Grass-Finished Beef - What cattle can be finished on grass

[Broomcroft]

Rob

We keep one or two special fields aside for steers and anything else we want to have extra input. Those fields are put down with good quality grazing grass with a lot of clover and the steers are at a fairly low rate per acre. We're also putting a few strips of Chicory in this year because our grass supplier's expert (I hope) says that 's a good thing to do. It has masses of trace elements. But we're not putting a great deal in because they like it too much.

Cows etc are grazed on other fields without so much clover etc, and at more head per acre.

[Martin]

Rob,
I am not in a position to rotate my grazing as you mention in your post, but prefer to set stock as it is an easier system and I have limited grazing at more than one location. If my operation was bigger and it was possible I would certainly have an amount of paddocks and graze them in rotation, especially weaned youngstock.
Martin.

[Rob R]

Rob,
I am not in a position to rotate my grazing as you mention in your post, but prefer to set stock as it is an easier system and I have limited grazing at more than one location. If my operation was bigger and it was possible I would certainly have an amount of paddocks and graze them in rotation, especially weaned youngstock.
Martin.

That is exactly the position I have found over the past 11 years of keeping Dexters. They have worked very well, as a breed choice, making the most of limited grazing & producing the very best beef to boot, but now I'm having to look at ways of increasing the herd to make it more viable, spreading fixed costs while keeping a keener eye on variable costs & productivity in order to increase the net margin.