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Grass Finished Versus Grain Finished Beef 

Often the discussion comes up about which is better beef, grass-finished beef or grain-finished beef? Before we start the discussion let’s quickly review what the difference is. 

Grass-finished beef comes from cattle that have only grazed on pasture or been fed baled forages, and have never been fed grain. They have only eaten grasses and forages their entire life. 

Grain Finished Beef spend the majority of their lives eating grass. Then during the last months of their lives, the cattle are free to eat a balanced diet of local feed ingredients that includes baled grass/forage and grain.

At Reban Farms, we raise our beef as grass and grain-finished and these are the reasons why: 

Superior Meat: 

All our animals are raised on pasture grass and spend the majority of their lives eating grasses and forages, but for the last 100 to 120 days, we increase the interstitial fats within the muscling by feeding them higher energy feeds with no additives. No additional hormones or growth promoters. It’s a very natural process. It’s been done for hundreds of years. And it’s been done that way for a reason. It produces a far superior product. Grain finished beef produces an animal of higher weight and it grows more quickly with high-energy food. Reban Farms finishes all our animals on locally grown cereals we don’t use any corn to finish animals on our farm. The grains that we feed the cattle are produced and blended on our farm.

Better Aging: 

You can hang a grain-finished animal in the cooler for a longer period of time because the fat prevents the carcass from drying out. Hanging beef in the cooler for a longer period of time will produce a more tender carcass, which provides more tender cuts.

Easier Preparation:

Properly finished beef is easier to cook and prepare. The right amount of fat and marbling ensures you don’t have to add extra oil while you are cooking it. Which also helps prevent the meat from burning and drying out. 

Ultimately, Grain Finished Beef is easier to cook as there’s a lot more fat and marbling dispersed throughout the meat. 

Better Flavor: 

Customers really like being able to throw a steak on the barbecue and have a decent amount of marbling and flavour that comes with it. But they also enjoy the hamburger and throwing hamburger in a frying pan and not having to drain off lots of fat or add any oils. 

There’s a thought circling around that grass-finished beef is healthier for an individual than a grain-finished animal. But it’s extremely marginal. If you were to eat a carrot stick when you were done eating your grain-finished steak, you would more than make up for any deficits. Furthermore, grass-finished beef tastes gamier, more like wild meat. It’s more difficult to prepare. It takes more planning and preparation to get the same flavour as grain-finished beef. 

Based on our experiences, this is why Reban Farms raises grass fed and grain finished beef. 

Reban Farms provides you with a farm-to-table product that is high in nutritional value, comes from the use of sustainable farm practices, tastes better, offers the convenience of free delivery, AND saves you money.

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Reban Farms – Wholesome, Local Beef