Coming to a restaurant near you...


Now... let's talk about something that's made headlines this year.

Lab grown meat.

What do you think... is lab-grown meat the "meat" of our future?? 

I certainly hope not.

If you haven't heard, the USDA approved the first 'lab-grown' meat to be sold to the public, deeming it safe for human consumption. 

A Bill Gates company, Upside Foods, and CA-based Good Meats are the two businesses that have thus far gained approval from the FDA and USDA and they plan to roll out their product of lab grown chicken to some restaurants initially.

A Yahoo! Finance article went so far as to call it a "culinary delicacy"

Media brainwashing much?

Let's break down the hype of this lab grown meat...

But first, what is this lab grown meat? It's cultivated meat grown from animal cells. In a lab, scientists feed the cells vitamins, sugars, etc. and put them in a cultivator to grow. Then it is formulated into a meat product and is ready to be sold to consumers. 

Here are my Top 3 DIS-Agreements with the assertions of lab grown meat. 

Eating meat isn't cruel if animals are treated well during their lifetime. We believe that God gave us domesticated animals to steward responsibly and use for our sustenance.

It IS cruel to make animals spend their days in unnatural environments with thousands of their buddies, living on their own excrement, like in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs or "feedlots").

Implying that any consumption of meat is cruel is like saying "Apples shouldn't be eaten" because you've tried a rotting apple from the garbage rather than picking a fresh one from a tree.

Our cows live wonderful lives. Does this look cruel?
 

My response to this: How could pumping cells with vitamins and chemical additives really produce the same product as our cattle who naturally roam spacious pastures, eating a variety of grasses every day? 

Time will tell, but my guess is that this will come back to bite them. Remember trans fats, fake sugars, GMOs...all touted as being "Better than or indistinguishable" from its natural counterpart, yet down the road have led to cancers, food allergies, and countless other  health issues. 

Besides, who would you rather buy your beef from?


This guy....

My response to this: Are these huge, industrialized factories really good for our planet? I have to believe that these factories would require huge amounts of energy and produce large amounts of emissions.

Back to comparing pasture-raised meats with CAFOs--the way we raise beef actually REDUCES greenhouse gases because our pastures pull carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

We have been literally been offered MONEY from companies that SELL carbon credits--to register our ranch so that someone who produces carbon can buy a credit and then say they are carbon neutral. 

Nonsense! That's not how things work.

The Industrial Agriculture system is broken...and yes, negatively impacts the environment. But the way we raise cattle IMPROVES the environment by reducing greenhouse gases and building up the organic matter in the soil. 

So, sorry, but argument #3 is just invalid (even when they include stats about methane (cow farts)...which is also based on CAFOs, not our way of doing things)

Good Meats says their product is better for the environment...just look at a picture of their process (photo of a Good Meats food plant)

According to MIT Technology Review, "Not only did the US just approve the sale of cultivated meat for the first time, but the industry, made up of over 150 companies, is raising billions of dollars to bring products to restaurants and grocery stores."

We thought that Grassfed beef being fraudulently labeled as "Product of the USA" was our biggest issue. In the future, consumers will have to vet restaurants and supermarkets as to whether it is "beef" at all. 

Sure, the industry is just starting out, but how long did it take GMO wheat, corn, and soy to take over the market share? AND how long did it take labeling laws to catch up to enforce that GMO food be labeled as such???

I just started noticing within the last few years that  products are now saying "Contains a Bioengineered Food Ingredient"... whereas before there was NO indication of inclusion of GMOs.

We don't need any more "innovative" and fake meat choices. We don't need any more deceptive labeling of products to get us to buy things that go against our conscience and values.

We just need more real meat that's raised right.

We need cattle that roam open pastures--the way God designed them to.

And ranchers that work WITH nature, not against it.

Right now, we currently have the freedom to choose what type of food system we want. 

Let's choose to not let this fake meat continue and support family farms and meat that's raised right -- not grown in a lab. 

Our family is currently taking deposits for our fall bulk beef shares and we'd be honored if you'd consider us to be your trusted source for high quality, grass fed and grass finished beef. 

Our quarter beef share has been the most popular this past week. You can view all of the details HERE. 

If you've never tried our beef before, don't worry, we offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee. If you are not satisfied with our product, we will refund you your money or send you replacement product, whatever it takes to make it right by you.

We are so confident that you will LOVE Downs Ranch Beef--that we are willing to put ourselves on the line with such a BOLD guarantee. 

I hope you have a great week and we can't thank you enough for choosing to support family farms.

Sincerely, 

Your Ranchers
Jeff and Jenika Downs

P.S. Deposits for Fall Beef shares are only open until September 1st...make sure you get your share of the best beef you've ever tasted!