We Had Our Grass-fed Beef Independently Tested—Here's What We Found

Is the extra money you spend for local, clean meat really worth it? Once in a while, even I question whether the hard work of management-intensive grazing to promote diversity in our pastures or the extra time it takes to do 100% grass-fed is worth it. 

We recently sent some of our beef for independent testing to The Van Vliet lab within the Center for Human Nutrition Studies at Utah State University to analyze the nutrient density of our beef. To say we were excited about the results would be an understatement. Our Omega-6-to-Omega-3 ratio was almost 2X better than the benchmark grass-fed beef, the type typically found in grocery stores or from many of the large online companies selling imported grass-fed beef. 

Here is the graph showing how we compared to The Van Vliet Lab benchmarks, followed by comments from Dr. Stephan van Vliet's team.

Chart created by The Log Cabin Ranch using laboratory results and benchmark data provided by Dr. Stephan van Vliet at The Van Vliet  LAB WITHIN the Center for Human Nutrition Studies at Utah State University.

Interpretation / comments from the research team

These interpretations reflect the opinions of our research team based on the data generated and are provided for informational purposes only. They do not constitute regulatory, nutritional, or health advice and have not been evaluated or endorsed by the USDA or other regulatory authorities.

• Fatty acids: Log Cabin Ranch showed a favorable omega profile, with an omega-6:omega-3 ratio of 1.36, compared with 8.39 for grain-fed and 2.69 for grass-fed. Total omega-3 was also higher at 188.5 mg/100 g, about 3.3× grain-fed and 27% higher than the grass-fed benchmark, while total omega-6 was lower than both benchmarks.
• Omega balance: The omega balance score was 42.37, substantially above both grain-fed at 13.30 and grass-fed at 34.05. Omega balance is the proportion of omega-3s to total omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs.
• Log Cabin Ranch had higher key phenolic-related metabolites, including hippuric acid at 71.88 ug/100g versus 27.05 ug/100g in grain-fed and 42.60 ug/100g in grass-fed. That is about 2.7× higher than grain-fed and 69% higher than the grass-fed benchmark.
• Hippuric acid is a metabolite associated with plant phenolic intake and microbial metabolism, supporting a more pronounced forage-linked phytochemical signature in the Log Cabin Ranch samples.
• Log Cabin Ranch compared favorably across several nutritionally relevant minerals, including higher iron, zinc, phosphorus, sulfur, copper, and manganese than both benchmarks. Zinc was especially strong at 5.00, compared with 3.39 grain-fed and 2.71 grass-fed.
• Log Cabin Ranch had notably higher β-carotene at 70.82 ug/100g, compared with about 38–39 ug/100g in both benchmarks, and higher vitamin B5 than both benchmarks. Vitamin B3 was also higher than the grass-fed benchmark, though slightly below grain-fed.
• β-carotene further supports the forage-linked phytonutrient signature of Log Cabin Ranch beef, while remaining nutritionally modest in absolute terms. Because β-carotene is a plant-derived carotenoid that cattle do not synthesize de novo, its presence in beef reflects dietary exposure, absorption, and tissue deposition from carotenoid-containing forages. The higher β-carotene concentration in Log Cabin Ranch beef therefore provides a complementary marker of greater phytonutrient exposure relative to the benchmarks. However, these concentrations should be interpreted as a biochemical signature of forage intake rather than as a major dietary source of β-carotene, since absolute levels in beef remain low compared with carotenoid-rich plant foods such as carrots and sweet potatoes.