Some people confuse organic beef with grass-fed beef. The two categories are not the same, but are not mutually exclusive. Organic beef comes from cattle who are raised without antibiotics or growth hormones, and are fed a organically grown, vegetarian diet. This diet may or may not include grains. Grass-fed beef comes from cattle raised solely on grass, hay and forage. Grains cannot be included in the diets of grass-fed cattle, but the grass and hay may or may not be organically grown. If the hay and grass in a grass-fed cow’s diet is organic, then the beef is both organic and grass-fed.
Although producers of organic beef and grass-fed beef both claim that their products are more eco-friendly and more humane than feedlot beef, all three types of beef are environmentally destructive and result in the slaughter of the cattle.