As consumers, we have a responsibility every day to vote with our food dollars. The businesses we support with those dollars should indicate what our values are when it comes to food production. Each consumer has their own values, and it is important for you to know what your values are, and shop to meet them.
That being said, we are often asked if we raise grass fed beef. We do not. Our beef is pastured in the spring, summer, and fall, and in the barn for the winter. Call that confinement if you want. Call that keeping your animals safe and dry if you’d like. Call it what you want, but we feel it’s the best way to take great care of our livestock, and that’s exactly what we do.
In order to be called grass fed, our steers would need to be fed only grass. Grass and only grass. No grains. We are a conventional (not organic) grain farm. We feed our grain to our steers. Therefore, our steers are not grass fed. They are on pasture for at least half a year, though, so they are pastured. But grass fed? Not so much.
Have you heard that feeding grain to steers causes constant heartburn in the steers and makes them sick? You may have. Sometimes people will say that in order to pin grass fed over grain fed beef farming. Here’s the thing: Sick animals don’t eat. Our steers eat. Therefore, our steers are not sick. No heartburn here!
Do you have more questions about how we raise our steers, or questions about farming? Please let us know! We’d love to hear from YOU!
Gauker Farms 