Top Quality Beef

[MoGal]

A feedlots goal is to get the weight on as quickly as possible.



I'm not saying what they do is illegal or unethical, but perhaps their method of feeding is not the same as the beef in someone's back yard. The backyard steer is probably not implanted as often or at all compared to the one in the feedlot nor are they probably getting the leftover grain from ethanol.

 

[norriscathy]

Do you realize how full of sht you are along as your universities?

Read that sentence over once, and tell me about universities.

Yes, he may have left the "i" out of sht; but he is completely right. Take your steer to the sale barn, put the money in you pocket and go buy some nice choice meat at Sam's,and put the rest of the money in your jeans! It will cost you a ton to feed out your own animals and then pay for processing. No way can you compete! Unless of course you don't count feed or your time!

 

[andybob]

The two main factors in store beef quality are; stress and insufficient maturing (hanging) of the beef resulting in tough beef as the fibres have not broken down, Aero- the metalic taste is also an indication of meat not being matured.
A typical commercial scenario is cattle slaughtered day one,electricuted to bring on early rigor mortis, chilled overnight, processed the next day and either vaccum packed and sent to the store, or packed and blast frozen for storage.
Purecountry,the concept of Holistic management has been gaining a greater degree of respectability since the early seventies especially with the sucesses in short duration grazing.

 

[TxStateCowboy]

Do you realize how full of sht you are along as your universities?

Read that sentence over once, and tell me about universities.

Yes, he may have left the "i" out of sht; but he is completely right. Take your steer to the sale barn, put the money in you pocket and go buy some nice choice meat at Sam's,and put the rest of the money in your jeans! It will cost you a ton to feed out your own animals and then pay for processing. No way can you compete! Unless of course you don't count feed or your time!

-i was referring to the grammar of his rude remark.
- i don't feed out steers, i raise cattle: different types, colors, weights, heights, breeds. I buy them if i like them and if the price is right. I take a crop of calves to the sale barn when i feel they are sized right to sell.

This is my basic commercial cattle business, raising cattle and selling cattle, and the sellers eventually end up on someone's kitchen table. Just because my cow doesn't have excellent marbling or superior taste, doesn't mean i'm not contributing to the beef industry. If all beef was the same quality, then there'd be no such thing as "better beef" or "best tasting steak"... just how it is, sorry i'm not a purebred registered angus breeder.

 

[SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE]

Recently had this conservation with my slaughter guy who also works for a local packer as a butcher. I was surprized at all the chemical additives enhancers and perservatatives that are used in processing the beef for shipment to the retailer. I was informed that some meat will gain 10%+ in weight with the injections and soakings that it gets in processing. Wet aging is another process of boxed beef, seal it in a plastic bag and let it age on the way to the retailer.
I know that not all processors do it that way but I bet that it is one of the reasons that we can tell the difference in beef quality.
We sell to a speciality market, natural beef...just hay, grain, minerals and water has gone into the animals and routine vaccinations. We can say that we know what the steer has eaten all it's life and in some cases what it's mama has eaten.
Our customers tell us that they can taste the difference and we sell out every quarter so there must be something going on that adds to the claim that farm raised beef is better.
Dave Mc

I agree wholeheartedly.At the risk of you having to repeat what you may have lined out before....how do you finish your beeves for sale? Would appreciate your input on this. ;-) :cboy:

 

[la4angus]

Do you realize how full of sht you are along as your universities?

Read that sentence over once, and tell me about universities.

Yes, he may have left the "i" out of sht; but he is completely right.

Actually the I was left out for a reason.

 

[Susie David]

depending on the steer, we start finishing 90-120 days out by supplimenting cracked corn to the alfalfa diet, two pounds a day for a week then increase to 4-5# for three weeks then up to 8#(4 twice a day) for two weeks then 6-7 twice a day until finish. We cut back on the alfalfa in porportion to the corn intake. At finish the feed is usually 15#corn and 15# alfalfa.
We end up a bit on the lean side with around 1/4+ inches of back fat and decent marbling...low to moderate choice. Our steers and an occasional heifer are 1150-1400 with carcasses hanging hot between 650-775, have had lighter but 775 is the heaviest carcass we've processed. Angus, Hereford and baldie.
Dave Mc

 

[Beef11]

I'm not saying what they do is illegal or unethical, but perhaps their method of feeding is not the same as the beef in someone's back yard. The backyard steer is probably not implanted as often or at all compared to the one in the feedlot nor are they probably getting the leftover grain from ethanol.

The implant hormone residue myth is to my knowledge unbased.

Yes, he may have left the "i" out of sht; but he is completely right. Take your steer to the sale barn, put the money in you pocket and go buy some nice choice meat at Sam's,and put the rest of the money in your jeans! It will cost you a ton to feed out your own animals and then pay for processing. No way can you compete! Unless of course you don't count feed or your time!

Exactly.

If your methods were so great restraurants would be paying you big bucks to buy your beef. Then you would have your own feedlot and be able to be economically viable. Being a small operation forever doesn't denote that you are making alot of money or producing an abnormally high quality product.

 

[SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE]

depending on the steer, we start finishing 90-120 days out by supplimenting cracked corn to the alfalfa diet, two pounds a day for a week then increase to 4-5# for three weeks then up to 8#(4 twice a day) for two weeks then 6-7 twice a day until finish. We cut back on the alfalfa in porportion to the corn intake. At finish the feed is usually 15#corn and 15# alfalfa.
We end up a bit on the lean side with around 1/4+ inches of back fat and decent marbling...low to moderate choice. Our steers and an occasional heifer are 1150-1400 with carcasses hanging hot between 650-775, have had lighter but 775 is the heaviest carcass we've processed. Angus, Hereford and baldie.
Dave Mc

Thanks! ;-) :cboy:

 

[novaman]

I doubt there would be any restaurant that would want to pay the price I would have to be getting in order to make a profit. The price of beef is high enough in the store the way it is. And like I said when I posted earlier, it costs me a lot more to grow my steer out then I would get if I were to just sell the steer after weaning. I also keep my steers until they are about 2 years old before they get put into the freezer. I believe this is where my greatest advantage comes over feedlots and store bought beef. When it comes to implants and forcefeeding and all that stuff I just think the quality of meat isn't as good.