This summer, I was complaining to the hubby that I wasn’t losing weight on my diet.
“I am eating all of our fresh produce from the garden!” I declared. “Tomatoes and fresh corn are my favorites you know.”
His response……Wait for it…. “We feed corn to the cows to fatten them up. I guess that’s working for you too.”
I coulda punched him! But then I realized he had a point.
Cattle love the fresh green grass, just like we enjoy a bright crisp salad. But who wants to just eat SALAD?! Not me! Give me some meat and potatoes any day. Well corn is kinda like meat and potatoes to cows. It tastes yummy and their bodies utilize it very well. Corn is an excellent energy source for cattle. The starch and protein that the corn kernel provides help cattle grow and thrive.
A current trend in beef production is to raise cattle only on grass or hay, which is called Grassfed. Though many folks have different reasons for their choice, some of the popularity for this alternative method to traditional beef cattle finishing is based on the falsehoods that cattle are forced to eat it grains, that grains are not safe for man or beast, and that feeding grains does not improve the taste. I beg to differ.
First off, cows are not being force fed grain as some want you to believe. Cows LOVE it! However, even though they love it, they are not crammed full of corn for their whole lives. Neither do they get as much as they can possibly devour once it is introduced. Every calf starts on its mother’s milk and eventually graduates to grass. Amazingly, these remarkable creatures can take what we cannot digest and through a system only our great Creator could design, they turn that grass into high quality, nutrient dense protein that we can eat for our good health.
Grain is only introduced to the animals that are weaned from their mothers, have developed far enough along on grass and are best suited for finishing (fed grain to the proper weight and condition for slaughter). While cows continue for years to graze lush pastures at B/F Cattle Company (some for 12, 13 or 15 years!), others are weaned and get that little bit of extra yummy during the last stages of “fattening” them. And it is fed in regulated amounts for a definite amount of time.
As for the fear-filled fake news on how cattle are affected from eating genetically modified corn, in 20 years of feeding out cattle with grain, we have never found any ill effects on the cattle or in the end product! In our personal experience, we have found that there is NO increase in disease or sickness in the cattle. Instead they put on weight slowly and continue to thrive. There is also NO solid proof that there are ill effects in the final meat for consumers. What we grow, we feed to our own family and friends with full confidence that it is entirely safe and nutritious. And DELICIOUS.
And that brings me to that third point and where this conversation all started – THE TASTE! An animal that grazes on pasture, then is also offered the right amount of corn at the right time, for the right amount of time, will have more dispersion of fat within the lean muscle, also known as marbling.Those flecks and thin streaks of white in the red muscle are what give a steak tastier flavor.
We believe that Grassfed beef is simply a trend. A fad. People hear or read that Grassfed is healthier, so they buy into that. Our cattle and most others are grass fed AND grain fed. They spend their days grazing in a lush pasture or munching on hay in the winter. Then they are given a ration of grain. They are not standing in a pen, being forced to eat massive amounts of toxic grain as some would have you believe.
You may feel overwhelmed by differing opinions on the Grassfed debate. My best advice……ask a rancher. Most all of them are going to raise their cows in an efficient and humane way. If they aren’t, well then, I would be buying your beef from someone else.
So back to my season of “fattening up.” While a constant diet of corn and maters could sure hinder weight loss, there is definitely a time to savor those garden goodies. I’m thinking right about NOW and right alongside a nice, juicy, perfectly-marbled burger or steak.
courtesy beefitswhatsfordinner.com
