Grass Fed or Corn Fed

[Dee]

Yes, I’m talking about beef.  For years we fed Black Angus cattle and always fed corn, as well as hay.  For the next years we fed Hereford’s and fed grass only.  Why the switch?  No reason, just trying different things.  Why the Hereford’s?  Because I loved and wanted them.

 

So, each year we butchered.  Well, we didn’t do the work, we took them to the locker.  One steer per year until the kids grew up and had families then it became two steers a year

 

Looking at the Black Angus in the pasture they were built solidly, heavier and very pretty.  Looking at the Hereford’s in the pasture they were not as solid, nor as heavy but still very pretty.

 

The difference in taste was subtle.  DDIL had trouble with the grass fed hamburger.  The rest of us didn’t notice but she said it “felt funny,” whatever that meant.  If someone else handled it and did the cooking she said it tasted just like any hamburger.  She just couldn’t stand handling it but couldn’t explain why.

 

Any other’s experienced the difference?  What did you think?

 

When you do butcher, what parts do you keep?  What parts do you not want?  Our kids didn't want the lard.  Lots of lard from two steers so I only kept it from one.  The kids all loved the steaks.  We let them have them since we aren't much for steak.  Oh, round steak tenderized is nice but they took the other.  I hate to admit but tongue, heart, etc were not our cup of tea.  When we had hogs I took everything because they'll eat anything and everything but once the hogs were gone we got pickier.

 

We no longer have livestock after getting older.  It's sure easier buying it at the grocery store.

 

 

[out_of_the_ordinary]

Grassfed here.    At one point, I was having so much trouble digesting beef I though I was becoming allergic/sensitive to it.    I have many, many allergies and sensitivities.        Anyway,  we tried local corn-fed beef.  It had much better flavor than what we had been buying at the grocery store, but I still had some  digestive issues.    

 

Then, we tried local grass-fed beef.      It was so easy on my stomach!    For digestability, I put it up there with deer meat.   I don't have any upset stomach or anything eating it.  Good flavor and it is much more filling than the grocery store beef.    So we completely switched to grass-fed beef from a local farmer.    After all that,  I read Real Food by Nina Planck and some other things that went into info about how grass-fed beef is healthier than corn-fed. 

[Darlene]

Yesssssss, Dee! A thread on beef! 

 

The Idiot has not escaped today (to my knowledge) although Idiot Jr (the idiot goat someone gave me that I never wanted, who is the one who teaches all the idiot cows how to escape) was out down in the valley earlier.  I can't tell you the calls I get from neighbors, "just wanted to let you know some of your sheep, your idiot cow, your idiot jr goat are in our yard, or out on the road". It's funny, but not funny because their escaping off the property is not good nor wise.

 

Anyway, enough about Idiot.

 

Like you, I've done both...grassfed and corn supplemented. I used to belong to the GA Cattlemen's Association and it was funny and interesting to listen to all those old guys who had everything down to almost the exact minute from birth to slaughter. Years ago, my butcher shared with me his experience about when to have the various things processed and said something like this: "When I sit down to have a steak dinner, I don't want a puny little steak on my plate. I want a big 'ole fat steak and the only thing that will get you that is time". His point was, the XX-XX amount of raising a cow for processing as touted by the local GACA, was contrary to his personal opinion.

 

And then there are the added health benefits of grass vs corn. There are certain nutrients found in grass fed beef that is not found in corn fed. Supposedly, they say you can feed up to 5lbs/day of corn and not negate the grass-fed benefits, but I don't know.

 

It's alot more work for me to supplement corn the last few months anyway so I've tended to just let them be grass-fed. I don't notice anything distasteful with the grass-fed beef, although I do notice a little difference when they've been corn fed.

 

As far as what I use from the cow...everything I legally can have. There are certain parts that supposedly the butchers can't release, at least here, but everything I can get, I take because I add it to the livestock guardian dogs we raise and breed, to supplement their diets...heart, tongue, liver, etc. They love it and it definitely adds nutrition that can't be found in a kibble. Even when stuff in the freezer gets too old for human consumption, it's given to the dogs who could care less about any freezer burn. One of the greatest advances the local processing houses have instituted over the past 10 years is to upgrade to vacuum sealed packages vs the traditional freezer wrapped meats. I had so much meat go bad by the paper method over the years, and instead, have everything vacuum sealed because it helps the meat to last longer.

 

I also keep alllll the tallow fat from the cows. Sometimes I use it in the soaps I make, sometimes I use it in cooking. It's amazing stuff. When we process pigs, I definitely keep all the lard. Nothing can beat homemade French fries, fried in lard. Ay yi yi, just writing about it makes me want to make some.

 

Like you, I let my kids 'grocery shop' when they visit. Especially with the prices of meat these days. It makes me very happy to be able to do things like this because all of their friends think they're very special to have access to that kind of quality of meat. They also have permission to grocery shop the canned goods, as long as they participate in that year's canning. It's only fair that they help with the hard work, to benefit from that the rest of the year.

 

[Dee]

When you talk about your kids "shopping", mine do too.  I love that they feel comfortable enough to help themselves.  None really help can, etc. but they help the "old folks" in so many other ways.  

 

I remember when Kendra, our daughter, was a girl and friends would come over.  When I fixed supper I'd say to Kendra, go get some cilantro, parsley, whatever.  She took the scissors, went to the living rooms south window and began cutting on this herb or that. 

 

One friend, her mother was a friend of mine, went home and told her mother that Kendra's family eats weeds. Kendra and I had such fun shocking these girlfriends of hers.

Edited March 18, 2022 by Dee

[Darlene]

2 minutes ago, Dee said:

 

 

One friend, her mother was a friend of mine, went home and told her mother that Kendra's family eats weeds. Kendra and I had such fun shocking these girlfriends of hers.

rofl I love it!

 

Weeds! Lol

[Mother]

We no longer raise our own meat though our guys still hunt deer, Turkey, and etc.  Like OOTO I have severe allergies and intolerances.  It is 100% grass fed beef for us along with pasture raised hogs, chicken, and Turkey.  The only difference I can tell is that grass fed ground beef is not as greasy and it is definitely more digestible for me.  The ratio of omega 6-3 is much healthier.  If we do have one butchered I always get everything, besides the hide. We no longer tan them.  The tallow is great for frying, for making soap, and makes a passable candle.  It can be used for lotions and creams also.  We get bones, hoofs, and even the skinned head, and use them for making broth.  We like heart, tongue, and liver but any other organ meats and scraps go into the broth.  From that meat we make head cheese, scrapple and etc.  Yes, when I’m able we use everything but the moo…. We treat deer the same way except our deer are  somewhat corn fed naturally but they prefer browse most of the time.  When we do buy we buy only organic, 100% grass fed beef.
 

OOTO, I have read Real Food as well.  It definitely makes you think. 

[Darlene]

1 minute ago, Mother said:

The tallow is great for frying, for making soap, and makes a passable candle.  It can be used for lotions and creams also.  

 Many years ago, I started making lotions with lard and tallow. I gave some to my feed guy's wife and she was blown away and shared how her grandson commented to her one day as she held his hand...

 

"Grandma, how come your hands aren't scratchy today?" She replied "because of the tallow lotion I use on them". I guess all the commercial products worked, but never really did work, whereas the lard and tallow lotions really DID heal and protected her skin. Most people would turn their nose up at a lotion made with those fats, but truth be known, they're superior in many ways.

[Jeepers]

Mother your vast knowledge is amazing. Seriously amazing.

[Mother]

Thank you, Jeepers but age has a way of hiding memory sometimes…

[Jeepers]

18 minutes ago, Mother said:

Thank you, Jeepers but age has a way of hiding memory sometimes…

Yes, and thank goodness it does sometimes.