Making beef

[Hpacres440p]

I've got a decent group of people who want to get some "home grown" beef, for 4 years now, repeat customers. I typically butcher 4/year, usually 2 home-grown and 2 purchased steers. Last year's drought changed a lot, and now extra steers (or young bulls) are really high $, and I still have a thing about eating a decent heifer that could become a cow-I know the taste is no different.
So here's a different plan-a lot of the not-so-regulars are asking for burger. I don't want to finish out a steer to turn into burger-that's a waste. I'm looking at buying an older cow pair, butcher her this fall after feeding for several months, and keeping the calf for next year's beef to add to my current calves. That will give me 3 butcher animals next year, and I'll be done with the beef animals this year before winter hits hard.
Any issues with my idea?

 

[kenny thomas]

Much of store bought hamburger comes from cows.

 

[Hpacres440p]

Much of store bought hamburger comes from cows.

The last older cow we did was quite tasty, even the filets.

 

[kenny thomas]

The last older cow we did was quite tasty, even the filets.

Maybe @ClinchValley86 will chome in. I buy some 1200-1400 lb fat cows for him each year.

 

[Travlr]

I've got a decent group of people who want to get some "home grown" beef, for 4 years now, repeat customers. I typically butcher 4/year, usually 2 home-grown and 2 purchased steers. Last year's drought changed a lot, and now extra steers (or young bulls) are really high $, and I still have a thing about eating a decent heifer that could become a cow-I know the taste is no different.
So here's a different plan-a lot of the not-so-regulars are asking for burger. I don't want to finish out a steer to turn into burger-that's a waste. I'm looking at buying an older cow pair, butcher her this fall after feeding for several months, and keeping the calf for next year's beef to add to my current calves. That will give me 3 butcher animals next year, and I'll be done with the beef animals this year before winter hits hard.
Any issues with my idea?

Two issues with older animals... Yellow fat and bone spurs. You can buy white kidney fat or save it from animals you process young, to mix with the hamburger from an older animal. The bone spurs are why you get little chunks of bone in hamburger. Older animals get them and they are hard to avoid when butchering. Neither is a big deal. Just so you're aware.

 

[50/50Farms]

You'd be surprised how much burger meat at the Wally World comes from dairy cows and from old mossy mamas that look about like an alien's description of a beef cow. People who want local beef but all ground are people who want novelty, and novelty is like salt in that it varies from person to person how much their beef needs to taste good. It's been my experience that a little novelty goes a long way so folks can thaw your package with dinner company over and tell them how tonight's lasagna was made with local beef. That's my say, worth what you paid for it.

 

[sstterry]

Much of store bought hamburger comes from cows.

Kenny taught me this a long time ago. The best time to sell slaughter cows is a couple of weeks before the summer holidays (all three of them) because that is when there is the greatest demand for burger.

 

[kenny thomas]

Kenny taught me this a long time ago. The best time to sell slaughter cows is a couple of weeks before the summer holidays (all three of them) because that is when there is the greatest demand for burger.

Last week was the highest cows i can remember ever.

 

[ClinchValley86]

I've became a believer in processing mature cows. I like them 3 to 6 years old but am pretty sure I've done a couple that are a touch older. So long as they havent started losing muscle due to age, the yield will be good.

If you buy them in good condition and put on corn/feed for a month or two, it's hard to best. Marbling is perfect.

I do shy from fat fat fat girls as it's a waste. Buying at bcs of 6 is about perfect. I've been told and have observed it myself, that the last 100 days is what matters. As long as they've been eating well and not losing weight, should be a great eating experience. Process them just like a steer. Females eat better anyways IMO.

@kenny thomas - what cow prices did you see?

 

[kenny thomas]

Seen reports near here of cows up to 1.42. They were slightly cheaper yesterday but buyers say next week will be higher. Im taking an 1800 lb non breeder i bought recently to sell today. Im not betting on the higher next week statement. But lots of older thin cows were 1.10.

 

[ClinchValley86]

I'm sure you've already formulated a plan. I just reread your OP. But I think you'd do better to not go with the older cow pair. Find one that's a fine looking specimen with lots of meat on her bones, 6 or younger. The yield will be much better than an older one. Older animals, like humans, lots of muscle mass, not real fat. When grinding a whole animal you lose a lot, might as well make the most of the processing costs.

Here, pairs are dirt cheap compared to feeders and slaughter animals. Cow calf pairs are bringing pretty much the same money as a slaughter cow.

 

[Hpacres440p]

I'm sure you've already formulated a plan. I just reread your OP. But I think you'd do better to not go with the older cow pair. Find one that's a fine looking specimen with lots of meat on her bones, 6 or younger. The yield will be much better than an older one. Older animals, like humans, lots of muscle mass, not real fat. When grinding a whole animal you lose a lot, might as well make the most of the processing costs.

Here, pairs are dirt cheap compared to feeders and slaughter animals. Cow calf pairs are bringing pretty much the same money as a slaughter cow.

Plan C May be butchering one of my cows if she is open after AI-she bred late last year, has bad feet, great disposition and udder but I can't keep stretching out breeding. Her dam has bred 1st attempt AI 5 years straight.

 

[50/50Farms]

Plan C May be butchering one of my cows if she is open after AI-she bred late last year, has bad feet, great disposition and udder but I can't keep stretching out breeding. Her dam has bred 1st attempt AI 5 years straight.

Don't feed what ya can't breed.

 

[Lucky_P]

I don't know how much things may have changed, but back when I was in undergrad (in the School of Ag.)... 45 years ago... McDonald's was the largest buyer of cull dairy cow ground beef in the USA.
I'd hazard a guess that the largest part of all carcasses from cull cows - beef and dairy - ends up as ground beef.

When we had 4 kids under 10, I had a pet Holstein, 8 yrs old, that had a big dead calf that we had to pull. She wouldn't breed back, and was in good shape, so off to the processor she went... everything ground into burger except 'filets' from the loins. They were tender & tasty enough, but with 4 youngsters, ground beef-based dishes were a larger part of our cooking.