Steer Finishing

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 10:45 am

And of course one of the main thing is the milk the calf gets. We keep calves on cows for 8-10 months, if possible, like most I believe.

Clive

Sylvia · Post by **Sylvia** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 5:19 pm

Although it might be 'traditional' to finish steers/heifers with grain surely it isn't right to then claim that beef is grass-fed. It seems a bit like the 'vegetarians' who eats a bacon sandwich occasionally...... they aren't vegetarians either. Currently, grass-fed meat is under the spotlight because of particular qualities. There is no legislation (as with organic) to make sure people get what is being advertised, it comes down to the honesty of the farmer. It would be a shame if this initiative was de-railed by mis-information.

Martin · Post by **Martin** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:08 pm

Hi Sylvia,
I make no claims regarding grass fed, I class my animals as traditional and would inform any likely customer what my interpretation of that is with honesty. There are members of this site who regularly inform us of what their cows winter rations consist of, I am sure none of them would then try to pass animals off as grass fed, would they?
I believe that anyone that buys beef from me will buy it more from the fact that it is produced on the outskirts of their village and they see them whenever they walk their dogs. In fact there is a clear veiw of the cows winter quarters from one of the footpaths that passes the gate of the farm, so nothing is hidden and nor would I wish it to be.
Martin.

Sylvia · Post by **Sylvia** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 8:13 pm

Look back up the list, I wasn't referring to you in particular, Martin, but just the overall position. The public is confused enough about farming as it is without having to work out the difference between grass-fed and only grass-fed. And it wouldn't be necessary if grass-fed meant NO concentrates. I'm not criticising the use of concentrates if owners feel it is necessary. Better that than allowing animals to deteriorate. But so far our Dexters, and now our Shetland lambs, finish without them.

As far a 'traditional' is concerned I think this encompasses much more than feeding for finishing. Cows who suckle their own calves for as long as necessary, cows kept in compatible groups, good grazing on permanent pasture and good winter care, a minimum of medicine for good health ....... simply a more gentle way of life than most commercial outfits manage. Well that is what it means to me anyway.

Penny · Post by **Penny** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:59 pm

If you can see a difference in a couple of weeks Martin, which you will , then I hate to tell you that the increase is not muscle, it is fat, so you will just be paying for the butcher to do extra trimming!
Same for humans, give me an extra chocolate bar a day, and I will sadly put on fat, not muscles to help me lift the hay bales!

Yes, I know that is not really a good comparison, as I have ceased to grow ( upwards anyway!!) but if it were my son and daughter, the results would be the same. A decent carcass takes time to build up, whatever the diet. By all means give him a bit, but will you get enough extra beef to pay for these feed costs? I wonder.

Sending a short and a non-short at the same time is generally difficult, but I do agree with you that he will not probably do well if left by himself. Always best to keep friends together right up to abattoir day if poss.

happy hollidays · Post by **happy hollidays** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 9:37 am

Martin, were you able to sell the older meat as easily as the under 30 months? I have been looking at other postings about eating your own cow, (which is over 30 months) and was wondering how that fits into the business plan of a beef farmer? Especially if there are very few small and friendly slaughterhouses available for young animals let alone the older ones! nice weather, just when we were starting to dry out too.

Martin · Post by **Martin** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:05 am

Sylvia,
your description of traditional is the same as mine and I would hope many others, I don't think I could have put it better.
Penny, as you probably know beef that will be hung for any length of time requires a cover of fat to protect the meat and to add flavour, this is all I am trying to do, not pile on weight for the sake of it. with saleable meat at £7 per kilo and the feed at £4.80 per 20 kilo's I think it is a fair gamble.
Estelle, I did not sell the meat as it would have been too difficult to find licensed premises for over 30 month animals, I took the decision to sell into the trade and save the hasle of trying to sell what may have turned out to be an inferior product.
Martin

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:15 am

Grass-fed / Omega 3 is becoming a huge issue and I personally believe very relevant to good health. Dexters have a good advantage over most other breeds in this respect, I imagine.

The question is whteher grass-fed most of it's life then fed grain can be regarded as grass-fed keeps coming up.

(Heston Blumenthal said the Longhorn beef he was using was grass-fed, but then finished on grain to produce the marbling. I felt like sending him a dexter steak).

So, is it possible to test for Omega 3 etc content? If so, who, how, what's the cost. Any ideas, then please let me know and I'll chase it up.

If grass-fed / grain-finished, ain't as good as 99-100% grass, and that can be proven, then Dexters have just become more important in the world, and we have a very powerful advantage.

Clive

Inger · Post by **Inger** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:26 am

You should be able to get a bone-out rate of at least 60% for Grade 2 or higher Dexters. I've heard of 72% for one bloodline of Dexters here in NZ. Though I'm not sure how long the animal was hung for.

Sylvia · Post by **Sylvia** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 5:40 pm

Clive, Eclipse, an Irish company say they test for Omega 3.

www.eclipsescientific.co.uk
email: enquiries@esqlabs.co.uk
ask for fatty acid profile including Omega 3 acids
Sorry, don't know how much it costs, or whether they test small, private amounts of meat or if they are just for large companies.

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 9:24 pm

Thanks Sylvia

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 7:01 am

Grass-Fed / Grass-Finished Meat
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Found this on the eatwild.com website (brilliant site).

"Omega-3s are most abundant in seafood and certain nuts and seeds such as flaxseeds and walnuts, but they are also found in animals raised on pasture. The reason is simple. Omega-3s are formed in the chloroplasts of green leaves and algae. Sixty percent of the fatty acids in grass are omega-3s. When cattle are taken off omega-3 rich grass and shipped to a feedlot to be fattened on omega-3 poor grain, they begin losing their store of this beneficial fat. Each day that an animal spends in the feedlot, its supply of omega-3s is diminished.[8] The graph below illustrates this steady decline."

PS. I can't show the graph because of the format, but it shows a 1/3rd decline in omega-3 after 28 days fattening and virtually down to zero after 84 days. There is also a slight decline on being on hay.

Clive

wagra dexters · Post by **wagra dexters** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 12:50 pm

I used to own a book, long since disappeared, called Diet For A small Planet, by Juliet Baraicli von Levi. It is 20 years since I have seen it, but I believe she claimed that it took 17.5 lb of grain protein to make 1 lb of beef protein.
She used references, diagrams and statistics to present her case, that as cattle have the ability to turn cellulose into protein, they should eat grass, and the grain should be fed directly to the people.

The book is actually about complementary protein from sources other than meat, ie., cereal, nuts, dairy, legumes. I cannot recall reference to Omega-3. I had never heard of it back that far.