: A Review.” Foods, vol. 9, no. 4, 2020, pp. 428-456.
Prache, Sophie, et al. “Authentication of Grass-Fed Meat and Dairy Products from Cattle and Sheep.” Animal, vol. 14, no. 4, 2020, pp. 854-863.
Tichenor, Nicole E., et al. “Life Cycle Environmental Consequences of Grass-Fed and Dairy Beef Production Systems in the Northeastern United States.” Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 142, 2017, pp. 1619-1628.