Grassfed vs. Grain/Grassfed that is the discussion.
Does Grassfed make the grade of Prime, my belief is no when you fully understand that Grassfed beef produces a lean cut of beef. The USDA grades beef by the marbling of the rib as described here. We are asked all the time is our beef grassfed 100%, the answer is no. Then our customers get a sigh of relief on their face because they then share their experience with eating 100% grassfed beef from the Maryland geographical area and are very disapointed in flavor and texture. I share with you for information purposes only how beef is USDA graded and then what makes grassfed beef lean. You decide for yourself. If you are looking for a lean steak then grassfed may be your choice but if you are looking for a steak with marbling then you are looking for grainfed beef. We are a small operation that believes it takes a tremendous amount of land to produce quality grassfed beef and in a geographical area that the cattle can graze year round, not to be just given hay during the winter. Hay looses it’s quality and is no longer getting nutritional value from the earth.
A USDA meat grader assesses the quality of a beef carcass, he or she makes an incision between the 12th and 13th rib, takes a good look at how much marbling there is, and assigns the meat a grade, from the highest, Prime, to Choice and Select and all the way down to Canner. That’s why a well-marbled steak, one that is abundantly flecked with little specks and streaks of white fat, costs a lot more than a steak that’s all red muscle.
Consumers have been led to believe that meat is meat is meat. In other words, no matter what an animal is fed, the nutritional value of its products remains the same. This is not true. An animal’s diet can have a profound influence on the nutrient content of its products.
The difference between grainfed and grassfed animal products is dramatic.
First of all, grassfed products tend to be much lower in total fat than grainfed products. For example, a sirloin steak from a grassfed steer has about one half to one third the amount of fat as a similar cut from a grainfed steer.
In fact, grassfed meat has about the same amount of fat as skinless chicken or wild deer or elk. When meat is this lean, it actually lowers your LDL cholesterol levels.
As you can see there is a difference in grain versus grassfed, it is similar to comparing apples to oranges. You can’t do it. I really think it comes down to choice for the customer. But if you are looking for a steak that grades at Choice yield 3 or above or Prime you will have to go with grainfed. Research has proven that grassfed is a lean meat (much less marbling).
You can not lump all grainfed cattle into the same category either. Grainfed in a feed lot is different than a small cattle operation that the cattle are on pasture year round 7 days a week and given grain. When making the decision to buy local and buy fresh consider the cattle farmer that is raising your beef without penning the animals up and free access to pasture along with being fed grain.
Just food for thought.
