What Is Grass Finished?
Our beef is grassfed and grass finished, grazed with regenerative practices. There can be confusion about these labels in this relatively new trend in beef production. We want to help folks understand what we mean by this. We wrote about grassfed. Now I want to explain grass finished.
Regardless of the different reasons our customers would want to buy from us (supporting local, or regenerative/environmental benefits, or grassfed, or for paleo/keto diets, or any other reason), the beef needs to taste great and be enjoyable to eat. That is where “Finish” comes in. Beef that is properly finished has a fat cap around the exterior of the beef and internal marbling in the meat. This creates a flavorful, tender, juicy steak, burger or roast. An expert in this field, Alan Nation, would call the beef we produce “Grassfed Gourmet.” Some cuts of meat are naturally fattier (ribeye, chuck, short ribs) and some cuts are naturally leaner (top round, sirloin tip roast) but a properly finished meat will increase the fat, flavor and tenderness of all of these cuts.
When the steer is out grazing our pastures, he needs to be gaining weight his whole life, with a higher rate of gain for the last few months. He will go to the butcher only when he is finished. This is not an exact weight or age, but more of a proper level of fatness. His age and weight are factors but will vary with each individual. Our steers finish between the ages of 20 months to 30 months with an average age of 24 months old. They weigh around 1100 pounds when they go to the butcher. Compare this to the modern feedlot steers that finish at 16-18 months at 1400-1600 lbs.
In modern beef production here in the US, most cattle lead good lives on pastures until they are 12 - 14 months old, when the beef animals head to feedlots where they are finished on grain. This finishing process produces concerns for the environment, animal welfare, human nutrition and economic problems. Feedlot beef can be properly finished, but the cost to the animal and the environment is high.
Alternatively, cattle can be raised on grass and marketed as “grassfed”, but had not been properly finished. This beef will be tough, lean and may have an off flavor. This is not enjoyable to eat and creates a bad reputation for grassfed beef.
With grazing management, good animal husbandry and the right type of cattle, Dragonfly Farms produces grassfed and grass finished beef with great marbling and flavor. Look for upcoming posts explaining these three elements that help us produce good beef for our family and yours.