Jim Drouillard, professor of animal sciences and industry at Kansas State University, has found that feeding cattle flax produced several benefits.

An article from NPR’s The Salt explained:

In a series of experiments over the past 10 years, he found that feeding flaxseed to cattle in the five months before slaughter reduced inflammation and the need for antibiotics and offset some of the negative effects of a corn-based diet.

It has also been found that this feeding pattern increased the omega-3 levels in the meat itself. Flax-feed beef has been introduced into the market under the brand name GreatO in New York. The company stated that a four-ounce serving contained 200 to 350 milligrams of omega-3s.

These levels are about one-fifth the amount in a similar portion of salmon. Several producers are hoping to make a niche market out of flax-fed cattle.

However, it is also cautioned the economics of flax-fed cattle isn’t fully understood yet and that profitability may be affected by the high price of flax. 

—From NPR’s The Salt article by Eliza Barclay