Grass fed meat tough, was: Milk: Raw vs. Grass Fed?

June 29, 2007

We hear this all the time from folks who aren't able to grass feed

their animals. It begins to sound like a good reason to " finish " them

on something else. Our steer this year was at least 2 years old. He is

as wonderfully tender as anything you would find in the store or from

a place that " finishes " their beef.

It is not a matter of what you feed them the last month or so of their

lives. It IS a matter of how you slaughter and how long you age. We

kill our beef in the field. They drop before they know what hit them.

No running, no trailers, not scared of anything, just chewing their

cud. Anything older than 2 years ages for 3-4 weeks in the walk in cooler.

TN is in the middle of a drought and hay is in short supply but still

available. I'd suggest butchering younger rather than producing meat

that is not grass fed.

Just my two cents.

Belinda in TN

> I, too, thought it would be great in TN for grass-fed beef and lamb

> when I moved here 2 years ago. I've been improving my pastures but

> this year we've had such a drought that not only am I lacking in

> grass but I can't even buy enough hay to get through the winter.

> That was my point before about finding some sort of supplementation

> considering that grass-finished beef will be tough if the cow ever

> loses weight. But I still do not feed grains--at least not with any

> starch in it which is what changes the fat structure in the meat.

> Anyone who buys meat from me knows that I am feeding beet pulp (left

> over from processing sugar beets and acts like long-stem fiber in

> the gut) and corn gluton (by-product of making high-fructose corn

> syrup and has no starch left in the feed). I actually learned about

> corn gluton at a grazing conference and learned there that although

> feeding it means you're not completely grass-fed, it does not change

> the fat composition and structure. Sometimes we have to make some

> compromises and I think overall I've found a reasonble alternative.

>

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