Grass Fed Beef
How We Raise Our Cows
Our cattle are managed with an intensive rotational grazing program that mimics herbivores in nature. Using portable electric fence they are grouped tightly, moved daily and fed only forage - no grain or animal byproducts. They are offered free choice mineral supplements and unchlorinated water, usually spread out from each other to further encourage muscle development.
The herd is predominantly angus and has been managed as a closed group for a couple generations on the original farmstead so all have first names. We are introducing piedmontese strains starting with this year’s breeding cycle and hope to have our first representative beef for sale in 2012. This breed is well known for it’s tenderness, excellent conversion, lean meat and improved nutritional profile.
At the same time our rotational grazing practices are pulsing the pastures to increase forage diversity, thickness, soil fertility and water retention which in turn will further increase the quality of our beef. Moving the animals regularly means they still have first names and we get to personally inspect them at least once per day. Keeping within the limits of our land means the herd will never grow beyond our carrying or composting capacity.
How We Sell Our Beef
Beef is sold by the whole, half or quarter. Because we use local butchers we can not sell cuts from the freezer and all animals must be purchased before they are processed. We believe this is better for the animals as they avoid stress from being moved, better for the environment compared to shipping animals away then shipping packaged meat back, and better for the local community because we’re keeping the dollars in our own region.
Unfortunately this isn’t as easy as going down to the supermarket when you’re craving hamburger. Purchasing beef from us requires storage space (allow 1 cubic foot of freezer space per 35-40 pounds of cut and wrapped meat) and cooking grass-fed meat necessitates different techniques from what you’re probably used to with grain-finished animals (see topic below). You still get individually wrapped packages cut to your specifications, you just get them all at once.
How much meat is in a quarter? It depends on how large the animal is. A typical yardstick is that a 1,000 pound animal will yield approximately 600 pounds hanging weight and 400 pounds packaged weight. So a quarter would be roughly 100 pounds of meat in your freezer from a 1,000 pound live animal. Our job as the producer is to select for larger animals with better conversion than the standard but we will always have a mix of smaller and larger quarters.
How much do you need? It depends on how much beef your family eats! We are a family of two and we eat about one quarter of beef per year which seems to be typical for most people.
Benefits of Grass Fed Beef
Most cows are started on grass and then moved to a feedlot where they are finished on grain (among other things) because they grow faster, not because it’s good for them. Ruminants such as cows were designed to eat forage exclusively. If they weren’t processed and instead continued to eat this feedlot diet they would die. Michael Pollan described the commercial beef system in his New York Times article Power Steer if you’re interested in how this works.
Compared to the commercial model grass finishing is better for the environment, better for the cow and better for the end consumer. We don’t transport our animals anywhere, we don’t have manure lagoons, our practices improve the landscape and our beef is significantly more nutritious in some very important ways:
lower in fat and calories
higher in beta carotene
higher in vitamin E
higher in the B vitamins thiamin and riboflavin
higher in calcium, magnesium and potassium
higher in total omega-3s
a healthier ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids
higher in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)
higher in vaccenic acid which can be transformed into CLA
lower in saturated fats linked with heart disease
Source: S.K. Duckett et al, Journal of Animal Science June 2009
Jo Robinson’s Eat Wild does a great job explaining these benefits with numerous others drawing from a wealth of sources. We highly recommend her book Pasture Perfect to folks who are interested in learning more.
Cooking Grass Fed Beef
Grass fed beef is delicious, but it is also different from the grain finished meat we’ve all become accustomed to. If cooked the same way, grass fed beef will be tough and lack good flavor. There are several great cookbooks such as The Grassfed Gourmet Cookbook by Shannon Hayes with more details and excellent recipes if you really want to embrace this old fashioned way of cooking. In the meantime, here are a few basic tips to help you get started:
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1.Don’t overcook. Figure about 30% less time and aim for rare to medium rare (internal temperature of 145-155 degrees). If you like your beef well done then cook at very low temperature in a sauce to add moisture. Beef will continue cooking after it’s removed from the heat so take it off about 10 degrees below your target temperature.
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2.Since grass fed beef is low in fat coat with virgin olive oil, truffle oil or a favorite light oil for flavor enhancement and easy browning. The oil will also prevent drying and sticking.
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3.Marinating leaner cuts such as sirloin is recommended. There are lots of great marinade recipes around but you can also choose one that doesn’t mask the delicate flavor of grass fed beef such as lemon, vinegar, wine, beer or bourbon.
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4.Let the beef stand covered in a warm place for 8-10 minutes after removing from the heat to let the juices redistribute.
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5.Use tongs to turn your beef. Poking it with a fork or checking it with a knife will allow juices to escape.
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6.Reduce the temperature of your grain fed beef recipes by about 50 degrees for roasting or use the lowest setting in a crock pot. The cooking time will be the same or slightly less even at the lower temperature.
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7.Never use a microwave to thaw your grass fed beef. The best way is in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.
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8.Bring your meat to room temperature before cooking.
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9.Pre-heat your oven, pan or grill before cooking.
