Pasture PDX is a butcher shop doing things differently. At least, differently by conventional American standards. Founders Kei Ohdera and HJ Schaible take a European approach to their butchery, sourcing retired dairy cows and using the entire animal for butcher cuts and meats for their Portland, Oregon deli and butcher shop. Every cow Ohdera and Schaible acquires comes from a regenerative farmer they know who has raised the animal ethically and humanely.

Ohdera and Schaible’s approach is common in Europe and other parts of the world. However, it’s rare here in the US, where the corporate concentration of meat production and factory farming are growing issues. Only four companies dominate the production—more than 80 percent—of our nation’s meat. This monopoly comes at the cost of many, including small farmers, animal welfare, and the health of our planet.

We recently spoke to Ohdera and Schaible about being more conscious meat consumers. By focusing on ethical animal husbandry—an all-encompassing term that describes the mindful day-to-day care of animals raised for meat, dairy, and other products—Ohdera and Schaible are bringing high-quality meats to their customers while also supporting a more inclusive, humane, and ethical local food system.

A Conversation with Kei Ohdera and HJ Schaible

You take a European-style approach to butchery, and source retired dairy cows for your meat. Please walk us through why this is unique and ethical.

Ohdera: Our whole project was inspired by sourcing retired dairy cows. It's historically done quite often in European countries because there's a lot of logic to it, even though we have yet to be able to reestablish that supply chain here. The thought is that the animal is raised to live a longer life and provides a product to the community that has value through the milk and everything else, and then the meat. So not only does it have incredible flavor, the animal is living longer. Also, when farmers have the right rotational program, it's also helping the soil. But mainly, you're providing a product to the community, not just raising these animals just to be slaughtered.

A lot of commodity ground beef will be combined with hundreds of different animals. The farmer typically gets underpaid for these cows, and [the cow and meat] are not respected in the same way.

Why is the US meat industry complex for smaller farmers? What are some issues you're seeing?

Ohdera: The USDA holds too firm a grip on these small producers. There aren't enough slaughterhouses. For instance, there used to be 32 slaughterhouses in Oregon. For a myriad of reasons, there are only eight to 10 remaining. Some burned in the fire a few years ago, and others shut down because it's a tough industry to turn a profit. It's also challenging work because the USDA has such strong oversight. Many of these smaller producers can only sell directly to consumers if they sell it by half a cow or a quarter. So, with the smaller producers, in terms of retired dairy cows, they don't have the time or the infrastructure to take these animals down to the auction. So typically, they hire somebody to come pick up the animal, then it goes down to auction, where it won't get a premium price.

It's hard to talk about the meat industry and not touch upon the big feed lots throughout this country. I see them when I drive I-5 from San Francisco to Los Angeles: fenced-in areas with tons and tons of cows packed in. What is essential to know about these?

Schaible: That's a huge industry, and, going back to what Kei touched on, the USDA has played into it. The beef industry—or the meat industry—is massive. Multiple countries have a hold on it. The idea that meat should be your source of protein and you, therefore, must eat a lot of meat and drink a lot of milk has been pushed forward so much here in the US.

Ohdera: In terms of these big feedlots, the animals aren't being treated very well. They're not given the space that they need. Their diet is typically a lot of grain, which is not good for their health and not good for our health. When you say you're driving to LA, you have a high concentration of animals in one particular area because that's where the land is cheap. So these big producers buy up the ground, and then they raise a ton of animals on them, and they end up not contributing to the health of the soil because there are too many animals in one place. Also, all of that waste gets concentrated and often wastes into the water supply, which is not supposed to happen. So that is both environmentally and ethically speaking in terms of the animal's welfare.

If someone wants to support a more ethical meat industry, how can they be more conscious about the meat they consume?

Schaible: Something that Kei and I talk about a lot is eating less meat in general. Even though we're a butcher shop, we encourage people to eat what's necessary and to engage in more conscious buying. Many of our customers, as well as people who walk in for our lunch menu, are aware that we're taking one whole animal, breaking it down, and turning it into our menu in retail. So we focus on showing people and informing them of certain cuts, how to prepare them, and the quantity for the amount that they're feeding.

So again, even though our bread and butter is butchery, we encourage people to have a more mindful approach to buying meat and how much, and also to consider how much vegetables or starches they're eating with it. Instead of doing the whole slab of meat on a plate, we inform people that you're going to be spending a premium price for grass-fed locally raised meat, so respect it.

What should someone look out for when they're more consciously buying meat? Are there markers to seek or questions to ask?

Ohdera: It's a tough question to answer because there are a lot of tag words used for branding. You may see the word organic, but that doesn't always mean that the lives of these animals are being considered. It typically does because somebody likely wouldn't go through the licensing process to just mess it up in terms of how they raised the animals. Increasingly, smaller producers who are ethically minded are using the term regenerative. That means considering the health of the soil and the total environment that the animals are in, and so it's contributing back instead of just taking from the land.

To support and learn more about Kei Ohdera and HJ Schaible and their butcher shop, Pasture PDX, visit pasturepdx.com.