# how long to get the cornfed out



## SteveO (Apr 14, 2009)

Sorry about the strange title. I sell grass finished beef but I have a shortage so If I buy a cow how long would it take to get the corn out of it's system and out of the beef. Or is it even possible???
and as a side question how long do the steroids in the long release injection stay in the system and or in the beef. Or is that a for life issue

Thanks
Steve


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

I don't think you can "get the corn out". This isn't a scientific issue, more of a philosophical issue. 
All cattle are grass/hay raised. Most are finished on corn. It marbles the meat allowing it to be graded higher. You might try selling those corn fed steers as "Pasture raised", just finish the sentence "but corn finished" only when asked.
The common hormone ear implant releases the hormone in just a few months and it goes out of the cattle in a few weeks. However, bovine growth hormones exist naturally in all beef. So when alerting the low information public, be sure to phrase it correctly. No ADDED hormones. The cattle that never had the hormone implant have no less hormones than the cattle that got the injection. 
Glad your business is doing well.


----------



## lakeportfarms (Apr 23, 2009)

We raise grass finished Dexters and Highlands, and from our experience when we have purchased a cow to increase our herd that has been corn fed, it takes nearly two grazing seasons for them to adjust. During that time it looks like we are starving her in comparison to our cows that have long ago adapted to the all grass diet. I suspect your effort to purchase steers, wean them off corn, then get a satisfactory finished product will be difficult.


----------



## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Not all cattle are corn only _finished_. We don&#8217;t have open ranges like they do out west.

My neighbor raises his steers solely on corn, which is a lot cheaper than hay. They are huge. In our area, the milk fed calves are usually allowed into the corn so that they get big faster, regardless of whether they will be pastured or corn fed. After that they are either fed mostly corn, or put on hay/pasture.


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Maura said:


> Not all cattle are corn only _finished_. We donât have open ranges like they do out west.
> 
> My neighbor raises his steers solely on corn, which is a lot cheaper than hay. They are huge. In our area, the milk fed calves are usually allowed into the corn so that they get big faster, regardless of whether they will be pastured or corn fed. After that they are either fed mostly corn, or put on hay/pasture.


Most of the cattle in the Thumb are dairy. Most of the dairy calves are not raised on corn. I have seen huge piles of corn cob, corn husk and silk used to feed calves in the Thumb. Also a lot of #2 potatoes and undersize sugar beets are fed. Many thousands of dairy calves, from the Thumb, are transported to Texas to be grown out there. It is cheaper. They don't go to eat corn.
Corn isn't cheaper than hay. Perhaps your neighbor feeds corn silage. That is a fermented and chopped corn stalk, leaves and cob corn.

In this country, most beef calves are born on pasture, nurse, eat pasture and once weaned continue on pasture. Many get silage, too.

But if I raise my cattle on pasture, they are "Pasture Raised", even if I do feed some grain early on and grain finished. Most of the terms thrown around are meaningless. 
"Contains no added hormones" is true of all beef, even those that got a hormone implant as calves.
" Contains no antibiotics" is true of all beef, except in the ultra rare case of criminal activity by violating the hold times following an injection.
"Contains no MSG, gluten free" is more catch phrase since beef does not contain these.
Cattle fed GMO Corn will not have modified corn DNA in it's meat. So all beef, fed GMO plants, contain no GMO. Therefore all beef is non-GMO. 
"This bread contains no insecticides or herbicides" is true of all breads. But by stating so, it gives the impression to the low information shopper that all other products without this statement must be unhealthy. Scam.


----------



## Jennifer L. (May 10, 2002)

Do you mean if you buy a cow to later resell as "grass fed" how long before she would be physiologically grass fed? I believe I've read it takes as short as 6 weeks to take a grass fed cow and ruin it as a corn fed cow going in the opposite direction as you want, so I would figure you are talking a solid three months to go the other way to switch over the kind of fat the cow is carrying. 

Fat is actually quite metabolically active and "turns over" fast so you can build up the Omega-3 fatty acids in a relatively short period of time. And that's why people want grass fed meat. But if you want to keep a good market and reputation I would keep the cow over the winter and then sell her the next year and say she has been grass fed for the past year. I think that would satisfy most people and for the ones that won't want that kind of meat, sell her to someone else.


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

If we go at this from fact based physiological standpoint, it would be a few months. But the same is true of antibiotics and growth stimulating implanted hormones. How long after injection must I wait to advertise, " No antibiotics", "No hormones"? a few days? A week? A year.
But in reality, we aren't talking fact based science. We are talking about feelings.

There are quite a few beef cattle raised in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. We are famous for our summer pastures and quality hay. Corn doesn't grow well here. Every week, feeders are transported to Gaylord Livestock Auction and sell hoof as ordinary cattle. For those that have "captured" some willing grass-fed beef customers, you might want to fill your trailer with some certified U.P. cattle. No-GMO corn up here.


----------



## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Most of the calves born in the Thumb are Holstein. Some are not. We also have Black Angus, Limousine, and others. Corn is cheaper than hay. My neighbor grows hay, sells it to me, but feeds his steers corn. If you want a pastured steer, you have to look for one. They are out there. Dairy cattle do not put on the meat that other types do and I would not want one for my freezer. However, corn makes them huge. More muscle and a lot more fat.


----------



## SteveO (Apr 14, 2009)

Yes it a philisofical ( gre:I wish I had learned to spell) question. Butit also important to me I could very easily feed corn but refuse to. my beef would most likely sell faster if it was corn fed. I just bought some and plan to grass them over the winter they were already close to grass fed as it is so in my mind I should be fine. But in the future I may not be so lucky hence the question.
What are they selling for up north??
Thanks for the input
Steve


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

SteveO said:


> Yes it a philisofical ( gre:I wish I had learned to spell) question. Butit also important to me I could very easily feed corn but refuse to. my beef would most likely sell faster if it was corn fed. I just bought some and plan to grass them over the winter they were already close to grass fed as it is so in my mind I should be fine. But in the future I may not be so lucky hence the question.
> What are they selling for up north??
> Thanks for the input
> Steve


Last week, Beef steers under 600 pounds, $225 per hundred. Beef steers over 600 pounds $150 per hundred.
http://www.northernmichiganlivestock.com/

Interesting choice of words. You could have said you chose not to, but you refuse to feed corn. That seems a bit strong. What is it about corn that evokes such emotion? I'm tempted to ask if you were beat up on a school playground by an ear of corn, but I think this is too serious to joke around about.


----------



## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

I was on a program by Tend R Leen that in 12 months you start out 12 of that complete mixture to 1 of corn.
At the end of 12 months you were at 10 parts Corn to one part Tend R Leen. And that was Great tender meat.
Now I have a mix custom made up and there last 4 months before its time to butcher I have the steers on Total Grain mix with no hay, just this grain mix. Been doing that for the last 30 years and wow what a nice tender steaks that are the end results. Course the highest of the grains in that mixture is CORN. LOL

http://www.tendrleen.com/proginfo.htm


----------



## FarmerDavid (Jul 16, 2012)

Maura said:


> Most of the calves born in the Thumb are Holstein. Some are not. We also have Black Angus, Limousine, and others. Corn is cheaper than hay. My neighbor grows hay, sells it to me, but feeds his steers corn. If you want a pastured steer, you have to look for one. They are out there. Dairy cattle do not put on the meat that other types do and I would not want one for my freezer. However, corn makes them huge. More muscle and a lot more fat.


Could you please explain how corn is cheeper then hay? I've tried several ways of figuring it and I can't get corn to figure anywhere near the price if hay. You've said it twice could you please explain.


----------



## DaleK (Sep 23, 2004)

I guess it depends on how you're selling it. Most people buying grass fed beef from small farms have certain expectations, mainly that the animal was raised there and raised on grass.
Sure it's easy enough to buy cattle and grass them for a bit and sell them as equal to your own but unless you're selling them as such you're conning your customers. Don't be surprised if it catches up to you.


----------



## UpstateSC (Aug 26, 2014)

DaleK said:


> I guess it depends on how you're selling it. Most people buying grass fed beef from small farms have certain expectations, mainly that the animal was raised there and raised on grass.
> Sure it's easy enough to buy cattle and grass them for a bit and sell them as equal to your own but unless you're selling them as such you're conning your customers. Don't be surprised if it catches up to you.


I thought that was the whole point of the question, to find out how long it would take until any animal he might buy would be _equivalent_ to his existing cattle. Six months, a year, two years, never? If it tastes the same and has the same nutritional value, what is the con? I don't know if this is possible, but neither did the OP, which is why he asked the question.


----------



## Gravytrain (Mar 2, 2013)

Technically speaking, corn IS grass...although it would be dishonest to feedlot cows on corn and claim they are grass finished. 

I'm in the position right now where I cannot keep up with beef orders (or pork for that matter). What I do for people who want beef from me, but don't want to wait a year or more, is to buy 600-800# quality animals and finish them on grass. If the customer wants a lean beef, I'll give them lush pasture for a couple months. If they want well marbled meat, it will take 6 months or more. Either way, I disclose the fact that animal wasn't born on my farm and I cannot say what the animal was fed or medications it was given before I bought it.

If you want long-term customers, it's not wise to start that relationship with lying or misleading them.


----------



## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

It sounds deceptive to me. The customer thinks they are paying for one thing but are getting another, and the "other" happens to be exactly what they don't want and are paying extra to not get.

It should be easy to buy pasture raised 600-800 pound calves that are ready to go to the feedlot. Just buy them off the grass and put them onto your grass and then corn or grain is not an issue.


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Deceptive is a relative term. Rationalization is a powerful emotion.
I think those that are promoting organic grass fed beef, but buying 800 pound feeders that might have been on grain are deceptive EXCEPT when they disclose that they know nothing about their diet prior to buying them.
But if you really want to avoid deception, you should also tell them that USDA standards for antibiotics to clear their system is a week and you have had the cattle a month or more. Would you tell them that commercial beef also observes these withdrawal times? Would you tell them that the hormone implant only lasts for the first few months and is long clear of the beef well prior to slaughter? But since that information makes your beef a bit less "special", we tend to be selective in the truth we share. We end up misleading folks, appealing to emotions with terms that make all other beef less appealing. Pasture Raised, Humanely Raised, No added hormones, No antibiotics are a few terms that we like to use to promote our beef, but the beef in the grocery stores is also pasture raised, humanly treated, the added hormones are gone, the antibiotics, if used, are gone. Not exactly scare tactics, but clearly misleading. Lying by omission is a bit strong. Sounds better when we call it Marketing Strategy. But, deep down it is mostly feelings or emotions and that tends to leave grey areas.

The answer to the original question is about 48 hours for the corn to clear the cattle's system.


----------



## Gravytrain (Mar 2, 2013)

oregon woodsmok said:


> It sounds deceptive to me. The customer thinks they are paying for one thing but are getting another, and the "other" happens to be exactly what they don't want and are paying extra to not get.
> 
> It should be easy to buy pasture raised 600-800 pound calves that are ready to go to the feedlot. Just buy them off the grass and put them onto your grass and then corn or grain is not an issue.


If you were referring to my post, In certain cases, I buy feeders specifically for people that do not care if it was fed grain at some point in its life, then grass finish it for a couple to several months. My customers know exactly what they are getting.

My point was you should be transparent in what your customers are getting.


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Gravytrain said:


> If you were referring to my post, In certain cases, I buy feeders specifically for people that do not care if it was fed grain at some point in its life, then grass finish it for a couple to several months. My customers know exactly what they are getting.
> 
> My point was you should be transparent in what your customers are getting.


OK, I guess I wasn't clear. I like that you are transparent. You tell them that you bought this steer a while back and don't know what feed or antibiotics it was given, prior to your purchase.
But are you transparent enough to also tell them that antibiotics leave all cattle in seven days and all beef sold at the grocery store is free of antibiotic residue, too? Just in mentioning that previous antibiotic use could have taken place, builds a belief or perception that antibiotic residue is commonly found in common grocery store meat. Not true. (well, it is so rare that if it happened, it would be on the NEWS).

Is your transparency so complete as to offer information, that while true, would lessen the perception of superiority for your product? While you explain that your farm raised cattle are fed grass or hay only, do you expand their education with information that most commercial cattle are fed grass and hay only, too, except the final couple months?

The public wants healthier food. With a perception that grass fed is healthier, a demand is created. Since the public often doesn't have time to study every detail of their diet, they have to depend on what feels better or sounds better. With honesty, I could take any steer from a feed lot and market it as "Grass Raised", (but finished on corn), "No added Hormones" (the implant went in at 4 months and stopped adding hormones a year ago). "Antibiotic free" ( the steer was sick a few times, but that was a while ago, so the antibiotic is long gone). These are word games and half truths. Sort of like advertising your beef as "Gluten-free".
But the public will eventually figure it out. Sam's Club sells "Antibiotic-free Chicken strips. No different from anything else on the market.

As the public learns these differences and how these claims of offering something special when it really isn't is costing them money, watch out. Market honestly, but transparency to me is also full disclosure. It is a hard balance. 

Sell your meat on how tasty it is and the word of mouth from previous customers. But never stoop to slamming commercial beef with myths and suggestive statements. IMHO, you may see it differently and that's OK.


----------



## Gravytrain (Mar 2, 2013)

haypoint said:


> OK, I guess I wasn't clear.


Ummm...I wasn't responding to you. I was responding to Oregon woodsmok



> But are you transparent enough to also tell them that antibiotics leave all cattle in seven days and all beef sold at the grocery store is free of antibiotic residue, too? Just in mentioning that previous antibiotic use could have taken place, builds a belief or perception that antibiotic residue is commonly found in common grocery store meat. Not true. (well, it is so rare that if it happened, it would be on the NEWS).


I don't claim to be antibiotic free, though I track animals that are treated and disclose that info if I choose to sell that animal. Typically I reserve treated animals for myself. I don't have to compare myself to grocery stores. Most of my customers are repeat and word of mouth about the taste and quality of my beef (and pork) keeps my animals sold well in advance. Not sure what your point is.



> Is your transparency so complete as to offer information, that while true, would lessen the perception of superiority for your product? While you explain that your farm raised cattle are fed grass or hay only, do you expand their education with information that most commercial cattle are fed grass and hay only, too, except the final couple months?


Yes, that why it's called grass finished and not grass fed. Again not sure what your point is.



> The public wants healthier food. With a perception that grass fed is healthier, a demand is created. Since the public often doesn't have time to study every detail of their diet, they have to depend on what feels better or sounds better. With honesty, I could take any steer from a feed lot and market it as "Grass Raised", (but finished on corn), "No added Hormones" (the implant went in at 4 months and stopped adding hormones a year ago). "Antibiotic free" ( the steer was sick a few times, but that was a while ago, so the antibiotic is long gone). These are word games and half truths. Sort of like advertising your beef as "Gluten-free".
> But the public will eventually figure it out. Sam's Club sells "Antibiotic-free Chicken strips. No different from anything else on the market.
> 
> As the public learns these differences and how these claims of offering something special when it really isn't is costing them money, watch out. Market honestly, but transparency to me is also full disclosure. It is a hard balance.
> ...


To be honest, I don't know that I have any customers who buy my livestock because they are afraid of antibiotics or corn or soy. I may, but not that I know of. 

Most of my customers know me, or know me from someone else. Most of my marketing involves sampling. Yes, I give meat away. I have animals butchered and packaged in small portions to sample to people I know. Nearly everyone who tries my pork buys it. A lesser percentage of people buy my beef after they try it, but still a majority of those who try it, buy it. Grass finished beef has a richer flavor than what many people are used to. 

Also, my customers can drive by my ranch and see my cows knee deep in lush grass and legumes, drinking clean mountain stream water piped into their troughs. They can see the pigs rooting and wallowing and running around and playing. They can see how their animals are raised. 

In addition, my different beef customers want different things. Some of them want lean beef. For these people I slaughter at 20-24 months. Others want grass finished that is well marbled and very tender. For these customers I process at about 28-30 months...these portions are more expensive for my customers as I typically have to overwinter an additional year. 

I'm curious when you've seen me "stoop" to slamming commercial meat? Other than stating that I think commercial pork is pinkish gray and flavorless, I haven't slammed anything. When I enter a nice restaurant and decide on a nice steak, I don't turn my nose up at it because it isn't grass finished, or whatever...I just enjoy a nice steak. 

I get it...you don't like grass finished beef. Others, including myself, love it. I don't understand why you feel so threatened by people who do things differently than you are used to doing them. I don't ridicule you for the way you choose to do things, nor do I question your motives or wonder if you are transparent in your business dealings. I feel it is none of my business how you choose to do things.


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

IMHO, grass fed beef is a fad. Kroger uses those savings cards to track purchases. A few years ago, they got wind of the coming grass fed beef "movement". They stocked grass fed beef for a while. They sold a lot of it, once. Nearly every sale of grass fed beef from Kroger's was a one time sale. People tried it and people didn't buy it again. THey dropped it. That is the only large "study" I know of. Friends and neighbors that have tried to cut costs and feed pasture only have ended up with tough meat. The experiences of others will vary.
I'd hate for a new person to cattle to drive off their first customers right off the bat. From the reports on HT, everyone loves it and comes back for more. But I'm skeptical.

I have seen a few upscale stores use deceptive titles on meats that are meaningless, humanely raised, Pasture Raised , anti biotic free. Those things are true but meaningless. Same for cage free eggs or pastured chickens. On a commercial scale, the reality doesn't match the imagined.

When a producer says their beef is antibiotic free, there is the perception that all other meat must therefore contain antibiotics, something most thinking people do not want. As we encourage the buy-local idea, we are in a place to educate, not raise fears about things the public doesn't understand.

Raising fears about the food system that aren't factual, just to scare people into your products is unfair, but too common, IMHO.
It isn't that Im threatened by it, I just hate to see a one sided discussion talk someone into something that ends up a setback or financial disaster. 
But hey, it you really have a market, with repeat business, good for you.


----------



## Jennifer L. (May 10, 2002)

Gotta disagree with you here, Haypoint.

Grass fed is for the educated, health conscious consumer, and it doesn't belong in a supermarket. People who buy corn fed meat are used to the soft, tender meat, that has lots of fat in it. Totally different ball game from grass fed, they are going to try it, and you're right, they won't buy it again. They don't know what to expect, and when they get it they'll be really disappointed.

Grass fed should be marketed to:

1) Health conscious people, who
A. Want high Omega-3 fat meats 
B. Want to eat all of the animal for all of its parts (bones for broth, liver, thymus, kidneys, oxtail, etc.
C. Want to know exactly where that one cow comes from and not that they are eating ground beef from 1,000 different cows all in one batch.
D. Who simply are a smarter bear about nutrition than the normal American (think Twinkie eater).

2)Animal Welfare people, who 
A. Want an animal raised naturally and humanely
B. Want to know that if they have an animal killed, it's all going to be used and not wasted and that single animal will be going to benefit their family's well being.

Lots of times those two kinds of attitudes are in the same person.

People have to know that grass fed is not necessarily tender, that it has a lot of flavour but you can't cook the living daylights out of it, that it is not going to be the same as what you've grown up eating from the store. If they don't know that, or don't care that much once they've tasted it, you're right, they aren't coming back.

IMO, grass fed should be reserved for small farmers to sell off the farm and market in the correct way to get those two groups of consumers. This keeps it more exclusive and keeps the price up for those farmers.

And for those who grow their own, more power to us that we know we are eating right.

I don't think it's a fad any more than Farmer's Markets and organic foods are a fad, it's simply taken that idea from the plant world and moved it into animal agriculture. 

I think it's a great thing for small farmers.


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

If there is a sustained demand for pasture raised beef, how can you protect that market from Big Ag taking over? Perhaps Kroger did a poor job of marketing, perhaps they were a bit too far ahead of the curve.
If Homesteadingtoday is an example of the average small farm, I'd say there are a lot of people new to farming. "Fencing that field I just bought and running a few cattle" is a common goal. But the reality is that if you are going to grow cattle without concentrated proteins found in grain and soybeans, you need to get both your pastures and hayfields to superior quality and be prepared to feed a lot.

We all know that when asked, half the consumers say they would buy organic, even if it cost more. But, when those same consumers shop, most just buy the cheapest. Just look at the produce in any local grocery store. Organic takes up a fraction of the space. 

Demand for the thymus or even the tail is small. The large slaughter facilities often do a better job of using all the cow than the down home butcher. A big operation has contracts for lungs, blood and bones and everything else goes to be rendered. 

Inform your customers, ahead of time that it may be dry and tough. Feed high quality hay with lots of alfalfa in it. Get your pastures up to top performance levels. Be ready to modify your plan to suit the customers.

We have all seen health food fads come and go. I hope buy local is here to stay.


----------



## wannabfishin (Jan 31, 2014)

i keep reading about this so called Kroger "research study". Im not sure if there is more than one Kroger grocery chain but the one Kroger chain i found online sells grass-fed beef. it is expensive ($7 a lb. hamburg) so i could understand why nobody would buy it but they do sell it.


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

wannabfishin said:


> i keep reading about this so called Kroger "research study". Im not sure if there is more than one Kroger grocery chain but the one Kroger chain i found online sells grass-fed beef. it is expensive ($7 a lb. hamburg) so i could understand why nobody would buy it but they do sell it.


Probably the same chain you are familiar with. Not exactly a study. Just they use customer data to track trends, buying habits, etc. The grass bed beef thing was a few years ago. Perhaps they are trying it again.

A few years back, Buffalo meat was the latest healthy meat. Then Beefalo, then Ostrich. There have been attempts to get "healthier than beef" venison, Elk and goat meat into general acceptance with mixed results. Highland cattle were going to be the next greatest thing, with their limited amount of fat.

Myers Natural Beef, red Angus, based in Montana, is gaining ground by appealing to the mainstream consumer's interest in humanely raised, pastured and humanely slaughtered.


----------



## kabic (May 12, 2009)

Some people are doing well with the organic\pasture raised meats.

http://www.organicprairie.com/


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

kabic said:


> Some people are doing well with the organic\pasture raised meats.
> 
> http://www.organicprairie.com/


Did I miss something? Am I seeing this right? Is the only grass fed beef they sell hamburger? If folks love the flavor and just need to cook it correctly, why don't they sell a few New York Strips with that amazing flavor? Grass fed beef is so popular, they ship it from Australia? I thought part of this was the Buy Local movement?

Every business has their ups and downs, happy buyers and angry buyers. Check out these consumer reviews:

"I bought Organic Prairie assortment through Costco.com and received the package with products that are ONE YEAR OLD.I called the company and instead of trying to replace my order with somewhat fresh meat, they insisted that I should be fine eating this 12-month old meat.
I couldn't believe it! The product was also NOT from the US farms, it came from another company in Australia even though their website indicates that their products come from Wisconsin. At the end, I ended up spending $130 and threw the meat into the garbage.
Not only that I wouldn't buy their products ever again, but I would advise anyone thinking about purchasing their products to STAY AWAY from this company.Their mission statement is a complete lie and they are extremely unprofessional."

Another review: "Received 8 lbs of grassfed ground beef from Organic Prairie through Costco.
OP says all of its meat is from organic small farms/ranches in Wisconsin.
That is not true as the beef they sent me was a product of Australia. I guess the FTC made them labe their product, but they did not let anyone know in its description on their website, www.organicprairie.com.
Also, I just received in on Feb 15, but it was packed on 10/24/2011. 3.5 months old!!!!!
I complained to customer service, and they admitted it was from Australia, and their is no notice on the website.
They also told me that the other beef is grain finished for the last 90 days. That ruins the fat profile of the beef to that of the usual stuff you can find at the grocery store."

There is a lot of imported meat sold in this country. Apparently, their organic is finished on grain. An important distinction. If that matters, be sure to find out before you buy. For over 50 years, Australian Bull meat has been shipped in boxes to the US to add to hamburger. Older bulls have very little fat and blended with beef scraps make a less greasy burger. If you've had a Big Mac, you have eaten some Australian Bull meat. Bon Appetite.

http://www.costco.com/Organic-Grass-Fed-Boneless-Ribeye-Steaks-10-oz.-20-pack.product.100053873.html You can also get grass fed beef from Uruguay.


----------



## lakeportfarms (Apr 23, 2009)

I've tried the "grass fed" beef from several stores, and it is crap, frankly. Very little marbling. There is a difference between grass fed, and grass finished. And grass finished beef is far superior of a product. The problem is that it is only possible for many of us to finish during a certain part of the grazing season. In Michigan I can grass finish in early October, or possibly early July. This year was exceptional all year, but I had nothing at the correct age to finish. So our customers will have to wait. Chain stores don't accept that, so our sales are all private sales.

We move our cows (and steers in a different pasture) 3 and sometimes 4 times per day, onto grass at its prime stage as much as the weather permits. And it shows in the beef. This is a grass finished Dexter, 27 months old in mid-October when he was processed, 460 lbs. hanging weight. This particular Dexter was a non-carrier of chondrodysplasia, but our personal choice for grass finishing are the chondro positive steers. They are much easier to gain and get good marbling of the beef. They usually hang at a lower weight, but because they have less bone you'll get close to the same finished product by the time all the cuts are made.



This is a 8 month old Dexter chondro positive steer we have selected for grass finishing next fall:


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Grass raised, pasture raised, grass finished are all terms that most consumers don't understand. The upscale stores that sell with such labels are misleading the public. Seller in the direct sales business are sometimes guilty of this too. Hormone free, antibiotic free, humanely raised all conger up the belief that everything else is toxic.

Home raised grain finished beef is far superior to the grain finished beef you buy in the store. I think everyone agrees. Therefore, I can understand that home raised, properly (plenty of lush grass) raised grass finished beef would be better than grass finished store bought. 
Keep in mind, this country will soon be receiving grass finished beef from Uruguay. I have seen their pastures and they are special! I imagine that beef would be superior to a local Highlander raised on brush, briars and acorns, as some expect them to thrive on.


----------



## dlskidmore (Apr 18, 2012)

haypoint said:


> This isn't a scientific issue, more of a philosophical issue.


http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0309174013004944

There is a measurable difference in the type of fat deposited depending on feed. There is not a lot of research on this though, I've never seen any studies about animals weaned on grain and finished on grass. They're still working on getting enough people to look into this to get repeatable results on the existing studies. Much is still unknown. 

The paleo diet folks have a belief that Omega-6 fatty acids don't "accumulate" in beef, but if there is a difference in amount between grass and grain finished Omega 6 levels, how long does it take that to change? Do they have to lose weight and burn off that fat and put on fresh? I really have no idea.

Since there is no certification organization for grass finished beef, you have to set your own standard and communicate that standard to your customers. Maybe you can have two different price points for "grass raised & finished" and "grass finished"? You might test pilot a few, and then ask a customer that renders their tallow if they notice any difference. If the melting point is satisfactorily high, and the flavor is good, most customers won't care. I'm not at all sure that it will correlate directly to the lab results, but it is the most sophisticated test your consumers will do. I personally would want to see the lab tests before paying more for it. If you do a high enough volume you might send a sample to the lab and get results to show your customers.


----------



## dlskidmore (Apr 18, 2012)

haypoint said:


> If there is a sustained demand for pasture raised beef, how can you protect that market from Big Ag taking over?


You can't. At some point they will pick up the marketing angle, put enough of an organization together to have a certification label and the customers will buy. The little guy will have to keep being inventive. There are more of us, with more ideas, and we have lower risk in trying new ideas than the big guys. If 100 of us try a new idea and bomb out, the rest of us learn from it and move on, and another successful idea comes up and spreads and carries small farming through another decade.


----------



## Jennifer L. (May 10, 2002)

I think you really need the full package to market this kind of meat. You have to appeal to Buy Local as well as health benefits and humane raising (butterflies and rainbows, etc.). Big Ag will never be able to do that. It can be a niche market for a small grower, but a profitable one.


----------



## Dstrnad (Aug 9, 2014)

I've had both grass fed and corn raised black Angus. I am a proponent of grass fed, but it is hard to beat corn fed Angus. The biggest difference is the flavor of the fat. Grass fed can be as tender and marbled if done right. Corn fed is almost sweet grass finished is stronger and more of a sour flavor. There are people out there selling dried up cows as grass fed beef getting a premium, usually ends up a one time sale. On one hand it makes me smile to see the local yuppies pay a premium for something that should be dog food.
On the other it seems deceitful and unethical because regardless of the actual words used people think they are buying a premium product and they are not getting it. Not correcting your customers is as bad as lying to them if you know that they think your product is something that it is not. Kinda a fine line to walk.


----------

