Our members share ideals but run their farms and ranches very differently. We are in conversation with you all constantly and what we heard, over and over again, is that there was a opportunity to expand our membership options to help grow the American grassfed movement.

We heard from certified members who wanted to finish stockers but couldn’t find any.

We heard from pasture finishers who wanted get certified but couldn’t find stockers that met the standard.

So we’re excited to announce our new Stocker membership. It offers the same benefits as the Producer membership at the same price and Stocker members can pursue certification the same as Producer members.

Eligible Calves Must Meet the Following Criteria:

– Born and raised in the USA.
– Given maximum access to pasture and not raised in a CAFO.
– Only fed stored forages without grain or AGA forage products and Supplemental feedstuffs while on pasture.
– Not fed grain, grain by-products, feather meal or animal by-products.
– Not fed or treated with antibiotics or growth promoters.
– Not given or treated with organophosphates, beta agonists or ionophores or products containing any of these substances.
– Production methods and management promote animal health, safety and welfare of calves.

Stocker Producers will pay a per head fee for each animal sold under the AGA Stocker Producer Program. AGA will reserve the right to do an on farm inspection. If it is determined that false or misleading information was supplied in the Stocker producer checklist the Buyer’s AGA Grassfed Certification may be suspended or revoked.

Are you interested in growing your business by working with AGA-certified farms and ranches?

There’s a story being told. A story in which eating meat is linked to poor human health, the mistreatment of animals and the destruction of our environment. And the answer? According to this story? Eat less meat. Better yet, eat no meat.

There’s just one problem with this story. It’s not true.

It’s Not The Cow, It’s The How

We know that grassfed and pasture-based farming and ranching is good for us, good for our communities and good for the environment.

• Research shows that grassfed meat is lean, contains a high percentage of good fats – Omega 3s and CLA — and beneficial antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

• Small family farms provide jobs and strong economies in rural communities and create sustainable businesses for succeeding generations.

• Cattle, goats, sheep, and bison evolved to eat grass. Feeding them a diet of cereal grains creates an acidic environment in their digestive systems and can lead to disease and the need for treatment with antibiotics.

• Grassfed and pasture-based farming maintains and restores natural ecosystems and wildlife habitat, reduces reliance on petrochemicals, improves the soil with organic matter, and reduces greenhouse gasses, especially carbon dioxide.

A better path to improved health, animal welfare and environmental sustainability is to replace the meat from animal factories in your diet with meat from America’s family farms and ranches.

Start With #MindfulMeatMonday

Here are some simple things you can do right now:

• Look for the American Grassfed seal wherever you shop.

• If you can’t find it there, find a local farm or ranch here or here and order direct, then ask your grocer to stock meat from AGA-certified producers.

• Follow American Grassfed on Instagram to learn more about our members.

• Share pictures of your grassfed and pasture-raised purchases and what you made on social media using the hashtag #MindfulMeatMonday.

We know change is hard. So take it one day at a time, one meal at a time starting with #MindfulMeatMonday.