Raising a beef for prime meat?

[Beeman]

What would be the recommendations for raising a beef that would yield prime graded meat or basically the best steaks possible?

[longshadowfarms]

You mean with a lot of fat in it? We just finished off a bunch of Holstein steers that graded prime. Our butcher was very impressed with the meat and everyone we've heard back from says it is the best they've ever tasted. We fed the 3 steers about a ton of corn in addition to free hay over the last few months. Nothing special. I know a lot of people put a lot more science into it than we do. We have a friend that feeds them corn for MONTHS until they get so they are eating as much corn as they want.

[Beeman]

Originally Posted by longshadowfarms

You mean with a lot of fat in it? We just finished off a bunch of Holstein steers that graded prime. Our butcher was very impressed with the meat and everyone we've heard back from says it is the best they've ever tasted. We fed the 3 steers about a ton of corn in addition to free hay over the last few months. Nothing special. I know a lot of people put a lot more science into it than we do. We have a friend that feeds them corn for MONTHS until they get so they are eating as much corn as they want.

Are you a dairy and is that why Holsteins? Most stay away from Holsteins for meat around here.

[Forerunner]

This is gunna kill yuh...... but the best steaks are said to come from just about any good beef bred breed that has been kept around in a stress free environment to the oxen stage, e.i. four or five years.

The later tradition of running steers off to market in their formative years is apparently another hurry up and make a profit scheme over the longer and more expensive means of coming up with really good beef.

I've not raised a steer, on grass alone, for four or five years.....
but I have had steaks cut from one that was.
There was a difference.

[sammyd]

Holsteins will grade quite well if fed properly. Here in dary country they are the main source of beef.
They might not yield as well as a percentage as a beef breed.
A ration that is heavy in corn will get an animal to grade choice or prime even if it is a Holstein.

[Beeman]

Originally Posted by sammyd

Holsteins will grade quite well if fed properly. Here in dary country they are the main source of beef.
They might not yield as well as a percentage as a beef breed.
A ration that is heavy in corn will get an animal to grade choice or prime even if it is a Holstein.

Not many dairies here but you can get bull calfs from them. I didn't think they would yield as much due to structure.

Good steaks are good steaks and if fat content is what it takes I'm all for it, Same with ground beef. We don't eat a lot of meat but when we do I want it to be good. I might just buy a beef, since they're selling cheap, and just finish it for the last few months and split it and keep 1/4 for us.

[texican]

Play gentle classical music in the barn... (forget that gawdawful popular pap they play on most stations) take them on morning walks... bathe them each day... hand feed them the choicest foods... don't forget the morning and evening massages... Keep your anger and stress away from them...

That's what the Japanese do, for their Kobe beef.

One of our local vets raises show cattle... and he washes them every day, hand feeds them, massages them, has walk in coolers for them in the summertime, so they're not overly stressed...

[longshadowfarms]

Originally Posted by sammyd

Holsteins will grade quite well if fed properly. Here in dary country they are the main source of beef.
They might not yield as well as a percentage as a beef breed.
A ration that is heavy in corn will get an animal to grade choice or prime even if it is a Holstein.

Interestingly enough, our butcher said that a Holstein will yield more than a beef breed. He started to explain why but had to run off and help someone else so I never really got to hear the explanation. Something about the bone ratio being higher in a beefer?? We traded a Jersey heifer for these steers plus some hay. Not something we want to do every day but it worked for us this time around.

[Jena]

Read up on how they grade beef, if the grade is really what you are after. They look at marbling and the maturity of the animal. Maturity is judged by the condition of bones, not the actual age, but you got to get them finished by 16 months or so to get that maturity....but it's not guaranteed.

If you just want good steaks...well that is subject to many personal preferences. Some like grass fed, some like corn fed. Some think a really lean steak is great, others want heavy marbling. Personally, I like a tender steak (tenderness is mostly a genetic thing, followed by age, with some influence in how the meat is processed), with good marbling (another genetic thing, with feeding also being a big influence), but that's just me.

Jena

Jena

[rafter]

Originally Posted by texican

Play gentle classical music in the barn... (forget that gawdawful popular pap they play on most stations) take them on morning walks... bathe them each day... hand feed them the choicest foods... don't forget the morning and evening massages... Keep your anger and stress away from them...

That's what the Japanese do, for their Kobe beef.

One of our local vets raises show cattle... and he washes them every day, hand feeds them, massages them, has walk in coolers for them in the summertime, so they're not overly stressed...

I heard they also feed them a bottle of beer a day too.

The best beef I have ever eaten was a Charleih <sp?> that was fed corn for over a year. And kept in a confined area The steaks hung over the sides of a big dinner plate. Lots of fat marbling.

[texican]

Originally Posted by Wind in Her Hair

Oh, and I might add - if you're gonna feed one out -feed out 2- -even if you don't think you'll need it -accidents and illness do happen - and two will vie for food and grow faster.

"Accidents" just mean the freezer gets filled sooner than expected... Illness means the 'yotes get to have a party...

[Stetson Creek]

I have been tempted to go to our local dairy community and buying newborn holstein calfs, neutering them and raising them for beef. I am the first to admit that I am not an expert on meat, but these calfs weren't going to give milk any time soon. I am not sure what they do with them anyway when the cow freshens. I know the girl babies are raised for their milk, but what of the boys? The only reason I haven't done this so far is that I couldn't commit to bottle feeding babies, but I am sorely tempted to give it a try. Does anyone know how long it takes to wean a calf?

They say Angus is the #1 prime beef. I've been in several restuarants that advertize their steaks as Prime Angus steaks. As if there is nothing else that compares.

I myself, I can't tell one from another when it's on my plate.

[Stetson Creek]

I just realized that it would be a huge headache and extremely costly to bottle feed a calf. I must have gotten my ponytail too tight and cut off circulation to my brain!

[Jennifer L.]

The best cow I ever put in the freezer was a Holstein freemartin that sucked a cow until a short time before butchering. She was about a year and half old and had never had any grain, just milk and hay. Absolutely delicious meat, and very tender. I'd heard that freemartins make the best meat and while I don't know if that's true or not, it certainly could be, based on my experience with that heifer. In comparison I've got that heifer in the freezer right now that died in an accident last fall and I butchered her out. Her meat is decent, but doesn't have a lot of flavour--very bland, not much of a "beefy" taste. She was about the same age as the freemartin, but had very little grain and was mainly raised on hay since weaning. She didn't have a lot of fat on her, but was in normal dairy heifer shape. Her meat is tender, though. I've had several Angus steers that are totally grass fed and they taste good, but are not what I'd call tender by any means. Nice flavour, though.

Based on what I've had in the freezer, I'd say you need good fat on an animal to have a good taste experience, so they are going to have to be fed something to get them that way. Either grain, milk, or being butchered right after being on lush pasture for a few months.

Jennifer

[sammyd]

Does anyone know how long it takes to wean a calf?

We wean ours when the bag of milk replacer is gone. About 7-8 weeks depending on how we stretch the last week.

[Jennifer L.]

Originally Posted by Stetson Creek

I am not sure what they do with them anyway when the cow freshens. I know the girl babies are raised for their milk, but what of the boys?

If they don't go back to feed (veal), they go for something like Campbell's Vegtable Beef soup.

Jennifer

[Beeman]

Originally Posted by longshadowfarms

Interestingly enough, our butcher said that a Holstein will yield more than a beef breed. He started to explain why but had to run off and help someone else so I never really got to hear the explanation. Something about the bone ratio being higher in a beefer?? We traded a Jersey heifer for these steers plus some hay. Not something we want to do every day but it worked for us this time around.

Go back to the butcher and get his explanation. That's the first time I've ever heard this as most say they yeild the least. If they did yield the best why wouldn't everyone be raising them for beef instead of beef breeds?

[Jena]

There is a lot of science out there regarding meat.

The angus association did a great job of marketing their beef as the best. The effects of that carry over to the fact that black calves sell better, even if they have little angus in them. Angus isn't better, they just told you that more often!

Jena

Originally Posted by Jena

There is a lot of science out there regarding meat.

The angus association did a great job of marketing their beef as the best. The effects of that carry over to the fact that black calves sell better, even if they have little angus in them. Angus isn't better, they just told you that more often!

Jena

That's kind of what I was suspecting. Mostly advertisement to get you to buy there meat.