Homestead mailing list

["Karen L. Black" <karen AT plamondon.com>]

It's always a good idea to see where things came from, in order to figure
out why they are the way they are today. After the Civil War came the heyday
of open-range cattle. The head to be sold were herded east to market (later,
herded to railroads and shipped to market). Those chosen for the premium
markets were fed on grain and hay to fatten before slaughter. This process
worked pretty well, but it took time. A steer would be ready for market
after four years or more.

With greater understanding of the nutritional needs of cattle in the 20th
century, it was now possible to take steers at a younger and younger age and
raise them intensively in paddocks. This meant that they wouldn't be burning
off so much energy in walking around, and the muscles would be more tender
from less use. It also meant that the farmer could quickly gage how his
animals were growing, and adjust the steers' diet accordingly. Now a steer
could be brought to slaughter weight in 2-3 years. 

The high-energy diets of today's feedlot cattle have the steers ready for
the abbatoir at 14-16 months. No wonder that the average person today can
eat better than a Gilded Age tycoon.

The renaissance of grass-fed beef has sparked a concurrent exploration of
how to give cattle the quality of nutrition on pasture that lets them grow
to their potential. Argentina has led the way with cattle, and New Zealand
with sheep. Allen Nation, who publishes "The Stockman Grass Farmer," has
been preaching to American farmers. But high-energy grass-fed is not
trivial, and it takes a set of skills most stockmen haven't ever tried.

Karen Black
Norton Creek Farm
Blodgett, OR