grass fed beef ?

[wildsawmill]

i got a heffer thats not growing much so was thinking of taking her to the butcher . i never had grass fed beef so went buy the health food store to get some grass fed burger to try , $ 8. for 2 patties thats about $14. a lb well its not bad but i like the store burger at $2.49 a lb better

so how do you guys like your beef grass fed or what s your procedure for the last few months before butchering?

 

[dun]

We leave them on pasture and supplement them with about 1 1/2% body weight with a 13% grain mixture for 90 days

 

[backhoeboogie]

We ate grass fed most of my childhood - since the early 60's and into 70's. It was good stuff. I think most of it has to do with the quality of pasture you have. We had a calf given to us in the mid 80's off of pasture and we sent it to the butcher. It was excellent.

I don't think I would want one off of poor forage.

 

[TexasBred]

Sounds like "grass fed" is designed to sell....not eat yourself.

 

[ANAZAZI]

Grass fed is fine, but so is beef produced in the way dun does it.

 

[wildsawmill]

ok thanks

 

[char]

hi folks,

Dun, or any one,
i have a cow that we want to butcher on nov 3. she weight about 1100 lb, my questen is do i pen her up and feed her corn and sweet feed, and hay. our pasture is dried up. and how much corn and sweet feed ? OR DO I LEAVE HERE OUT IN THE 5 AC PASTURE EVEN THO IT IS DRIED UP ?
THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP. I AM STILL LEARNING FROM YOU ALL!!!!

CHAR

 

[dun]

If there is nothing for her to graze I would give her hay and slowly ramp her up to around 1 1/2% of her body weight in a grain mix and not straight corn. As soon as she starts showing dimples around her tail head it's time to butcher her

 

[grassfed]

Wow,

Let me help y'all out a bit with grassfed beef. If you take an animal to slaughter that is not gaining on pasture, you will not likely enjoy the result. Without the proper genetics, in other words, cows/steers that are breed to gain on grass only, you will not end up with a good product. Start with the right genetics before you want to "try" grassfed. [By the way, I tell my kids not to "try" anything, either "do" or "don't do" because trying rarely works.] I would not recommend trying to finish an animal that you have said won't finish, without grain. I am 100% for grassfed beef, but you don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Work with what you got wildsawmill and fatten that animal up before you take her to slaughter. The genetics are first, then as backhoeboogie said, the forage you have is key. These two components are often missing and why so much grassfed beef is not as good as it should be, not to mention slaughtering before they are fat. Grassfed beef is not just marketing Texas, it is the only growing segment of the beef industry for a reason, it is healthier and produced right, it is better unless of course you prefer flavorless beef. The problem is too many people are not doing it correctly, you will not finish a 1500, 1600 lb cow on grass, she requires too much feed and is extremely inefficient at converting that feed. You aren't able to take a conventional herd and convert it to grassfed because you will have the wrong genetics. Come out to our conference and learn more. http://www.grassfedexchange.com

 

[TexasBred]

Ok here we go again..healthier. I know the claims. Show me something it really does that will make me healthier and how much of it do I have to eat daily in order for those beneficial nutrients to reach a point that can be measured and actually reach a level to truly be "healthier". And don't give me the Omega 3 argument. It is so insignificant that it can hardly be measured and can certainly be exceeded by other means which are much more effective and must more cost effective.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

We've been on a grass program (native pasture, bermuda hay) for several years now with our Longhorns. All are doing well with our high protein bermuda hay when pasture is dormant. I'm not trying to "convert" anyone...just stating what is working for us.

On one of our locations we have 4 pastures in 58 acres with one or two being in rotation. Our heifers and steers there are gaining between 1.25 and 1.75 pounds a day, depending on individual genetics, etc. They look good, if I do say so. At our home place location, we have 6 small pastures in rotation for our mature breeding stock which we keep a quality round bale of bermuda in front of them all the time. At both locations we keep a Bio Remedies protein tub out year-around. We have had local commercial cattle people as well as longhorn people tell us our herd looks very good. We also have an occasional visitor from out of the area or out of State coming down the highway and stop in for a tour...they too are surprised at what Longhorns look like...

Nevertheless, it's working for us; and, we are beginning to do very good at area Farmer's Markets for our USDA inspected frozen Longhorn beef we're selling in Texas and Oklahoma.

As far as grass fed beef and/or grass fed Longhorn Beef is concerned...people either like it or they don't...

Bill

 

[dieselbeef]

Wow,

Let me help y'all out a bit with grassfed beef. If you take an animal to slaughter that is not gaining on pasture, you will not likely enjoy the result. Without the proper genetics, in other words, cows/steers that are breed to gain on grass only, you will not end up with a good product. Start with the right genetics before you want to "try" grassfed. [By the way, I tell my kids not to "try" anything, either "do" or "don't do" because trying rarely works.] I would not recommend trying to finish an animal that you have said won't finish, without grain. I am 100% for grassfed beef, but you don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Work with what you got wildsawmill and fatten that animal up before you take her to slaughter. The genetics are first, then as backhoeboogie said, the forage you have is key. These two components are often missing and why so much grassfed beef is not as good as it should be, not to mention slaughtering before they are fat. Grassfed beef is not just marketing Texas, it is the only growing segment of the beef industry for a reason, it is healthier and produced right, it is better unless of course you prefer flavorless beef. The problem is too many people are not doing it correctly, you will not finish a 1500, 1600 lb cow on grass, she requires too much feed and is extremely inefficient at converting that feed. You aren't able to take a conventional herd and convert it to grassfed because you will have the wrong genetics. Come out to our conference and learn more. http://www.grassfedexchange.com

i wasnt goona post here cuz this is beat to death but here i go..first off yer right..some cows will never be worth crap eating finished on grass..im lucky..mine are awesome...
second..how are you selling a 1500lb animal..i seel mine private and can barely get people to split up a 900 lber cuz they got no place to keep 600 lbs of meat..so i split it among 4 or 5 people that know each other..even then they want more steaks and splittin it 5 ways dont werk very well..
third..i sell mine @3$/lb..thats a good bit of money for a family to lay out for beef only..even at that price...even 5 ways its a good bit for 5 steaks and alotta burger
fourth..i know no other way as ive always done this and have salebarned only culls...but i must be doin it qwrong cuz if i could do what yer doin id have quit my day job 10 yrs ago

gary

 

[JHH]

Wow,

Let me help y'all out a bit with grassfed beef. If you take an animal to slaughter that is not gaining on pasture, you will not likely enjoy the result. Without the proper genetics, in other words, cows/steers that are breed to gain on grass only, you will not end up with a good product. Start with the right genetics before you want to "try" grassfed. [By the way, I tell my kids not to "try" anything, either "do" or "don't do" because trying rarely works.] I would not recommend trying to finish an animal that you have said won't finish, without grain. I am 100% for grassfed beef, but you don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Work with what you got wildsawmill and fatten that animal up before you take her to slaughter. The genetics are first, then as backhoeboogie said, the forage you have is key. These two components are often missing and why so much grassfed beef is not as good as it should be, not to mention slaughtering before they are fat. Grassfed beef is not just marketing Texas, it is the only growing segment of the beef industry for a reason, it is healthier and produced right, it is better unless of course you prefer flavorless beef. The problem is too many people are not doing it correctly, you will not finish a 1500, 1600 lb cow on grass, she requires too much feed and is extremely inefficient at converting that feed. You aren't able to take a conventional herd and convert it to grassfed because you will have the wrong genetics. Come out to our conference and learn more. http://www.grassfedexchange.com

I dont know about a cow,but what about steers? I think I know where there is a guy taking steers and finishing them on grass they will weigh around the 1500 lb mark. He does custom grazing and then they go to another guy here that sells them organic. Same genetics as the guy down the road with 100 head in the pasture.

This guy who sells them organic is well known for it. So how are your genetics different, besides being smaller.

 

[dun]

So how are your genetics different, besides being smaller.

That's were the easy fleshing cows come in. The kind that stay fat on crappy grass will raise calves that finish well on grass

 

[JHH]

So how are your genetics different, besides being smaller.

That's were the easy fleshing cows come in. The kind that stay fat on crappy grass will raise calves that finish well on grass

I was just trying to see if he was going to try and give me a line. I know where 1500 lb steers are raised for grassfed. There arent any little frame 4 cows here either. I dont think they finish as well or as soon as the little ones will

This is what I was talking about http://www.grasslandbeef.com/Page.bok?t ... uters.html

Kenneth lives about 5 miles north of me. I have worked on his Geo Tracker for him as well as other stuff.I have been to the pasture walks and he does an outstanding job. John just lives about 5 miles south of me. So I get to see the calves they bring in and how they do it.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Here's an article concerning the "heath of grass fed vs grain fed".
http://www.drovers.com/news_editorial.a ... 997&ts=nl1
If you haven't read it before, you really really ought to read it!!! Grain fed hamburg is HEALTHIER than grass fed hamburg.

You can produce tender grass fed beef, but it requires more management than grain fed beef. Genetics have to be right, grass feed has to be top notch throughout the finishing process (takes GREAT managment practices), and they should be hung for a longer time period for tenderness.
Producers that are finishing steers at 30 months of age are hurting the grass fed beef market. IMHO

 

[dieselbeef]

Here's an article concerning the "heath of grass fed vs grain fed".
http://www.drovers.com/news_editorial.a ... 997&ts=nl1
If you haven't read it before, you really really ought to read it!!! Grain fed hamburg is HEALTHIER than grass fed hamburg.

You can produce tender grass fed beef, but it requires more management than grain fed beef. Genetics have to be right, grass feed has to be top notch throughout the finishing process (takes GREAT managment practices), and they should be hung for a longer time period for tenderness.
Producers that are finishing steers at 30 months of age are hurting the grass fed beef market. IMHO

not true...

 

[BC]

Here's an article concerning the "heath of grass fed vs grain fed".
http://www.drovers.com/news_editorial.a ... 997&ts=nl1
If you haven't read it before, you really really ought to read it!!! Grain fed hamburg is HEALTHIER than grass fed hamburg.

You can produce tender grass fed beef, but it requires more management than grain fed beef. Genetics have to be right, grass feed has to be top notch throughout the finishing process (takes GREAT managment practices), and they should be hung for a longer time period for tenderness.
Producers that are finishing steers at 30 months of age are hurting the grass fed beef market. IMHO

not true...

What is not true? The fact that you can produce tender grass fed cattle? That grass fed cattle require more managemnt and higher quality forage? You have to have the right genetics to make grasss fed cattle work? Or the claim that grass fed is healthier? Which one?

 

[dieselbeef]

most of it actaully...our cattle require less maint on grass only..no hay..no feeding out..no barrage of hormones or meds unless needed..and thats not often...

forage yes..only finish during season of peak production..and i believe it to be only to need an abundnce..not of poor quality..not necessarily super high unobtainable quality thru fert or seeding

hang time..ours is fork tender at about 20 mos and 900-100 lbs deending on animal hung at 14-16 days

 

[TexasBred]

Everybody thinks their farm raised beef it THE BEST just as every old cow thinks her calf is the prettiest in the pasture. :nod: Taste, tenderness, etc. is all relative as in "compared to what"?