Let's Learn
The boys and Johnny and I tagged our steers this morning. Since we started selling our yearlings on the internet, we've found quite a few buyers like to have them age and source verified. In essence, that means we provide the paperwork to prove that we calved these steers here a year ago, and they've only been on our property.
It certifies that these steers haven't been in feedlot situations, or trucked between many buyers. Most people believe that increases their chance of being healthy. Not that regular feedlot steers aren't, but to ship to places like Japan, they want that proof.
And, no, as far as I know, none of our steers ever ended up in Japan.
We use AngusSource, provided by the Angus Association, and it says we've used only registered Angus bulls... so every steer's daddy was an Angus. The mommas aren't registered, although Johnny has enough cow records to trace them back into the 1960's... and they're 99% Angus.
We also sell them as Natural.
If we've had to doctor them with antibiotics, for foot rot or some illness, we pull those out and don't sell them in this bunch. They haven't had any growth hormones either. That effort fills another slot that consumers want.
So this got me to thinking today... when you buy your beef in the store, what do *you* look for?
Do you want organic?
Do you look for a COOL label? (Country Of Origin Label)
Do you care if your beef is from the USA?
Did you know what "Natural" means on the label?
Do you want grassfed or grainfed? Do you really know the difference?
I've heard of labels like "Wolf-Friendly", and "Open Range". What are some of the stickers you look for or have seen?
What's the most important thing to you when you buy beef?
What do you say about the price? too high, just right, no object?
Have any of my blog entries made a difference in your perception of ranching?
I sound like I'm doing a survey for BEEF Magazine, but I'd really like to know what you're thinking! Share this with your friends, and let's see what kind of informal survey we can do.
Talk about it... think about it... and let's learn a little about each other!
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June 29, 2010 Fleeting Memory (one of my favorites!)
June 29, 2009 A Gift
June 29, 2008 No entry.
Love the photo.
Wow that is alot of questions at once
I honestly can not taste any difference in meat I've had from local sources then store bought. Now I can tell the difference when I buy from Omaha Steak. Most around here do feed a bit of grain year round. All the cattle are on pasture year round with hay only needing feeding for about 4 months. Even in the winter we do have a small amount of pasture growth.
I only eat a small amount of beef ( 10 times a month)but when I do get it I look for even marbling in a steak or roast. I'm not fond of lean cuts. I know I should be but they always seem to be tougher to me.
Price is a object to me but I honestly can not say that the price is to high when everything is higher then a year ago. I do believe that farmers/ranchers/growers should get a fair price for the product whatever that product is.
For me I read your blog because I love the photos and at first your blog was a reminder of when I lived in Lovell on a ranch outside town there. Now I read it because I enjoy your style of writing. You provide the right amount of words to give us the view of what you were doing that day, how you felt and how the animals behaved. You have a good sense of humor. Your proud of your family and your ranch but you are not a bragger about it. It's a honest feeling that comes thru in your writing.
In other words I enjoy your blogs. I may not always write anything but I read each one.
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Marg, what a sweet sweet letter! Funny how when you eat a good steak, you know it, but it's hard to describe. I've heard many people say you have to cook leaner cuts differently... but that's all I know. Prices for live cattle are good now, but our fuel/fertilizer/etc has all increased too. Good ol' Lovell... been there many a time! I LOVE your last comment... it made me feel so good. Thank you!
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love the frogs!! where did you find them??
i am going to print these questions off after you give some answers and take the printout with me next time i go shopping for beef. i need to know more about the beef i eat. i would like to buy direct from a rancher but most of them only sell a whole beef - half beef, etc. i cannot do that with only me eating it. i do appreciate ranchers like your family who care about the product they raise. thanks!!! have a great 4th!!
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The best way to do that... find people that like meat cut the way you do (steak size, roast size, hamburger, etc) and split it multiple ways. An entire beef doesn't last us very long... too many mouths to feed that expect beef every day! Happy 4th to you, too!
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would you be so kind as to explain each of those you mention. i understand a few but don't think i ever see any of those. we get most of our meat at a butcher shop so it's unpackaged {no labels}.....guess i need to ask questions.
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Hope I answered/explained everything well enough... Let me know if you need more!
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Okay here goes....
I look for grass feed natural beef, no hormones and from the USA. Price really doesn’t matter but I don’t eat a lot of beef and I don’t have a big family to feed. I have bought some beef from a local farm in my town that is all natural grass feed. In the grocery store I think the label says all natural no hormones, grass feed, USA Angus beef (not a fancy label). I’ll look when I go to the store and let you know!
Your blog has made a BIG difference in the way I look at ranching. I really didn’t know anything and I am constantly learning from you. I so admire all the work you do and I can’t thank you enough for the “real” story! Your blog has also made me think about where all my food comes from and I now buy all my produce from local farms. I am lucky that I live in a town where there are still a few farms. In the winter I can’t always buy local but I only but my produce from the USA. I have to go without some things but I am okay with that.
Denise
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I'd like to see some labels... so please let me know! I'm glad you've learned from my blog... I am a teacher at heart... just one that never wanted to be INSIDE the classroom constantly! Please share some of this with some friends... it'd be nice to make an impact on consumer viewpoints.!
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I need your help! I want to know what to look for. What should I care about? What label would reflect how animals are fed and doctored and bred. This has been on my mind as I want to support honest, careful Ranchers and eat meat that is delicious and responsibly raised. YOU tell ME.
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I'd stick with the Natural label. 99% of ranchers responsibly raise, feed, doctor and breed their cattle. Most sensational stories are about the 1% that screw it up for the rest of us. As more people become concerned about antibiotics/hormone use, Natural avoids them and should give you a great product.
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Good Morning, I like the beef questions.
I always look at price first, it's a habit ingrained from my youth when my Mom could pinch a penny till it screamed. But now that they are my pennies I try to buy local grass fed beef. I am fortuante to have a great butcher who knows our local ranchers and processes the best for resonable prices. His labels are black marker on white paper....that's my favorite
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My favorite labels too....
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Good morning,
My parents raise 5 to 10 Holsteins each year (bull calves from local dairies) so I don't typically buy beef from the grocery store. If I do, I try to buy local, hormone free beef. (Before your explanation I didn't know what the "natural" label meant - and I have never seen the Wolf label before) I don't particularly care if the meat is Angus, since I have grown up eating dairy cows...
I have learned a lot about ranching from your blog. I grew up farming so it is interesting to see the differences and similarities between the two ways of life.
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I haven't seen the wolf label either, just heard a rumor about it. Angus is just the leader in promotion, that's for sure! I like comparing ranch lifestyles myself!
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Been reading for awhile, but this is the first time I've left a comment as I'm interested in seeing the results of your informal survey. My answers are that these days, I buy most of my meat (mainly beef, pork, and lamb) from a local free-range, organic rancher. I am lucky enough to have access to such through one of the local Farmers Markets. I'm not familiar with COOL labels, so I've never looked for one, though I do prefer my food to have been grown or raised here in the U.S. as much as possible. I don't really know what the difference in flavor is between grass-fed and grain-fed, so I don't really think about it. As to price, I usually stick to the less expensive cuts, but it depends on how much we're getting and what we're getting.
Your blog has given me a better idea of what goes into raising cattle and running a ranch. I like reading about other parts of the U.S. I especially enjoy reading about the dogs and I love your photos. I hadn't known until I found this blog how beautiful Wyoming can be.
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Can I ask what state you are in? Does your organic rancher take orders or actually sell meat at the Farmer's Market? I think if people really start asking for a COOL label, it'd happen. It's law, they just have to implement it! I'm happy you like my blog... and, about Wyoming being beautiful... shhhhhh! It's a secret!
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I work for a grocery store that prides itself on offering healthy food and clear disclosure of all the items you mentioned, both on the label of the package and on our shelf label. We check those every day, and our company is rigorous checking in our suppliers, so I am knowledgeable about all of the above, except the 'wolf friendly' thing. This I have not seen. And, the fines are huge if labels are incorrect or incomplete--especially for the COOL label. We have a little education class we can take on labeling and all the names for meat, so I know the difference between grass and grain fed, organic, and natural, and so on. Also, I have a child who has some health issues and who has always been on antibiotics, so I have been careful to buy natural, no antibiotics, or organic beef since she was born more than 20 years ago. Long before I worked at all or had kids, back when I was a kid myself, I spent much time on my grandparents' farm (I can wield a mean pitchfork) and in his 'retirement' my grandfather kept about 50 registered Hereford cows and sold the calves every year for feeder calves. These things have really made me aware of how our food is raised and processed, and it can be frightening. I think all our food should be natural, and that everyone should have the opportunity to buy good food at reasonable prices, perhaps because I now work in a grocery store where our prices are very reasonable for that food. Two things you didn't touch on was how meat (as compared with plant food) earns the label organic, and how our meat gets from cow to package. I know you sell your cows before they become meat but processing has become a huge issue with "informed" consumers, especially in the light of recent hamburger recalls. What are your thoughts on this? How can a rancher have any say in this?
And, yes, I can taste the difference between feedlot/packing plant meat and natural, grass fed butcher processed meat (more so in chicken, but that's another story).
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Great post, Carol (even though I'm a couple days late) - -
We grow our own beef here, with the help of the kids' 4H projects. Since we aren't cattle producers, they buy calves from neighbors and take over from there. They get grain twice daily, lots of good grass hay, water, mineral, etc. We are spoiled - the meat is delicious, we have it cut the way we like, and enjoy something that is homegrown and natural.
For the last couple years, George has been finishing some grass-fed beef for another local provider. It has been so interesting to see and learn the differences in the genetics and requirements for the grass-fed! Evidently, a big issue with grass-fed beef is the inconsistency: a big producer for a major grass-fed label brought in 12 finished steers a couple years ago (according to the producer we worked with). When we first started finishing some of the grass-fed, I bought a grass-fed steak at a swanky restaurant in Chicago to try it. The waitress tried to talk me out of it - tempting me with a small filet (grain fed) instead - I should've listened as it was downright awful! Since then I've had other grass-fed that tasted fine, though. Finishing a grass-fed steer is more involved than turning him out on a hill for a while... from our very limited experience finishing is part science part art - but, again, we don't claim to be experts after a couple dozen steers!
We prefer grain fed. We hope for a COOL label, and would buy local beef if we didn't raise our own.
Thanks for the conversation topic - Have a great day!!
Becky
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