Graze vs Browse

I had some range related course work in college for my forestry degree, Northern Arizona University was a leader in the interdisciplinary teachings in forest management, but that’s another story. I learned how to assess the quality and carrying capacity of an area. That is how many cow/calf pairs (AUM – animal unit months) could graze 

Graze:
1.to feed on growing grass and pasturage, as do cattle, sheep, etc.
2.Informal. to eat small portions of food, as appetizers or the like, in place of a full-sized meal or to snack during the course of the day in place of regular meals.

I also had wildlife courses and later assisted landowners in Northern New Mexico manage their forest resources for not only cattle, but wildlife habitat and in turn income from elk hunting. Cattle graze, deer and elk browse. Or so I thought.

Browse:
1. to eat, nibble at, or feed on (leaves, tender shoots, or other soft vegetation).
2.to graze; pasture on.
browsers

Slezak Natural Beef browsing on a mulberry tree

 

So cattle browse. But I had never seen a cow browse on a tree until I married my farmer and moved to Nebraska. Ash, cottonwood, elm and mulberry are specific ones I’ve seen browsed. I always thought we protected new tree plantings from them so they didn’t rub or step on the tree. Now I know they browse.

I see the gang hanging out in the shade of trees more often than I see them browsing. We are putting a windbreak up in the pasture this year to provide the gang weather protection for every season. Moving some Eastern redcedar from where Mother Nature put it to where we can utilize more benefits with a tree spade we acquired this spring.

A windbreak such as this can reduce hot winds in the summer and provide some shade, but more important is to provide cover from the cold wind and blowing snow in the winter. We’ll let you know how it goes.

There will be 2-4 beef ready to butcher at various weights from late August to late October if you want some delicious natural beef – get a group together and split a whole beef for more savings and healthy grazing of your own (see definition 2 above for graze). Contact us for details of buying a whole, half or quarter beef.

 *definitions from dictionary.com
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Flash frozen

Had a whole beef ordered by four families in Tucson. It was butchered, dry aged and cut. It is then flash frozen to maintain freshness and flavor. Today we shifted it to cold storage until we make the delivery. It’s COLD in that locker, I tell ya. Colder than the January day with wind a blowin’ – was really glad I had on my insulated coveralls and thick gloves – should have had one of those over the face things instead of just stocking hat.

Gerald was at a commodities meeting last night where the group was served a prime rib buffet. He said his piece was mostly fat – we get really spoiled eating our own lean beef. That experience led to a discussion on why restaurants are still serving the extra fat and extra large T-Bones and Sirloins, etc when health-wise we’re told to have 3-5 oz servings of meat. Good lean meat. I remember browning burger meat when I was single (store bought 85% lean) most if not all the time I had to drain off grease before completing the recipe. Not once cooking up our beef have I had to do that, yet it is truly flavorful.

We have another lean heifer with a hoof issue that may go to the butcher before we get her filled out a bit more, just because we’re sensitive to her struggles. Taking her to the auction barn would not be fair to her either. Anyone looking for a little less total meat, fewer steak cuts and more burger meat, this could be your time to order. Remember if you get some friends together and split the meat however you want, buying a whole beef is fifty-cents per finished pound cheaper than buying half or quarter share of the live cow.

Stay warm and contact us if you want some good tasting lean beef.

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Best looking beef

Gerald stopped by the locker to pick up the liver of our recent beef – some of which is still available – want a quarter or side of the best looking meat hanging in the cooler? Kelly Baller, our butcher, was showing Gerald how lean and good looking our beef was compared to several others also hanging – which had large areas of fat in and around the organs. We have a few more days before the beef is processed into specific cuts – you can name decide on steaks – numbers and sizes, roast sizes, amount of hamburger, etc.

I went with Gerald today and we were able to visually compare our beef hanging in dry storage today and I was shown the difference in fat on the interior and backs. Most of our cattle is part Jersey, and this one was quite a bit Jersey. Kelly showed me where beef fed out on grains, more in a feedlot situation pack on fat and how our steer did not have that fat.

Link to images of the beef in case you don’t want to view them.

 
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Ever wonder

not only where your beef came from but what the cow looked like? Was it overly fat or too skinny? Muscular? Available this week for butchering is a lean 940 pound on the hoof beef. Majority of diet was natural pasture, alfalfa and prairie hay, and corn/corn stalks during winter feeding in the field. Quarters or side of beef available. Please contact us if you are interested in this lean beef or have 3 others available in next 6-8 weeks. Pricing.

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Sometimes camera phone at dusk isn’t the best shot. Sorting thru lot, this steer chosen for butcher appointment

 

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Loaded and ready for butcher. Honest same animal as in picture to left in different lighting.

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Beautiful lean beef available in the next 6-8 weeks for processing. Interested in Quarter, Half, Side or Whole beef? Please let us know….

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Lean Beef cuts

It’s amazing that some cuts of beef are leaner than a chicken thigh. of course it could be what each animal was raised on. Our beef is leaner than animals raised in confinement – they get exercise and much less grain and additives than most in confinement.

Lean cuts of beef between chicken breast and chicken thigh

from http://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/leanbeef.aspx

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Antibiotics

It was mentioned today on Doctor Oz, that more antibiotics are used on the nation’s meat supply than on humans. Slezak Natural Beef does not use antibiotics to help the animal grow bigger and faster. We had 4 sick calves during that stretch in January when the temps were in the 50’s, then 20’s, then 50’s, then 20’s. That’s the only time in the last 5 years I have seen antibiotics on the farm. Antibiotics are only used for medical issues on short terms, and that animal is generally placed in the breeding program and it would be 10 or more years before it would be utilized as meat.
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The Grass-Fed Revolution

Article from Time Magazine

Not only is grass fed beef lower in saturated fat, they produce less methane.  How about that!

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About our beef

Our cattle are hormone and antibiotic free. They graze on native grass prairies, buffalo grass pastures, graze stalks and glean grains from corn and milo (sorghum) fields following harvest. They get some alfalfa hay and have trace mineral licks throughout the year. They get plenty of exercise (often walk-abouts unplanned by us) and provide a lean beef product.

We offer whole, sides and quarters of beef processed by the locker of your choice, within 100 miles of Milligan, Nebraska.  Splitting a whole with a family member of friend guarantees a quicker delivery, or you may have to wait until we can match up orders to complete a whole which may also mean the beef is processed at a locker farther from your locale with delivery to multiple customers.

Please let us know if you’d like to purchase some lean and savory Slezak Natural Beef.

Gerald – 402-366-4267   naturalbeef at kimandgerald.com

 

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