The term “grass-fed beef” has recently taken the beef industry by storm, with a sharp increase in consumer demand for beef finished on grass. With a rising health-conscious consumer and several implications that grass-fed beef is better for your health, this rise in demand is no surprise. However, many of these implications come with little or no research on the actual facts behind feeding methods. At Wyoming Pure, we are proud to say that we are grain-finished on purpose, and hope to use this blog post to educate our customers as to why we believe this is the best finishing method for the beef on your table.
It’s important to note that, using the USDA’s standards, the “grass-fed” marketing buzzword can be used even if the methods used to raise these cattle are not in line with the core standards of grass-fed/grass-finishing. For example, a 15 month-old, pasture-raised steer could be put on a grain-based finishing diet six moths prior to their slaughter and still be considered “grass-fed” because they have spent more than 50% of their lives on grass. Likewise, a 15-month-old steer could be fed corn and grain for the majority of their lives and then turned out on grass for several months before slaughter and still be considered “grass-finished”. If you are looking for true grass-fed beef, it’s important to make sure you know the source of your beef and can trust their finishing processes.
Grain-fed beef is loosely defined as beef that are given grain rations during the last few months of their lives. Usually, these rations are given in feedlots to allow ease of feeding. While starchy grains make up a portion of the finishing ration, the rations are also balanced with significant sources of fiber, proteins, and other minerals.
Many claims from grass-fed beef enthusiasts will report that grass fed beef is superior for your health than grain-finished beef. In truth, the differences between the two are marginal. Here are how the nutrition facts of the two actually compare in a 3 oz serving:
Protein: 21.8 g
Zinc: 3.7 mg
Iron: 1.8 mg
Total Fat: 2.9 g
Protein: 22 g
Zinc: 3.8 mg
Iron: 1.6 mg
Total Fat: 5.2 g
You’ll notice that the most significant difference between the two finishing types is the fat content. Because cattle finished on grain have access to a wider variety of starches and fats in their diet, the meat will naturally have a higher concentration of fat within it. The good news is that this fat usually presents itself as marbling throughout the meat, which is responsible for giving your beef the tenderness and buttery smooth flavor that you love.
There are several reasons why we choose to raise our cattle using a grass-fed and grain-finished approach:
On average, grass-finished beef take 3 times longer than those finished on grain. This means that the same animal finished on grass compared to grain would require three times the feed, three times the veterinary care, and three times the land expense. In addition, the rancher would wait three times as long to receive a paycheck for one animal. For a family operation, choosing to grass-finish would be a very costly choice. By choosing to grain-finish, we choose to cut down these expenses to keep the prices of our beef competitive for you.
Because grain-finishing requires significantly less overall feed to produce the same amount of beef, the total carbon footprint is reduced dramatically. In fact, the more-efficient grain-finishing method can reduce the overall carbon footprint between 18.5% and 67.5%.
The native grasslands on our Wyoming prairies make fantastic forages because the seedy heads of the grasses provide healthy starches and fats that aren’t typically found in the grasslands of other areas. However, Wyoming is typically a very dry state. Because of the lack of rainfall each year, grasslands have to be carefully managed to avoid over-grazing. Over-grazing can lead to weakened plants with reduced ability to regrow; lower grass quality from fewer leaves and smaller root systems; extreme soil erosion as a result of high winds with no plant covering; high levels of soil compaction preventing water infiltration and increasing runoff; loss of soil nutrients; and a host of other issues. In order to keep our native grasslands healthy and thriving, it is imperative that we give our pastures time to rest by removing the cattle from grazing for a short period of time. Grass finishing would not allow us to keep our native pastures flourishing.
Many people assume that a grain-finishing method implies a diet overloaded with fatty starches, but this is simply not true. In fact, grain-finished cattle are provided with a complex diet rich in proteins, fats, carbohydrates and other minerals. A conventional grain-finishing ration consists of 45% carbohydrates, 30% protein, 22% silage/roughage, and 3% mineral supplements. By contrast, a grass-fed diet consists primarily of fiber and carbohydrates from roughages while lacking in protein and fats. Imagine if you had to choose between a diet of only vegetables, or one well-balanced with proteins, grains, and sugars. Which diet would leave you the most satisfied? Which diet would be the most beneficial for muscle function and maintenance? While cattle are able to grow and thrive on grass alone, a diet with more-balanced macronutrients bring happy, satisfied cattle.
The fat composition between grass-fed and grain-finished beef is the most notable difference between the two finishing options, with grass-fed beef having lower amounts of fat and marbling than grain-finished beef. In terms of meat, fat = flavor. When fat is taken away, the flavor of the beef typically suffers. Often times, grass-fed beef is described as having a “gamier” and tougher taste comparable to venison, whereas grain-finished beef are often described as having a juicy, buttery, and tender flavor. We have found that grain-finishing provides far superior taste and flavor, which we are not willing to sacrifice.
One of the primary cases for grass-fed beef is that it is higher in the “good” omega-3 fatty acids, in comparison to “bad” omega-6 fatty acids. This is true – the grain sources that cattle are fed on a grain-finishing diet are higher in omega-6 fats. So naturally, the meat yielded from a grain-finished animal will have higher levels of these omega-6s. Grain-fed beef has a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 of 9:1. Conversely, grass-fed beef has a ration of 2:1. However, beef (even grass-fed) is generally considered a poor source of omega 3 fatty acids in general, with things like salmon and nuts being a much better source. If you are not overloading your diet with beef every meal, this should be cause for minimal concern.
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