Why “Growing GRASS”?

New value-added markets for beef, bison and other livestock centered on regenerative and climate smart claims are among the fastest growing in the US and European meat and dairy sectors. Regenerative is an indigenous originated approach to agriculture and the earth that includes within its parameters prescribed cattle and bison grazing that mimics the natural grass and livestock cycle and results in improved soil health, grass production, carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat and water holding capacity, among other benefits.

While consumers and companies are increasingly recognizing the benefits of regenerative agriculture - and willing to pay more - the high upfront costs of the on-farm inspections, soil testing and other data collection required to access these higher value markets can be prohibitive for many farmers and ranchers, especially if they are smaller or just getting started. The result is lower producer profitability, involvement and growth of the verified regenerative meat sector.

Growth and viability of the regenerative livestock sector is also impacted by what happens “beyond” the meat. Sales of hides, bones and other byproducts from meat processing - called the drop - have historically provided an important revenue stream for packing plants. By returning some of the value of these sales with livestock producers and meat companies as a drop credit, byproducts helped to offset meat processing costs and reduce meat prices for consumers. But for smaller and medium sized processing plants today, these materials are increasingly no longer a source of revenue but a disposal problem and cost. This change and the resulting disparity in byproduct returns can be drastic: at the largest US meat plants, there are reports that byproducts are worth up to $200/head in drop credit, while at the smaller-medium and more remote plants, there’s often a “waste disposal” fee charged to the rancher/meat company of $50/head or more. 

These small-medium sized plants are mostly locally owned and represent an essential part of US rural economies and local food systems. They process animals for farmers looking to feed their families and communities, and for those selling meat directly to consumers. These plants are also key partners for most of the local value-added and regenerative meat brands.The loss of value and increase in waste costs tied to meat processing byproducts reduces these meat processors’ competitiveness and economic viability, putting all of these local and higher value meat options at risk.

Instead of being a cost and a barrier to sector growth, the “other half” of regeneratively-raised livestock should return significant value to the supply chain through sales of traceable materials to the leather, pet food, cosmetics and other sectors. Achieving this requires an expansion of affordable and accessible regeneratively raised livestock verification and traceability systems for meat, hides and byproducts. And these materials will need to be collected, processed and sold by these smaller processors in ways that can meet quality and quantity needs along with the regenerative claims that the market supports.

The Generalized Regenerative Agriculture Sourcing Specification (GRASS) system and the Growing GRASS project were developed to do achieve these outcomes.Work is being undertaken with US beef and bison producers and partnering meat processors to reduce barriers related to processing and market access costs, with a specific focus on byproduct valuation, whole animal utilization and regenerative market growth tied to the GRASS standard system.

What is “GRASS”?

The Generalized Regenerative Agriculture Sourcing Specification (GRASS) standard uses an equivalency approach to verification that identifies valid indicators and certifications for substantiating regeneratively raised cattle and bison market-based claims. 

GRASS works with existing certification systems such as the American Grassfed Association, Audubon Conservation Ranching, A Greener World Regenerative and Regenerative Organic Certified to verify regeneratively raised cattle and bison market-based claims, but also supports company and community approaches that meet the same indicator criteria.   

By allowing producers choice in which verification system to utilize, GRASS encourages both diversity and ongoing innovation in verification approaches, and provides farmers and ranchers access to more than one value-added marketplace without additional costs or work. GRASS is currently in use to validate traceable supplies of byproducts like hides, organs and other products from regeneratively-raised beef and bison.