Grass fed beef

Before you set out to finish grass fed beef you should ensure that you have a market for the beef you are about to produce. If you are going to the market and selling rail grade you will probably grade lower than the grain finished cattle as they will have more fat cover and show more marbling in meat. Yours will finish a lot leaner and probably show very little cover and minimal marbling , if any.

If you are selling custom or freezer beef to customers who are looking for lean food products and beef then you will be right on target with grass fed.

You will find that the British breeds will show better fat cover on grass than the exotics who have a propensity toward being lean, so that should enter into your decision information.

Grass fed beef should have the availability of very good pasture with lush grass and plenty of it. Putting an animal out on minimal pasture is not finishing beef on grass ... it more like survival. If you do not have good pasture then you will have to augment your feeding program with dairy quality hay. If you feed chit your carcass will look like you did.

If you want to finish off you grass fed beef and add a little fat cover then 8 weeks on a grain ration will help. You are not trying to marble the beef so don't go with a hot ration. 4-5# of whole oats/day will suffice.

I do some custom beef (exotics and exotic crosses) and my formula is to not take an animal under 24 months, good pasture/hay combination and 8 weeks of grain just before slaughter. As I sell the animals on the yard the new owner comes in and does the kill on site so there is no associated stress of travel, yards and slaughter house. After the kill it is better to hang for a minimum of 16 days. You can go longer but that depends upon the fat cover and the ability of the meat to retain moisture. If you can avoid curing in the bag (gas flush) which is very common in today's beef process you will have a much better product.

Take care