Laura's lean beef ?

[tncattle]

I know she sold out (I think) but anyway we just ate a pound of her 4% fat hamburger meat last night (tacos) and it was pretty good I thought. When you buy the meat at the store is it really that red or do they shoot dye or some coloring into it? I would like to think it is that red because the lack of fat but y'all probably know better than me. Secondly, where is such lean meat like that coming from that is used for hamburger?

 

[MikeC]

I know she sold out (I think) but anyway we just ate a pound of her 4% fat hamburger meat last night (tacos) and it was pretty good I thought. When you buy the meat at the store is it really that red or do they shoot dye or some coloring into it? I would like to think it is that red because the lack of fat but y'all probably know better than me. Secondly, where is such lean meat like that coming from that is used for hamburger?

I think it's against USDA rules to color beef with artificial colorings.

That lean beef usually comes from continental bulls that didn't pass a BSE exam, culls, etc.

I've had it and it is very good. Kinda throws the "marbling/fat=flavor" theory out the window, huh?

 

[Lammie]

Who is Laura?

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Her name is Laura Freeman from lexington KY. They buy bulls, they got a program they call cradle to grave you can sellem bulls up 18 to 20 months i think. Pay pretty good for them.
It is not a grass fed program Baxter just all natural.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

I want to go out of business the way she did.

 

[dun]

All natural doesnt mean grass fed?

Not really, just means no hormones or antibiotics

 

[ALX.]

All natural doesnt mean grass fed?

Not really, just means no hormones or antibiotics

Yes, and add some sea weed for the last couple months. All Natural. :lol:

 

[KenB]

All my freezer beef is very lean, I use no hormones or implants for the animal and no antibiotics. How come I havent gotten rich like she did yet?

;-) She sold Her beef, I'll bet you eat yours. :nod:

 

[KenB]

I eat one. I sold 15 calves for freezer beef last year to private individuals.

I guess you are on your way to becoming rich then. :tiphat:

 

[jfranseen]

Baxter 78
Laura's Lean Beef is a branded program. From what I understand in talking with the inspector at my fiance's family's processing plant you have to fet some kind of a license to advertise your meat as "All Natural". The calves have to be source verified and the breeder has to sign an avidavit. It is a lot simpler than being registered as organic. As was posted before the cattle can't be fed or shot with antibiotics or implanted. However you can feed regular corn or other feed and in most cases feed animal by products if you wish.

 

[Jogeephus]

My neighbor raises cattle for Laura's Lean and his cows are anything but lean. They are beautiful fat's and I'd take a steak off of them any day. In talking to him, it sounds like the biggest difference is the type cattle he has to use. He uses limis and chars. He also cannot put antibiotics in them after a certain point. Other than that, he finishes them out in a feed lot and they trade on a guaranteed locked price at a certain weight. He complains about the setup at times but he still continues to do it so it must not be that bad a deal.

 

[Central Fl Cracker]

Has anybody ever hear how much more they get for the cattle compared to the old fashion way?

 

[kscowboy]

Sounds like a huge marketing ploy . The American Heart Association has pulled it's endorsement due to the steaks having as much as four times the fat content stated on labeling. If you go to the website they have a producers section and they want Limo's and charolais , heavies. So much of this is pure hooey.

I raise a small quantity , 15-20 head , natural beef and would love to garner the high poundage prices but as a consumer can anyone explain to me why organic/natural deserves such a high price. We've got people around here selling or trying to sell hamburger for six bucks a pound and steaks for 10-12 per pound. I don't know if they are even legal operations but jeez are there that many suckers around ? Gas hit 3.50 here today so maybe six buck hamburger it the right price ! Ha

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Kscowboy there checks are good, thats all i care about.

 

[Jogeephus]

Has anybody ever hear how much more they get for the cattle compared to the old fashion way?

I've asked this same question of my neighbor and got one of those "it depends" answers. From what I gather, you are essentially running a small feed lot and are getting paid a fat price. You can lock this price in prior to finish date and get a contract price. As with any commodity, the market price at pick-up date could be more or less than what you contracted the cattle for. Two years ago I know he could have done better selling on the market as the market had gone up. But this cuts both ways. I think the good thing about it is that you know what you will get with a foreward contract like this. You might kick yourself or dance depending on what tomorrow brings. The only really bad thing I've seen is when they didn't pick up the cattle when they were supposed to and he had to continue to feed them for several weeks after the agreed pick up time. This sounded a bit cheesy to me but I don't know if they compensated him for the extra feed and if they penalized him with a slide. Nevertheless, he is still doing it and expanding his operation so he must be content with it.

 

[dyates]

They get a lot more money for some of their cattle. I live fairly close, so I know they were running a couple different "programs". I'm sure they bought some good cattle, but I had to shake my head at some. I have a neighbor who would by some of the sickest looking old culls and feeders that nobody else would buy. Apparently, as long as he could keep them alive for a certain period of time with no antibiotics, they would buy them. Seemed like such a wise scheme to me, I wish I'd thought of it. Buy the toughest, cheapest old cull cows, grind 'em up or slice them thin enough to read the newspaper through, and sell them at a premium. I guess anything can be tender if it's already chewed.

 

[Earl Thigpen]

Sounds like a huge marketing ploy . The American Heart Association has pulled it's endorsement due to the steaks having as much as four times the fat content stated on labeling. If you go to the website they have a producers section and they want Limo's and charolais , heavies. So much of this is pure hooey.

I raise a small quantity , 15-20 head , natural beef and would love to garner the high poundage prices but as a consumer can anyone explain to me why organic/natural deserves such a high price. We've got people around here selling or trying to sell hamburger for six bucks a pound and steaks for 10-12 per pound. I don't know if they are even legal operations but jeez are there that many suckers around ? Gas hit 3.50 here today so maybe six buck hamburger it the right price ! Ha

Oh I think you hit the nail on the head. It is a huge marketing ploy. My cattle are as "organic" as anything else selling in that arena. And I don't feed them animal byproducts and I can't sell them for $5/pound either. So to answer your question yes, there are many suckers out there. Probably the same one's who drink Starbucks chickory coffee for $5 a cup and swear how wonderful it tastes. I think PT Barnem said it first about a sucker being born every second (minute, day). Sorry, I'll never be rich if that's what it takes.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

I sold them aome black calves last fall, they did pretty good was about .20 above local market when they shipped. They are not doing organic they are all natural lot of diffrence.

 

[dun]

If I recall correctly Lauras was bought out by Meyers natural which primarily deals with "natural" Red Angus.

 

[hrbelgians]

Sounds like a huge marketing ploy . The American Heart Association has pulled it's endorsement due to the steaks having as much as four times the fat content stated on labeling. If you go to the website they have a producers section and they want Limo's and charolais , heavies. So much of this is pure hooey.

I raise a small quantity , 15-20 head , natural beef and would love to garner the high poundage prices but as a consumer can anyone explain to me why organic/natural deserves such a high price. We've got people around here selling or trying to sell hamburger for six bucks a pound and steaks for 10-12 per pound. I don't know if they are even legal operations but jeez are there that many suckers around ? Gas hit 3.50 here today so maybe six buck hamburger it the right price ! Ha

Oh I think you hit the nail on the head. It is a huge marketing ploy. My cattle are as "organic" as anything else selling in that arena. And I don't feed them animal byproducts and I can't sell them for $5/pound either. So to answer your question yes, there are many suckers out there. Probably the same one's who drink Starbucks chickory coffee for $5 a cup and swear how wonderful it tastes. I think PT Barnem said it first about a sucker being born every second (minute, day). Sorry, I'll never be rich if that's what it takes.

Like they say........ There's a succer born every minute, we need to be smart enough to locate him!