GRASS FED BEEF DEFINITION

[Ridgefarmer63]

What is grass fed beef and who decides what is and isn't allowed? Just stumbled onto the American grassfed beef asso. Who is making the rules and are they recognized by the USDA ?

My animals are on pasture 10 plus months per year. Even when it's frozen I still let them roam a little. Only keep them confined when it's soft so they don't till everything. All our pastures and hayfields have seen no chemicals whatsoever. Only seen wood ash, lime and manure. I'm pretty sure we could be organic if so desired.

But, I feed my animals spent brewers grain in modest amounts along with dry hay and haylage. . That means no grass fed designation for me??

Now, at one of the bigger so called grass fed operations in the area, if you walked up to the fence with a bag of grain and shook it , they'd come running. I think they said at the time they fed them rye or oats maybe ?? Maybe that's totally OK in the GFI. IDK, yet

I have seen cows that were raised on no grain, and you could put grain in the feeder and the pure grass cows would pay it no matter. Just keep grazing.

 

[True Grit Farms]

I don't know the definition of grass fed, but it's a farce. Legumes are not grass and there's no way to keep a cow from eating legumes or leaves. The people who sell grass fed only beef are liars.

 

[Ridgefarmer63]

Interesting, I just read the definition of grass fed beef was dropped by the UDSA in January of 2016.

 

[Ridgefarmer63]

USDA, you know what I meant.

 

[Ridgefarmer63]

I have thought of ways to marble up the meat with a heavier legume diet and more confinement in the last five or six months, but not sure how that'd work out.

Guess it doesn't matter anyways, I sell all I can handle and the customers seem head over heels with the product.

 

[True Grit Farms]

I have thought of ways to marble up the meat with a heavier legume diet and more confinement in the last five or six months, but not sure how that'd work out.

Guess it doesn't matter anyways, I sell all I can handle and the customers seem head over heels with the product.

That's all that matters. I know a guy that sells a thousand head per year of grass fed beef, his line is "they're always on grass" No antibiotics or steroids is a big thing. Any cow that's been doctored has a red tag, and is sold at the barn.

 

[wbvs58]

We have a lot of grass fed beef here, some of it is finished on oats crops over winter but we have the "Channel Country" which is fringe desert country and has a lot of herbage and is mostly flood out country in the centre of Australia, it doesn't need rain on it to flood out, rivers from the gulf in the north and the coastal ranges to the east run into the centre of Australia and after a good flood out the grasses and herbage will fatten cattle with growth rates as good as or some say better than a feedlot.

Ken

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Here's a good 2-pge flyer describing Grain-finished; Grass-finished; Naturally raised; and Certified Organic
http://www.beefnutrition.org/todaysbeef.aspx
Put together by our Beef Check Off funds.

 

[ddd75]

true grass FINSIHED beef requires properly finishing them a certain time of year on high energy grasses.

Grain is not in the diet, nor needs to be.

 

[Ridgefarmer63]

true grass FINSIHED beef requires properly finishing them a certain time of year on high energy grasses.

Grain is not in the diet, nor needs to be.

I'm thinking late summer/early fall. NLT oct 1st in NH.

Been thinking of trying it, but my customers now, seem very pleased with the pasture raised , brewers grain finished product. Don't want to screw up the roll I seem to be on.

It would be easier i think, not having to feed the grain. I still do it by hand (feed grain), mostly. We only put 10 in the box per year.

Small time, I know.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

This is a whole different subject - but have you TASTED strictly grass fed beef? Before you try to convert and sell it to your customers, you should find a grass finishing place and buy a real good steak. Make sure it is what you want to sell to your customers. It is different than grain fed. I am not saying it isn't good, but it would be more like comparing venison to beef.
ALL beef in the US is grass fed most of their lives.

 

[TexasBred]

I don't know the definition of grass fed, but it's a farce. Legumes are not grass and there's no way to keep a cow from eating legumes or leaves. The people who sell grass fed only beef are liars.

A better name might be "plant fed" beef.

 

[True Grit Farms]

I don't know the definition of grass fed, but it's a farce. Legumes are not grass and there's no way to keep a cow from eating legumes or leaves. The people who sell grass fed only beef are liars.

A better name might be "plant fed" beef.

Sure would be easier than following the cow around and making sure it doesn't eat anything BESIDES grass.

 

[ohiosteve]

I don't know the definition of grass fed, but it's a farce. Legumes are not grass and there's no way to keep a cow from eating legumes or leaves. The people who sell grass fed only beef are liars.

A better name might be "plant fed" beef.

Sure would be easier than following the cow around and making sure it doesn't eat anything BESIDES grass.

How about "Beef from 100% vegetarian cows"?

 

[Silver]

Might just be me, but my favorite beef is from a 3-4 yr old that comes in off the range with no calf. They tend to be fat and delicious in my opinion. The beef has flavour that is lacking in grain finished beef. But it may be an acquired taste, I don't know.

 

[Jogeephus]

I don't know the definition of grass fed, but it's a farce. Legumes are not grass and there's no way to keep a cow from eating legumes or leaves. The people who sell grass fed only beef are liars.

A better name might be "plant fed" beef.

Sure would be easier than following the cow around and making sure it doesn't eat anything BESIDES grass.

Wouldn't you also have to keep the grass cut short to keep it from heading out else you'd be feeding grain?

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

This is the standard for American Grassfed Beef:
FORAGE
An AGA-Certified Grassfed animal is born, raised, and finished on open grass pastures where perennial and annual grasses, forbs, legumes, brassicas, browse and post-harvest crop residue without grain are the sole energy sources, with the exception of mother's milk, from birth to harvest. Hay, haylage, silage, and ensilage from any of the above sources may be fed to animals while on pasture during periods of inclement weather or low forage quality.

 

[ddd75]

true grass FINSIHED beef requires properly finishing them a certain time of year on high energy grasses.

Grain is not in the diet, nor needs to be.

I'm thinking late summer/early fall. NLT oct 1st in NH.

Been thinking of trying it, but my customers now, seem very pleased with the pasture raised , brewers grain finished product. Don't want to screw up the roll I seem to be on.

It would be easier i think, not having to feed the grain. I still do it by hand (feed grain), mostly. We only put 10 in the box per year.

Small time, I know.

if it tastes good i'd keep doing exactly what your doing. no reason to change something that works!

 

[Ridgefarmer63]

This is the standard for American Grassfed Beef:
FO post-harvest crop residue

Wonder what that is..

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I believe corn stalks - dah - which NORMALLY has quite a bit of corn.
Edit: corn IS A GRASS