What Most People Don’t Know About Grass-Fed Beef | Tyner Pond Farm

When people hear “grass-fed beef,” most picture cattle grazing green pastures, moving from one paddock to another, and finishing their lives on open land. That’s certainly how we raise our animals here at Tyner Pond Farm. But the truth is, “grass-fed” doesn’t always mean what you think it means.

I’ve had a lot of customers ask whether all grass-fed beef is basically the same. It’s a good question—and the answer matters if you care about nutrient density, soil health, and supporting real local food systems.

Most Grass-Fed Beef Is Imported

Here’s something most people don’t realize: close to 80–90 percent of the grass-fed beef sold in the United States is imported.
That means the steak or ground beef labeled “grass-fed” in your grocery store was probably not raised here at all. It may have come from Australia, New Zealand, or South America, where production costs are lower and regulations are different.

And because of current labeling rules, if that beef is processed or repackaged once it enters the U.S., it can legally be labeled “Product of USA.” So even though the label looks domestic, the cattle may never have set hoof on American soil.

How Imported Grass-Fed Cattle Are Raised

Imported “grass-fed” beef comes from a wide range of systems:

• Arid rangelands. In parts of Australia, cattle graze semi-desert terrain with sparse forage. It meets the definition of grass-fed, but not necessarily the picture of diverse green pastures we imagine.

• Feedlot feeding with grass pellets. Some operations finish cattle on pellets made from alfalfa or hay. Technically “grass,” but the animals aren’t grazing living plants, and the soil benefits of pasture are lost.

• Mass-scale management. Export-driven production often means larger herds and fewer opportunities for careful rotational grazing or soil restoration.

None of this is dishonest—it simply shows that the label doesn’t tell the whole story about how those animals lived or what nutrients end up in the beef.

The Impact of Distance and Handling

Beyond how the cattle are raised, there’s the journey itself. Imported beef travels thousands of miles through a long chain of processors, shippers, warehouses, and distributors before it reaches a grocery case.
That extra time and handling can mean more freezing and thawing, more storage, and potential loss of delicate nutrients like certain antioxidants and fat-soluble vitamins.

Contrast that with a local steer finished on diverse Indiana pasture and processed nearby—delivered directly to your household without changing hands a dozen times. Freshness and traceability aren’t abstract ideas; they’re measurable differences in how the food reaches your plate.

What This Means for Nutrition

All beef provides quality protein, iron, zinc, and B-vitamins. But the way an animal lives affects subtle nutrient differences:

• Cattle grazing living, diverse forage accumulate higher levels of carotenoids, vitamin E, and omega-3 fatty acids than animals fed stored or pelletized feed.

• The healthier the soil and pasture ecosystem, the more diverse the plants—and the richer the resulting beef becomes in beneficial compounds.

• Shorter supply chains also preserve more freshness and retain more of those nutrients by the time you cook the meat.

So while “grass-fed” on a label is a start, it’s not the finish line. Where and how the animal was raised, and how the beef reaches you, are what determine its true nutritional story.

Why We Keep It Local

At Tyner Pond Farm, we raise our own cattle on regeneratively managed pastures here in Central Indiana. The animals move daily through fresh paddocks, grazing living forage and improving the soil as they go. The beef is processed locally and delivered directly to your home—without leaving the state, let alone the continent.

When you buy from us, you’re not just choosing “grass-fed.” You’re choosing grass-fed the way it’s meant to be—with real grass, real soil, and real connection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is all grass-fed beef the same?
No. “Grass-fed” simply means the animal ate grass at some point, but it doesn’t explain how long it grazed or what kind of pastures it lived on. True 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef from diverse pastures is different from beef that only meets the minimum label requirement.

How much of the grass-fed beef sold in the U.S. is imported?
Around 80–90% of grass-fed beef sold in the U.S. comes from overseas, mainly Australia, New Zealand, and South America.

Can imported beef still be labeled “Product of USA”?
Yes. If imported beef is repackaged or processed once it enters the U.S., current labeling rules allow it to say “Product of USA,” even if the cattle were born and raised elsewhere.

Does imported grass-fed beef have the same nutrients as local pasture-finished beef?
Not necessarily. Variations in forage quality, climate, and travel time all affect nutrient levels and freshness. Locally finished beef generally retains more omega-3s, vitamin E, and carotenoids.

Why does local grass-fed beef cost more?
Raising cattle on managed pastures requires more land, labor, and care. Local beef avoids the long transport and mass processing of imports, offering better traceability and nutrient preservation.

Shop Local, 100% Grass-Fed Beef

If you care about where your food comes from, start with your farmer. At Tyner Pond Farm, our cattle graze real Indiana pastures every day—never feedlots or feed pellets. We finish them entirely on grass and deliver directly to homes across Central Indiana.

Shop 100% Grass-Fed & Finished Beef