February 2019 Articles

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Conventional Versus Non-Conventional Beef Production

Conventional Versus Non-Conventional Beef Production J. D. Rivera* & T. Dinh**, *MAFES-South MS Branch Experiment Station **Department of Animal & Dairy Science, Mississippi State U There is an abundance of misinformation that exists in regards to “Grass fed”, “Natural”, “Organic” and how they relate to conventional beef production. The two main areas that need clarification are the nomenclature or wording used to describe how these animals are produced, and the second regards the flavor and health aspects of conventionally produced beef. Production Standards — In essence, these type systems are aimed towards niche markets. The Organic or Natural producer may be trying to market his or her cattle to a particular social demographic, which is willing to pay more for those types of products. Those products cost more since they are more expensive to produce. Data from USDA report that, on average, these niche systems are less efficient than conventional production systems (Matthews Jr. and Johnson, 2013). These consumers purchase these products based upon perceived value. While there are many claims that these systems are healthier than conventionally produced beef, there are no scientific data to prove that claim. Moreover, there have been claims that these systems produce safer (free from pathogens) than conventional beef; however, none of these claims have been verified by scientific data. Conventional Beef — The majority of cattle raised in the south will go towards conventional beef production. In this system, calves raised on farms or ranches will either go directly to a feedyard or they will enter into some type of stocker operation and grown on grass. The direction those calves go will be based upon available resources and marketing dynamics. Stockers will take advantage of the relatively inexpensive gain on grass prior to shipment to the feedyard, and the length of time they are grown on grass is dependent upon forage availability, and marketing decisions. Once at the feedyard, both stockers and calves will be gradually adapted to a high concentrate (grain) diet and grown to a final slaughter weight 1200-1300, depending upon the marketing of the cattle (yield versus quality grade). During their stay in the feedyard, in most instances, they will be given growth promoting implants and fed diets containing ionophonres. Growth promoting implants are adminis-tered to increase efficiency and gain. Ionophores are additives fed that shift rumen bacteria production to increase the energy derived from feed, they also inhibit the growth of coccidia. It should be noted that the efficacy and safety of these products have been rigorously tested by the FDA, and FDA personnel routinely inspect confined feeding operations for adherence to medicated feed usage. Production records (feed batched compared to feed fed) are evaluated to ensure that label adherence is met. All of the technologies used in conventional beef production have been thoroughly scientifically vetted to ensure their safety and efficacy. In essence, most of the beef that is found at the local grocery store was produced in this manner. Grass Fed Beef — According to USDA, in this system the animals are simply grown on grass or stored forage (hay). The animals can consume grasses, legumes, or cereal grains in their vegetative state. These animals cannot ever be fed grain, or grain-by products, during this process. The USDA does allow for mineral and vitamin supplementation. However, the authors note instances where claim “grass fed” is made but the animals are supplemented feed for a period of time; according to USDA standards those are not grass fed animals. Additionally, no restrictions are made regarding the use of growth promoting implants for grass fed beef, the only requirement is that they are solely fed forage for their entire life until they go to slaughter. Therefore, if the consumer strives to purchase meat produced without growth promoting hormones, grass fed beef may not be the answer. Natural Beef — This is the tricky one; while some people claim that they have natural beef according to USDA standards, it simply means that the meat is unadulterated (i.e. no artificial colors, no additives or coloring, preservatives, or other artificial ingredient). Therefore, according to those standards, most beef purchased is Natural! The tricky part is that USDA also has a Naturally Raised claim. Naturally Raised — USDA defines this as being cattle raised without the use of growth promoting implants, ionophores, antibiotics, nor are the animals allowed to consume animal by product feed (i.e. feather meal, blood meal, etc.). Cattle are allowed to receive ionophores if they have been used to control parasites, however, the producer must make that claim. There are no other restrictions regarding what they may be fed; therefore, these cattle marketed under naturally raised can be fed high grain diets. This is probably the most common niche that we see. Organic — This one is probably the most difficult one to achieve due to all the restrictions. In essence USDA states that Organic beef is produced without use of antibiotics, ionophores, animal byproducts (think Naturally Raised). However, the land that they are grown on must fall under organic standards (i.e. no chemical pesticides, herbicides, or conventional fertilizer); moreover, any feed fed to these animals must have been grown under organic standards as well (grain produced without chemical pesticides, herbicides or conventional fertilizer). Additionally, cattle grown for slaughter in this program must have been on the program 3 months prior to their birth! When you consider the length of time it takes to get an animal ready for slaughter, and you think about the feed requirements, it is easy to see how this can be difficult to achieve. Source: Pasture to Market, LSU AgCenter