Grass-fed vs. Grain-fed beef

[novatech]

"legumes/forbs". Hold it just one minute, back that truck up!
Both soybeans and corn are legumes.

Corn, on the other hand, does not really belong to the legume family; it is more of a cereal. But because of its composition, preparation and cooking methods, we tend to classify it as an appendix to legumes, with which it shares many similarities.

Quote taken from; http://www.metro.ca/conseil-expert/jard ... is.en.html

 

[Hippie Rancher]

Corn is NOT a legume. Very, very broadly, it could be considered a grass - it is a monocot after all. Corn as an entire plant might be acceptable as "grass fed", just the dry corn off the cob is grain.

Soybeans are a legume as are all pea-like plants. If I were making the rules, entire plants might be OK, just the seeds? Not so much. I suspect they are really refering to alfalfa hmmmm?

Or clovers - they are legumes - do people make hay out of clover? I haven't seen it but my hay experience is limited to alfalfa, bermuda, sudan, orchardgrass, and the horsey set even managed to get the local feedstore to import some timothy, although I have no idea where he got it.

 

[john250]

Both soybeans and corn are legumes. HUmmmmmm! Please take note of that when we get to discussing grain-fed.

SL[/quote]

No, they aren't. Beans are a legume, corn is a grass.

 

[Sir Loin]

Homework:
Read and compare this definition of grass fed to the Tallgrass definition.
I have some real big problems with this one.
Do you?
your turn :wave:
SL
Go: http://www.americangrassfed.org/pdf/AGA ... 0Final.pdf

 

[IluvABbeef]

OK Karin (are you still out there?) here we go we have one definition of grass-fed.
I think "1) Identification:" is pretty well self explanatory.
As for " 2) Diet:" this is where it gets a little bit harder so lets take it one thing at a time.

Each animal must remain on its mother's milk for a minimum of 60
days.

Understandable!
No problem here but it is worth noting as this excludes all bottle fed calves. All my orphans by this definition can not be sold as grass-fed.
So I will leave that diet requirement out of my definition/protocal and I can still advertise them as grass-fed.

Once animals are weaned, their diet will be any combination of grass, legumes/forbs
and herbs and/or stored feeds made from grass and legumes such as hay or haylage.

Now go slow here as there is a lot of information in that one sentence.

Hello! "Once animals are weaned" this tells me prior to weaning creep feeding of any kind of feed is OK, which can include grains.
"Once animals are weaned, their diet will be any combination of grass,". OK no problem here!
"legumes/forbs". Hold it just one minute, back that truck up!
Both soybeans and corn are legumes. HUmmmmmm! Please take note of that when we get to discussing grain-fed.
Hummm! "stored feeds made from" "legumes such as hay or haylage". Tallgrass would have to explain that one to me because I'm not sure what they are trying to say with that.

Now I will stop here because I am sure some of you peeps will have something to say about that.
Your turn :tiphat:
SL

Typically grass-fed cattle are calved out on grass, which means calving in May or June, and since "each animal must remain on its mother's milk for a minimum of 60 days," then that, to me, means that at that time interval, calves are NOT creep fed, instead are starting to nibble on grass. Creep feed, maybe, depending on the environmental conditions.

Now,, for your second quote "that their diet will be any combination of grass, legumes/forbs
and herbs and/or stored feeds made from grass and legumes such as hay or haylage" it makes sense, seeing that "any combination of grass" leans towards the VEGETATIVE portions of grass including timothy, orchard grass, etc. as well as corn and barley. Legumes being any species of alfalfa and/or clover, also including peas and soybeans.

No matter, we have the definition of "grass-fed" down pat already, so lets leave it as is.

 

[Sir Loin]

Angus/Brangus
Re:

Yep, grass fed, no hormones, no antibiotics, no CAFO. Niche market Sirloin. Get over it.

Nope! I'll get on it and you too as long as you use this board for personal political gain.

But you're right about them being a niche, or as I would call them, brass poles for wanting to pay beef prices for meat that tastes like wild game and chews like shoe leather.

Now lets see, you environmental wackos claim to fame for your version of grass fed beef was health and the environment.
OK, let's see really how concerned about the public's health the definition says you are.

What happens to an animal if you are forced to use antibiotics that are so harmful to public health? Hummmm?
Is it killed so it doesn't become part of the public food chain? NOOOooooo! It is permitted to go right into the public food chain, just not under the American Grassfed Association (AGA) logo.
So you see folks these whackos really don't care about your health, so that only leaves the environment they are concerned about!

Animals given antibiotics are allowed to mingle with AGA Grassfed Ruminant, non-antibiotic animals, but the producer must track, identify and keep a written record of any non-program animals receiving antibiotics and ensure this animal does not enter the grassfed AGA Grassfed Ruminant food system.

So it's OK for people to eat it, just as long as it is not in AGA Grassfed Ruminant food system.
The reason they do not tell you to kill it is they know without antibiotics your mortality rate will be around 40% just as it was before there were antibiotics and you will be out of business.
SMOKE AND MIRRORS FOLKS, nothing but smoke and mirrors for personal political gain.

Your turn :tiphat:
SL

 

[SCRUBS620]

Sir loin

You make me laugh every time I read one of your posts!!! You are so funny. Attacking people for what they do not know when you pretend you think that corn is a legume-thats classic comedy right there. And the "SMOKE AND MIRRORS" tagline, thats like your "GET ER DONE" right. Keep up the good work and keep us all smiling. :banana: :lol: :lol2: :lol2: