Beef Prices are on the Rise - While Beef Quality is Dropping?

"David Theno had been advising the USDA and the beef industry that, because we were changing how we raised and slaughtered cattle, a disaster was just waiting around the corner if things did not change. . ."
POISONED, June 27, 2011, By: Richard Raymond, Industry Blogs, Meatingplace.com .

Texas Grassfed British White Cow Herd - JWCC 

 With the price of beef skyrocketing at the market these days, and the healthful quality of that beef very questionable.....isn't it time to seek out healthy natural grassfed beef straight from the producer? Have you noticed cattle grazing in the rural areas that you enjoy on country drives?  And, yes, I know much of Texas is in a drought, so grazing for food is hardly an option for a cow herd in many parts of the State.  However, cattle raisers who are focused on grassfed beef production will be offering their cows and growing beeves good grass hay and supplemental alfalfa to keep their herd on the proper growth curve.  In those rural areas near you where you enjoy the site of grazing cattle on your country drives, you'll most likely a grassfed beef producer or two right under your nose.

If you buy straight from a grassfed producer you could buy the steer or bull based on its carcass hanging weight at the abattoir or live weight upon leaving the farm, and you would then pay the processor about .40 to .50 cents a pound (cost varies by region) for actual carcass hanging weight to cut and wrap it the way you want them to. Average cost per pound of beef for your family just dropped or hit an equivalent, and you're providing yourself and your children with the best of nutrition..........you won't worry so much if their diet is nothing but hamburgers.....it will be hamburgers providing optimal Fatty Acids, CLA's, Vitamin E, Vitamin A......and more.

The American Grassfed Association (AGA) tells us:

"According to a 2009 study conducted by the USDA and Clemson University, grassfed beef is better for human health than grainfed beef in ten ways:


1. Lower in total fat
2. Higher in beta-carotene (Vit. A)
3. Higher in vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)
4. Higher in the B-vitamins thiamine and riboflavin
5. Higher in the minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium
6. Higher in total omega-3s
7. Better ratio of omega-6 to 3 fatty acids (1.65 vs 4.84)
8. Higher in CLA (cis-9 trans-11), a potential cancer fighter
9. Higher in vaccenic acid (which can be transformed into CLA)
10. Lower in the saturated fats linked with heart disease.

We've been brainwashed into thinking that all fats are bad for us, but the truth is that fats are a necessary component of a healthy diet. The human body needs an array of fats in the right amounts to function and remain disease-free. Grassfed beef is one way to add those healthy fats to a balanced diet."  AGA Newsletter 6/22/11



Texas Grassfed British White Bull Herd

Put grassfed beef in the freezer and you'll never wish to shop for grocery store beef again. Guaranteed. Put grassfed beef in the freezer and you won't have to worry so much about the fat in that delicious ribeye, it will be heart healthy fat you can enjoy, and generally less of it. 
Buying a whole beef is maybe too much to handle, but you can find a friend to take a side of beef and you the other, about 300 or so pounds of beef  at most from moderate framed beeves.  Or split the beef in quarters amongst your friends and families.  The butcher is accustomed to processing beef in halves and quarters to be taken home by several folks.

Consider the economics of buying a grassfed steer or bull straight from a producer. Too many people don't realize that it is still done today, and not just in rural America. Many grassfed beef producers will arrange to ship your beef to you in the city. These days, buying just a few cuts of grassfed beef at a retail grocer can cost a bundle over what regular grain fed beef costs at the grocery store.  As well, online storefronts for grassfed beef producers that sell you beef by the cut rather than the whole beef carcass can be prohibitively expensive for the average family.  You can avoid much of the added retail cost by buying direct from a grassfed beef producer, and you can control just what cuts of beef you'd like to put in the freezer. 

If you want 2 inch ribeyes, they will cut you 2 inch ribeyes. If you don't want a lot of roasts, well they'll just make those cuts into more ground beef instead if you like - and grassfed ground beef is by far the best tasting burgers and tacos you will ever put in your mouth.

Texas Grassfed British White Bull Herd - J.West Cattle Company

The cost of processing by the abattoir is the same per pound no matter what cuts you choose. And the cost of processing is on the actual beef carcass poundage processed and packaged for you - or better known as the hanging weight of the carcass.  If you are on a budget, it's worth saving up to pay for the beef carcass and the processing. It really puts money in the bank in the long run. Not to mention the better eating quality of the beef and the superior nutrition of the beef that will be in your freezer.....and not beef from an overpriced Walmart that injects their meat with.......weird stuff.

Look for authentic 100% Grassfed or Grass-finished animals;  no corn and no emergency byproducts to get through the winter if you're buying a steer for harvest in early Spring. There are various studies examining the length of time it takes for a beef steer's muscle and fat to convert back to a Heart Healthy state for optimum nutritional benefit, and it does take a few months and more of grazing or grass/alfalfa haying for that to occur - just like it would the human body to develop a proper store of fat soluble vitamins and the optimal ratio of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.  We all know water soluble Vitamin C runs right through us, but those such as Vitamin A and E and Fatty acids, etc.... are stored for the longer haul.

A steer or bull with superior grassfed genetics will thrive on grass hay and high quality alfalfa hay as a supplement. Always ask what they're eating, and don't presume they haven't received antibiotics or hormone implants or recent long periods of grain supplement, you need to ask and if possible visit the farm or ranch that you're considering buying from direct.  You can also look for American Grassfed Association (AGA) certified producers who are also Animal Welfare Approved (AWA).

The Lazy A Ranch in Belleville, Texas is AGA and AWA certified and has grassfed beef available now, and the Lazy A follows a finishing protocol that I am particularly fond of - it includes the addition of natural molasses to the finishing beeves diet.  There are other small producers in the Texas area who also raise registered British White cattle in a grassfed program, and they have grassfed beeves available as well.  See the British White Cattle Association member listing at this link, and make a few phone calls to find British White grassfed beef in your area.  British White breeders of registered seedstock that follow a grassfed feeding protocol for their herds oftentimes have bull calves that don't make the cut as herd sires, but will be excellent natural grassfed beef for your supper table.

The late J.West's Big Mac, Elvis sired bull born, bred, and fed with zero grain inputs . . . he had 7 of 8 known markers for Feed Efficiency in bovines.

British White Cattle for Sale - Fox Hill Farm - Ancramdale, New York

Update January 2013:   Fox Hill Farm has a starter herd of British White Cattle for sale in this upstate New York area.  For cattle available from J.West Cattle Company in Southeast Texas visit the links above.

Mary, British White 1/2 blood Cow

           Larry Lampman is a boutique beef producer in Ancramdale, New York where he primarily works with British White and Murray Grey cattle on his family farm - Fox Hill Farm.  His cattle are reared with loving care, free of any unnecessary antibiotics or medicines, and on natural forage that has long been free of pesticides and herbicides. 

Denise, American Fullblood BW Cow, Sire: POPEYE

Fox Hill Farm has a line of hot dogs, better known as PaPa Dogs! that are quite good -- I was fortunate to beg them to send me about a dozen packags all the way here to East Texas last year.  It was well worth the effort.  Visit FoxHillFarmGrassfedBeef.com for contact information on the Lampman's as well as information on their current available beef and PaPa Dogs -- and of course the British White (and Murray Grey) cattle they are offering for sale. 


All the photos in this blog are cattle that are available from Fox Hill Farm, and they have well over a hundred head of well bred beef cattle available in this herd liquidation for you to have a look at -  great British White starter herd opportunities!  

British White Heifer, Myrtle, Sire: Fred, Dam: Mindy

Cookie, Fullblood BW heifer

Roberta, American Fullblood Heifer, Sire: J.West's Tom Sawyer

Gypsy, Am. Fullblood BW Heifer, Sire: Elvis, Dam: Gigi

Larry uses lots of Artificial Insemination in his breeding program, and has selected well his British White AI sires judging from the outstanding females he is offering for sale.





Oftentimes, not the best of cattle are used in our BWCAA breed-up program to create purebreds and ultimately American Fullblood British White Cattle.  At Fox Hill Farm, every breeding decision was premised on simply outstanding beef animals, thus you will find 1/2 blood, 3/4, and up females that are truly fine looking girls that are particularly well suited for a combined breed-up program and boutique beef production -- whether grassfed or simply organic.

Fred, British White 1/2 Blood Bull

Murray Grey Cow

Besides the British White females offered for sale, Fox Hill Farms also has some really beautiful Murray Grey females among others, and one of them is pictured here.

There is an excellent article on CountryFolks.com, which well describes the history and farming practices of Fox Hill Farm.  Larry Lampman and Fox Hill Farm were as well featured in an issue of the Stockman Grassfarmer. Larry's approach to cattle production and marketing of his product is a lesson in perseverance and success.









The following are excerpts from this article, please follow this link for the complete article by Sally Colby:

Allie, BW Fullblood Heifer, Sire: Hobo

"Larry Lampman is the third generation farmer to live on a scenic Berkshire foothills property that was established as a farm in 1882. Larry’s grandfather raised driving horses and sheep, then Larry’s father and uncle established a dairy farm. When his father and uncle gave up farming, Larry

started a herd of beef cattle with a herd of what he refers to as ‘old-fashioned’ Angus and Herefords in 1999. Larry said the idea of a cow/calf operation appealed to him, and was aware that people are interested in beef raised on pasture.



........After a few years of raising traditional beef breeds, Larry started to add heritage breeds known for their ability to thrive on grass: Red Devon, British White and Murray Grey....... Right now, the herd totals 90 animals, 50 of which are brood cows. Larry uses British White and Murray Gray A.I. sires, respectively, on those breeds.

Sweet Pea, 7/8ths PB Heifer, Sire: J.West's Elvis

.............“I like to have calves born in May,” he said. “The only time I don’t calve is January through March. But since I feed baleage, I can finish steers at pretty much any time of the year.” When selecting sires, Larry is most concerned with temperament and breed type rather than EPDs. “I want the animal to be tame, and in the case of British White, properly marked,” he said. “Type is most important — the kind of offspring that results from a sire.” As he built his herd, Larry retained many heifers, but he’s now ready to market some registered adult British White females.

.........Larry notes that consumers have an interest in purchasing locally produced food, but with a lack of local, small-scale inspected slaughterhouses, it’s difficult for producers to serve this need. He envisions customers getting together, purchasing an animal, sending a check for their portion; then hiring the farm owner to take care of the on-farm slaughter. “To sell retail, you have to go through a USDA-inspected slaughterhouse,” said Larry, adding that the public actually finances inspected USDA slaughter facilities. “My goal is to be able to call the inspector and make an appointment for him to come to the farm; the farm would be an approved facility for slaughter. It’s the least-stress ending to the animal that’s had a good life on the farm.”  

Murray Grey Steer

..........Animals for retail sale are processed at a USDA facility in Litchfield, CT. In addition to an array of traditional cuts, an extremely popular offering is custom-recipe hot dogs. “They’re our best seller,” he said. “People love these hot dogs. Senator Gillibrand, a strong advocate for agriculture and on the Senate ag committee, uses these products.” The executive chef at the governor’s mansion purchases locally grown meat whenever possible, including that produced at Fox Hill Farm. 



........Larry spends time simply observing his animals, and finds that this, along with routine vaccinations, is the key to keeping the herd healthy. “What we’re trying to do is responsible, sustainable agriculture,” said Larry. “I’m interested in food security and growing more food close to people, and doing it sustainably without using a lot of fossil fuels. I have to run tractors, but I haven’t used any commercial fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides since I started.”

Butter Pat, British White AF Heifer, Sire: Kommander

Galaxy, BW Fullblood Heifer, Sire: Kommander

Visit Fox Hill Farm online at http://www.foxhillfarmgrassfedbeef.com/  for contact information for Larry Lampman.

Lena, British White 1/2 Blood

Iris, British White 1/2 Blood Cow, Sire: Powder Keg

Gigi, American Fullblood, Sire: Hobo

Babbs, Amer. Fullblood BW Cow, Sire: Hobo

This is Bob, American Fullbloood British White Bull Offered for Sale by Fox Hill Farm, Sire: Hobo

BW Steers Available from Various Sires

Demi, Fullblood BW Heifer, Sire:  Elvis, Dam: Denise

                                                                                                        

Spice, BW 3/4 Blood, Sire: Kommander

BW Steer, Sire: De Beauvoir's Huckleberry Finn

Salty, BW 1/2 Blood Cow, DOB 4/2/04

Saffron, 3/4 Blood, Sire: J.West's Elvis, DOB 9/24/08

Fox Hill Farm - Ancramdale, New York

British White Cattle and Grassfed Beef in Carmine, Texas - An Update

UPDATE 5/15/11:  DOUGHBOY IS SOLD, See 'Bulls for Sale' page above for other British White bull prospects. J.West's Doughboy is now offered for sale due to unforeseen circumstances, please visit the bull sale page for current information on Doughboy. He is a fine herd bull looking for new pastures, he was trich and fertility tested on 4/25/11 and is offered for sale at a very reasonable $1400.  See his May 2011 youtube video for the best look at this very desirable bull. 

Many parts of Texas saw a lot of frozen mornings and snowy days in February, which always makes for an interesting time with a cattle herd. Valerie sent me photos of a few of her British White calves in February, and I thought I would update this blog with her latest pictures. They capture quite well the feel and sense of the cold days in Carmine, Texas in February, and you can almost smell the scent of clean crisp days. 

The thick coats of these calves attest to their ability to adapt to changing weather. It is an odd thing I’ve noticed, many British White calves born in the winter, particularly one that turns out to be rather harsh, seem to have a thicker coat at birth, or put one on in short order to protect themselves against the cold.

Valerie and Patrick are working with the BWCAA breed up program, and this photo on the right is of J.West's Sweetie, hands down the best 50% British White cow I raised. Sweetie is a half sister to Bountiful 04 (see below), both sired by 'Doc' Watson, and her dam was an awesome registered black Angus cow. You would think there would be some black on her calves, but just get a look at this very pretty Doughboy sired 3/4 blood heifer she has raised this winter - absolutely a gorgeous heifer.

This photo is of the same cow and calf pictured in my October blog, J.West's Bountiful 04, with a Doughboy sired calf. This meaty looking youngster appears to be growing off very well under the stewardship of Valerie and his dam, and just may have herd sire in his future - rather than grassfed beef for the supper table!  I am fairly sure that this meaty young bull qualifies as an American Fullblood British White, and I would not be concerned about his overmarked dam causing him to throw too much black.  Bountiful 04's dam was actually about the highest selling bred cow in the big Halliburton auction several years ago, and her sire, 'Doc' Watson,  produced many outstanding bulls still working today.  And to add to that pedigree, I retain one of Bountiful 04's daughters, J.West's McQueenie, who is likewise overmarked, but she has given me nothing but incredibly beautiful standard marked heifer calves. 

Doughboy's calves all look very thick and meaty, just what you want in the beef cattle business. Here are a couple more photos of their calves, and you'll note one of them appears to be ready for spring and some brush mowing of fresh grass!

 

 

 

And here is a February photo of Doughboy, he packs a tremendous volume of muscle on his stocky long frame, and his calf crop attests to the fact that moderate framed bulls are more than capable of breeding standard frame commercial cattle - and improving them.

 
Just click on the blog title link up above to view the October blog and photos referenced here.

Update: May 2011 Video of Doughboy.








British White Cattle and Grass Fed Beef in Carmine, Texas

UPDATE 5/5/11:  Doughboy is now offered for sale due to unforeseen circumstances, please visit the bull sale page for current information on Doughboy.  He is a fine herd bull looking for new pastures.

          

It has been much too long since I've written a blog, and have decided to get back in the swing of things with the following photos sent to me from Patrick and Valerie Dietz-Klein, British White breeders in Carmine, Texas.  Just over a year ago, in September of 2009, they purchased J.West's Doughboy, an El Presidente son like none other, born April 2007.  The Dietz-Klein's are pursuing a grass fed cattle operation with the goal of direct selling grass feed beef.  Doughboy seems a very nice fit for accomplishing that goal, packing a lot of meat on a very feed efficient frame as well as genetics. 

He is pictured here at pasture, and I was truly amazed to see the incredible growth of Doughboy.  This photo is from July 2010, so he is just over 3 years old and is now about completed his frame growth, though I expect over the next two years they will see him get even thicker and more muscular.  He has very good length of body and you can see the musculature of his sire very evident.

J.West's Doughboy, Pictured as a Yearling

From the moment he was born and throughout his growing months, he stayed fat and rounded and muscular, hence his naming of Doughboy.  Doughboy's dam is J.West's Elsie Edna, a Huck Finn daughter, and one of the two best Huck Finn daughters I've ever raised.  This photo is of Doughboy in May 2008 at 12 months old, looking very well and definitely showing his potential for a herd sire that will pack lots of easy-keeping muscle - but clearly on a quite moderate frame.

J.West's Adrianna with Doughboy sired Calf



Main-Anjou Cow with Doughboy sired British White Calf

 The Dietz-Klein's had their first calf born this past July, it seems Doughboy went right to work on his new job as herd sire, and clearly had no difficulty breeding cows a couple frame scores taller than himself.  The young calf pictured here at left above is presented with great British White color on his black Maine Anjou/Angus cross dam, so kudos to Doughboy for throwing good color.  And the next photo is a one day old Doughboy calf from J.West's Adrianna (a daughter of King Cole), and what a pretty picture that is.  So far it looks like Doughboy is going to throw nice color and very moderate birthweights.



J.West's Bountiful 04 and  Doughboy Sired Bull Calf



It is now October, and Doughboy has put ten calves on the ground, including their first "grandbaby", so check for more photos and additional information on these new additions to the Dietz-Klein herd of British White cattle. 

Update:  This last photo is J.West's Bountiful 04, an overmarked American Fullblood British White cow, sired by DFTX 'Doc' Watson, and whose dam, HRH Bountiful, is still a working cow in my herd.  Here she has a brand new Doughboy sired bull calf at foot, and clearly Doughboy is throwing very nice standard color on both commercial black females and overmarked British White females, such as Bountiful.
See updated photos of this calf in my March 3, 2011 blog post.

A British White Breeder in Texas Breaking New Ground in Grassfed Beef

     The Gold Standard in grass fed beef these days is acquiring certification from both the American Grassfed Association and Animal Welfare Approved.  Here in Texas we have a British White breeder who has achieved both certifications -- the Lazy A Ranch in Bellville, Texas, owned and operated by Margot and Bill Heard.  The Lazy A Ranch was established by the Allen (Buddy) and Ethel Carruth family, and was almost 1000 acres at one time. A herd of Santa Gertrudis cows remains with the original brand.

     Margot Heard has a vision, and she has the steadfastness to work toward that vision of providing excellence in healthy grassfed beef for the Houston market.  The Lazy A Ranch  in Bellville has had Santa Gertrudis cattle running on its grasslands for many years, Buddy Carruth began showing Santa Gertrudis cattle in 1953 at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.  The descendants of Buddy Carruth's fine cattle still graze the pastures of the Lazy A in Bellville.  But along with this King Ranch developed breed, Santa Gertrudis, that have a healthy dose of old Shorthorn genetics running through their veins -- the Lazy A is now home to a growing herd of British White cattle.

     Margot has her first crop of Santa Gertrudis/British White cross calves on the ground this spring, and a growthier, healthier bunch of calves you can hardly find for many long Texas miles distant.  The Heard's chose to use British White bulls on the Santa Gertrudis herd that they obligingly purchased along with the ranch that the cows have for many generations called home.  Their breed of choice for the long term is British White, the ancient polled Park Cattle of the British Isles; but in the meantime, they are working with their Santa Gertrudis females within the BWCAA breed-up program, along with running a good sized starter herd of British White cows.

     The photos you see here are from a visit to the Lazy A this past May.  Were it not for my elderly dog having a really bad day, I would have much more and no doubt better shots of Margot's spring calves!  But Fred was a real needy old guy that afternoon, and it is quite a trick to take video, much less still shots, clutching a shrillingly whiny old fart like my Fred can be.  But I digress!  It was a beautiful herd of healthy and fit cattle with many cross bred calves at foot, and the photos here were pulled as stills from my flip video camera.

     What has intrigued Margot, and most certainly myself as well, is the very large percentage of British White cross calves that bear quite classic British White markings.  Having crossed with black Angus many years ago, I'd say that about 60% of all my cross bred calves were typical milk white with black point calves, and the remainder were line-backed.

    In Margot's herd, there is a predominance, approaching likely 90%, that are classic British White marked calves, as well as some with red points, despite using British White bulls with black points.  Margot is interested in exploring the genetic relationship of her Gert/BW cross calves via their Shorthorn history, given the large numbers of cross-bred calves exhibiting British White color and markings.  It is a clearly accepted fact in historical documents that the Shorthorn was developed long ago from the polled Park Cattle of the time, or what is known today as British White.

     Margot was running a young British White bull, Aries (pictured left), with the Gerts for several weeks, not really anticipating that he was in any way big enough to really take care of the job, and anxiously looking about for a respectable British White bull of maturity.  Well, she was instead surprised to find this Spring that her young, and even today quite moderately short of frame, Aries, had done his darnedest, and his darnedest was pretty good. (See photo above right for an Aries sired calf.) She has several calves sired by Aries, and they are very thick growthy calves that catch one's eye.  If I weren't juggling too many herd bulls right now, I'd have packed Aries home with me in the blink of time it takes for a determined bull to lay down a fence and proceed!  Aries is now offered for sale by the Lazy A, so give Margot a call for more details on this quite fine young bull.

     The next set of calves Margot had this spring were sired by Tyson, pictured left, a British White bull with excellence in Tenderness genes quite hard to find, having 5 of the 6 known genetic markers for Tenderness.  Tyson is about a Frame Score 5 British White bull, and that's just a guess, not having actually measured him in a while, and he of course settled the remainder of the Gerts in short order.  The calves from Tyson were younger than Aries, but certainly exhibited very good confirmation and color, and they are all the napping younger ones in the photos included here.  I'll look forward to hearing from Margot how all the calves grow off between now and weaning time in the fall.  The photo below is one of the very few Tyson sired bull calves that have been born.  This bull, Tag #40, is out of a Popeye daughter, and has shown outstanding growth this spring.  Tyson, like his sire, J.West's King Cole, has a tendency to throw mostly heifers.

     Tyson is a maternal half brother to my original herd bull, DFTX Watson, always fondly called just 'Doc' by myself and his original owner, Bob Stanley, a very fine and honest man who passed away a few years back.  Tyson has much of Doc's incredibly gentle nature, but at the same time he has more stature than Doc, coming from his paternal grandsire Halliburton Colonel and paternal granddam HRH Arlene. Three of  Arlene's daughters are foundation females in my herd today.  Look for Margot to have some very nice British White females sired by Tyson and perpetuating his clean confirmation and Tenderness genes.

     The Lazy A Ranch in Bellville has laid the ground work for producing and marketing grass fed beef.  As a fellow British White breeder, I am gladdened by her efforts and hopeful for the future of our very gentle, beautiful, and immortalized breed.  The carcass qualities of the British White breed have been enjoyed by the select few for many centuries, being for long periods of history the purview only of wealthy landed gentry in the United Kingdom.  As well, old legend has it that the coining of the word sirloin resulted from King Henry enjoying the loin (or surlonge, the French word meaning 'over the loin') of the ancient Park Cattle of the British Isles -- and dubbing it Sir Loin.

     The Lazy A Ranch is now working in Texas to see the sirloin and more of the British White breed on the dinner tables of many who choose to serve their families a healthy, safe, and environmentally friendly beef product.  Visit the Lazy A Ranch web site for contact information and availability of authentic grass fed beef.

    As well, the Lazy A Ranch has British White bulls and females periodically available for purchase.  You can be sure that the British White cattle available from the Lazy A are in excellent health and are from the best British White genetics available.  To see the cattle available from the Lazy A, visit this link, or visit the web site of the Lazy A Ranch for contact information.  Pictured below is a very fine Santa Gertrudis mama cow peering under the Huisache tree, and it is her young red-eared heifer calf pictured above that she is sternly protecting.