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Organic and Grass-F Inished Beef Cattle Production by Lee Rinehart, CGP Market Demand Is Rapidly Increasing for Sustainably Raised and Organic Beef Products

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Organic and Grass-F Inished Beef Cattle Production by Lee Rinehart, CGP Market Demand Is Rapidly Increasing for Sustainably Raised and Organic Beef Products A project of the National Center for Appropriate Technology 1-800-346-9140 • www.attra.ncat.org Organic and Grass-f inished Beef Cattle Production By Lee Rinehart, CGP Market demand is rapidly increasing for sustainably raised and organic beef products. Pasture-based NCAT Agriculture or grass-based livestock production relies on biodiversity and ecological complexity to maintain Specialist production with the use of less costly inputs. Cattle producers recognize that grazing and pasture access Published can lower production costs, reduce animal stress, and boost the animal’s immune system. This publication February 2011 highlights the practices producers are using to provide customers with nutritious food from pasture- © NCAT and rangeland-based farms and ranches. Resources are included for further reading. IP305 Contents Introduction .......................1 Consumer Perception and Demand ......................2 Organic Cattle Production ..........................2 Grass-Fed and Grass-Finishing..................4 Selecting Appropriate Animals ................................6 Cattle Nutrition .................8 Health and Disease Management ...................11 Integrating Cattle into Cropping Systems .........13 Stocker Cattle Production ........................14 Production Variables ....15 Pastures and Grazing Management ...................15 Handling Cattle Successfully ..................... 20 Record-Keeping Beef calves on fescue pasture in Missouri. Photo: USDA-NRCS. Systems ............................. 22 Slaughter and Meat Processing ........................ 22 Marketing Overview .......................... 23 Introduction incorporate animal manure into the soil to fertil- Case Study: ize crops. Th e farm family would have beef for Forks Farm ....................... 25 the year, and the surplus would be sold off the References ....................... 26 attle are natural grazers. Th ey possess Further Resources ..........27 the remarkable ability to digest plant farm to contribute to satisfying the food needs carbohydrates that are generally indi- of the community. At the end of World War II, The National Sustainable C grain was no longer needed for the war eff ort, so Agriculture Information Service, gestible for most other mammals. Cattle have ATTRA (www.attra.ncat.org), developed a symbiotic relationship with rumen a surplus of corn, combined with low fuel prices, was developed and is managed by the National Center for microorganisms (Phillips et al., 2009), which helped to bring about the cattle-feeding industry. Appropriate Technology (NCAT). makes the animals particularly adept at con- Th is fostered a shift in how livestock were fed, The project is funded through a cooperative agreement with verting the nutrients in forages into digestible housed, and fi nished. Th e two decades following the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Business- nutrients—in the form of meat and dairy—that World War II saw the development of the beef- Cooperative Service. Visit the humans can use. feedlot industry we have today. NCAT website (www.ncat.org/ sarc_current.php) for more information on Historically, cattle production was an inte- Grass-based production systems are inher- our other sustainable gral part of diversifi ed family farms. Diversifi ed ently more resilient to market-price fl uctuations agriculture and energy projects. farms could utilize farm-grown crop residues and because of their signifi cant reliance on renewable pasture resources. Th is is exemplifi ed by farmers foods declined in the recession of 2009; how- and ranchers who see themselves principally as ever, sales are expected to increase again by 28% grass farmers. Under this model, cattle become to 30% between 2010 and 2012 (Mintel, 2009). grass-harvesting tools used to maintain pasture Continued growth in demand for these meat health and to provide meat and milk for the mar- products is expected, especially through direct ket. Farmers and ranchers rely on this naturally local sales of carcasses and retail cuts to families low-input system in which feed costs are reduced, via farm visits, farmers markets, and mail-order. animal health is maximized, and a wholesome Many market analyses suggest the possibility of product is provided to the customers. a viable market well into future years. Livestock producers can reduce costs, maximize Demand for grass-fed and grass-fi nished beef Related ATTRA swelled in 2010, and the major grass-fed meat publications animal health, and realize signifi cant fi nancial returns only if they are using low-input production companies are scrambling for a supply of qual- Beef Farm systems. Th e norm for most producers, however, ity cattle. Th ere has been signifi cant growth— Sustainability is a high-input system in which the applications not only in the direct-marketing sector, but in Checksheet of high levels of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, the retail, restaurant, and food-service sectors Beef Marketing and herbicides—along with high machinery costs as well. A recent report by the United States Alternatives for haying, mowing, and seeding—signifi cantly Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Mar- reduce the margin of profi tability. keting Service (USDA AMS) puts the U.S. Building a grass-fed beef market at 3% of the total U.S. Montana Organic Allen Williams, a beef-cattle specialist with beef market, having grown at a rate of about Livestock Industry Tallgrass Beef, Inc., notes that farm and ranch 20% per year for the past few years (Mathews Dairy Beef data (from Integrated Resource Management/ and Johnson, 2010). Standardized Performance Analysis) indicates Natural Livestock that many beef producers nationwide have more For more information on consumer-demand Feasibility Study investment in machinery than they do in cat- issues in meat marketing, see the Agricultural Ruminant Nutrition tle. Th e data also indicates that 70% to 80% of Marketing Resource Center’s (AMRC) website for Graziers most producers’ total cost of production is in www.agmrc.org. Grazing Contracts feedstuff s. Williams notes that producers who for Livestock are willing to use grazing methods that do not Organic Cattle Production rely on high-cost inputs can realize positive Paddock Design, Organic cattle production is regulated in the economic impacts as well as such ecological Fencing, and United States by the USDA’s National Organic Water Systems for benefi ts as improved soil fertility, forage diver- Program (NOP). According to the NOP, organic Controlled Grazing sity, and carbon sequestration (Williams, 2010). production is a system that responds to site- Managing cattle using high-stock-density specifi c conditions by integrating cultural, biolog- Pasture, Rangeland, grazing is a method to achieve the benefi ts of ical, and mechanical practices that foster cycling and Grazing low-input animal agriculture, and it is covered Management of resources, promote ecological balance, and later in this paper as well as in other ATTRA conserve biological diversity (USDA, 2006a). Pastures: publications, including Rotational Grazing and Th e holistic principles of organic agriculture are Going Organic Pasture, Rangeland, and Grazing Management. derived from two complementary perspectives. Pastures: First, organic agriculture is characterized as Sustainable Consumer Perception and being a biologically oriented production system Management Market Demand for Organic based on ecological principles and demonstrat- Rotational Grazing ing a high degree of sustainability. In addition, it and Grass-f inished Beef is a system that endeavors to preserve the integ- Th e demand for grass-fi nished beef, natural beef, rity of organic production by guarding against and organic beef is growing in the United States. contamination from prohibited substances and Demand for natural and organic meat has his- against commingling with nonorganic products. torically outstripped supply in most U.S. markets. In order to meet the biological and ecological Although the volume of natural- and organic- demands that defi ne organic agriculture—and beef sales declined between 2008 and 2009, nat- to ensure compliance with laws and regulations ural and organic meat’s share of the U.S. market that serve to foster organic-system integrity—an in 2009 stood at 2.7%, up from 2.5% in 2007 Organic System Plan (OSP) must be written and (Huntrods, 2009). Sales of natural and organic submitted to the certifi er. Organic certifi cation Page 2 ATTRA Organic and Grass-f inished Beef Cattle Production of the land requires a transitional period of three the root mass is naturally sloughed off , contrib- years from the last application of a restricted uting to soil pore space (for oxygen and water substance. However, inspections and updated infi ltration) and nutrient availability. eTh main applications must be completed annually for the point here is that by utilizing these “natural land to remain in compliance. services,” producers can significantly reduce expensive off -farm inputs, and the agro-ecosys- Prospective organic producers should contact an tem can be strengthened to supply the needed organic certifi er when they are ready to begin resources to sustain agricultural production. the transition process. A list of organic certi- fi ers is available on the Rodale Institute’s New As an organic livestock producer, excellent nutri- Farm website www.rodaleinstitute.org/certifi er_ tion and pasture access are the most formidable directory. Th e certifi er is an agency authorized disease-prevention
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