- Apr 22, 2012
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Yes grass is much better for them. Cattle really are not made to digest grain. Grass-fed takes longer to grow, you will need to give your calves 2 years instead of one, but it is worth it.
One year is not beef - it's veal.
Even grain-fed beef with hormone implants takes a *minimum* of fifteen months, usually it's harvested at eighteen. How long it takes to finish a grass-fed steer depends on genetics and quality/quantity of feed. Two years is common for harvest - but many people are harvesting by age & not condition - which is why so much of it is dry and tough. Most grass fed beef needs to be about 28 months to have a proper finish (fat cover and marbling). If you're raising a steer for beef, you need to be providing enough quality/quantity of feed for it to gain 3 pounds per day - every day.
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