direct market grass finished beef

[cowmomma]

I posted under another subject...but the subject name wasn't very descriptive so I thought I'd try again.

We have had cows 14 months or so. We made it through winter calving, buying a bull and we think we have them bred back for fall calves. We'll have them preg checked in a few weeks.

We haven't yet sold our first beef but we have had many inquiries. Our first one to butcher is a bull. A butcher, who left the area, told us "bull beef" will be more tender for grass finished beef. He is a Angus/Hereford...about 1000#. I have been told that 1000# is the target for butchering. Will he be marbled by then? Is marbling and age, weight or feed thing?

Also asking about pricing. I have heard locally 1.75# hanging weight & 1.05 live weight. Bill in Alabama posted on here and said that it is a little lower where he is. In both cases the customer paid the butcher's fees. Also planning to have him aged 2 weeks.

Any thoughts?

 

[Beef11]

First of i would explain to your customers that it is grass fed beef and that it will taste different it might be a good idea to have some for people to sample. It isn't like regular beef. As far as Bull Beef being more tender never heard that, all credible sources have said otherwise since the dark ages. Find a new friend to get advice from.

 

[andybob]

Bull beef is leaner than steer beef and bulls grow faster. After 18 months bull testoserone quickly reduces the quality of the beef, making it darker, less marbled and tougher. Go no older than 18 months if you want to produce bull beef ,and hang for at least 10 days, there has been quite a lot of research done with bull beef, but on a commercial scale, the cons outweigh the pros(temperement etc).

 

[Bill Elliott]

cowmamma.....

I'm fairly new to raising cows also but here's my thoughts. My brother-in-law fed out both steers and bulls and to be honest I couldn't really tell the difference in the meat. I'm sure there is a difference but I really couldn't tell....both very good. Of course I'm comparing to "store bought" meat but still both were very good. We feed out last 100 - 120 days on 14% calf feed which is basically corn/corn product along with minerals added. We feed our cows out earlier than most...put in the feed corral at about 12-14 months. We feed out younger because we believe it reduces the cholesterol content of the meat.
We are in lower Alabama and the going price is about $1.60 or so per hanging pound. The folks I know that sell by the live weight sell for around $1.00 per pound. Don't hold me to these figures but good "ball-park" numbers are....for a 1000lb live weight cow...will hang out about 600-625lbs....will dress out around 400-450lbs. You will also loose weight while it ages..maybe 5% or so...most people age their meat for at least 2 weeks. We charge for the hanging weight before aging. The processor I use charges $.42/lb plus $30 slaughter fee. I'm getting ready to feed out a little bull for the first time (brother-in-law recently passed away and I'm on my own now) so will learn first hand.
Hope this helps...I'm new just like you and learning each day...and certainly not an expert...plenty of people on here can provide more "seasoned" advice. All the best to you...Bill

cowmamma.....

` "We feed out younger because we believe it reduces the cholesterol content of the meat."


Thanks Bill, Lots of info for me to chew on. Why do you think it makes for lower cholesterol meat? Do you have any figures on it?

I followed you over here from your previous post...I believe the lower cholesterol level is due to the age of the meat. I'm trying to find where I originally read this but sort of makes sense...I think. I forgot to add that won't get rich raising beef cattle on a small scale. If I find the material on cholesterol I'll provide. Good luck....Bill

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

We have had cows 14 months or so. We made it through winter calving, buying a bull and we think we have them bred back for fall calves. We'll have them preg checked in a few weeks.

We haven't yet sold our first beef but we have had many inquiries. Our first one to butcher is a bull. A butcher, who left the area, told us "bull beef" will be more tender for grass finished beef. He is a Angus/Hereford...about 1000#. I have been told that 1000# is the target for butchering. Will he be marbled by then? Is marbling and age, weight or feed thing?

Also planning to have him aged 2 weeks.

Any thoughts?

Bull meat is leaner than steers - which means less marbling. Also it is difficult to get the "finish" you want on grass only, let alone trying to feed a bull.
Marbling has to do with age, weight & feeding. Steers can be well marbled at 800# or 1800# - depending on their frame size, feed & age.
Ideally, the industry is trying to "finish" steers at 14-16 months of age, and shooting for about a 1200-1400# steer - but that is grain fed.
My brother in-law is into "healthy" and he raised grass fed beef & sold it in packages by the pound. Got great prices, but kept all the steaks because they were waaayy toooo tough to sell. Sold pot roasts & hamburger for big bucks. Got out of doing that because he hated the steaks for himself.
You want to hang them a minimum of 14 days. Been now proven that 21 days is better.
I would definately offer samples before letting someone purchase a large quantity. Poor quality meat will ruin your future sales.

 

[EIEIO]

The last steer we put in the freezer was a bull up till about 20 months when I had him banded. Long story about why he got so old here on the farm without being butchered so I won't go into that except I did wait about 90 days after having him banded before having him butchered.

I "finished" him on grass and less than a pound of cracked corn a day. He tasted great. The guy that did our custom slaughter here on the farm said soon as he opened him up that he could tell it was a grass fed steer due I think to the minimal amount of fat on him as well as the color of the fat that he did have.

Regarding the talk of "hanging" and for how long you need to remember most processing places don't want to have your beef hanging up in their place for any longer than they have to. It may even cost more to have one hung for a long period of time. I really at the moment can't remember the difference but there are 2 types of hanging facilities. I think one is just cold and the other is like cold and dry (?) which is the one you want for a true "aged" beef. Our place did not have the later of the two but hung our last one for 2 weeks and he tasted great.

I now actually prefer the taste of grass over grain fed beef. However having said that I really think anything you raise is going to taste 100% better than what you buy at the store.

I'd really love to find a niche market for grass fed beef but due to the fact our closest "city" is over 1.5 hours away it's just not possible so your location may dictate how you sell.

Everyone around here either raises or knows someone that has cattle so the market around here would just not be there for me.

My cousin (who has big bucks) bought a farm near KC and is doing real well with his "hobby" of ranching/farming by selling in that area.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

J