Cost of grass-fed vs conventional beef

I have already posted about Iain Aitken's grass-fed beef  and in that post, I briefly mentioned the price difference between ordering directly from a farmer and buying beef at the grocery store.  I did a quick review of beef prices in last week's flyers and I wanted to share those prices with you to emphasize the cost savings.

This year, our beef from Iain will cost between $3.10 (half/whole cow) and $3.25/lb (quarter cow).  His beef is essentially organic ("We are often asked if our beef is certified "organic" and I'm proud to say it isn't - it's better than organic! We find most customers have a misunderstanding of what organic is and that our production methods are usually closer to their perception than the official organic standards are. Our grass-fed beef is produced without the use of hormones or antibiotics. The cattle are fattened solely on lush green pastures that have not been chemically fertilized or sprayed with herbicides or pesticides. They get to roam free and breathe the fresh Alberta air.")  and humanely raised prior to slaughter.  Most importantly (at least to me), all of his ground beef is single source.  This means that the beef that we use for tacos and spaghetti sauce comes from only one cow.  Grocery store ground beef often contains meat from 20 or more different cows - YUCK!

These flyer prices come from three different grocery stores in the Bow Valley.  Sale prices for beef would vary between locations but these are just a quick example from last week. And remember, these costs are for conventional beef, not hormone/antibiotic free/grass-fed beef.

Sobey's:
Extra lean ground beef - $3.99/lb
Top sirloin steak - $4.99/lb

Safeway:
Rib roast - $5.99/lb

Nesters':
NY strip steak - $5.98/lb

As you can see, ordering directly from the farmer is substantially cheaper than buying meat from the grocery store.  Yes, it does mean a large outlay of cash in the fall and your meat will be frozen, not fresh.  However, in my mind, the benefits of ordering from Iain (or another farmer just like him) far outweigh any cons.  Iain still has some beef available for this fall - please contact him directly to place an order.  At this time, he is just taking names to put the beef on 'hold'.  Payments are made when the beef is ready in the fall.  Iain delivers to Calgary and the Bow Valley.  If you are outside of these areas, google 'grass-fed farmers' to find a farmer in your area.

Contact:
Iain Aitken,
Blacketlees Farm
Rural Route 4
Rimbey, Alberta
T0C 2J0, Canada
Telephone/Fax: (403) 843-0094
Email: iaineaitken@gmail.com


*I'm just posting this info to save you from having to research the price differences between grass-fed and conventional beef.  I get no personal benefit from referring people to Iain - I'm just happy to see people saving money while switching over to a healthier product.*