Grass/Corn finished vs Grass/Grass finished

[per]

GF that is why it is grazed in conjunction with brome or even swath grazing. We grazed our Canada Gold Strs on it last Nov and Dec with out the benefit of a fibrous grass mate and they did 2 lbs. The last half of Dec was plenty wicket weather as well. I follow Northerns watch the manure protocol on all our animals especially going into winter.

 

[gberry]

No the plants we use don't "grade" them officially - only with their multi-generational experience of high quality Swiss butchering.
Their finished weight is on average 600lbs hanging and we don't get a big spread on weights - they are usually pretty tight to the average. They walk out of the field (no shrink) at 1000-1100lbs probably with a 1050lb average.

This is what I don't understand. We take em in usually at around 800 lbs. Live weight.

Our processor doesn't give us a hanging weight. But that's probably because I've never asked for a hanging weight. The last one we took in weighed in at 850, and he was 14 mo old. Finished processed, and in the boxes there was 510 lbs of meat. That's without the heart, liver, or soup bones, and everything is trimmed lean. So if your taking in an animal that weighs 1000-1100 lbs live weight, and hanging weight is only 600 lbs, how many lbs of actual meat is that animal actually producing?

I would have to think some of your numbers are wrong. At 60% yeild, an 850 lb steer would only hang at 510 lbs. The final cutout would be about 2/3 of that. I wonder if there is some error in communication between you and the butcher.

 

[Grassfarmer]

Sorry J-L didn't mean to imply there was anything wrong or inferior with your beef, just trying to explain what the differences might be between the weights/ meat production we are getting. Could you post a picture of these 8-weight cattle that are going for processing. I'd be interested to see what they look like.

RSL, why get hung up on 24 months? with a later calving herd why not try keeping the very smallest calves back and fatten them in the 27-28 month time frame. We just did a bunch of them and they have worked well. Way, way better than taking the discount for selling the small end of your calves. It's a long time to keep them but they can be kept very cheap for most of their lives only needing a final flush on good finishing grass. I'm not actually all that excited about the prospect of fattening on annual crops - these modern grain plants are such simple relatively mineral/goodness free plants that I think hitting 4-5lbs a day gain on them in the latter stages would have an effect on the beef rather like injecting water into chicken. The prospect of fattening 24 month+ steers slower on complex, diverse species native prairie would excite me more. I think that would give the chance of producing an even more premium product than we are doing on tame grasses/legumes.

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

This is the one I'm referrin to.

 

[Northern Rancher]

The last time we compared feedlot gain cost to our grass cattle the feedlot actually was pretty competitive-this was a few years back mind you. If anything managing grass cattle takes a higher skill set than reading bunks in my thinking. we've had groups of steers average 2.75/lbs/day and bulls go over 4 pounds of day on grass-mind you these cattle have had a bit of selection-the typical auction mart 'grass' calf has usually had a few more challenges along the way. As for feedlot costs-the end cost of gain is all I really worry about as far as costs-some charge more yardage-some mark up feed a bit more it's the end result that matters. it would probably be good business to try and have in place a pretty sure source of pasture to topgrass finished cattle on. Maybe a few outfits could rent and manage an irrigated pasture together etc just for that. Were considering using our place to custom graze bulls for gain tests as soon as we get the fencing done that I want. Grassfarmer is correct in that light calves aren't a big deal to winter as long as you have something next year for them to catch up on. A ranchers.net weekend and think tank in canada would be fun-Allan Nation has them but usually somewhere a long ways from our production area.

 

[RSL]

I am not too worried about 24 or 27 months or any other number. The biggest thing is the time value of money and ensuring that that is repaid. Part of the reason we are looking at native finishing is that it would be VERY difficult to duplicate and thus could provide the potential to build a nicely profitable market for a group of our calves. Native rangeland is one of our unfair advantages.

 

[Liveoak]

Your comments are very valid RSL. A producer could choose to just aim for the 1000-1200 lb mark regardless of the time taken. Of course, it also holds true that the extra months and grass used to fatten up that calf could have been used on a more efficient calf. If feed efficiency is transferable by genetics then one might have to take a hard look at the cow that produced that slow grower.

My understanding is that marbling is the last fat to enter the picture so, the forage/grass that puts on the last 200 to 400 lbs should be of the best quality and density. If the best grass occurs at a certain time of year, it makes sense to plan the program around that if possible.

 

[leanin' H]

Why not go for a happy medium? I understand folks wanting a "more natural" steak. We feed out as many calves as we can each year. They get weaned @ 8 months in mid October. We feed them good quality Grass/alfalfa hay through the winter. They go out on grass in April as long yearlings until about late June. Then, depending a frame size, they come back to the place for more hay and 40-45 days of grain. No hormones. Antibiotics only if sick, usually none. They average 630 pounds hanging weight at 17 of 18 months. The grain finishes them perfect with very little waste. Most grade choice and we have people standing in line every year. Grass fat may work well for some and that is great! I like our way and so do my customers. :wink: As a side note, we get $1200 to $1500 a beef depending on frame size. Makes it worth the effort. :wink:

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

Ok that still makes no sense to me. The only thing I can come up with is that there is way more fat that's trimmed away and discarded.

I understand some fat makes for good flavor. But if this is the case....what have you gained by getting them that fat?

Your goin in with an animal that weighs 150 to 250 more than what we are, and your comin out with about 70-90 lbs less meat.

Don't quite understand your yields either JL my guess is they look higher than mine because the younger smaller cattle have less bone, gut and fat. What have I gained by adding the extra weight? my answer would be a beef quality that can only be achieved by the correct balance of maturity and also fat (both in terms of finish and marbling) Our customers certainly like the product.
At the end of the day I think we have to get away from the commodity mindset if we want to prosper by selling grass-fed beef direct to customer. Yield is not really a huge concern to me as we can set our price as high as we want and get no complaints if the customer is delighted with the product. We still price our beef really reasonable on price but I remember a guy in StockmanGrassfarmer that was selling beef of low yielding, 30 month Devon steers for an astronomical price - I think he was grossing $4-4500 per head with them. It really is a different kind of marketing than the conventional market and I think we need to learn that or we will forever be constrained by commodity thinking and trap ourselves into selling our beef for commodity price plus a small margin when it is worth way more than that.

I think this is the key to grass finished beef."he correct balance of maturity and also fat (both in terms of finish and marbling) Our customers certainly like the product. "

I don't see how these cattle that are taken off a cow at 740 pound could accomplish this. :???: