Reban Farms Homestead has been around since 1908 and we are proud of our Saskatchewan roots. We enjoy the cattle lifestyle and the wholesome food it allows us to produce. We are grateful to have a farm out by Petrofka Bridge along the North Saskatchewan River south of Blaine Lake.
ASK AUBREY – 5
Welcome to “Ask Aubrey,” a Q&A series with Aubrey Reban, cattle rancher and head of the Reban Farm family in Petrofka, Saskatchewan. Each post features one of the most common questions Aubrey is asked about ranching, farming practices, and cattle care. His goal is to give you a transparent, straightforward look into how Reban Farms raises its animals and cares for the land.
Sometimes people ask: Why don’t you finish your animals on grass and forage alone?
The answer comes down to quality, flavor, and efficiency. Finishing is the stage of cattle raising where we prepare animals for slaughter by helping them build the marbling—fine streaks of fat between muscle fibers—that makes beef tender, juicy, and flavorful. This marbling is next to impossible to achieve when animals are fed only grass and forage.
Think of it this way: how much fat and weight would a person gain if they ate nothing but raw salad? The same principle applies to cattle. While grass and forage are excellent for growth and health, they don’t provide the energy needed to build the marbling that creates the eating experience our customers expect.
Grass finishing also takes considerably longer to bring animals to an appropriate slaughter weight. While it would be easier for us as farmers to skip producing, storing, crushing, blending, and feeding high-energy rations, the trade-off would be beef that is less tender, less flavorful, and more expensive. The extra time animals would stay on the farm would drive up costs, and the final product would not meet the standards we set for ourselves—or the expectations of the families we feed.
By finishing our animals on a balanced ration of homegrown grains and forages, we strike the right balance between animal health, efficiency, and delivering high-quality beef that consistently satisfies.
Have a question about our farm, our cattle, or how we raise our beef? Send it our way and Aubrey may answer it in a future post. At Reban Farms, we believe in being open and transparent about how we care for our animals, our land, and the families we feed.
At Reban Farms, we are your Trusted Saskatoon Beef Farmer and we believe in being open and transparent about how we care for our animals, our land, and the families we feed.
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