There are many misconceptions about grass-fed beef.  The most common is that grass-fed beef is tough.  Keep in mind that there is a huge difference between grass-fed beef and grass-finished beef.  An animal is “finished” and ready to butcher when it shows generous deposits of fat over the back, tailhead and twist.  A consumer that has been duped into buying a 700 lb. roping steer labeled as “grass-fed” will be disappointed and forever biased against grass-fed beef.  Don’t do that to your customers!

Here are some facts that help clear up those misconceptions.  First of all, grain is not the source of marbling, genetics is.  A grass-finished carcass can be just as well marbled as a grain-finished beef.  Although USDA still scores carcasses based on it, researchers tell us that marbling only accounts for 10% of tenderness.  The primary factor determining tenderness is genetics.  Because these traits are highly heritable, PCC® DNA tests all the bulls we sell for the Tenet gene, certifying superior tenderness.  In addition, all our forage developed bulls are ultra-sounded and scored for marbling and tenderness.

Another misconception about grass-fed beef is how they are produced.  Many believe (like I did) that all you have to do is turn a calf out in the pasture until it’s grown.  I quickly learned my 1600 lb. hay burners did not fit the program–they took three years to fatten on grass!  To grass finish beef in less than 24 months, you must pay careful attention to grass quality and grazing rotations.   However, the primary factor determining an efficient time frame is again, genetics.  PCC cattle are selected for early maturity.  That means they stop growing structurally and start depositing fat sooner than status quo cattle.  In my experience, a typical grass-fed heifer will weigh 1200 lbs. at a frame score of 3-4, an ideal size for the direct-to-consumer market.

Johann Zietsman says that a grass-efficient animal “looks like 8 pounds of sugar in a 5 pound sack”.  PCC developed a unique score for our bulls listed in the sale catalog as “the grass efficiency” score.  This is an estimate of mature size using University research and age adjusted hip height.  It has proven to be a useful tool in selecting grass-efficient seed stock.

If you are interested in grass-fed production, you need to know that genetics is the primary factor that produces tender beef in a reasonable amount of time.  PCC® has genetics for grass-fed production.  I’ll see you next time on the Herd Quitter® Minute.