Should I quit eating beef products?  Beef is an extremely safe product, and a key part of a well rounded diet.  The chances of contracting this disease from beef is extremely, extremely low - much less likely than being struck by lightning!  If you are concerned, however,  the best action would be to purchase beef from a supplier who raises the animals from birth to processing, without feeding any artificial by-products, grains, etc.  This gives you assurance regarding the source of your meat, and its history.  Our grass finished beef products give you this assurance.

How is mad cow disease transmitted?  Mad cow disease is transmitted between cattle by the feeding of feedstuffs containing animal proteins, in particular brain or spinal cord material.  Our grass finished beef is never fed a grain ration, and thus you can be assured that it has not been fed a contaminated ration.

Does the age of the animal matter?  Mad cow disease  does not occur in animals younger than 30 months, but is a disease of older, mature animals (typically 5 years and older).   Bear in mind that most ground beef in stores comes not from healthy young animals, but from older cull cows from large commercial dairy's and beef operations.   All our grass finished  beef products are processed before they are 28 months old, with most processed at about 20 months, and thus are not susceptible to mad cow disease.

Are some beef products more likely to be infected than others? Researchers have never found the protein that causes mad cow disease (called prion) in the muscle cuts of beef, only in nerve tissue and specifically in the brain and spinal cord matter.   In commercial plants, these portions can be included in ground beef, or utilized in the production of sausages and hot dogs, and thus, those types of products may have a greater risk.  You can rest assured, when our beef is processed, this portion is not utilized, but is discarded, and thus any potential for infection is avoided.

Do humans contract mad cow disease?  Humans do not actually contract mad cow disease, but can develop a related brain wasting illness called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Should I Worry?  Beef is an extremely safe product.  By purchasing our grass finished products, you can rest assured that the history of the animal is fully known, and that they have never been fed any feedstuffs likely to transmit mad cow disease.  In summary, purchase a quality product from a reputable supplier, and enjoy!