Grass fed beef

[hurleyjd]

I heard a man a few days back extolling the Maine-Anjou breed as being the best for grass fed beef. An old timer in the conversation said that the quality of the grass had more to do with fattening than the breed. I tend to agree with him. Any other comments please.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

There is a slowly growing market nationwide for natural, grass fed beef (of any breed) without all of the additives, hormones, growth enhancers, steroids, and other stuff. This "natural" beef obviously sells for a little more in the supermarket.

Also, with the excessive imports of meat into the USA, people are wanting to know their meat comes from the USA; and, preferably without all the chemicals...just a lot of the "new generation" people of meat eaters.

 

[Jovid]

I heard a man a few days back extolling the Maine-Anjou breed as being the best for grass fed beef. An old timer in the conversation said that the quality of the grass had more to do with fattening than the breed. I tend to agree with him. Any other comments please.

Obviously the grass quality is a factor but more importantly there are breeds that mature quicker and do better on grass than other breeds.

Red Polls for one and I will beat OK Jeanne to the punch and say Murray Gray have also been known to do well on grass

 

[DOC HARRIS]

I heard a man a few days back extolling the Maine-Anjou breed as being the best for grass fed beef. An old timer in the conversation said that the quality of the grass had more to do with fattening than the breed. I tend to agree with him. Any other comments please.

--

This comes under the heading of which came first - The chicken or the egg! Example: There is no question that the quality of the grass - ANY grass - is necessary to supply the PROFITABLE factors in a grass-fed-beef program. Proper and various species and percentages of the forage involved, the fertility of the soil in which it is produced, and an adequate water supply are all mandatory for a successful operation to be achieved. By the same token, the Genetics of the cattle involved in the Grass Fed Beef Production Program must be optimal in order to make the most of the opportunity and take advantage of the factors allowing cattle to finish on grass with little or no supplemental grain. It is another example of a "Balancing Act."

There are two additional breeds I would care to add to the "Balancing Act." They are Aubrac and Irish Blacks. Either Purebred matings, or using carefully selected Crossbreeding protocols.

DOC HARRIS

 

[novatech]

I do not understand how an animal with a rumen system can do better on grass than on feed, or better on feed than on grass. Has this actually been proven? Or is it advertiseing that has been repeated until people beleive it? I am not agreeing nor disagreeing but I would like to see some real evidence. Everything I have read says that the microbes in the rumen switch over to what ever is needed. If they convert grass well they convert feed well.
As far as the breed of cattle, just because you buy a certain breed it does not mean that every animal within that breed will have the same degree of efficiency, tenderness, marbleing, etc. It does mean that your odds may be a lot better. Only genetic testing can tell weather a particular animal has the potential for certain traits.
One must also choose for the end product they wish to market,
tender, marbled, lean or whatever.

 

[MikeC]

Most any cattle will grass finish if they are getting an excess of carbohydrates over and above the gain requirements.

Has more to do with internal metabolic processes than breed.

 

[bigbull338]

I heard a man a few days back extolling the Maine-Anjou breed as being the best for grass fed beef. An old timer in the conversation said that the quality of the grass had more to do with fattening than the breed. I tend to agree with him. Any other comments please.

i think i read the story that your talking about.an it looks to me like the guy has the right grasses.an has everything setup to grow grassfed beef.we all know feeding cattle on grass takes longer.but he hit a nitch market.

 

[hurleyjd]

I heard a man a few days back extolling the Maine-Anjou breed as being the best for grass fed beef. An old timer in the conversation said that the quality of the grass had more to do with fattening than the breed. I tend to agree with him. Any other comments please.

--

This comes under the heading of which came first - The chicken or the egg! Example: There is no question that the quality of the grass - ANY grass - is necessary to supply the PROFITABLE factors in a grass-fed-beef program. Proper and various species and percentages of the forage involved, the fertility of the soil in which it is produced, and an adequate water supply are all mandatory for a successful operation to be achieved. By the same token, the Genetics of the cattle involved in the Grass Fed Beef Production Program must be optimal in order to make the most of the opportunity and take advantage of the factors allowing cattle to finish on grass with little or no supplemental grain. It is another example of a "Balancing Act."

There are two additional breeds I would care to add to the "Balancing Act." They are Aubrac and Irish Blacks. Either Purebred matings, or using carefully selected Crossbreeding protocols.

DOC HARRIS

Doc: How much could a person pay for a good bull in a cross breeding program say with fifty head of cows and come out ahead. I have thought about a murray grey on my red angus herd. I have not been able to find one any where. Also of the two breeds you highlight where would a person find some breeders of these two breeds.The last bull I bought was a red angus three years old and he cost $1200. That is maybe too cheap but I have had some good calves from him.

 

[usernametaken]

I heard a man a few days back extolling the Maine-Anjou breed as being the best for grass fed beef. An old timer in the conversation said that the quality of the grass had more to do with fattening than the breed. I tend to agree with him. Any other comments please.

I'd like to throw in another question with this. If you sow oats or another cereal and the cattle graze that as well as grass, is he now a grass-fed animal or a grain-fed animal ?

 

[KMacGinley]

Before seed heads mature, grass fed. After grain fed. It is the starch feeding that defines it.

 

[Brandonm2]

The way I understand it if he harvests it (corn as well as oats) he is grass fattened, if a combine harvests it is not a grass harvested steer.

 

[MikeC]

All cattle are "Grassfed" and can be labeled as such even if finished a feedlot because they spent time in a pasture at some point.

The USDA label application will define the protocol.

 

[mnmtranching]

I think the grass fed cattle movement is just fine. Any breed will fatten to a certain point on grass, the bigger frame breeds will take longer but will be larger at finished weight.

There is only so much, forage available [grass, grazing] has always been the limiting factor in the US cattle industry.

That's the whole story behind our grain fed beef, You can raise So much more food per acre of say corn than grass. Feed the cattle in a small area. For instance you could feed 100 head in a acre or so. Put the same group out on grass and you would probably need a couple hundred acres. At 200 bushel to the acre corn, doesn't take that many acres.

And cattle will gain 3-4 pounds a day on a feed ration. On grass what? 2 pounds max. Fed cattle will be ready at 13-15 months, grass fed 2-3 years. Hard on the cash flow.

The USA consumes around 100'000 head per day of domestic supply. If we had to rely on grazing to supply this, couldn't be done. We would have to start buying fresh and frozen beef from countries like Brazil.

 

[KMacGinley]

All cattle are "Grassfed" and can be labeled as such even if finished a feedlot because they spent time in a pasture at some point.

The USDA label application will define the protocol.

Actually, the new standard will say fed on 99% grass in a pasture. Those who are interested may want to check out Thousand hills protocols and Tall grass beef's protocols. They are two of the largest buyers.

 

[Brandonm2]

The proposed 2002 label would have allowed any calf who had spent a large part of his life on grass to be labeled as "grassfed".

The proposed 2006 label would have allowed any calf who had spent the majority of his life particularly the last 90 days on grass to be labeled as "grassfed".

The big issue is will the new label requirement reg what is growing in that pasture?? Grass finishing sets up real nice IF you can wean calves to growing annuals, move them to early oats in the early spring, wheat in the late spring, millet in the early summer, and finish them out grazing green corn in mid to late summer. IF that was done right, good steers on good ground COULD be ready for harvest in 18 months.

 

[GANGGREEN]

I'm buying some Highland cattle from a fairly local farm. I did my homework and basically liked everything I heard about the Highlands (I'm not a commercial beef guy before anybody explains to me that Angus is more profitable) but I wanted to taste some of the beef. I wasn't overly impressed with their pastures, though they certainly weren't overstocked, it was basically just plain grasses and forbs.

When I cooked the meat (some ribeyes, some sirloins and a sirloin tip roast) I presumed that they had grained the steers. It was lean but still well marbled and it was very tender and tasty. I went back up yesterday to pick out the animals that I wanted and to pay for them and I asked him if he had grained the animal that provided the beef that he sold me. His answer was that it was grass fed in the pasture and was given nothing else. To say that I was impressed is an understatement.

I know that Highlands are slow to mature and aren't as feed efficient as some breeds but I can't wait to start raising and butchering my own Highlanders.

 

[DOC HARRIS]

I heard a man a few days back extolling the Maine-Anjou breed as being the best for grass fed beef. An old timer in the conversation said that the quality of the grass had more to do with fattening than the breed. I tend to agree with him. Any other comments please.

--

This comes under the heading of which came first - The chicken or the egg! Example: There is no question that the quality of the grass - ANY grass - is necessary to supply the PROFITABLE factors in a grass-fed-beef program. Proper and various species and percentages of the forage involved, the fertility of the soil in which it is produced, and an adequate water supply are all mandatory for a successful operation to be achieved. By the same token, the Genetics of the cattle involved in the Grass Fed Beef Production Program must be optimal in order to make the most of the opportunity and take advantage of the factors allowing cattle to finish on grass with little or no supplemental grain. It is another example of a "Balancing Act."

There are two additional breeds I would care to add to the "Balancing Act." They are Aubrac and Irish Blacks. Either Purebred matings, or using carefully selected Crossbreeding protocols.

DOC HARRIS

Doc: How much could a person pay for a good bull in a cross breeding program say with fifty head of cows and come out ahead. I have thought about a murray grey on my red angus herd. I have not been able to find one any where. Also of the two breeds you highlight where would a person find some breeders of these two breeds.The last bull I bought was a red angus three years old and he cost $1200. That is maybe too cheap but I have had some good calves from him.

-

hurleyjd-Your question regarding "How much could a person pay for a good bull in a cross breeding program- - " leaves many open-ended possibilities for a concise answer. There are many factors which dictate success other than the price one pays for a bull. Or a cow. There are hundreds of thousands of man hours which have been expended in the search for the "ANSWER" to that question. I suggest that you devote time in seeking your answers in studying "SEARCH" engines on the internet, and in perusing the work presented on CattleToday pages by the members of this Board. Many, many answers are there and you can pick and choose whichever fits your needs more effectively.

Here are two sources of the breeds which I mentioned previously:

http://www.aubracusa.com

http://www.irishblacks.com

DOC HARRIS

 

[KMacGinley]

The proposed 2002 label would have allowed any calf who had spent a large part of his life on grass to be labeled as "grassfed".

The proposed 2006 label would have allowed any calf who had spent the majority of his life particularly the last 90 days on grass to be labeled as "grassfed".

The big issue is will the new label requirement reg what is growing in that pasture?? Grass finishing sets up real nice IF you can wean calves to growing annuals, move them to early oats in the early spring, wheat in the late spring, millet in the early summer, and finish them out grazing green corn in mid to late summer. IF that was done right, good steers on good ground COULD be ready for harvest in 18 months.

I think the program you laid out here Brandomn would work really well, They do say that wheat gives and off flavor to the meat, but followed by millet and green corn, that shouldn't be a factor.

 

[usernametaken]

Here are two sources of the breeds which I mentioned previously:

http://www.aubracusa.com

http://www.irishblacks.com

DOC HARRIS[/quote]


DOC,
Would you compare the Aubrac and the Irish Black for us ? Is there a place where one breed would excell more or less than the other ? Climate, etc. ?

 

[usernametaken]

Before seed heads mature, grass fed. After grain fed. It is the starch feeding that defines it.

What are the differences in nutrition feeding before the seed heads mature ? Anyone know ?

I see grain feeding as energy feeding ( fat feeding), but I'm not positive on my thinking, so please correct that if it is not right. Starches that put the weight on. Would the cereal plants harvested by cattle be higher in protein or have less energy than say corn kernels. Would the rumen process the grazed cereals more effectively ?