So you fancy yourself a foodie....
You fancy yourself a foodie, and you’re always seeking connections with the sustenance on your plate.
That’s wonderful! Let’s trace a grassfed steak:
Cut: Sirloin
Steer ID #: 5F
Date of Birth: May 26, 2018
Dam: CF6
Sire: 04A
Breed: Mixed. On the maternal side, 5F is a product of our foundation herd: his grand-dam, CF5, was purchased in 2012 from a local dairy farm. She is 50% Angus, 50% Holstein. CF5 was bred to a borrowed bull with a black hide and unknown pedigree, a pairing that yielded CF6 on May 9, 2014. CF6 was bred to a registered Hereford bull, 04A, (from 5R Cattle Company in New Bethlehem, PA, a trusted grassfed seedstock operation) in the summer of 2017. That mating yielded our steak, 5F, on May 26, 2018.
In summary: This steak is a mixture of Angus genetics, Holstein genetics, Hereford genetics, and, likely, a few more breeds I don’t know about.
Date of Birth: May 26, 2018
Weaned: March 12, 2019
Lifetime diet (transcribed from grazing log): May and June 2018 the herd grazed our home farm. Their diet consisted of late spring / early summer Orchardgrass, clover, Brome grass, Velvet grass, Fescue (small quantities), numerous forbs (read: weeds), and some vegetation from small trees. Our home pastures are more meadow than monoculture, so the abundance of plant diversity available for foraging is staggering. The herd was moved 2-4 times per day, ensuring they always have fresh, palatable forage to make them fat and happy.
On July 13 2018 the herd walked through the woods to a neighboring property to graze a different landscape during the summer heat. This property looks like a savanna with shade (trees and shrubs) interspersed throughout the grasses. Switchgrass, Big Bluestem, Timothy, Asters, multitudes of forbs (weeds), and the leaves of Autumn Olive trees made the diet. The herd was moved 1-2 times per day.
By July 25 they transitioned on to the farthest property, seventy acres of outstanding forage: Brome grass, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Crown Vetch, red and white clovers, and various warm season grasses all represented in a dense thatch that spreads across the whole field. Here the herd dined until August 21, moving to fresh grass an average of twice per day.
August 21 marked the return trip to our home farm for another graze cycle on terrain with which you are already familiar. Remember: the herd keeps moving morning, evening, morning, evening, every day. September is a difficult month for forage and extra attention was required for the herd during this time.
October 3 the herd set out to graze the neighboring properties once again, following a similar loop as described before. The different season yields different plants for them to graze as species mature at variable rates.
The return trip to home occurred on October 29, the herd grazed remaining standing grasses until November 14, at which point hay supplementation was necessary to keep them in condition. Some of our hay is made at home from two fields, one containing Orchardgrass and white clover, the other made up of Timothy and white clover. The rest of our hay is purchased from a neighbor who is skilled in the art of excellent haymaking.
Whew.
This is getting lengthy. Are you hanging in there? Good. I’ll be more succinct from this point forward.
The herd moves all winter, eating hay most of the time, grazing when they can. Grassfed beef is all about animal movement: never make them stop. Winter was divided between our home farm and neighboring properties, wherever good shelter and good water could be located.
On April 19, 2019 the herd was grazing again, starting on the neighboring property and working their way home. Moves were once per day until May, at which point they increased to twice per day, and then 3-4 times per day as the grass matured.
Two year old beef steers were shipped for our spring grassfed harvest between May 20 and June 17. During this time 5F (our featured steak for this column) was dining on some of the richest pasture we’ve ever grown. Clover stood thigh deep and the grazing herd radiated health. Sleek, fat, happy cattle are a sight for the soul.
Summer 2019 was largely spent at the neighbors consuming beautiful, legume-rich forage. Pasture moves averaged twice per day.
I’ll stop here. It’s obvious, if I continue with such detail, that this will turn into a novel. Do you get a mental picture of what it takes to make a grassfed steak? Are you feeling like you’re walking in a pasture with the herd? Good. Make sure to note that at no point in this description are the words ‘barn’ or ‘grain’. We don’t use barns, and our grassfed cattle never receive grain.
Back to the pictures.
5F Harvest Date: October 15, 2019
Age: 16 months 19 days
Steak ID (GRASSFED COOLER): 19294
There you have it. That’s the ultimate in trace-ability isn’t it? How do you feel after reading? It’s a little weighty, seeing the life of your meal. That’s a vital connection, friends, long lost in the face of industrial production. Without this relationship you can never truly respect your food. Disrespected food is not healthy.
I hope, too, that you’re curious. Steak is such a delicious food, and it’s definitely not one dimensional; different animals, breeds, seasons, forages, and management can change the final product. Do you want to know exactly what the past 16 months and nineteen days of forage in western Pennsylvania tastes like? Find grassfed steaks marked with the identification number 19294. That’s 5F. Of course, you can also try 2F, containing Devon, Hereford, Holstein, and Angus genes, ID# 19301, or 12F, a full blooded Hereford, ID# 19308, or 1F, a mix of Hereford, Angus, Holstein, and unknown genetics, dry aged one week longer than the rest, ID# 19315. Each will be subtly different. Intriguing, isn’t it?
Grassfed is a lifestyle, not a product. This is the only farm that connects you with that way of life because we focus on details and commit to absolute, traceable integrity. We don’t just want to sell you something. We’re the people for the people who seek the rest of the story. I look forward to sharing the discussion with you.
