Cattle are n’t just cows in the world of grassfed boeuf . As slowly as you would think it should be to bestow a few head of cattle to your pocket-size - scale farm and raise them for your family and friend , there ’s a dispute between animal that will pull ahead weight and bring forth high - character meat and ones that will simply eat your grass . You canimprove your pastures , beef up your winter - forage lineament and mob grazing all you require — but a deal of the difference of opinion is in the genes .
Some lines of cows have been bred to better use pasturage as a ruminant should , while others have been selected for faster free weight gain , more marbling and larger muscling when consume metric grain . When you ’re ready to choose animals for your grassfed - beef ruck , select those that will do the best in a forage - base situation .
1. Don’t Get Hooked On Breed
Breed standard are authoritative , but there is dandy variation between different linage of bitch cows within the same breed . Still , there are a few stock you might consider first . The National Center for Appropriate Technology recommends exploring these stock :
Some of these heritage breed have long histories of option for impregnable grazing abilities .
2. Get Some Hybrid Vigor
If you ’re interested in beef production over breed preservation , look at crossbred cattle . For model , American Grassfed Associationboard of directors member Brad Buchanan says he saw an increase in marble in his herd at Flying B Bar Ranch in Colorado when he started crossing Angus cow with Waygu bull . ( Waygu are a Japanese breed , known here as the kine that produce Kobe beef . )
NCAT says Brahman and Brahman - hybrid breeds are pop among grassfed oxen herd in the southerly and southwest U.S. because they endure heating system and resist sponge ; plus , they have good paternal traits , which is crucial if you ’re breed your cows . This breed character is very lean and does n’t succumb tender meat , so hybridization is kept to a minimum , with just enough Brahman ancestry to promote the undecomposed traits of the ruck ’s main stock . Senepol , Tuli and Bonsmara are other breeds with the potential for good crossbreeding .
3. Find Forage-Finished Animals
With a plan to grass - provender and grass - finish your cattle , you want them to get along from a long line of beast that have been grassfed and grass - finish . The microbial universe oftheir stomachswill be adapted to this dieting , they ’ll be able to efficiently convert forage to pound , and they ’ll have the impregnable feet and legs require for outdoor life story .
4. Go For The Beefy Build
Smaller - couch , stockier kine can turn forages into muscleman better than the tall , long kine that have been take for feedlot product . Even within a breed , there can be a large difference between frame size . count across a group of cattle , you might by nature be delineate to the larger - entrap animate being .
“ [ But ] when you remove the grain , you remove the crutches that hide some genetic faults , ” says Chad Lemke , production coach for theGrassfed Livestock Alliance , part - owner ofMcCollum - Lemke Ranchesand secretary of the American Grassfed Association .
According to NCAT , you want to select grassfed cattle from herd that mature at less than 1,100 pounds in less than 30 months .
5. Keep Calm & Put Weight On
mellow - strung cattle are harder to putfinishing weighton . “ I want animals to come to me when I hail into the grass , not run away from me , ” Lemke say .
While this is practiced advice for grassfed cattle , a unagitated temperament is a trait that you should look for in any farm animal . You do n’t need animals that require to be in your blank , but the last thing you demand is a flighty animal that is likely to run away , potentially run through fences , hurt itself and damaging property . Level - headed animals are safer to work around and easier to move around the farm and load onto prevue .
6. Select Locally Raised Breeds
“ Look within 50 to 100 mile of where you are , ” suggests Lemke . Cattle that are invoke in an environment similar to yours will do well on your farm . You wo n’t have Bos taurus that have been bred for red-hot - weather grazing trying to acclimate to the stress of a wintertime in Minnesota and vice - versa .
7. Know What You’re Getting
At the local stockyards , you could find a few young steer for an inexpensive price , but you do n’t really know the lineage or account of these animals . If you ’re serious about protrude a grassfed - beef herd , go out and visit the herd that your animals will come from . There will always be some edition in the character of the fauna in a herd , but overall , the herd should depend healthy and well muscled and have good temperaments .
Focus on the body type , mood adaptation , temperament and — last — breed when putting together your grassfed beef ruck . Your animals will not look the same as the cattle in the feedlot down the route .
