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[lurine AT com-pair.net]

Not just my opinion and experience (dad ran cattle in Nevada for
decades, I raised almost all the beef we sold at our butcher shop
where we DID have room to do all the hanging ourselves for over 14
years) but countless studies.  Holsteins steers, not cross-bred, do
not have the ability to marble that "beef" steers do.  That is
precisely one of the reasons that "beef" breeds were invented to
begin with.

"The carcass weight yield from live weight, or dressing percentage,
for Holstein steers is typically less than that of beef-breed steers
(Buege, 1988). Nour et al. (1983a) found small-frame Angus steers to
yield 5.28 percentage units more carcass than Holstein steers at the
same shrunk live weight. Factors that account for this reduced yield
are increased proportion of gut (Nour et al., 1983b; Taylor and
Murray, 1991), reduced muscling score (Kauffman et al., 1976),
reduced subcutaneous fatness (Nour et al., 1983a), increased liver
size, and increased proportion of intra-abdominal fat as mesenteric
and omental fat (Taylor and Murray, 1991). Selection for high milk
production and therefore high metabolic capacity in lactating
Holsteins is considered to account for their maintenance energy
requirement being 20% greater than beef breeds of Bos taurus cattle
(NRC, 1996)."

University of Wisonsin, Madison, Department of Animal Sciences

I can give you countless other studies on both breeds and type of
pasture to yield and marbling.

I'm not going to argue with you over this.  You have an opinion about
it and that's fine.  But, when you say I'm comparing apples to
oranges when discussing muscle type, I will have to respectfully
disagree.  Dairy cattle don't put on marbling.  They aren't bred to
do so.

AND, those thousands of "dairy" steers are generally dairy crosses. 
Except for top rated cows that they want heifers out of, a large % of
dairies use beef straws.

And I know ag feeds this country which is precisely why I took the ag
classes in college.  To further my education beyond what I had
learned from my dad. To keep up to date on new practices.

Lynda
---- Original Message ----
From: woodmanrussell AT gmail.com

>You are comparing Oranges & Apples when you talk cattle & deer. But I
>know
>a lot of beef cattle people, who raise thousands of head of
>dairy"steers"would disagree about the quality that you say can not be
>produced.There is documented research that shows the hang time &
>tenderness
>that develops from it are related. Some "butcher shops" don't have
>the
>space to hang beef, so they discount the benefits of it. Some people
>do
>things differently than others, so I will continue as I have. My
>customers
>will have to continue to enjoy the best freezer beef they say they
>have
>gotten. Pastures are a whole different part of raising beef. I happen
>to
>follow what a professor published from a 10 year university study, on
>all
>aspects of grazing beef cattle. Remember, Agriculture feeds this
>nation,
>just that most people don't know how lucky they are to have Ag
>people.