what, exactly, is your question?  if you just want to buy some
hormon-free grain-fed beef, head over to your local health food store.
they're almost certain to a) have some and b) be willing to talk to you
about it.

That is a very tall order.  I know Whole Foods has it, but it is expensive.
It is called grass fed organic.  I don't know if it is any good.  I have had
grass fed beef at a farm and didn't think it was very good, but the
hamburgers were a nice flavor.  The steaks were tough and I wasn't
impressed.  There is a farm north of me that I can get it in quantity, but
it is so much food and I live by myself.  Most all cattle ranchers put a
steroid clip in the cows ear.  They get more meat for less money that way.
I am glad to see you are buying free range eggs.  Not just because of them
being chemical free fed, but at least the damn chickens can walk around a
little.  I hate chicken coops, it just is too cruel to me.

Anyway, the beef we all eat is full of steroids.  Many people think it is
contributing to the larger breast sizes in young women (no I am not
kidding).  We are being tested on while we eat this beef. I have decided
that I will take the chance on it.  If I was really wealthy, I might avoid
it, but what can you do?

JMHO,
Curt

These two sites allow you to find producers/vendors of free-range meats:

http://www.eatwild.com/

http://www.eatwellguide.org/search.cfm

Stan

IF you aren't already try going to actual butchers shops instead of grocery
stores.

This guy has some acreage that he devotes to raising beef like that:

 http://www.nolanryanbeef.com/retail.html

PJ

Whole Foods and Wild Oats both have such beef.
Some grocers carry this: http://www.maverickranch.com/

Maverick Ranch beef is far better tasting than any other beef I've ever tasted.

--Bryan 198/149/153/155

I posted the following on a messageboard last year... the link
includes links to farms that produce grain-fed beef, as well as CSA
info.
_____________________________________________________________________________

We've talked previously about what we can do, individually, about
mega-corporations. Me being me, I always suggest people buy their food
from family farms.

One way of doing that is Community Sponsored Agriculture. Basically,
you buy a share of a farm's produce for the growing season and pick it
up once a week or every other week. This usually consists of a bunch
of vegetables and fruits, but some include dairy, eggs or meats as
well.

This is how it benefits farmers... your "normal" farmer borrows money
from the bank in spring for supplies and such, plants, and sells his
crop in fall. He buys his supplies retail and sells his products
wholesale, paying interest on the borrowed money and if he's lucky, he
breaks even for the year (less than breaking even in most cases if you
count his labor as a cost). If he's unlucky, he ends up losing his
farm for his trouble.

In a CSA, you pay for your share upfront, allowing the farmer to plant
without loans. You share both the risk and benefits with the farm - if
one particular crop fails, you don't get any of that, if another crop
has a bumper year, you may need to resort to freezing or canning some
of your excess.

The benefit to you is... usually organic produce at a significantly
cheaper-than-retail cost. I say "usually" because all of these farms
are not officially certified organic, meaning they haven't gone
through the paperwork and cost of being certified, but most do not use
herbicides or pesticides.

Further, you get better produce even aside from the organic bit.
Agribusiness does not choose which varities to grow based on what
tastes best, rather they choose based on what can be picked immaturely
and will ripen in storage and such. Buying in-season locally-produced
produce is much yummier stuff than what you can buy at groceries.

You also get to *know* who is growing your food. Many CSAs produce
newsletters or do tours of their farm and such. A few even let members
work the farm a half day each season or such.

So farmers avoid loans and grow the expensive organic stuff for you
cheaper - it's a win/win all around. You get better food and also get
the good feelings of supporting both a local business and someone whom
is being a good steward of the earth.

If you're not growing your own produce, a CSA is the next best way to
get food without supporting Walmart or Monsanto or other
mega-corporations.

While all this is a wonderful idea, most of us don't personally know
farmers and have a way to find a CSA. The reason for this post is
because I found a site that lets you search for a CSA near you:
http://www.localharvest.org/

This site also lets you search for farmer's markets, food co-ops and
online stores associated with small, local businesses, so you can even
shop online for the holidays.

Laura's Lean Beef is hormone free, antibiotic free, and grain fed.  It is
located in Kentucky and has a web site.  It isn't sold directly but you can
e-mail them and find stores that carry it.

Jane S.