Submit your own question here!
QUESTION -
How does the USDA grading
system work?
ANSWER
- There are two parts
to the USDA grading system.
The first is called quality
grading. It shows the
degree of marbling fat
of the meat. Marbling
is the thin white traces
of fat found within the
red muscle parts of the
meat. The grades of marbling
are USDA Select, Choice
and Prime. Select is the
leanest and Prime has
the most fat. Today, consumer
surveys show that 70%
prefer the Select grade.
The second type of grading
is called yield grading
which measures the ratio
of red meat to fat. It
is an indicator of back
fat, rib eye area, kidney,
pelvic and heart fat as
well as carcass weight.
Yield grades are 1 through
5. Yield Grade 1 has the
most red meat and the
least amount of fat. Only
5% of all cattle make
Yield Grade 1 (YG1). At
Maverick Ranch, 99% of
the cattle we use in our
beef program are YG1 and
YG2. This beef specification
is the foundation of our
amazing nutritional values.
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QUESTION -
Which has less cholesterol:
Maverick Ranch Beef or Fish?
ANSWER
- Maverick Ranch Beef!
In the first place, beef
has lower average cholesterol
than chicken, turkey and
many species of fish.
Our Eye of Round has the
same amount of fat as
a chicken breast. Maverick
Ranch is the only beef
processor we know of whose
product meets USDA labeling
requirements for the "Less
Cholesterol" claim.
In general, Maverick Ranch
NaturaLite Beef has approximately
30% less cholesterol than
chicken. For further information,
you can e-mail
a request for brochures
for our NaturaLite or
Natural Choice Beef brands
or pick up one at your
local retailer.
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QUESTION -
Which is leaner: Ground Turkey
or Maverick Ranch NaturaLite
4% fat Ground Beef?
ANSWER
- Most ground turkey is
7% to 9% fat and has 8
to 10 grams of fat per
serving, and includes
the skin. Maverick Ranch
NaturaLite Ground Beef,
Round, Chuck, and Sirloin
average 4.5 grams of fat
per 4 oz. serving. This
translates to a 50% reduction
in fat when compared to
ground turkey!
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QUESTION -
Is Choice beef more tender
than Select beef?
ANSWER
- There are many variances
between Choice and Select
quality grades, and cooking
method and the degree
of doneness can influence
tenderness. On average,
test results show USDA
Select is more tender
than USDA Choice under
fast cooking methods such
as grilling. USDA Choice
is more tender than USDA
Select if cooked slowly
such as roasting. This
information is from tenderness
studies conducted at the
USDA Research Center in
Beltsville, Maryland.
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QUESTION -
What is "Lite" Beef?
ANSWER
- USDA labeling requirements
for Lite Beef state that
there must be at least
a 50% reduction in fat
and 33% reduction in calories
when compared to the data
for beef as stated in
USDA Handbook 8-13. Maverick
Ranch NaturaLite Beef
meets USDA Lite requirements.
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QUESTION -
What is "Natural" Beef?
ANSWER
- The USDA definition
is "minimally processed,
no artificial ingredients.
USDA permits no preservatives
in this product". Most
natural beef suppliers
take this a step further
by using "Production Claims"
such as no antibiotics
were used in the production
of this beef. The USDA
permits these production
claims, which refer to
cattle management practices
before harvesting. Beware
of claims that say, "no
hormones added". This
is a processing claim
that refers to the package
of beef. Hormones are
never added to beef. Therefore,
any beef processor can
make this claim, as it
is true for all beef.
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QUESTION -
How does Maverick Ranch make
"Natural" claims?
ANSWER
- We take natural claims
to a higher degree than
other natural beef companies
that use only rancher
affidavits. Maverick Ranch
provides a twenty
times money back guarantee
that there are no antibiotic,
synthetic steroid or pesticide
residues in our beef from
the 53 compounds for which
we test. We make this
guarantee based on laboratory
results where we remove
every beef from our production
system that has a detectable
residue. This is the most
accurate system. Ours
is the only system that
we know of that addresses
pesticides used directly
on cattle. All of our
natural beef competitors
prescribe pesticide treatments
in their producer protocol.
You can call any one of
them and ask which pesticides
are permitted to control
flies, mosquitoes, lice
and internal parasites.
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QUESTION -
Does ground beef that is advertised
80% lean and 20% fat actually
have 20% fat?
ANSWER
- Based on weight, the
answer is yes. Based on
composition, the answer
is no. A 100-gram sample
of 80% lean ground beef
actually has 20 grams
of fat, approximately
20 grams of protein and
60 grams of moisture.
When we compare 20 grams
of fat to 20 grams of
protein, we see that the
ratio of fat to protein
is actually 50% Ð 50%
or 1 to 1. That is why
it is important to read
labels and look at the
ratio of fat to protein
on any package of food.
If we look at Maverick
Ranch ground round, our
beef has 24 grams of protein
to 3.5 grams of fat. That
is a protein to fat ratio
of 7 to 1.
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QUESTION -
Are pesticide residues retained
in the fat or the muscle?
ANSWER
- In meat, pesticides
usually reside in the
fat and are cumulative.
One way to lower pesticide
exposure is to choose
Maverick Ranch NaturaLite
96% Extra Lean Ground
Beef and to buy our lean
steaks. With Maverick
Ranch Beef, we have eliminated
the beef that has fat
testing positive for pesticide
residues within laboratory
testing limits. (Tests
range from 20 parts per
million to 5 parts per
billion.) FDA studies
have shown that lean beef
has a much lower chance
of containing pesticides
than most fruits and vegetables.
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QUESTION -
Does Lite or Extra Lean beef
require less cooking time?
ANSWER
- Yes. It takes approximately
20% to 30% less time to
reach the recommended
160°F internal temperature
for ground beef. This
is due to its lower fat
content and higher moisture
content. Moisture cooks
out before fat melts away.
We recommend cooking your
Maverick Ranch steaks
medium rare or medium
for juicy, tender eating.
If you cook lean steak
too well done, often the
steak will be dry and
less tender. Our 96% Extra
Lean Ground Beef will
reach 160°F while
still retaining a slightly
pink internal color. We
recommend that you use
a meat thermometer to
check this.
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QUESTION -
What is organic beef?
ANSWER
- In March of 1999, U.S.
Agriculture Secretary
Dan Glickman decided to
let twenty-six different
organic certification
companies certify beef.
These companies can set
their own standards and
certify beef as organic.
These organizations do
not all have the same
criteria, so we believe
the program will end in
confusion. As we understand
it, most if not all of
the certification programs
permit cattle pesticides
to control internal and
external parasites. We
believe that parasites
should be controlled,
but misuse can lead to
pesticide residues in
the meat. That is why
we test our beef in a
laboratory and eliminate
beef with detectable residues.
We believe that companies
that use the word organic
on beef and at the same
time, use cattle insecticides
and pesticides, are misleading
the public.
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QUESTION -
Is beef an anti-oxidant?
ANSWER
- Yes, to some degree.
Beef contains small amounts
of vitamin E, which is
a primary anti-oxidant.
At Maverick Ranch, we
encourage our ranchers
to feed vitamin E supplements,
and if they do they receive
a higher price for their
cattle. These supplements
result in a higher level
of vitamin E in our beef.
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QUESTION -
What are the so-called "hormone
implants" that we hear about
in beef?
ANSWER
- This is a very small
pellet implanted under
the skin at the base of
the ear. There are 3 natural
and 3 synthetic promotants
approved by FDA. These
products stimulate the
animal's endocrine system
and act as a partitioning
factor. Therefore, the
animal grows more muscle
and less fat, resulting
in a nutritionally superior
product. These implants
are commonly called growth
hormones, growth promotants
or steroids. At Maverick
Ranch, we test for abnormally
high natural hormone levels
and for synthetic steroid
residues. We remove any
carcass from our system
that tests positive for
a synthetic steroid.
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QUESTION -
Are there any health concerns
regarding these implants?
ANSWER
- Yes, if the animal is
overdosed or the implant
is improperly placed,
it may leave a detectable
residue from the synthetic
implants. This is why
we test our beef to make
sure the natural hormone
levels have not been altered
and no synthetic hormone
residues are present.
One of these synthetic
products is trenbolone
acetate and is more powerful
than natural testosterone.
If we detect any trenbolone,
the entire carcass is
eliminated.
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QUESTION -
How does beef compare with
other foods for the naturally
occurring steroid estrogen?
ANSWER
- The following chart
from Michigan State University
lists the nanograms of
natural estrogen (estrogen
is a steroid hormone)
in 100 gram (3-1Ú2 oz.
serving). A nanogram is
one billionth of a gram.
Unimplanted Steer Beef
1.3
Implanted Steer Beef 1.9
Peas 340.0
Ice Cream 520.0
Cabbage 2,000.0
Wheat Germ 3,400.0
Soybean Oil 1,680,000.0
Source: Dr. Harlan
Ritchie, Michigan State University,
Dr. Gary Smith, Colorado State
University 1995
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QUESTION -
How many nanograms of estrogen
are produced daily by the
human endocrine system?
ANSWER
Male child before puberty
41,000
Female child before puberty
54,000
Adult male 136,000
Non-pregnant female 480,000
Pregnant female 20,000,000
Source: Dr. Harlan
Ritchie, Michigan State University,
Dr. Gary Smith, Colorado State
University 1995
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QUESTION -
Is estrogen necessary and
can it prolong life?
ANSWER
- Yes. Statistics now
show that women who take
estrogen during menopause
have a 2 year longer lifespan.
These women have a one
in a thousand greater
chance of breast cancer,
but have a 50% reduction
in the risk of heart attack
and a 30% lower incidence
of Alzheimer's disease
and osteoporosis. However,
estrogen and estrogenic
mimicking chemicals, like
other hormones, must be
within a certain range.
Either too little or too
much can effect health
and the rate of aging.
Source: "The
Superhomone Promise" by
Dr. William Regelson,
M.D. and Carol Colman.
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QUESTION -
If hormones are naturally
occurring, can they really
be harmful?
ANSWER
- Yes. There are over
100 hormones, steroids
and econosoids produced
by the endocrine and the
paracrine systems. Generally,
they occur in pairs and
have opposing effects.
When the natural balance
is altered, health problems
can occur. An example
is insulin and glycogen
produced by the pancreas.
If too much or too little
of either of these is
produced, we can have
an imbalance resulting
in hypoglycemia, diabetes,
excess fat storage or
kidney impairment. Source:
1. "The Superhormone Promise"
by Dr. William Regelson,
M.D. and Carol Colman.
2."Our Stolen Future"
by Theo. Colborn, Dianne
Dumanoski, and John Peterson
Meyers
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QUESTION -
Some other natural beef producers
use bulls for their ground
beef. How does this system
effect hormone levels?
ANSWER
- Bulls have over 1000
times higher natural hormone
levels than implanted
steers. These companies
are either ignorant of
the facts or are purposefully
deceiving the public.
At Maverick Ranch, we
eliminate bulls of all
ages as well as mature
cows. Bulls have much
more than the maximum
Maverick Ranch acceptable
level of natural testosterone.
Bulls and mature females
usually have higher detectable
levels of pesticides and
can not pass Maverick's
strict pesticide tests.
Another interesting point
is that bulls with high
testosterone attract more
external parasites and
require more pesticide
treatment to keep them
comfortable.
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QUESTION -
Are calves in the Maverick
System vaccinated for Brucellosis,
a disease that causes abortion
in cattle?
ANSWER
- No. This vaccine can
only be administered by
a Federal veterinarian
to breeding age females
and is not used in cattle
that are destined for
Maverick Ranch Beef. However,
some fast food hamburger
and other ground beef
is made from culled breeding
cows that have been vaccinated.
Maverick Ranch does not
permit mature cow beef
or bull beef in our system.
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