There are so many labels with beef – grass finished, grain finished, organic, natural, pasture raised – just to name a few. But what do these different labels really mean? Let’s talk fact vs. fiction so you can make educated food choices for you and your family.
What’s the difference between grass finished beef vs. grain finished beef? This is one of the top three questions we hear on a regular basis from consumers. On our farm, we raise both grass finished beef and grain-fed cows, so we have a first-hand perspective on both farming practices and both types of beef.
Our goal in this post is only to educate based on facts, not elevate one type of beef or another. Our bottom line is that both types of beef production are important to meet consumer demand, and all types of beef provides 10 essential nutrients that the human body needs.
All cattle spend a majority of their lives eating grass on pastures. The main difference between grass finished vs. grain finished beef comes down to the finishing phase, or how they spend their latter days.
What is grass finished beef
Grass-finished beef cattle spend their entire lives on a grass diet. Grass finished cattle eat grass from the pasture, or they may also eat forage, hay or silage at the feedyard. In addition, grass-fed beef cattle may or may not be given FDA-approved antibiotics to treat, prevent or control disease and/or growth-promoting hormones.
What is grain finished beef?
Grain finished beef spend the majority of their lives eating grass. What makes them different from grass finished beef is that during the last 6-8 months of their lives, grain-finished beef cattle are free to eat a balanced diet of local feed ingredients. The exact grain and type of feed will differ by each local farm. However, grain fed cows are typically fed a balanced, veterinarian-approved diet with grains such as potato hulls, corn, sugar beets, barley, sorghum or hay.
The terms grain finished beef, grain fed beef and conventional beef are essentially all the same. They refer to cattle that have been raised with the beginning of their life on grass, and then given grain at the end of their lives. Grain-finished meat is the type of beef is typically be found at the grocery store.
What do grass finished beef and grain finished beef have in common?
Grass finished beef and grain finished beef have many things in common. Let’s start at the beginning – how the animals are born and raised.
The majority of cattle farms in North America (including ours) are “cow-calf farms.” On a cow-calf farm, the farmer owns a herd of cows (sidenote: cows are always females and bulls are always males), and each cow has a a baby calf every year.
When a calf is first born, it stays with its mom for about six-months and drinks its mother’s milk. At this time, the calf is weaned from its mother and it starts to eat grass. When the calf is about 8-12 months old, beef producers must make some important decisions, with two main options:
- Option 1: The cattle farmer can “finish” the animal on his farm and have it butchered at a local facility for beef. If the farmer chooses to finish the beef on his farm, he’ll also decide if it’s going to be grain-fed beef, grass-finished beef or organic beef. We’ll get into these types of beef later, but for now, know that the farmer is deciding whether or not the calf stays on his farm or if he sells the calf.
- Option 2: A cattle farmer can sell the animal (typically between 8-12 months of age). and the animal will eventually go to a feedlot where large beef packing houses package beef. When the animal is transferred to a feedlot, it is typically fed a grain-based diet that’s higher in grain (like corn), but it also contains hay and other grasses. This is for the last 6-8 months of their lives. This type of beef that is fed supplemental grain has many names such as grain-fed beef, grain finished beef or conventional beef.
Nutrition:
There are many nutritional differences and similarities when comparing grass-fed cows to grain-fed cattle.
Similarities:
Both grass finished cattle and grain finished cattle are an excellent source of 10 essential nutrients and lean quality protein.
Studies show that eating lean beef, as part of a balanced healthy diet, supports healthy blood pressure and blood lipids.
According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a 3-oz. serving of lean beef, has about 150 calories on average. Beef is a good or excellent source of protein and 10 essential nutrients like zinc, iron and B vitamins.
Lean cuts have less than 10 grams of total fat, 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat and less than 95 mg of cholesterol per 100 grams (3½ oz). These cuts generally have “Round” or “Loin” in their names, such as Sirloin Steak and Tenderloin Steak.
Differences:
Since we aren’t nutritionists, we are going to lean on information from the American Meat Science Association and the Beef Council.
Studies have shown that nutritionally, grass finished beef has some great health benefits like more vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin C antioxidants, omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids compared to grain fed beef. They also produce meat that’s higher in CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), a fat that’s been studied for possible heart benefits, improving immunity and anti-inflammation benefits. But, the interesting thing with CLA is typically found in the fat marbling that people trim off their beef.
However, according to scientific experts, the jury is still out on if it’s really that much healthier. According to the American Meat Science Association
“Many people think that grass fed beef is healthier for you since if contains a different type of fat when compared to conventional grain fed beef. Grass fed beef contains lower levels of saturated fat and slightly higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids. While this is true neither source of beef has a sufficient number of omega-3s when compared to something such as salmon, which contains 35 times more omega-3 than beef.
While grass fed, beef does have lower levels of saturated fat, the difference isn’t significant. Texas A&M recently did a study of men to see if grass fed beef would lower cholesterol levels. Their results actually show that men who consume conventional corn-fed beef improved cholesterol levels while the men that consume grass fed beef saw little to no change in their cholesterol levels.”
Do grass-finished cattle taste different from grain-finished animals?
Yes, the taste of the beef is slightly different between grass-fed cattle and grain-finished cattle. This is mainly due to the different level of fat and marbling. Grain finished beef has more marbling than grass finished beef. Researchers in the United States have done studies to see if people like grain finished beef or grass finished beef better. Grain finished beef significantly outperforms grass fed beef in palatability panel scores.
Organic
Beef that is certified as organic comes from cattle that have never received any antibiotics or growth-promoting hormones. These cattle may spend time at the feedyard and may eat grain, as long as it is organically grown. If you want beef that’s both organic and grass finished, look for both of these terms on the label.
Naturally Raised
Naturally raised beef comes from cattle that have never received antibiotics or growth hormones. This beef may spend time at a feedyard and can be either grain-finished or grass-finished.
One More Thing
Do you want to learn more about beef? Join our weekly e-newsletter where we share farm happenings, recipes and beef availability. Sign-up and get a cheat sheet with 9-must-ask questions before buying beef directly from a farmer. Or, we have an entire ebook about beef that goes through purchasing and preparing beef from a cattle farmers perspective.
Here are a few other links you may like:
