Raise Grass-Fed Beef

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Unfortunately, separating your pastures with fences costs money. One solution is to use a simple electric fence that can be moved up and down the field as needed. With such a "border", you can grow more beef on a given amount of land, and—should a good year come along—you can make your paddocks smaller and leave some extra hay for cutting. ( The value of that "bonus crop" alone could equal the cost of the fence!)

If you buy your winter fodder, be sure to take a good look at its color . . . and check for mold, dampness, and bad odor. Old-timers usually poke into a bale or stack to pull out an occasional wisp, which they twist—or even chew on a little—to check it for freshness. Such experts aren't just fiddlin' . . . they're looking past the weathered tan outsides and testing the core of the bale for pale green, crispy hay that feels dry but doesn't snap when it's bent. You may want to be tactful in doing so, but be sure to make that examination . After all, you'll eat the cow that eats the hay. (My husband simply takes along a jackknife and a piece of string, and if the seller won't let him open a bale, he doesn't buy!)

WINTER FEEDING AND MANAGEMENT

The customary yearly schedule for raising grass-fed beef goes like this: Wean the calves, as usual, at five to seven months . . . try to start them on grass at least a month before cold weather strikes . . . and—unless you have a year round pasture—put the animals on hay for the winter. Follow that with another summer of grass feed, a second winter on hay, and then a final summer on pasturage to fatten the cattle up and finish fleshing them out.

Summer feeding is, of course, easy. All you have to do is turn the cattle out on your good legume/grass pasture and make sure they have access to water and the usual salt and mineral blocks. But winter feeding takes a little more planning. Therefore, I've included a table (see the sidebar accompanying this article) of recommended winter rations . . . for calves and steers of different weights, older cows, and the young heifers that will provide your future breeding stock.

Certainly, in most parts of the country, cattle grow more slowly in the colder months ... but nothing toughens beef more than a pattern of eating themselves into blubber balls in the summer and starving into boneracks during the winter. So the rations I recommend are meant to produce a steady pound-a-day increase during the first winter, and around 0.8 to 0.9 pound per day for the second winter (depending on the breed involved).

Another important winter feeding consideration is that your animal must get a good supply of vitamin A. During the summer, dark green pasture contains carotene, which cattle can use to manufacture their own "A". But winter feed, whether grass, grain, or hay, is often deficient in the valuable nutrient . . . so you'll have to provide it for your cattle. (Some protein mixes include vitamin A. Otherwise, your feed store will have supplements, probably in powder form.)

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