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Thousand Hills

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First met Todd a few years ago at the Organic Conference in LaCrosse WI. Sharp young man. At first he was wanting only organic beef, but now he will take all natural grassfed beef if the cattle meet his criteria. Everything is being processed by a plant in Cannon Falls MN and is sold to mostly organic grocery chains. The few people I have met that did business with him were well pleased.
 
Shorthornguy said:
First met Todd a few years ago at the Organic Conference in LaCrosse WI. Sharp young man. At first he was wanting only organic beef, but now he will take all natural grassfed beef if the cattle meet his criteria. Everything is being processed by a plant in Cannon Falls MN and is sold to mostly organic grocery chains. The few people I have met that did business with him were well pleased.
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Interesting article in the western Producer this week. He explained his operation then went on to explain the difference between the British and Continental breeds. Basically he said the British breeds were the "Beef" breeds and the Continental were "OXEN". What do you want in a OX? Slow maturing more tendons and sinew. Not the best eating. The cross worked when fed out of a bunk but the original "British" finished on grass.

Guess we have put a little to much OX in most of the British cattle. :cry:
 
Thats funny especially when he doesant know his history. Shorthorns were the first british breed in the states and they were mainly used for milking or as oxen pulling wagons.He should get his facts straight.
 
shorthorn said:
Thats funny especially when he doesant know his history. Shorthorns were the first british breed in the states and they were mainly used for milking or as oxen pulling wagons.He should get his facts straight.
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Thats just because they needed an oxen,milk and if it pissed them off it was good eating. :wink:
 
Was just at a 2 day seminar with Todd as the main speaker. He's the real deal. Probably one of the best if not "the" best speaker I've ever had the privilege of listening and talking to. Knows the right type of cattle to use for grass finished, good eating quality beef,the grasses, building soil fertility using cattle, and probably the biggest thing and the hardest is marketing the final product. He"s worth travelling alot of miles to listen to in my opinion.
 
A little curious about "the right type of cattle to use for grass finished" because there is grass, then there is grass!

Aren't there vast difference between lush, fast growing, green and high moisture grasses growing on rich soils where precipitation over the long growing season is measured in FEET rather than scant inches?

It seems reasonable that grasses in those conditions may 'finish' cattle in one way ending with a vastly different product than where the native western 'hard' grasses grow on lean soils with less than 12" inches of ANNUAL precipation, with only part of that coming during our short growing season.

However, the ripened grasses of the late summer and fall, IF enough acres are available, put awsome amounts of weight on all ages of cattle grazing it.

Has any 'testing' along these lines been one by grass-fed practitioners?

mrj
 
mrj... Not real sure where you are located, but I do know an organic grassfed beef producer in Montana who finishes his Galloways on those hard grasses, then sells them at his gate for $1.45 to $1.50 per pound liveweight, and I believe that is no shrink, no shipping. I have good friends in Eastern MT with hard grasses and their calves grow like the wind, their cows get fat. Early lush grasses around here (at least the cool season ones) are so low in energy and high in water that the animal has to have tremendous capacity to consume enough to get the energy he needs to fatten. Too much protein, too little fiber, and they can actually end up in a negative energy state owing to the energy they expend trying to convert the N overload into an excretable product. Requires they either be in a pasture with leftover dead grass from previous year, or supplementation with junky prairie hay. For this reason, we usually cannot slaughter anything here in East central KS until late May through late June, once the grass gets stronger and the legumes have been up and running for awhile. We're in about a 33 inch rainfall area, which usually comes in about 4 large events during the year (well ok, it just seems that way :wink:)
 
mrj said:
A little curious about "the right type of cattle to use for grass finished" because there is grass, then there is grass!

Aren't there vast difference between lush, fast growing, green and high moisture grasses growing on rich soils where precipitation over the long growing season is measured in FEET rather than scant inches?

It seems reasonable that grasses in those conditions may 'finish' cattle in one way ending with a vastly different product than where the native western 'hard' grasses grow on lean soils with less than 12" inches of ANNUAL precipation, with only part of that coming during our short growing season.

However, the ripened grasses of the late summer and fall, IF enough acres are available, put awsome amounts of weight on all ages of cattle grazing it.

Has any 'testing' along these lines been one by grass-fed practitioners?

mrj
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Would you believe any answer I would give?
I didn't think so.
The only thing that has been proven for certain is that it can't be done where no one is willing to try!
 
RobertMac, I'm not against grass-fed.......but it does trouble me, the way some of the marketers are using tactics of scaring folks about the health consequences of all other beef to sell it. You should be able to sell it on eating qualities and factual, peer reviewed, independent research stating the nutrient values.

Another problem: too often 'new' wrinkles for making money in the beef business seem to be hyped more than deserved. That makes me a bit cautious. Then there is the attitude of some that grass fed is the ONLY way to make beef! I believe there should be a variety of types of beef available to suit the variety of consumer wishes.

I have read a bit about achieving success doing the grass-fed thing, but never see anything about areas that get less than a foot of ANNUAL precipitation, or that have a very short season when grass is green and actively growing, like maybe two months of the year. From personal experiece, I know that cattle will gain very well on our cured dry grasses up into November, if weather is unusually mild. But that hasn't fit the methods I've read of in promotion of the practice.

mrj
 
MRJ, "RobertMac, I'm not against grass-fed.......but it does trouble me, the way some of the marketers are using tactics of scaring folks about the health consequences of all other beef to sell it"

You mean like the folks who are promoting "lean" beef?
 
The best beef we ever ate came from a little 850 lb yearling heifer that was fat from good hard grass. Tender, marbled, 25 years ago and I can still remember that beef.
 
mrj said:
RobertMac, I'm not against grass-fed.......but it does trouble me, the way some of the marketers are using tactics of scaring folks about the health consequences of all other beef to sell it. You should be able to sell it on eating qualities and factual, peer reviewed, independent research stating the nutrient values.

Another problem: too often 'new' wrinkles for making money in the beef business seem to be hyped more than deserved. That makes me a bit cautious. Then there is the attitude of some that grass fed is the ONLY way to make beef! I believe there should be a variety of types of beef available to suit the variety of consumer wishes.

I have read a bit about achieving success doing the grass-fed thing, but never see anything about areas that get less than a foot of ANNUAL precipitation, or that have a very short season when grass is green and actively growing, like maybe two months of the year. From personal experiece, I know that cattle will gain very well on our cured dry grasses up into November, if weather is unusually mild. But that hasn't fit the methods I've read of in promotion of the practice.

mrj
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mrj, every time I start to answer your question, I see myself writing a long dissertation that will ultimately not have any effect on your(and most conventional producers) opinions.

Grassfed producers didn't create any of the issues that are "scaring folks about the health consequences of all other beef"...we are providing a product, that some of those consumers are asking for, to regain part of that lost market share.

There is "factual, peer reviewed, independent research stating the nutrient values" of 100% forage raised beef...research CLA, conjugated linoleic acid...a proven cancer cell killer.

The thing that has proven to me that I'm doing what is correct for my cattle is that my herd is almost care free(only assuring that they have an adequate amount of green, dormant, or stored forage to eat every day) and healthy to the point of not requiring any veterinarian assistance in over three years.

I can't think of a reason that I would go back to any conventional practices...would you care to provide me with those reasons?
 

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