The Modern Day Debate: What's Better? Grass Fed Beef Or Grain Fed Beef? The Answer May Just Surprise You.
Grass fed vs grain fed beef, what's the difference? Today we answer this age-old question.
Depending who you ask, odds are you will get a different answer to this question. Its like which is better, vanilla or chocolate? Being a 4th generation farm, we feel very qualified to give our input on this debate. Recently, this has become a question people love to ask when shopping for beef. However, many people don’t even know why they are asking this question.
What is grass fed beef?
Simply it is just like it sounds. Grass fed beef means the animal was strictly grazed on grass or fed a grassy/hay diet. Beside water, this is the only thing they consume throughout their lifetime.
What is grain fed beef?
A beef animal that is on a grain diet, can consume grains, corn, as well as hay. A common misconception with grain fed beef, is that they are just stuffed with proteins and grains. This is far from true. A majority of a grain fed animal's diet consists of hay/grass. Another misconception is these animals aren’t pasture raised. That is simply not true. Again, most of these cows are mainly consuming pasture grass and hay in the winter.
What does grass fed, grain finished beef mean?
It is a combination of both. This means the cow typically has been strictly held to only eating grass its whole life until the last few months when it gets added corn and protein to its diet. Farmers will typically do this to help the cow gain weight and put on fat before being butchered.
Why “grass-fed” has become an ethical debate…
Most people, being unfamiliar with farming, think grass fed is better because it is “natural”. There is a hoax that grain fed cattle are locked in a pen and stuffed with feed. This is very much UNtrue. If we really wanted to be logical about it, think about it this way. If a cow was put in the middle of nowhere to roam by itself, would it really ONLY eat grass? No. It would find corn, grains, wheat, etc. and have itself a nice feast. Keep in mind that most grain fed cattle still majority eat grass and hay.
Which Is Better?
Short answer; grain fed. Here's why, it all comes down to taste. Grass fed and grain fed animals have a difference in taste and texture. Feeding a beef cow proteins and grains, allows it to gain necessary nutrients that it just can’t get from only grass. Inturn, this makes the end meat more juicy, marbly and simply better tasting.
By: Gary Wall
Founder: Merica Meats
Visit us: mericameats.com
