Grass feed beef

I was talking to my neighbor, a few blocks away yesterday. He said he has 500 cows. Not around here, but 30 or so miles away. I had no idea he was into cattle. He is the person the police woke up at 12 midnight, a few days ago, about my daughters loose horse. Another story. I took him some of the wifes canning goodies as a thank you, for corraling the horse. Back to the cattle. He said he sells grass feed to beef to the whole Food Market chain. Is grass feed beef the new thing now? Stan

No comment.

Cows were designed to eat forage not grain! Grass fed is nothing new, each to there own I guess. Merry Christmas!

When my brother was raising cattle, he would send them to a feed lot to fatten them up after they would be on grass, then sell them. I think grass feed meat would be a little tough, but then you wouldn't be eating all the bad fat, which I like. Stan

My EX girlfriend from Quad Cities on the Missippi River was a health food nut! The Dr. she went to was the same and insisted that she only eat grass fed beef. They bought their "Grass" fed beef from a farmer that was north of Bettendorf, Ia. a ways. Paid a pretty hefty premium for it too. Seems to be a fad right now.

I'll Second that.

I know that is the the way fad goes but it would be more accurate to call it "grass finished beef" Nearly all beef is grass fed up until it gets to 8-900# or so. Then most of it gets sent to the feedlot to finish. I butchered a steer a couple of years ago that had only had grass. He was fat enough but it had a gamey taste that I didn't care for, I guess it would be an acquired taste.

I have had grass fed beef, and a neighbor finished nearly a 10000 head a year. I don't like it. Was raised on corn fattened beef, and that is how my taste buds are trained

"Was raised on corn fattened beef, and that is how my taste buds are trained

x2

Was raised on Grain feed beef from our farm, but switched to only grass feed beef in 1972, Won't switch back. Lot better for you. We have them grind just a bit of fat into the hamburger, but nothing like the noramal Grain fed would be.

37Chief,
We don't mind the hamburger lean. But gee whiz... sure seems like we cannot find a decent flavored steak or arm roast anymore. We eat a lot more chicken, pork and fish. Use very little beef anymore due to the strictly grassfed critters... they need some corn.

We raise grass finished beef. They don't grow as fast or get as fat, but the meat is good and we are not spending a fortune on corn. I have yet to have anyone say anything but good things about the flavor or tenderness.

we finished one on grass this year and will not be doing that again anytime soon,
It was tough and had a nasty taste.

Get yourself a copy of the book All flesh is grass, by gene logsdon. It's a pretty good book about pasture farming! And no I'm no tree hugger, non meat eating wacko!

Grass fed takes some know how if you want good beef its not as simple as putting a steer out on grass and killing it.You need the right breed most agree the Breeds from the British Isles are better than those that came from the Continent of Europe for grass fed.Also you need plenty of good quality tender grass to 'finish' them on.Lastly when killing any animal for meat the less they are stressed when they are killed the better the meat quality and with grass fed the meat meeds to be cooled quickely for best results.All that said I had a two year old Brown Swiss cross hefier that fell and broke her hip and I killed her and butchered her out,she had never had a mouthful of grain in her life and it was in the Fall and grazing on average grass.Turned out very tender and had an excellent taste.My wife cut meat for a living for awhile so she knows how to make the right cuts.
We used to always kill a dairy steer for beef growing up and used to think Jerseys were the best
they got some grain to finish them but not alot.

The last two halfs I bought were grass fed, the burger is fine with almost no fat in it. The steaks and roasts are tough, if I went to a restaurant and they served me what is in my freezer, I would send it back to the cook.

I think it's all in the grass/hay. I have mine on good grass in the summer and good hay the rest of the year. We butchered about 3 weeks ago (we do it here on the farm). Steaks are great, taste normal and are tender.

Fad? I don't think so. AS Americans become more health conscious the tren is more demand for grass fed. I don't think it will even become main stream but it will have it's share of the market.

Rick

Most of it I had so far does not taste as good as grain fed.

Our Herefords are all grass fed. Sometimes the steaks can be a little tough, but the flavor is fantastic. Who knew this would be the new fad.

Corn is from the grass family!!!!!!!!

Your right, the stalk is, the dried corn, whole or cracked is a grain! Lol

Lets just say its the new "OLD" deal. You would in all reality find very litle beef in the US thatis not grass fed. Corn finished beef is what this actually refers to. Grass fed AND finished beef went out of favor mostly in the early to mid sixties. and its NOT in ANY way the FEED that makes one more or less bad for you. major feed lots give cattle shots of chemicals while they are alive to start the tenderizing/finishing process.then they are simply fed corn and things to get the maximum yeild to bone ratio they can. cattle are medicated heavily also with chemicals simply to stop or slow down disease that would spread rapidly through a feed lot in the crowded conditions also. its these chemicals that folks dont like not the feeding. in REALITY,i honestly doubt you find TOO much actual honest to goodness grass fed only beef in the us. most of it is put up in lots and fed for at least a few days . according to the experts you can take the wild taste out of beef in ten days in a lot. and most of them at least get this much. these days grass fed beef means a different thing than the old days. and to be quite honest, unless some one here simply walked out in the pasture and killed one, very few here have ever eaten a true grass fed only beef.they are rare,simply because folks hold a steer or something at least a few days in a pen. most packing plants hold cattle at least a few days , and LOTS of private butchers also have pens where they hold cattle if they are selling beef. they have to be fed ,and its quite honestly much much easier to feed grain or a mixed feed in a pen than it is hay. to make really good grass fed beef, you need really really good pasture,you have to kill cattle at the right time,and you really have to know your pastures as to what cattle have been feeding on for the last few days or weeks as certain plants become more dominant in certain seasons. its far far harder to make consistant grass fed beef than it is in a feedlot. the feed changes,the quality of feed changes, and very importantly the preferences of the individual cattle changes.all these things are overcome in a feedlot.