Representing the Colorado Section of the Society for Range Management

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1 Crane 1 Grass-Fed Cattle vs Feedlot Fed Cattle By Micah Crane Representing the Colorado Section of the Society for Range Management High School Youth Forum Corpus Christi, TX February 2016 Abstract Grass fed cattle produce better meat than grain fed cattle because it has been shown to be healthier. Grass fed cattle on strategically managed rangeland can give you comparable quality and desirable carcass yields when compared with grain fed cattle. Range management plays a very important role to the success of grass fed cattle. Without proper management of the land, we will not be successful raising cattle for meat on rangeland. Grass fed beef production can provide some ranchers an increasing opportunity to enter a niche market to meet the changing demands for healthier beef that is produced with sustainable rangeland management practices. Introduction Grass-fed cattle or Feed-lot cattle? Which do you prefer? Grass fed cattle are cattle that are raised on rangeland or pasture for their entire lives. They are raised and finished entirely on rangeland or pastureland, grazing on many different types of grasses and forages. Grass fed cattle are not fed in a feed lot or even a setting of the feed lot. They freely eat what they choose and benefit from that down the road. Research shows that grass fed cattle are not only healthier themselves, but are also better for human nutrition and human health as well. While on the other hand, feed lot fed cattle are still healthy and good for you, when compared to grass fed cattle it

2 Crane 2 simply cannot compete. However, feedlot fed cattle are born & raised on rangeland, weaned from their mom, and then sent to the feed lot to be finished by gaining weight. They are sent to slaughter almost two times as fast! There are advantages and disadvantages to each of these production systems, and opportunities exist for ranchers to enter the grass fed beef market. Ultimately, the consumer will decide which kind of beef is best suited to their needs. Grass Fed Cattle Have you ever wondered what makes grass-fed beef much desirable to consumers than feedlot beef? Grass-fed beef is the best for overall health and has the best meat quality. Beef that has been grass-fed is high in Beta-Carotene which the human body converts into vitamin A. Vitamin A is important to the human body s vision, bone growth, cell division, reproduction, and cell differentiation. Not only does vitamin A help in those areas, but it creates a barrier to bacterial and viral infection and supports the production and function of white blood cells. Grassfed beef typically has 3 times the amount of vitamin E than that found in Feedlot beef. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that may help prevent or delay coronary heart disease, block the formation of carcinogens formed in the stomach, and protect against cancer development. The ratio of Omega 3 fatty acids to Omega 6 fatty acids in our diet plays a prominent role in the prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, autoimmune diseases, cancer, arthritis and other inflammatory diseases. The Omega 3 content in grass fed beef increases by 60% and produces a much more favorable Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio than grain fed beef. Grass-fed beef is leaner and higher in protein than grain fed beef with an average of 1.5 times more protein than typical USDA choice grain fed beef. Research shows that

3 Crane 3 eating this lean beef can help lower blood pressure and total LDL and VLDL cholesterol, aid in weight loss, and improve insulin sensitivity and glycemic control. Grass fed beef often tastes better than grain fed beef, because grass fed beef is raised AND finished on rangeland & pastureland with a natural variety of grasses and forbs. This makes good sense when you consider that cattle are born to be grass eaters. They evolved with four stomachs, including a rumen, to be able to efficiently convert forage not grain into beef. Another reason the taste is better is because grass fed beef is dry-aged, which enhances flavor and tenderness of the meat. Not only does grass fed beef taste better but is healthier for humans, and that comes with a price as we all know. That price is the extra dollar sign in stores, time searching for this meat, and more time for the cattle to grow to prime harvest weight. Grass fed cattle start and remain on grass until they reach harvest weight in the range of months of age to be ready to go to the packing house. This is a long time when compared to grain fed cattle. Feedlot cattle are ready for the packing house in a short months of age. This may not seem like that much of a time difference but it actually is. The time difference between the two is because pasture & rangeland forage is much less fatty than feedlot rations containing high starch grains. Feedlot rations contain as much as 75% corn grain. This is so to make animals grow as much and as fast as possible to reach harvest weight. Grain Fed Beef You may think feedlot cattle have always been on the lot for their entire life, but this is false. Not only is it false but it is way off topic. Both grass-fed and grain fed beef have advantages that make them unique. This keeps one type of cattle from overpowering the other out of business. Both have huge impacts on life today and food supplies. Feedlot beef has many

4 Crane 4 advantages with few disadvantages. On the other hand grass-fed beef has many more advantages with around the same number of disadvantages. When the calves are born they lives on their mother s milk, on rangeland, until they are weaned at 5 to 6 months of age or around pounds. After the calves reach that weight and are properly weaned from their mother most producers sell the calves to yearling stocker operations or the feedlot for them to feed to slaughter weight. Not all calves go to the feed lot, some stay on grass as well. Most cattle in the world are bred to be consumed and feedlot cattle add variety in choices of meat to the table. Some people wonder what a feedlot actually is and are most often given improper information like; feedlots treat animals cruelly, and are shown bleak pens full of sick and overweight cattle. This is very untrue, feedlots treat animals with care and closely monitor health of the animals. Animals in stress and poor conditions are often prone to sickness or death. Sick animals don t gain well and often loose the owner money. Why would the operator want to lose money? It still puzzles me how people still think that feedlots do such things when the cattle are the feedlots profit, but I digress. Grazing Practices Rotational Grazing Strategy What is rotational grazing and how does it affect the meat quality and range health? Rotational grazing is a well-known rangeland management practice done by many ranchers today. Basically, rotational grazing can be implemented by using the existing pastures on the ranch and sometimes it may be necessary to cross-fencing some pastures. Compared to continuous grazing, a pasture rotational grazing involves developing a plan that enables ranchers

5 Crane 5 to control the amount of time the cattle will be allowed to graze in each pasture before being moved to an ungrazed pasture. Rather than being spread-out into each pasture on the ranch, the cattle are consolidated into one head or a cow/calf pair and then rotated through the various pastures. Low stress livestock handling techniques are being used by many ranchers to minimize any stress on the livestock as they are rotated. Rotational grazing management requires that several pastures be included in the ranchers grazing plan. This will sometimes require the development of new livestock water to facilitate the rotation. Rotational grazing allows the grazed pasture to rest and recover from the grazing and thereby strengthens the grass. It eventually improves the production and diversity of the rangeland and almost immediately improves the quality of the different forage species available to the cattle. This is an important positive outcome for grass fed beef production! With any grazing strategy it is important to achieve less stress on your grass, and cattle. Rotating the grazing allows them to take first bites of the grass and then move them to the next section as they reach the end of that section. This allows the grass to be relieved of stress caused by continuously being bitten and gives it the advantage to grow back faster! This is a very successful practice and can help prevent over grazing of the grass and can relieve the stress on the cattle, especially in a dryer climate, like Baca County in Southeast Colorado, where my family ranches. This practice gives ranchers an advantage when it comes down to the amount and quality of meat produced on the cow or calf. With cattle under no stress from bare minimum grass and the grass under no overgrazing stress, you will yield a higher quality carcass of meat in the end, while sustaining the rangeland.

6 Crane 6 Proper Stocking Rates Proper stocking of each pasture in the rotation is an important rangeland management practice. What this means to beef producers is to control the number of head AND the time allowed for grazing in each pasture. Proper stocking TOGETHER with a well-managed rotational grazing strategy is necessary for quality beef production while improving or maintaining good rangeland condition and health. This is important to sustaining all ranching enterprises and is the essential kind of rangeland management for grass fed beef production! Conclusion Yes grass-fed beef have many benefits over grain fed beef, but grain fed beef has its advantages as well. With that little extra fat comes a tenderer, juicier, and a better flavored meat. The fat in the grain fed meat acts as a buffer in cooking which makes it more forgiving in a variety of cooking methods. Within the variety of methods it is fairly easy to cook that juicy steak to perfection. You would think since grass-fed beef is healthier it would be scored higher by the USDA, but in fact grain fed beef is offered as Prime and Choice beef over grass-fed. Not only is it the higher rated choice, grain fed beef is less costly to raise and are in ample supply! Both grass-fed and grain fed beef have advantages that make them unique. Also one type of cattle can t overpower or put the other out of business. Both have huge impacts on life and food supplies today. Feedlot beef have many advantages with few disadvantages. On the other hand grass-fed beef has many more advantages with around the same number of disadvantages. When looking at this all together, we can see that grass-fed cattle can take a long time to get to the packing house but is heathier when you take nutrition to mind. While feed lot

7 Crane 7 fed cattle can take less time to get to the packing house but has a downslope on health when compared to the health benefits of grass fed cattle. When you combine good grazing techniques for grass fed cattle, you can get a comparable quality yield of the carcass than just feeding the cattle in the feedlot and getting them fat on grains. The cattle are heathier in the open range and their meat is lean with enough good fat and marbling to make a great steak to put on the dinner table. Ultimately it comes to down to your choice as a consumer and what you feel is the best suit for you. But in the end, it all comes down to how you manage your grassland, because no grass means no cattle. References Buedel Blog. "The Benefits of Grain and Grass Fed Beef." <i>buele Meat Up</i>. Buedel, 24 Sept Web. 23 Nov "Benefits of Grass-Fed Meat." <i>southwest Grassfed Livestock Alliance</i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov