Grass Fed/Finished Beef vs Grain: Your Thoughts?

[Gray01]

I raised cattle (Black Angus steer) for about 10 years for the purpose of providing custom beef. We took them from a neighboring ranch at around 600 lb calves, and raised them until slaughter in late January, generally topping out at about 1300 lbs (on the hoof).

They were pasture raised, with supplemental alfalfa hay at around 35-50 lbs per day as the grass dried out in mid-summer. Starting in late August, about 5lbs of apples, and 15-20 lbs of rolled corn was added. (Rolled corn is produced by steaming the kernels, then rolling on steel rollers. The rolled corn provides greater digestive time in the rumen (and therefore more caloric absorption) as opposed to cracked corn which is excreted more rapidly.) These were not feedlot cattle; they were range/pasture raised and fed abundantly.

The more corn they ate, the “sweeter” the flavor became, and it was also very evident in the fat marbling. We sold, for personal consumption, as whole, 1/2 and 1/4s, every ounce we raised.

[txdpd]

First thing I would do is a little research on fatty acid profiles of grain vs grass fed beef. The people peddling grass fed will tell you it's superior, that's not so clear from the research. Yes grass fed beef can have up to twice the Omega 3's, it will most likely be ALA, not DHA or EPA, and the total amount will still only be 2-5% the total amount found in fish. If you want Omega 3's a weekly can of sardines packed in water or olive oil will trump beef any day of the week (and don't take those stupid pills).

https://animalscience.tamu.edu/2013/...oes-it-matter/

[LittleLebowski]

Our Wyoming factory farm is 15,000 deeded acres upon which 400 head of Black Angus reside. Wish they were free range

[wvincent]

Our Wyoming factory farm is 15,000 deeded acres upon which 400 head of Black Angus reside. Wish they were free range

Wow, really got those bastards confined up, don't you?

[LittleLebowski]

Wow, really got those bastards confined up, don't you?

Truly living a caged life

[luckyman]

Wow, really got those bastards confined up, don't you?

It would be pretty cool to see a quarter beef up in the “for sale” section. We could help him thin out the herd to give the poor steers some room [emoji1]

[Old Man Winter]

I lived on a 33,000 acre seed stock ranch that was grass fed. All of the cattle we butchered were finished on grain. Given the choice I'd pick grass fed beef finished in small feed lots on grain but you're not buying that at the local mega mart. As some others have mentioned Elk is one of my favorites and I tend to like the Elk flavor over purely grass fed beef.

[Gray01]

Our Wyoming factory farm is 15,000 deeded acres upon which 400 head of Black Angus reside. Wish they were free range

Our feedstock wintered down low (3600 EL) but were turned out to summer in the high country. Entire counties are legal “open range”. The cattle know when and where (to come home) when the weather changes (up high) toward fall.

Elk was plentiful; I used to have a 300 head herd (mostly cows) 50 feet outside the dining room window raiding our winter hay store, and then bedding down in the pastures with the steer so they would get fed morning and evening right alongside them when the tractors took hay out. We had to build 10 foot fences around the hay stacks to keep them out.

[Drang]

Most American beef cattle are "free range, do subsist on nothing but natural grass and well water, and are carefully looked after by the owner.

Who are you to question Big Beef's Marketing Hype?

[Hambo]

Florida is still cow country. Ranchers here have about 1 cow/10 acres. Now about that grass your expensive steak was eating. Cows eat almost anything green, so it's more like weed fed beef, and all of them get finished on grain.