Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
A fine “Controlled Appellation” French Bordeaux wine is a guarantee of regional authenticity. Similarly, a mechanism that allows consumers to trace their T-bone steak back to the farm on which the animal was raised has the potential to generate top dollars for producers.
Todd Jorgenson is a Forage Development Specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food.
“Implementing beneficial management practices or BMPs in a livestock producer’s operation creates a record and an assurance that the food is produced in an environmentally friendly way. BMPs can be used as a marketing tool because many consumers want to know as much as possible about the place where the animal was raised.
“Grass-finished is a marketing system incorporating beneficial management practices. There are Saskatchewan grass-finished beef and bison products that are sold to Toronto restaurants right now for a premium.” The diet, comprised primarily of forages, differentiates the meat products from meat in conventional feedlot finishing programs that use diets comprised primarily of grains.
“Raising animals on pasture requires a different body of knowledge than sending them to the feedlots, explains Jorgenson. “In order for the meat to be succulent and tender, the animals need high-quality forage, especially in the months prior to slaughter. This requires healthy soil and careful pasture management so that the animals are always grazing the grass at its optimal stage of growth.”
Because high-quality pasture is the key to high-quality animal products, many people who raise animals on pasture refer to themselves as "grassfarmers" rather than ranchers. Grassfarmers see a number of advantages to their forage - based production system.
“In a conventional feedlot operation, for example, cattle deposit large amounts of manure in a small amount of space. The manure must be collected and transported away from the area. It costs money to haul it away. When animals are raised on pasture, their manure is a welcome source of organic fertilizer rather than a waste management challenge.
“There is an increasing number of producers keeping the animals at home on the range. Bison and cattle are ruminants with a digestive system designed to handle high in forage diets. By grassfarming ruminants a diet that is as close as possible to their native diets allow grassfarmers a way to market their “natural approach” to meat production”, adds Jorgenson.
“When you choose products from animals raised under sound BMP’s, you are safeguarding the environment and eating food that is nutritious, wholesome and delicious.”
And yes, the beef will go well with the Bordeaux.
To find out more about raising grass-fed cattle, contact the AKC at 1-866-457-2377.
For more information, contact:
Todd Jorgenson
Livestock Development Specialist
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
(306) 786-5859
A fine “Controlled Appellation” French Bordeaux wine is a guarantee of regional authenticity. Similarly, a mechanism that allows consumers to trace their T-bone steak back to the farm on which the animal was raised has the potential to generate top dollars for producers.
Todd Jorgenson is a Forage Development Specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food.
“Implementing beneficial management practices or BMPs in a livestock producer’s operation creates a record and an assurance that the food is produced in an environmentally friendly way. BMPs can be used as a marketing tool because many consumers want to know as much as possible about the place where the animal was raised.
“Grass-finished is a marketing system incorporating beneficial management practices. There are Saskatchewan grass-finished beef and bison products that are sold to Toronto restaurants right now for a premium.” The diet, comprised primarily of forages, differentiates the meat products from meat in conventional feedlot finishing programs that use diets comprised primarily of grains.
“Raising animals on pasture requires a different body of knowledge than sending them to the feedlots, explains Jorgenson. “In order for the meat to be succulent and tender, the animals need high-quality forage, especially in the months prior to slaughter. This requires healthy soil and careful pasture management so that the animals are always grazing the grass at its optimal stage of growth.”
Because high-quality pasture is the key to high-quality animal products, many people who raise animals on pasture refer to themselves as "grassfarmers" rather than ranchers. Grassfarmers see a number of advantages to their forage - based production system.
“In a conventional feedlot operation, for example, cattle deposit large amounts of manure in a small amount of space. The manure must be collected and transported away from the area. It costs money to haul it away. When animals are raised on pasture, their manure is a welcome source of organic fertilizer rather than a waste management challenge.
“There is an increasing number of producers keeping the animals at home on the range. Bison and cattle are ruminants with a digestive system designed to handle high in forage diets. By grassfarming ruminants a diet that is as close as possible to their native diets allow grassfarmers a way to market their “natural approach” to meat production”, adds Jorgenson.
“When you choose products from animals raised under sound BMP’s, you are safeguarding the environment and eating food that is nutritious, wholesome and delicious.”
And yes, the beef will go well with the Bordeaux.
To find out more about raising grass-fed cattle, contact the AKC at 1-866-457-2377.
For more information, contact:
Todd Jorgenson
Livestock Development Specialist
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
(306) 786-5859
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