There’s two different ways to raise beef. Some livestock producers decide to raise grass fed beef, other use corn to help their market steers reach their full weight. There are pros and cons to both forms of beef production.
Grass, while natural and good for livestock, simply doesn’t have the calories found in corn. When all things are equal a grain fed steer will reach its market weight a great deal faster than a grass fed steer. On the other hand, the meat from grass fed steers tends to be healthier for people. It’s even possible to cook ground hamburger without getting more than spoonful of grease. Grass fed beef is leaner and tends to have a far better flavor. This has to do with the fact that not only does the animal have a healthier diet, but they also move around more, which means they build up more muscle tone, and have less fat that needs to be trimmed after they are slaughtered.
The biggest challenge faced by producers of grass fed beef is finding enough feed to keep their market livestock growing. It takes an extraordinary amount of grass to feed a single animal. Farmers who want to raise grass fed beef will need to have a great deal more land in order to raise the livestock. It’s impossible to raise grass fed beef in a feed lot situation. During years when there has been a drought, it can be difficult for the producers of grass fed beef to find enough forage to raise their cattle, forcing them to briefly make the change to corn in order to make ends meet.
Just because an animal has been grass raised it doesn’t mean they have not gotten any corn at all. While grass fed cattle have not been given a regular diet of corn, some farmers have made arrangements to put up a winter supply of corn silage. This corn silage is not pure corn. When it gets made, the entire plant, stalk, corn ear, and leaves get ground up and stored. This corn silage feed has a higher calorie content than hay, making it a perfect choice for farmers who need to feed market steers through the winter. The small amount of corn the animal gets won’t have a huge impact on the quality of the meat.
Even though grass fed beef won’t always have an organic certification, it’s the next best thing. Because the grass fed cattle get raised in fields instead of feed lots, most of the cattle has not needed to have much veterinarian care. The natural good health of the animals means consumers seldom have to worry about things like antibiotics, which have the potential to contaminate the meat.