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The Department of Agriculture has proposed some changes to the standards currently in place for grass fed beef. At the moment, there really are no specific guidelines, and farmers who produce at least 99% grass fed beef want labels that indicate that their beef is exactly what it sounds like: from cows that live in pastures and eat only grass. The proposal has no provisions that state that the cows must be kept in pastures and it defines "grass" to include "leftovers from harvested crops," including corn and silage, which feedlot finished cows are already fed. It means that some conventional beef, feedlot beef, could be labeled "grass fed."
Understandably, the farmers who have pasture-raised cattle don't like the proposal because it devalues the "grass fed" label, barely separating it from conventional beef as far as consumers are concerned. They propose a more specific definition of "grass" and a minimum amount of time that the cows must spend grazing in pasture each day. The Agriculture Department says those rules are too strict and that their standards put less strain on ranchers, particularly in years of bad weather or drought when pastures may suffer.
Under the Agriculture Department's standards, more beef labeled "grass fed" will reach the market. But will consumers want it, or be willing to pay a premium for it, if it has no distinction from conventional?
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9-05-2006 @7:30PM bbum said... Do yourself a favor and go find some naturally field raised, grass fed, beef. A friend of mine and I split a quarter cow and it was, bar none, the best beef I have ever had. Even the burgers had the most intense, juicy, beefy flavor around.
And the steaks... oh, the steaks....
Contrary to what one might assume, this beef is perfect for braising or other heavy sauces as the beef flavor is strong enough to cut through just about anything.
We are almost out. Time to call the farm again.
http://www.paicinesranch.com/grass-fed%20beef.htm
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9-05-2006 @9:12PM Dr. Electro said... Stand by for a sermon from the choir loft. This old fart actually knows what genuine grass-fed beef tastes like. I am not talking about silage or corn or any other grain crop that builds excess fatty tissue. Growers get more bang for the buck by overfattening the cattle with whatever will put the most fat on them. For example, at $1.00 a pound on the hoof, a thousand-pound steer will fetch more dollars that a 600-pound steer that grew from birth to slaughter on grass. The meat is a great deal leaner and better for you. The taste is incredible.
So what's the big difference? Grain and supplement fattened beef loses a lot of its natural flavor. Genuine grass-fed beef is much more flavorful. Grass is the natural food for cows. Feeding your dairy cows oat and molasses mash makes the milk better tasting and increases the butterfat content. However, the meat tastes as bland as boiled chicken with no seasonings.
If you have grown up eating commercially processed beef you probably have nothing to compare to. Therefore, the beef you eat always tastes good to you. I admit that grocery store beef is good enough to eat but I really miss the days of my youth when we raised our own grass-fed steers for our own table. We also bartered meat for veggies and other commodities with the neighbors.
If you ever have the chance to eat the real thing, you will always remember the true flavor of beef. Grass-fed beef from cows that never ate anything but grass.
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9-06-2006 @5:04PM Allison said... Amen to Dr. Electro and anyone else who weighs in on REAL grass-fed beef. Taste is king! If you don't believe me, let me tell you about my dogs. Of course, their mouths are always open to meat coming their way from my preparation and cooking surfaces, but if grass-fed beef is even thawing on the counter, they are hyper-alert and hard to lure from the kitchen.
But even beyond taste, consider the health benefits. More omega-3 for one (you know, the really good stuff your body needs). Cows are uniquely suited to digest and process grass; nowhere did nature equip them to eat grain. Grain stresses their system -- and the resulting hormones and imbalance are all stored in the meat you're eating. Yuck!
Support your local farmer/rancher. Or find the distributors online who can supply you with what nature designed the cow and you to eat.
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9-05-2006 @9:26PM Mike said... I have no doubt "grass-fed" will go the way of "organic" and be seriously diluted once it's defined by the government.
That leaves the producers to come up with their own labeling and standards. Create standards for beef, pork, lamp, chickens, eggs. Trademark the names. If you rely on the goverment that's more used to factory farms to do it you're going to get screwed.
Suing those who use your labels incorrectly will take money, so enforcement might be expensive. But, there might be an alternative. If you're pasturing your animals their entire life, it should be fairly trivial for the average consumer to drop by and see the operation. (Especially if they're buying local). If Trader Joes or Whole Foods is selling the meat, then they better be checking the producers out as well. It would be difficult to disguise a feedlot as a pasture.
I've been buying pastured chickens and just got 1/2 a pig from the same people. I've picked up chickens at the ranch and seen the chickens and laying hens walking out in the grass. I don't need a label since I've seen the animals.
So, if the pastured meat producers have a requirement that they allow consumers to come and see the facilities, maybe it wouldn't be too hard to enforce. You might even be able to bring you camera along, something I'm sure you'll never be able to do inside a Tyson or Foster Farms chicken house.
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9-05-2006 @9:56PM Sally Rube said... Lets not full ourselves; the government knows darn well what they are doing; helping the giant factory farms by easing restrictions, and screwing the small/medium size farms, who actually produce real grass fed beef, by diluting the label (Incidentally, consumers get screwed too, not getting what they paid for). When you pay the extra for grass fed beef, there is a real difference that you are paying to experience. That difference is simply not there with "leftovers from harvested crops, including corn and silage," - fed beef.
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9-07-2006 @6:58AM Dr. Electro said... Thanks for reminding me about the stress factor, Allison. I had forgotten that hormones are the reason the flavor dissappears from the beef. It can also give the meat a rather slimy texture.
Among the many endeavors I have attempted in my life was operating my own restaurant. I was really lucky to find a local meat packer that specialized in locally grown, range fed beef. I had the best meat in town. Everybody else ordered from a packer out of Abilene. Who knows what they were getting? I know the taste was inferior.
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9-06-2006 @4:55PM marie said... Yeah--we get our BEEFALO (part beef, part bison) from a local guy who's quite off the grid. Hubby and I are eco types, but the other people we met at the pickup (behind the slaughter house, eek) are people who realllllly know their food and like the taste. I don't think our guy makes too much $, he mostly does this as a favor.
See pic of me -n- the meat here: http://greenfertility.blogspot.com
Great post!
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