Is 'Grass Fed' a dirty word?

[Onthebit]

I have tried searching for Grass Finnishing or Grass Fed and come up with nothing on this board. There has to be someone here with some knowledge. I am raising dexter cattle and although I finnished my first two steers on grain, I am planning on grass finnishing from here on in....(the two i fin. on grain were a trade and i didn't want them with the herd.) So how long on grass, how long to hang, and are there dif. cuts? I am looking for some insight please.

 

[dieselbeef]

pick one out that looks good...finshing on grass is best done when grass is green imo....but we butcher em at approx 16 mons and we dont finsh w/anything but grass. we typically have a hang w of approx 700lbs

 

[grannysoo]

Not a dirty word to me! We grass feed our cows every day. :lol2:

As to finishing them on grass, it is very do-able provided you have enough quality grass. We finish ours on a diet that is basically grass, however we do give them about 1% of their body weight per day in grain, along with free choice minerals.

 

[Loch Valley Fold]

We've always grass fed any animals that we're going to butcher. We have just done a jersey heifer that wouldn't hold a pregnancy. she was reared exactly the same as her mates, at the start of winter she was rolling fat by the time we were ready to do her she had lost a little weight but still dressed out quite well cost us $300 for the butcher & saved at least $2000 if we had to buy the same meat from the shops. Our butcher let them hang for a week before cutting them up.
The next one planned for the freezer is a Scottish Highland steer has been reared soley on grass alone

 

[BARNSCOOP]

Loch Valley,


You don't hear alot about straight grass fed beef in the states because few have the ability to grass feed all year long. We have so many climate changes its not as easily done as it is in a temperate climate such as Ireland. The American palate is accustomed to a beef that has been grained out so it is sometimes harder to sell because it tends to be more tough. Their is a GREAT resource here in monthly print called The Stockman Grass Farmer that will would be of benefit to you. The address is: Stockman Grass Farmer P.O. Box 2300 .Ridgeland , MS. 39158-2300 USA

 

[Loch Valley Fold]

Thanks Barnscoop I will look into that. I am always intrested in how other countries raise their animals & see if I can incorporate anything into my own small operation. I have kept 2 highland x steers one of them will be kept for the freezer I am thinking about finishing him off on grain just so that I can see if there is that big of a difference between grass or grain the 2nd one is going to be entered into a hoof & hook competition I will have him on grain about 3 mths before the competition to get a bit more of an edge on him.

Jane

 

[Onthebit]

found this very informative site: www.slankersgrassfedmeats.com/

 

[Loch Valley Fold]

I found this & thought it very informative & would have jumped at the chance to buy some their books/magazines however with the aust$ being the way it is I'm going to have to give it a miss. There is also a members forum which was pretty interesting.
http://stockmangrassfarmer.net/
Jane

 

[Loch Valley Fold]

found this very informative site: www.slankersgrassfedmeats.com/

Your not wrong this has to be one the better sites for grass fed animals. This one gets bookmarked for me

 

[Onthebit]

I found this & thought it very informative & would have jumped at the chance to buy some their books/magazines however with the aust$ being the way it is I'm going to have to give it a miss. There is also a members forum which was pretty interesting.
http://stockmangrassfarmer.net/
Jane

Thanks for the link, going to check out the forum right now... here is another good canadian link: http://mbforagecouncil.mb.ca/grassfedbeef/default.aspx There is an excellent pdf file about finnishing grass beef....

 

[Onthebit]

Pulled this article off the one site:
Scientists endorse healthfulness of consuming grassfed meat and dairy products
Staff report
CHICAGO: The Union of Concerned Scientists have produced a comprehensive study that confirms the healthfulness of eating grassfed meat and dairy products.

The study is entitled "Greener Pastures: How Grass-fed Beef and Milk Contribute to Healthy Eating."

The study is the first to synthesize the findings of virtually every English-language study comparing the amounts of total fats, saturated fats, omega-3 fatty acids and CLA in both pasture raised and conventionally raised beef and dairy cattle.

The UCS was formed in 1969 and is a non-profit partnership of scientists and citizens who attempt to achieve environmental solutions through rigorous scientific analysis.

The report found that grassfed meat and milk contained higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, the so-called beneficial fats.

Grass-fed milk tends to be higher in an omega-3 fatty acid called alpha-linoleic acid that scientists have demonstrated reduces the risk of heart disease.

Both grassfed milk and grassfed beef were higher in CLA, a fatty acid shown in animal studies to protect against cancer.

"Raising cattle on pasture is essential to maintaining higher levels of good fat," said author Dr. Kate Clancy.

"Even partially replacing grass with grain can reduce the levels of beneficial fatty acids in meat and milk."

The study found that pastured cattle were healthier and required far fewer antibiotics than feedlot cattle.

Also, pasturing did not result in concentrated manure and subsequent water pollution.

"Buying grassfed meat and milk is like driving a hybrid car," said Dr. Margaret Mellon, Director of UCS's Food and Environment Program.

"Not only is it good for you, it's better for your neighbors and better for the country. We encourage families to seek out pasture-raised meat and milk."

The full report can be found at the UCS website at www.ucsu.org.

© by The Stockman Grass Farmer

I would like to add eggs and pork to that equation...

 

[dieselbeef]

my favorite..taste better..better fer ya..its all good

 

[hopalong]

I have tried searching for Grass Finnishing or Grass Fed and come up with nothing on this board. There has to be someone here with some knowledge. I am raising dexter cattle and although I finnished my first two steers on grain, I am planning on grass finnishing from here on in....(the two i fin. on grain were a trade and i didn't want them with the herd.) So how long on grass, how long to hang, and are there dif. cuts? I am looking for some insight please.

It is a dirty word in my house that will get your mouth washed out. Also, it is a dirty word to my customers that love to eat my grain fed beef.

Are those your Tenn, AZ, or Kan customers?

 

[dieselbeef]

.[/quote]It is a dirty word in my house that will get your mouth washed out. Also, it is a dirty word to my customers that love to eat my grain fed beef.

Are those your Tenn, AZ, or Kan customers?
[/quote]


aaaaaahahahahaha good one! i like to wash my mouth out as often as poss w/my grass finshed beef.....we aint in kansas round here......is it an angus thing also...bbwwwahahahahahahaha :clap: :banana: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

homegrowing grain fed just seems silly to me..i mean whats the point..i can get that at publix and they already added the artificial sweetners for me...gum..candy..marshmellows..chicken feathers! oh yeah ...and grain :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Onthebit]

It is a dirty word in my house that will get your mouth washed out. Also, it is a dirty word to my customers that love to eat my grain fed beef.

Are those your Tenn, AZ, or Kan customers?
[/quote]


aaaaaahahahahaha good one! i like to wash my mouth out as often as poss w/my grass finshed beef.....we aint in kansas round here......is it an angus thing also...bbwwwahahahahahahaha :clap: :banana: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

homegrowing grain fed just seems silly to me..i mean whats the point..i can get that at publix and they already added the artificial sweetners for me...gum..candy..marshmellows..chicken feathers! oh yeah ...and grain :lol: :lol: :lol:[/quote]

:clap: :clap: :clap:

 

[dieselbeef]

hey that aint right..you really butchered up what i said.......
:clap: :clap: :clap:[/quote]

 

[RanchManager]

Some I know prefer it (very few). It is actually higher in antioxidants. Myself, if I wanted grass fed beef, I would just sell the beef and shoot myself a buck. To me, grass fed beef taste like game. Most of us from the USA associated the taste of a good steak with the tast of a good grain finished beef. All variables equal, grain fed beef is always more tender and presents the palate with different flavor. The marbling you acheive (inner muscle fat) with grain finishing gives the meat the tenderness and flavor we have become accustomed to. If you are curious give it a shot. If you like the taste you can save yourself alot of money in the future finishing them on grass alone. If you don't like it, you can always grind it up with more beef tallow and have yourself alot of burger.

There is a small niche market for grass finished beef. We have a few customers who buy beef direct (on the hoof) from us and insist on grass fed only beef. They want our bigger 9 month old calves ( about 900 lbs). They are grass fed, but still tender because they are young. We have one cowboy working on our crew too, who likes grass fed beef. He is from Texas though and thinks grass fed is great just because it is better than mesquite fed.

 

[dieselbeef]

me and my customers couldnt say yer more wrong..but its a fair opinion so... enjoy...but maybe its yer meat..some is good some aint.

round here its first choice and it definitely is not gamie..cuz my brother wouldnt eat it

 

[Brute 23]

Myself, if I wanted grass fed beef, I would just sell the beef and shoot myself a buck. To me, grass fed beef taste like game.

We have one cowboy working on our crew too, who likes grass fed beef. He is from Texas though and thinks grass fed is great just because it is better than mesquite fed.

More Gamie? Mesquite Fed? :???:

 

[dieselbeef]

yeah i aint gittin that either. msut be the hangin time that off's the meat..another butcher did that to me once..hung it 10 days...we ate it but not w/o alotta seasonings

we couldnt be happier eatin it as god grows it...we prefer it