Based on the comments from the last batch of postings, we are detecting an interesting use of "natural." What, exactly, is natural-raised beef?
Val commented that feeding both Corid and DDGs would enable Chuck to remain natural. We think the caveat here would be "natural according to _________" (insert agency here). While it's good to have an official set of guidelines, we feel it's okay to stray from any agency's criteria.
Pat commented that Jon is the expert here, but we would put forth the notion that consumers need to be the experts. The fact that we are referring to Agency X shows our ignorance on who determines what is natural and what is not. Consumers need to be intimately familiar with either Agency X or the food their beef steer is eating.
JM posted that "we do pay more for quality..." We sincerely hope that Chuck provides quality meat; then again, we have not established any quality guidelines for our final product other than what goes in Chuck's mouth. We think that is a great start, but we are beginning to see some limitations to that approach.
So what do we know about natural? We would suggest that, on the most fundamental level, there is absolutely nothing natural about beef. Chuck is an unnatrual genetic product of selective cross-breeding in a controlled environment, so why should we even be concerned with natural?
We are coming around to a few ways of thinking.
First, can we accept that young, tender, succulent beef is a luxury? The guidelines in the IBC's pamphlet almost certainly exclude grass-fed beef.
Second, if we do accept beef as a luxury, a beef animal probably should be raised with the final product in mind. Put another way, the end should justify the means.
Third, the end never justifies the means. Even if we love young, tender, succulent beef, we should reject it if it means a miserable life for the animal providing it. This begins to reach in to the realm of what goes in a beef steer's mouth.
Fourth all things in moderation. 16-month-old beef might produce the tastiest, most tender beef, but if it means pumping an animal full of hormones and medications, we must compromise taste and tenderness for safety: for us and the animal. Conversely, if grass-fed beef doesn't meet our quality standards or expectations, why shouldn't we throw some corn, in moderation, into a bovine's diet? If the USDA has determined a safe withdrawal period prior to slaughter, why shouldn't we also throw some Corid in to help an animal gain weight?
Fifth, we would like to suggest that you, the members of NPOV's beef steer, are the experts on what is natural. The purpose of this project is to let you know what we are feeding Chuck, so when you put your fork into a juicy, 1 1/2" top sirloin, you are comfortable knowing this animal ingested Corid. At the end of the day, when you, the members of NPOV's Beef Steer Project, come home from work and decide to prepare some Chuck for supper, you have taken ultimate responsibility for what is or is not on your plate, not Agency X.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Chuck at 16 months old.
7/28/2009
Chuck recently developed a hunchback, so we had the vet come out to take a look at him. It turns out Chuck is recovering from a bout of mild pneumonia, and his feces showed high populations of coccidiosis. These are two separate conditions.
We have been increasing Chuck's corn intake over the last few months. He's up to about 10-15 pounds per day, though that is a rough estimate as he has always had bunk mates. At one point, he was up around 20-25, but he started to act sluggish, which we initially attributed to too much corn. With our most recent diagnosis, however, his depression could also be attributed to pneumonia, which can be brought on by a change in diet. Earlier this year, we had a stray heifer wander in to our herd. She ended up staying and sharing a pen with Chuck, since they are about the same size. Our theory is that, even though Chuck was vaccinated for BRD last year, he picked up the disease from the stray.
The vet wasn't too concerned with the pneumonia, but he did suggest feeding some Corid to take care of the coccidiosis problem. As you can see from the previous link, feeding Corid according to the label still qualifies beef as "natural," assuming we follow label directions.
We are thinking about two things now and need your input:
1) Should we feed Corid? We are estimating Chuck's weight to be a short 1,000 lbs (454 kg), probably around 950 (431 kg). He is now 16 months old, two months away from ideal slaughter age, so he would have to gain 250 pounds (113 kg) in 60 days, or 4 pounds (1.8 kg) a day, to reach ideal slaughter weight. If we feed Corid, we would gain some efficiency, though 4 lbs per day is pretty lofty.
2) Should we include a feed higher in protein? Chances are good that Chuck isn't getting anywhere near the amount of protein he needs to really convert those carbs into pounds. One potential remedy is to include dried distillers grains, or DDG, a by-product of making ethanol. It sounds like we'd need to feed about 4 pounds per day, with a 40 pound (18.1 kg) bag costing around $20. This would cost about $60/month. Bagged DDG is certainly not the cheapest source, but unless we buy it by the truck, our options are limited.
In the meantime, we separated Chuck from the stray heifer and put him in with three cows and their calves. We intend to put Chuck in a pen with only one other cow, about the same size, when a pen opens up. This should happen this weekend when our town cows head off to the rainbow barn.
Total cost of Chuck to date: $692.28 *
* A few words about the total cost of Chuck. One thing that becomes immediately clear is how difficult it is to keep track of expenses for one particular animal. Chuck has always had at least one bunk mate, so we don't know exactly how much he's eating.
The second thing that becomes clear is how difficult it is to raise just one beef steer. Everything costs more for one animal. The cost above does not include the last vet visit. It won't be astronomical, but we won't be able to spread the trip cost across several animals. If we end up feeding DDGs, we'll probably buy bags instead of bulk. When we truck Chuck to slaughter, all of the trucking cost will go to him instead of being spread out over several animals. We can't lump Chuck in with the other animals when it comes to feeding protein or spraying for flies. When you get right down to it, it's a lot like raising a 4-H animal. We're keeping our labor and management costs at the same level as the rest of the herd, but it certainly wouldn't be unfair to increase them.
Chuck recently developed a hunchback, so we had the vet come out to take a look at him. It turns out Chuck is recovering from a bout of mild pneumonia, and his feces showed high populations of coccidiosis. These are two separate conditions.
We have been increasing Chuck's corn intake over the last few months. He's up to about 10-15 pounds per day, though that is a rough estimate as he has always had bunk mates. At one point, he was up around 20-25, but he started to act sluggish, which we initially attributed to too much corn. With our most recent diagnosis, however, his depression could also be attributed to pneumonia, which can be brought on by a change in diet. Earlier this year, we had a stray heifer wander in to our herd. She ended up staying and sharing a pen with Chuck, since they are about the same size. Our theory is that, even though Chuck was vaccinated for BRD last year, he picked up the disease from the stray.
The vet wasn't too concerned with the pneumonia, but he did suggest feeding some Corid to take care of the coccidiosis problem. As you can see from the previous link, feeding Corid according to the label still qualifies beef as "natural," assuming we follow label directions.
We are thinking about two things now and need your input:
1) Should we feed Corid? We are estimating Chuck's weight to be a short 1,000 lbs (454 kg), probably around 950 (431 kg). He is now 16 months old, two months away from ideal slaughter age, so he would have to gain 250 pounds (113 kg) in 60 days, or 4 pounds (1.8 kg) a day, to reach ideal slaughter weight. If we feed Corid, we would gain some efficiency, though 4 lbs per day is pretty lofty.
2) Should we include a feed higher in protein? Chances are good that Chuck isn't getting anywhere near the amount of protein he needs to really convert those carbs into pounds. One potential remedy is to include dried distillers grains, or DDG, a by-product of making ethanol. It sounds like we'd need to feed about 4 pounds per day, with a 40 pound (18.1 kg) bag costing around $20. This would cost about $60/month. Bagged DDG is certainly not the cheapest source, but unless we buy it by the truck, our options are limited.
In the meantime, we separated Chuck from the stray heifer and put him in with three cows and their calves. We intend to put Chuck in a pen with only one other cow, about the same size, when a pen opens up. This should happen this weekend when our town cows head off to the rainbow barn.
Total cost of Chuck to date: $692.28 *
* A few words about the total cost of Chuck. One thing that becomes immediately clear is how difficult it is to keep track of expenses for one particular animal. Chuck has always had at least one bunk mate, so we don't know exactly how much he's eating.
The second thing that becomes clear is how difficult it is to raise just one beef steer. Everything costs more for one animal. The cost above does not include the last vet visit. It won't be astronomical, but we won't be able to spread the trip cost across several animals. If we end up feeding DDGs, we'll probably buy bags instead of bulk. When we truck Chuck to slaughter, all of the trucking cost will go to him instead of being spread out over several animals. We can't lump Chuck in with the other animals when it comes to feeding protein or spraying for flies. When you get right down to it, it's a lot like raising a 4-H animal. We're keeping our labor and management costs at the same level as the rest of the herd, but it certainly wouldn't be unfair to increase them.
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