Grass Fed Beef…what does it really mean?

Thought I would take some time to explain the term grass fed beef; from the grocery store label to the cattle management side of its use. On our farm we use grass fed and finished beef with the addition of rotationally grazed on pasture. Which means our cattle eat only forage, we do not feed grain at any time in their life. They also spend their lives enjoying our pastures being strategically moved through them to maximize the forage we grow. This is what WE mean by rotationally grazed, grass fed and finished beef.

The ‘grass fed beef’ label can mean a multitude of things at the grocery store. Grass fed just means they were fed grass during their life. It means they still could have been fed and/or finished on grain. It also doesn’t mean they lived on pasture, they could be eating grass (forage) while living in a feedlot. Grass fed and finished means they were never fed grain, but they still could have been raised in a feedlot. The grass fed label has been co-opted (like most food labels) for marketing purposes, unfortunately all in the name of profits.

If you want to know how your beef was raised, then you really need to know the farmer that raised it. Reach out to them and ask them questions about how they raise their cattle. We personally love to educate our customers on how we raise our livestock and why we raise them the way we do. So if you are a curious consumer and want to know about your food, then we highly recommend finding a local to you farmer or rancher to support. Our phone is always open for any of the questions you have!