All beef is not created equal. The image of the giant, double-muscled, super cow brings a sense of pride and fondness to those who love all things bulky and massive. Aside from the joy and brotherhood that arises from the images of this cow’s yoke, the mass just isn’t practical.

The grass fed steer is the weakling little brother of the super cow, but it has numerous benefits versus typical beef. The movement towards grass fed beef is growing in popularity as people see the benefits of grass fed meat versus industrialized agriculture-produced beef. Lower fat content, no hormones, two to four times richer in heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids, higher in "good" unsaturated fats and lower in "bad" saturated fats, three to five times higher in CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) content and a much higher level of vitamins A and E, are some of the major benefits.

A hefty price tag comes along with the benefits of grass fed beef. At $6 a pound and higher, it becomes very difficult for a strength athlete to commit to eating grass fed beef on a regular basis. In order to take control of our finances, maximize our dollars and control our food supply, we have been raising our own cows over the past few years. The health benefits have been secondary to us. Even if you do not own your own pasture, it is possible to raise a grass fed cow fairly economically.

The first step is to buy a cow. Easier said than done. Find your local livestock auction and figure out the going rates per pound for a steer. Your typical “beef” cattle (Angus, Hereford, etc) are pretty expensive per pound at $1.63 per pound. Jersey Steer are considered dairy cows, but are far cheaper than the Angus at only $.81 per pound. To put the increasing cost of beef in perspective, last year we paid $0.41 per pound for our Jersey at auction weight. The prices continue to climb, as do the costs are the store. There are also people selling cattle on Craigslist if you’d prefer to pay a little more and bypass the auction.

When you buy cattle, it should be in the 400-pound range. By this time the cow can do much better on the pasture and is able to eat only grass, no longer relying on the mother. There are services available to help you transport the cattle to its destination if you do not have the capabilities.

Now that you have the cow, you should already have a plan on where you’re putting it. If you do not own your own land, you need to be creative. There are many property owners out there who don’t want the hassle of mowing and caring for their property. It is possible to rent out pasture land on a monthly basis. The trick is finding these people. Craigslist, word of mouth, or driving around looking for a pasture are options. As more properties are foreclosed upon, real estate companies are assuming the up keep on these properties. Approach them and inquire if they have any pasture land available for rent. We have been able to rent pasture land for $5 per month per animal from an elderly land owner. It is possible; you just need to be creative with your resources. Generally speaking, you will need about an acre of land per head of cattle. This can vary depending on the land. A water source is important so that you do not need to monitor the animal regularly.

A steer typically eats the equivalent of their body weight per month. The last few months we provide a small amount of grain daily in order to fatten the steer up a little bit and to kill some of the odor common in grass fed beef. We go to the local mill and just buy the cheapest grain at the time (oats, barley, corn or a mix). That is just our personal preference.

Once the steer reaches the 1200 pound range, it is time for slaughter. There are mobile butchers who will come to the property, kill and dispose of the steer for you. The local rate for us is $75 for this service. The most important point is that it is clean and the butcher does not leave any blood or gore behind. The mobile butcher also transports the carcass to the butcher for you.

The next step is to work with the butcher to determine how you want your meat cut up. Hanging weight is a term used to describe the weight of a side of beef as it hangs up in a meat cooler with the usable cuts intact. Our butcher charges $0.51 per hanging weight pound in order to cut and wrap the meat. I tend to get a lot of ground beef because it’s easier to season and disguise some of the odor from the grass fed meat. Your live weight does not equate to take home meat. The general break downs are:

  • Live weight to hanging weight is 58%
  • Hanging weight to take home is 75%
  • Live to take home is 43.5%

So basically a 1200 pound steer will yield 500 pounds take home weight, cut and wrapped. From the start of the process to cut and wrapped in our freezer, we average $1.50 per pound of beef. This cost includes a mixture of t-bone steaks, roasts, ground beef and everything in between. Each time we go through this process, we learn something new. Despite the health benefits of grass fed beef, I prefer the taste of grain fed beef. This time we are investigating costs of sending the cattle to a feed lot for the last few months. Bringing enough grain in to the current property where the steer is located presents some challenges. So, a feed lot seems to be the solution at this time. Who knows how this process will go and if it’s even something we decide to do.