Grass Fed vs Corn Fed

Let me begin by saying, I have nothing against grass fed cattle.  It has been a growing trend in America and it has its place in the meat industry.  BUT, I would like those on the grass fed side of the equation to be more careful how you talk about grain fed cattle. Remember Beef Consumers, grass fed proponents are trying to sell you their product and what better way than to put a negative spin on grain fed beef. Don't believe everything you read!

 

I am certain people can argue about taste on both sides of the fence. I, personally, believe there is a fairly significant difference between the two. Grain fed beef has more marbling in the meat while grass fed beef tends to be less marbled, leaner and in general, tougher. Leaner isn't always better when it comes to taste and tenderness. Rarely will you find a grass fed beef in the high choice or prime category. Much of the flavor in beef comes from the fat and marbling and there is a difference between the two. I am well aware that not every grain fed beef is high quality, but in general the above statements are true.

Grass fed proponents like to play the "cows are genetically made for grass" card. True, the anatomy of a cow's stomach (or multiple stomachs) is geared to handle grass much better than other animals. But,that does not mean they can not or should not eat grain. (Horses and Rabbits ought to lay off the grass - they only have one stomach. Actually, God made their digestive system unique, too, but this is not the time or place for that.) I am in agreement, it is dangerous to take cattle directly off grass and move them into a full grain diet. It is also dangerous to let a cow eat green alfalfa (oh no, a green plant) which is very important to the dairy industry. Both of them when mismanaged can cause the animal to bloat and die.

Grain has been fed to cattle as far back as bible times, so the argument that all cows in ages past were grass fed is just not true. We read in both the Old Testament and the New Testament (Deuteronomy 25:4, 1 Corinthians 9:9, 1 Timothy 5:18). "Do not muzzle an ox while he is treading out the grain."  This certainly indicates that grain was a part of the oxen's (cattle) diet way back then. (I am in no way trying to explain those verses but only trying to make the point - cattle have been eating grain for a long, long, long time.)

I live in Iowa where feedlots are a major part of the landscape. I believe there is a place for large feedlots as well. Grain (not grass) is plenty in the Midwest, and it can produce more pounds of meat with less feed. We need this for the ever increasing population around the world. If all cattle were grass fed, people around the world would go without beef, because it would be unaffordable for the majority of the population.

WHAT THEN? What is a good option?

     22 Cattle Company's grain and hay fed Miniature Hereford Beef!  Grain fed beef without the hormones and antibiotics often found in feedlot cattle (given to these cattle to help them grow faster and more efficiently). No implants and specialty growth hormones. These miniatures grow well on a mixture of grains, proteins, and grass hay. Managed well to keep the health of the animal in mind.

WHY 22 Cattle?  Why 22 Cattle Company's Miniature Hereford Beef?

1. No sacrifice when it comes to taste!  Just the right amount of marbling for that incredible taste!
2. Miniature Herefords are naturally lean and tender - shorter muscle length.  Although it is not yet scientifically proven, many Miniature Hereford advocates believe that this beef is more tender because of the shorter muscle length. In addition, it only has to carry weight of up to 750-900 lbs as opposed to 1400-1500 lbs. This in turn keeps the meat more tender.
3. The price is right! Miniature Herefords are impressively efficient in converting feed into quality meat. They may cost a bit more than your average feedlot steer, but they are hormone/antibiotic free. They are also much cheaper than your typically grass fed beef because of the shorter length of time to feed them.

By the way, those who only want grass fed beef - you should consider raising Miniature Herefords.  My cows rarely get any grain and they are well conditioned on grass and roughage. I truly believe Miniature Herefords will grow faster on grass than their larger counterparts which is a huge saving to you, the producer.

Feel free to contact me anytime if you are interested in trying some or starting a herd of your own (grass or grain fed)! dhfarms@frontiernet.net 

Young Miniature Hereford Heifer for Sale

SHF DISCO MARO x JUDKENS BABY GALE

22 Maro's Lil "Suzy"

Click the link below to see a quick video!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVu-XKdtFqg

Iowa State Fair - Fun, Family, and Flash Back

FUN - We had a blast at this year's Iowa State Fair. I realize it has been 3 months since the fair, but this is the first chance I have had to write about it.  The weather is beginning to change, my coaching duties are over, and it gets dark so fast in the evening. Why not do something semi-productive and blog? Paxton and Chadon are showing and doing an incredible job and having fun doing it!

FAMILY - This is most of our family posing for an exciting "Grand Champion" picture. We are missing Dalton - no chance in getting him away from his Senior year of football.  Plaid shirts and boots - we even look like cattle people.  Except for Sandi and her flip-flops - we will make her a cowgirl eventually!  Some awesome memories for our family!

FLASH BACK - Grand Champion Miniature Hereford Bull - very exciting for our first-time showing miniature herefords! As you can tell by the picture he is as gentle as they get. He makes for a warm, comfy couch, too.  He will be 22 Cattle Company's herd sire for quite some time.

I'm excited to introduce to you little "Chase" - named by my fourth grader who already thinks he is going to show this little guy.  Our first bull calf born this year was called "Ace" so the 2nd was naturally called "Chase" the "Ace".  He is square, thick, and quite the cutie!  Let me know what you think of him.  Oh, his mom is a first-calf heifer named "Xita".  

The cattle are lowing. . .what is that?

I realize it isn't close to Christmas and it has been a long time since we have seen any white stuff  to cause me to think about Christmas, but the word cattle conjurs up all kinds of thing in my brain.  So here I am thinking about "cattle" and the 3rd verse of Away in the Manger pops up in my head.  And I have questions!!

Sing it with me. . .

The cattle are lowing
the Baby awakes
But little Lord Jesus
no crying He makes

What does a cow do when he lows?

Is that a sound they make or something they do with their hooves?

Since I have miniatures - are they low(ing) to the ground? (haha)

Is lowing something they used in the lyrics because it sounded better than "mooing"?

Does lowing have some spiritual significance?

So here it is. . .www.Dictionary.com says "to utter the deep, low sound characteristic of cattle; moo-" 


Lowing means - moooooo! 

(Just a tid bit of information not really important to this post, but did you know that this verse wasn't original to the song?  It was added by a methodist minister for a childrens program.all the way back in the early1900's.) 

According to the song, baby Jesus is awaken by this lowing sound.  Let me tell you, I have a few cows that can certainly wake up a baby!  (They have "awaken" my neighbors on numerous occasions!)  They sound more like foghorns!  Anyway, I really have a tough time believing if a baby was woke up by this lowing cow there was no crying.  I have a feeling there was bawl, bellow, blare, caterwaul, hollar, howl, jar, roar, screak, screech , shout, shriek, shrill,  (The thesaurus helped me describe what may have happened.)

See, Christ was a baby and why should we believe he did not act like a baby.  I am not getting into any theological debate on whether or not you think crying is sinful or not, but there is no denying Christ was a baby. 

So what?  What is the big deal that Christ became a baby?

Think about it this way - because God became flesh He can understand the frailties our flesh.  If you are suffering - he understands, if you are tempted - he knows, if you are feeling rejected or betrayed - he understands, if you have joy and praise on your heart - he knows.  Christ has been there. 

But more importantly be reminded. . .


 
Christ became man.  God became flesh.  Christ became a baby - fully God and fully man.  This was God's plan from the very beginning.  God needed someone in the flesh to satisfy His wrath against sin, but that person needed to be sinless - holy like Him.  Christ - fully God and fully man was the only answer.  Christ became the propitiation (big word - I know), "Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people." Hebrews 2:16-18  (This should help you understand and remember what propitiation means, propitiation - wrath swollower - Christ is the wrath swollower)

Maybe the cattle and their lowing had little signficance in the song, and maybe the song itself is not very accurate, but make no mistake - it is a blessed thing to be reminded of Christ coming to earth to satify what we could not do.  In fact, it has eternal signficance!

So, the next time you hear the cattle lowing - be overjoyed and thankful to be reminded that Christ became a man to swollow God's wrath aimed for us - all for His glory!  Amen

Stingray City

Yes, this is the same thing that killed the Crocodile Hunter.  Just a 45 minute slow boat ride off the coast of Grand Caymen is a sandbar where Stingrays and Humans interact. 

Paxton holding a Stingray

Chadon, watch out for the tail - more importantly the stinger!

Dalton and Chadon up close - if you look close the Stingray is on Dalton's chest.

Afraid of Heights? Don't look! Yah Mon!

All this in Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Paxton on the first line (Dalton and Jazi looking on)

Are you serious, we have to climb that pole?

Dalton climbing to the perch (feeling like a high power linesman)

Sandi - just a little afraid of heights

Touching the clouds - so it seems! (Dalton)

Weight equals speed - It's the stopping I'm worried about!

 

They call it the "Screamer" - it made girls out of my three boys!

 

Do you worship creation or the creator?

Our family just returned from a wonderful vacation and we saw some unbelievable sites!  We were, at times, in awe of God's incredible creation.  As I marveled in awe with so many of those gorgeous views I was reminded of our study in Romans.  "They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen" (Romans 1:25)

 

Jazi, Sandi, and Chadon on Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas

Amazingly, God created this particular island (left) by speaking nothing into beauty - stunning beauty!   

How easy then it is to sit back and begin to worship or honor His created things and not Him who created them?  Easier than you might think. 

One of the ways to define worship according to dictionary.com is "the object of adoring reverence or regard". There are cultures, religions, and people in the church who do just that out of more than just a beautiful island.  (Another post all together!)  To be honest, I fall into that temptation and sin more than I care to admit.  When we do not give all our adoring reverence or regard to our God and Creator we do the very same. 

Cozumel, Mexico

After seeing breathtaking view after breathtaking view I can understand how people were tempted to do such a thing.  


BUT, be reminded, as wonderful as God's revelation is in His creation (general revelation) is, there is something much better.  God's divine word (special revelation).  It is more sure, more perfect, and more trustworthy.  

Even creation, itself is waiting,  "For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now." (Romans 8:19-20)

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Creation, itself, will be some day be more glorious!  

Yes, by all means, marvel at God's creation and enjoy what He has created, but be careful not to worship the created things.   Instead, worship the Creator for He revealed to us His Son!  


It His Son who will some day make all things new.

"And he who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' Also he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'” (Revelation 21:5)

Are you feeling WEAK?

I had the privilege of leading our serial reading last evening (Harvest Community Church) and wanted to post something brief about that passage.  The passage was from 2 Corinthians 12.  Paul recounts his experiences of being caught up in the third heaven or paradise "whether in the body or outside the body he does not know, but God knows".  (2 Corinthians 12:2,3)  It is impossible to even imagine what that must have been like!   It was so unbelievably amazing and fearful that he cannot tell anyone or utter anything that he has heard.  Paul didn't tell anyone about that vision or revelation for 14 years.  Paul, are you kidding?  The most unbelievable, unimanginable, and heavenly vision and you keep it a secret?

So, why now - after 14 years?

He needed the Corinthian church to understand NOT his greatness but his weakness.  God knows Paul's flesh and how easy it would have been for Paul to be puffed up and tell everyone how God had honored him by allowing him to see PARADISE.   Instead, God sent a thorn, a messenger of Satan, to keep him from being conceited.  Paul pleads 3 times for this to be removed, but praises God - yep, praises God for this weakness. When is the last time you thanked God in the circumstance you were in, even when it was something painful?
 
So, why make Paul weak?

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) 
 

Are you feeling weak?  Are you suffering physically (disease, illness, or run down), emotionally (from a spouse, a friend, or a son/daughter), financially (bad decision, loss of a job, or the economy), being painfully tempted, or phychologically (one or all the previous listed struggles)?  Are you at your weakest?  Then God is your answer - He is the only way to have strength in the time of weakness.  That's how God works!  It is all Him, and nothing to do with you!  

So, Paul understood it - wouldn't it be nice for you to say this with him . . .

"For when I am weak, then I am strong."  (2 Corinthians 12:10c)

What does it take to flush a Cow?

To start with it takes a really, really good cow! She really should posses one or more of the following.

Donor Cow:  KAP Gentle Utica

1. She has an incredible pedigree behind her.  
2. She has won a number of shows and a lot of people know about her - meaning her eggs would be valuable.
3. She has already produced some outstanding offspring
4. She has one or all of the above but cannot (mostly because of health or age) raise another one on her own.  

Flushing is not cheap!  So you better know that this is what you want to do from the beginning.  So here is the breakdown on costs:

1. Drugs for flushing - $110-$130
2. Flushing - $150-$250
3. Semen costs - $25-$300 depending on what bull you are using - Miniature Hereford Semen is crazy expensive! Don't forget, you may have to pay for a semen certificate when you register the calf as an added expense.
4. Freezing embryos - $35-$50/embryo
5. Implanting Embryos - $45-65/embryo
6. Boarding a cow if you need it can be $4-$9 per day

"Bianca" an ET calf out of the above cow Utica - she's good!

Do not forget that you will need to sync some cows for fresh transplanting or be on the lookout for good recips. It is good to have one or two cows ready in case you do have a couple non-freezable embryos but may be good enough for immediate transfer.  If you were to send your embryos to a place like Trans Ova because you do not have any recip cows, you can buy the pregnant recip for $2200-$2500 after 60 days verified.  (That may have gone up after the crazy cow prices around this area.)

One last thing to remember, the percentage for an embryo to develop into a pregnancy in a recip cow is around 50-60%, but you can't always count on that.   

SO, what does it take to flush a cow?   It takes quality (cow/heifer), cash, and planning (time to give shots, time to flush, and time to get your recips ready).

I sure hope those calves turn out!  

Miniature Hereford's - what makes them so special?

22 Cattle Company - 3 Miniature Hereford Heifers

Isn't it strange that as you get older you begin to enjoy history much more than when you were in school?  Studying history in the livestock industry is no different.  My dad, who is now 80 years old this year, absolutely loved feeding cattle.  I honestly think he would still be doing it to this day if it weren't for the 1980's.  An extremely tough time in the cattle industry and felt painfully hard in the Midwest.  Fortunately, my father was aware of the risks and chose not to feed cattle when he could not pencil a profit.  At that time, crop farming took precedent and he no longer filled his yards with cattle.  In fact, the fences were eventually removed, one by one, until corn or soybean rows filled the once busy cattle feedlot.  Although, his memories of feeding livestock live on to this day.

So what does that have to do with this post?  Well, when I look back at my dad's or uncle's 4-H scrapbook, guess which pictures always stand out?  Stop at an old stockyards or sale barn that decorate their walls with historic pictures.  Which breed of cattle often catches your eye?  For me, it's the pictures of the purebred Herefords with their stocky, solid build and their neatly curved horns.  Fat steers weighing right at 1000# or less.  Only, they weren't called miniatures back then. 

No longer do I need to hear my dad say, remember when. . .  I just ask him to come to the Iowa State Fair.  Dad, you can relive your childhood through your grandchildren.  You see, it is "SPECIAL" when there is a commonality between multiple generations all because of a breed of cattle.  The Miniature Hereford has certainly connected Granpa's history to the Grandchildren's future in our family.  Why not own a few yourself?  

On the sixth day. . .

Genesis 1:24-25  "And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.  And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good."

Registered Miniature Hereford Bull - "Ace" (first Miniature to be born on the 22 Cattle Company Farm)

I am excited to introduce my first little Miniature Hereford bull calf born on the 22 Cattle Company farm. God graciously created the livestock on the sixth day - perfectly formed - for His glory.  Man was created on the same day to have dominion over the livestock. What a priviledge and responsibility God has given us.  

Fleda (KAP Prince Oscar x KAP Lady Rachel) & "Ace" (KAP Lil Kid Vance)