Understand the meat you buy.
Learn how farm-direct meat is raised, cared for, processed and sold,
and what to ask before buying directly from a producer.
You decide what matters to you.
Beef Learning
Understand cattle production, feeding and finishing, animal care, buying in bulk, processing and the beef supply chain.
Bison Learning
Understand bison production, feeding, handling, buying, processing, cuts and cooking.
Pork Learning
Understand how pigs are raised, fed and cared for, and learn about buying a half or whole hog, processing, cuts and pork labels.
Poultry Learning
Understand how chickens and turkeys are raised, fed and cared for, including outdoor access, processing, cuts and poultry labels.
How Beef Is Raised
Understand feeding, finishing, grazing and the different production systems used to raise beef.
Grass-Fed vs. Grass-Finished
Grass-fed and grass-finished sound similar, but they do not necessarily describe the same production system.
Grain-Finished Beef
Why grain is used in beef production and what grain-finished actually tells you about the animal.
Pasture-Raised Cattle
What pasture-raised means and why pasture management varies between Alberta ranches.
Understanding Feedlots
What a feedlot is, why cattle enter them and why feedlot systems are not all identical.
Regenerative Ranching
What ranchers mean by regenerative agriculture and why the practices differ from farm to farm.
Animal Health & Production
Understand common cattle health practices, why they are used and what production claims really mean.
Hormone Implants in Canadian Beef
What growth-promoting implants are, why some cattle producers use them and why production practices vary.
What "No Added Hormones" Means
Why no added hormones is different from hormone-free and what consumers should ask producers.
Antibiotics and Withdrawal Periods
Why cattle may need antibiotics, what withdrawal periods do and why treatment policies differ between farms.
Why Cattle Are Vaccinated
How vaccination is used to help prevent disease and protect cattle health.
Dewormers and Parasite Control
Why cattle producers manage internal and external parasites and the different approaches they may use.
Buying Beef Directly
From hanging weight to freezer space, understand what to expect when buying beef directly from a farmer.
Buying a Quarter, Half or Whole Beef
What you are actually buying when you order a share of beef directly from a farmer.
Live Weight vs. Hanging Weight
Why the weight of a live animal is very different from the weight used for many farm-direct beef orders.
How Much Packaged Beef Will I Receive?
Why the amount of beef in your freezer is lower than the animal or carcass weight.
How Much Freezer Space Do I Need?
Planning freezer capacity before your quarter, half or whole beef comes home.
Understanding a Beef Cut Sheet
How your instructions turn a side of beef into steaks, roasts, ground beef and other cuts.
Beef After the Farm
Follow beef through processing, inspection, aging, grading, labelling and using more of the animal.
What Happens at an Abattoir?
What happens between the farm and the packaged beef that comes home with you.
Provincial vs. Federal Inspection
How Alberta and federal meat inspection systems differ and why the distinction matters.
Dry Aging vs. Wet Aging
How beef is aged after slaughter and why aging method and time can affect the final product.
Beef Grading in Canada
What Canadian beef grades describe and why grading is different from meat inspection.
Understanding Beef Labels
How to read production claims, inspection information and marketing language on beef.
How the Beef Industry Works
Follow cattle beyond the ranch and understand the role of
cow-calf producers, backgrounders, auction marts, feedlots
and farm-direct beef.
Cow-Calf Ranches: Where Beef Begins
Most Canadian beef cattle begin on a cow-calf operation. Learn what cow-calf ranchers do and where calves may go after weaning.
What Is Backgrounding Cattle?
Learn about the stage between weaning and finishing known as backgrounding and why it is an important part of beef production.
How Cattle Auction Marts Work
Learn why ranchers sell cattle through auction marts, how livestock auctions work and where cattle may go after they are sold.
From Auction Mart to Feedlot
Follow one common route cattle may take from a ranch through an auction market, backgrounding or feedlot and eventually to processing.
How Cattle Prices Are Determined
Learn why cattle prices change and how weight, cattle type, market conditions and buyer demand can influence livestock prices.
Understanding Bison
Learn how bison are raised, fed, handled, processed and sold,
and what makes buying bison different from buying beef.
Bison vs. Beef: What Consumers Should Know
Bison and beef may look similar on the plate, but there are important differences in the animals, production, grading and cooking.
How Bison Are Raised in Alberta
Learn how Alberta bison producers manage pasture, winter feeding, fencing, handling and herd health.
Grass-Fed and Grass-Finished Bison
Understand what grass-fed and grass-finished can mean when buying bison directly from a producer.
Understanding Bison Handling and Animal Welfare
Learn why bison behaviour, facilities and low-stress handling matter when managing farmed bison.
Do Bison Receive Antibiotics or Vaccinations?
Understand why bison may receive veterinary medicines or vaccines and why farm-specific policies matter.
Buying Bison Direct From an Alberta Producer
A practical guide to buying bison directly from an Alberta farm or ranch.
Understanding Bison Cuts
Learn how familiar steaks, roasts, ground meat and other cuts can appear in a bison order.
How Much Meat Do You Get From a Bison?
Understand why live weight, carcass weight and packaged bison are not the same number.
Bison Processing and Inspection in Alberta
Learn why processing route, meat inspection and grading are separate questions when buying Alberta bison.
Cooking Bison: Why It Cooks Differently From Beef
Learn why lean bison may need different cooking choices than highly marbled beef.
Plains Bison, Wood Bison and Crosses
Learn the basic distinction between Plains bison, Wood bison and bison with mixed ancestry.
PORK
Understanding Pork
Learn how pigs are raised, fed and cared for, how farm-direct pork
is priced and processed, and what to know before buying a half or whole hog.
Pork vs. Beef: What Consumers Should Know
Pork and beef come from different animals with different feeding, handling, processing and buying considerations.
How Pigs Are Raised in Alberta
Pig farms can differ considerably in scale, housing, outdoor access, feeding and marketing. Learn what to ask an Alberta pork producer.
Pasture-Raised Pork: What It Actually Means
Pasture-raised pork can describe meaningful outdoor access, but the term does not tell you everything about feed, health care or management.
What Pigs Eat: Understanding Feed and Forage
Pigs are monogastric animals, so their nutritional needs and feeding systems differ substantially from cattle.
Pig Handling and Animal Welfare
Pig welfare includes daily care, appropriate handling, environmental management and careful attention during loading and transport.
Antibiotics and Vaccinations in Pork Production
Antibiotics and vaccines serve different purposes in pig health. Learn what Canadian production claims actually mean.
Buying Pork Direct From an Alberta Producer
Buying pork directly from a farm gives consumers an opportunity to ask about raising practices, pricing, processing and exactly what they will receive.
Buying a Half or Whole Hog
A half or whole hog can be an economical way to buy farm-direct pork, but consumers should understand pricing, processing and cut choices first.
Hanging Weight, Yield and How Much Pork You Receive
Live weight, carcass weight and packaged pork are different measurements. Understanding them makes farm-direct pork pricing easier to compare.
Understanding Pork Cuts
Learn where familiar pork cuts come from and why a half or whole hog requires choices about chops, roasts, bacon, ham and ground pork.
Pork Processing and Inspection in Alberta
Understand the role of inspected slaughter and processing when purchasing pork from an Alberta producer.
POULTRY
Understanding Poultry
Learn how chickens and turkeys are raised, fed and cared for,
how farm-direct poultry is processed and sold, and what common
production claims actually tell you.
How Chickens Are Raised in Alberta
Chicken farms can differ in housing, outdoor access, feeding and scale. Learn what to ask when buying chicken directly from an Alberta producer.
Pasture-Raised Chicken: What It Actually Means
Pasture-raised chicken generally describes outdoor access, but consumers should ask how the system actually works on the individual farm.
Free-Range, Free-Run and Outdoor Access Explained
Free-range, free-run and outdoor access can describe different poultry environments. Learn why consumers should look beyond a single term.
What Chickens Eat: Understanding Poultry Feed
Chicken feed is designed to meet changing nutritional requirements. Learn how grains, protein, vitamins, minerals and forage can fit together.
Chicken Handling and Animal Welfare
Chicken welfare includes housing, flock health, environmental conditions, careful handling and appropriate transport.
Antibiotics and Vaccinations in Poultry Production
Antibiotics and vaccines are different animal-health tools. Learn how to interpret poultry production claims and ask better questions.
Buying Chicken Direct From an Alberta Producer
Buying chicken directly from a farm lets consumers ask about raising practices, processing, pricing and exactly what is included in an order.
Whole Chicken vs. Individual Cuts
Whole chickens and individual cuts offer different value and convenience. Learn what to consider when purchasing poultry directly from a farm.
Understanding Chicken Cuts and Yield
A chicken provides a limited number of each cut. Understanding carcass yield helps explain farm-direct pricing and availability.
Poultry Processing and Inspection in Alberta
Learn how slaughter, inspection, chilling and processing fit into farm-direct chicken and turkey purchases in Alberta.
Understanding Poultry Labels and Production Claims
Poultry labels can describe housing, feeding and production practices, but one claim rarely tells the whole story of how birds were raised.
There is no single “best” way to raise livestock. Understanding different production practices helps you make an informed choice.
PUREBEEF
Know your farmer.
Know your beef.
Respect the animal.
PureBeef helps Canadians understand where farm-direct meat comes from,
how animals are raised and what different production practices
actually mean. Ask questions. Understand the practices.
Choose what matters to you.