Nutrient Density Testing
Real, third-party data that shows how healthy land creates exceptionally nutrient-dense beef.
More Than a claim
It’s in the data.
We’ve always said that healthy soil and diverse mountain pastures produce superior food. But in a world full of vague marketing buzzwords, we believe in providing real proof. We are thrilled to share that we have officially completed comprehensive, third-party nutrient density testing on our 100% grass-finished beef, and the laboratory results are in!
Conducted by Dr. Stephan Van Vliet and his human nutrition and metabolomics research team at Utah State University, this rigorous analysis evaluated more than 20 individual samples of our beef across hundreds of biochemical markers.
Even more special? If you purchased a Live Share from our July 2026 processing date, these lab tests were conducted directly on samples of your beef!
The findings confirm what regenerative ranchers have long observed: cattle grazing a rich botanical buffet of high-desert native grasses, shrubs, forbs, and legumes concentrate remarkable levels of phytonutrients, antioxidants, essential vitamins, and minerals deep within their muscle tissue.
THE KEY SCIENTIFIC TAKEAWAYS
Here is what the research team found, along with an easy-to-read guide breaking down how The High Lonesome Ranch beef stacks up against standard industry benchmarks.
Exceptional Plant-Derived Phytonutrients: Our ribeye showed a reported total of 3,264 µg/100 g of phytonutrients and related plant metabolites—3.5 times higher than typical grass-fed benchmarks and 3.7 times higher than grain-fed beef.
Biomarkers of Rangeland Forage: Key phenolic breakdown compounds like hippuric acid (98.3 µg/100 g) and cinnamoylglycine were elevated up to 8.8 times typical grain-fed beef. These metabolites directly reflect the rich diversity of plants our herd grazes across our high-country pastures.
Superior B-Vitamins: Vitamin B12 registered at an impressive 2.47 µg/100 g (66% higher than typical grass-fed and triple the grain-fed benchmark), while Folate (B9) surpassed grass-fed by 24% and grain-fed by 45%.
Essential Minerals across the Board: Levels of vital minerals—including iron (+29% vs. grain-fed), zinc (+15–16% vs. both benchmarks), copper, potassium, and phosphorus—consistently exceeded national averages.
Balanced Fatty Acid Profile & CLA: With an optimal omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 3.22:1 (compared to 9.65:1 in conventional grain-fed beef) and elevated conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), our beef delivers anti-inflammatory healthy fats naturally.
High β-Carotene: Testing revealed 39% higher β-carotene than standard grass-fed and 90% higher than grain-fed, providing a definitive biological fingerprint of cattle grazing vibrant, high-quality living forage.
View the full results HERE
Overall analysis
Research results indicate grass-finished beef is significantly higher in favorable fatty acids, key phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals when compared to grain-finished beef.
Summary
Research results show that grass-finished beef is higher in total nutrients, phytonutrients, antioxidants, key fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, protein, and amino acids compared to grain-finished beef. These nutritional advantages make grass-finished beef a compelling nutritional option for both athletes in training and for the general population. For elite athletes, there are distinct advantages in incorporating grass-finished meats into the daily diet. Growth and recovery are significantly enhanced with the benefits of the nutritional advantages.