Grass Fed Beef
Understanding the label "Grass Fed Beef"
All cows eat grass and are therefor "grass fed." The real question is how the animal is finished. Finishing involves fattening the animal during the few months prior to slaughter. The label "grass fed" is often used as a marketing description and means only that the animal had access to grass in the months prior to slaughter. It does not mean that the animal was not fed grain. For example, feedlot finished meat is exclusively finished on grain in the weeks before slaughter and would not be labeled "grass fed." Essentially all supermarket beef comes from a feedlot, is grain fed and has likely been implanted with a growth hormone pellet. (See paragraph below about hormones in beef.) Grass fed beef can usually only be purchased from specialty business, small farms or individuals. Exclusively grass fed beef that has truly never been fed grain tends to have a strong gamey flavor that is often unfavorable to most american palates. As mentioned before, most people who have purchased "grass fed beef" are under the impression that the animal was not fed any grain and this is not typically the case. We no longer sell exclusively grass fed beef unless someone is very knowledgeable about the different quality in this type of meat.
How we raise our beef: Our cows are raised exclusively on pasture and high quality minerals throughout the spring, summer and into the fall. Throughout the winter, we feed high quality hay and supplement with a small amount of grain (corn and cottonseed) as needed to maintain the body condition of our herd. Our goal is not to fatten our herd on grain, but to maintain body condition.
We use no hormones. Ever! Did you know that most beef in the US has been grown with the aid of "growth enhancing" hormones? I encourage you to do a search of Zeranol. If you are buying beef from the grocery store, you are consuming beef that has been raised with hormones. Most farmers and ranchers are not actually using these implants (but some do). However, when feeder cows arrive to the feed lots they are often implanted with some type of growth enhancing hormone before being finished exclusively on grain. This allows the animal to bulk up significantly in a few short weeks and increases profit.
The Beef we offer: We have recently sold out of beef cattle and will only have limited quantities of mini jersey steers raised.
Grain Finished Mini Jersey Beef
This will be a younger (typically about 12 to 18 months) steer that is fed a ration of grain and hay daily with daily access to grass or hay. This meat will be milder in flavor, more tender, have a higher fat content and be similar to supermarket beef without the worry of added
Miniature Jersey Grass Finished Beef
This is actually some of the most outstanding meat you will ever taste. It has an amazingly unique flavor. The fat in this meat is yellow and beautifully flavors the meat. This meat is only available as Grass Finished and available in very limited quantity. This will be from a 18- 36 month old steer. Cuts of meat are smaller and the total volume of meat is less than a beef breed due to the smaller sized animal and dairy breed.
Next available meat will be late 2024.
Price List
Box Specials Now Available!
Don't have room for a whole, half or quarter cow? Try one of our 10 or 20 pound box specials. This will include a mixture of ground beef, roast, cube steak or stew meat and steaks.
~10 pounds Box - $9.50 per pound
~20 pounds Box - $9.00 per pound
Grain Mini Jersey Finished Beef:
Quarter slab - $7.00 per pound hanging hot carcass weight.
Half slab - $6.50 per pound hanging hot carcass weight.
Whole cow - $6.00 per pound hanging hot carcass weight.
Miniature Jersey Grass Finished Beef:
Quarter slab - $6.50 per pound hanging hot carcass weight.
Half slab - $6.00 per pound hanging hot carcass weight.
Whole cow - $5.50 per pound hanging hot carcass weight.
Exclusively Grass Fed Beef:
Please contact us for specifics
We use a USDA processor. The meat will be cut and packaged according to your preference.
*A note about hanging hot carcass weight (HHCW). HHCW for beef cattle is typically about 60% of live weight. Due to moisture loss during the dry aging process and trimming associated with breaking down the slab to specific cuts of meat, the final pounds of take-home meat will be reduced by 5-10 percent.
