Grass always greener for good beef

3% OF MARKET | Resurgent grass-fed variety 'flies out the door'

Before the advent of the feedlot in the mid-20th century, most of the beef that Americans ate came from cattle that lived outdoors, munching on grass.

Looks like we're headed back to the future. Grass-fed beef is enjoying a renaissance among small-scale ranchers, consumers concerned about their health or the environment, and chefs and foodies who swear by the taste.

"It flies out the door," said Grant DePorter, managing partner at Harry Caray's, which sells grass-fed steaks from celebrated Chicago broadcaster Bill Kurtis' Tallgrass Beef company.

Much of the buzz over grass-fed beef comes from research touting its health benefits. A study last year by the Union of Concerned Scientists found that grass-fed beef was consistently higher in certain omega-3 fatty acids thought to prevent heart disease, and lower in total and saturated fat, than conventional beef.

Cattle raised conventionally may start out eating grass but are kept in crowded feedlots as they mature. They eat corn or grain and are routinely given hormones and antibiotics to grow bigger and fight disease.

The EPA estimates that beef and dairy production facilities in the United States produced about 1.2 million tons of ammonia emissions in 2002 -- about half of total ammonia emissions from animal agriculture.

The law doesn't define grass-fed. But backers are pushing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to rework its proposed definition that requires 99 percent of a grass-fed cow's diet to come from forage but does not address whether the cow is confined or given growth hormones. They want grass-fed to mean a cow has been raised its entire life on pasture, without chemicals and with room to roam.

Consumers shopping for grass-fed beef have limited options. It takes time to produce grass-fed beef -- up to two years on Kurtis' Kansas ranch, for instance. By contrast, the average life cycle of a grain-fed cow is between 14 and 16 months.

"But it's the chicken and the egg," said Kurtis, who has partnered with 200 ranchers in six states to raise grass-fed cattle for his company. "We have to have demand to build up supply."

Among the Chicago area restaurants that carry Kurtis' beef are Prairie Grass Cafe, Bistro Campagne and Lula Cafe. He also supplies to Fox & Obel market, Swedish Covenant Hospital, Northbrook Jr. High, an Indiana convent, the Stadium Club at Wrigley Field and online grocer Peapod.

Whole Foods Market stocks grass-fed beef from New Zealand. The Web site of the American Grassfed Association, www.grassfed.org, also lists producers who sell beef, poultry and dairy from grass-fed animals directly to consumers.

At Harry Caray's, an eight-ounce grass-fed filet costs $32.95, while a USDA Prime, nine-ounce filet runs $28.95. Since adding it to the regular menu last July, DePorter said sales of Kurtis' beef have shot up from 11 percent to nearly one-quarter of the restaurant's total steak sales.

Certified humane: Meets the standards of the Humane Farm Animal Care, which include prohibiting the use of growth hormones and giving animals sufficient space, shelter and an antibiotic-free diet.

Free farmed: Meets the standards of the American Humane Association, which include giving animals a clean and sufficient living environment and training requirements for staff on animal husbandry and welfare.