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Grass Fed
Grass Fed is a very popular term in today's cattle industry and gaining more popularity each passing day.
Our beef cattle industry is experiencing increased consumer demand for grassfed beef, are you prepared? Better yet is your breed prepared?
http://www.britishwhite.com
As with organic and natural beef products, there should be a standard developed for producers so they can legitimately designate and market their product as grass fed beef. It should be a standard that will afford consumers the knowledge they need to know what to expect when they buy grassfed.
The beef cattle industry is good at diversifying to meet consumer demand for specialty products. But developing a standard for grass fed beef products acceptable to the industry and consumers will be difficult and time consuming.
The food industry seems anxious to capitalize on this niche market. Research has indicated that a lot of beef purchasing decisions are based on taste and eating satisfaction. Consistency will be the key to keep the customer coming back for more. A good production standard or guide should help cattle folks achieve this consistency.
Currently there is much work and discussion within the USDA and other groups that are trying to achieve this standard. I believe there are too many inputs being considered from individuals and entities that are more interested in slanting the standards to their advantage as opposed to producing consistent quality grass fed beef.
It sounds good to me, especially when marketing a niche product. But I wonder who coined the term "Grass Fed Beef"? I have heard numbers indicating the USDA proposed a lifetime diet should be 80% grass or forage. Others have said not it has to be 100%.
Is there a proposal to not let a baby calf have his mama's milk until old enough to wean? Does it make a difference if mama is on a grain based diet to give more milk for her grass fed baby? Sounds like a very complicated process to me. What do you think?
Some cattle ranchers have been producing grass fed beef for years. Most of their customers would probably describe themselves as health conscious. Should that that not be a high priority consideration?
Why not start your own standards by satisfying your customers needs while waiting for someone else to tell them what they should be eating? Start with a breed that is known to have done well on a grass based diet, such as British Whites, and then become a grass farmer. Many of the other breeds may not be as well adapted to being fed only grass. I believe grass or forage is the more natural diet for cattle but I also believe in feeding grain or other supplements when grass & forage is not available. I hate to see a skinny animal.
Most believe grass fed beef has more cancer fighting conjugated linoleic acids and omega 3 fatty acids than commercial grain fed beef; contains more beta carotene and vitamin E.
I believe most cattle raised from start to finish on small family farms are fed a diet close enough to 100% grass & forage that they will fit those standards. The only thing left is the flavor and consistency. Breed selection and management of that breed will go a long way in solving this problem. Again I would recommend you take a good look at the British White breed. Those that own them, swear by them!
http://www.britishwhite.com
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Grass Fed