Associated Press | August 9, 2002
HARTINGTON, Neb. (AP) - As his cattle grazed nearby on treeless, green pasture, chewing their way slowly toward slaughter weight, Marvin DeBlauw explained what he has against feedlots.
``It stinks at feedlots,'' DeBlauw said. ``It's not good for them. Feeding grass is just healthier.''
DeBlauw is part of a niche group in the nation's $59 billion beef market, finishing most of his cattle on grass. He says it's a practice that makes a better alternative to animals raised on corn, nutritional supplements and hormones.
It's not an easy way to go. Producers of grain-fed beef dispute the health claims made by producers who feed only grass to their cattle. It takes longer to get grass-fed animals to market, too, and the meat requires customers who are willing to pay a little more and appreciate the different taste of grass-fed beef.
Even DeBlauw finishes some of his herd on corn because he says the demand for grass-fed beef is still low. But he believes the market will continue to grow as people recognize the benefits of eating and raising grass-fed beef, he said.
Most of the beef in the United States comes from cattle fattened at feedlots, where thousands of animals mill about a fenced-off section of dirt, eating corn and protein supplements dished out in bins.
Such cattle can be slaughtered at a year to 16 months of age, perhaps two to three months earlier than a grass-fed animal. With the cattle industry's slim profit margins - sometimes only a few dollars on each head - the shorter production time matters.
Since a heavy corn diet can upset the stomachs of animals designed to eat fresh forage, cattle finished at feedlots usually must be treated with antibiotics.
Cattle interests acknowledge concern that antibiotic overuse can lead to resistance, but say antibiotics are important to keep animals on feedlots healthy.
``Cattle producers take antibiotic resistance very seriously for the same reasons consumers do,'' said Mike Fitzgerald, a spokesman for the 5,000-member Nebraska Cattlemen. ``They want a safe food supply.''
The U.S. Department of Agriculture tests slaughtered cattle carcasses each year for antibiotic residue. In 2000, inspectors found 21 cases where antibiotic levels exceeded federal guidelines out of 3,571 tests conducted on various classes of healthy-looking cattle. That violation rate, of less than 1 percent, has held steady since 1997.
Modern feedlot operations also make use of hormones to speed cattle growth: the synthetics Ralgro and melengesterol acetate, and natural hormones like estrogen and androgen. The USDA doesn't test for natural hormones, and synthetic hormone residue is permitted as long as it doesn't exceed USDA levels deemed safe. The hormone violation rate is less frequent than the antibiotic rate.
Ranchers who use the hormones don't worry about residue affecting meat safety, said Sallie Atkins, executive director of the Nebraska Beef Council.
``Almost all beef producers raise and feed their products to their families because they know they are wholesome,'' she said. ``It is not a threat to our health.''
Some animal research studies - including several from Europe where consumers are calling for antibiotic and hormone-free beef - show that an animal's diet affects the type of fatty acid it produces.
Feeding mostly corn to cattle diminishes the meat's omega-3 fatty acids, which is credited with preventing heart and brain ailments, said Terry Gompert, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cooperative Extension Educator from Knox County.
It's for that reason that Gompert prefers to eat grass-fed beef.
``I still love my grain-finished beef ... but I'm going to cut off every bit of the fat because it's unhealthy,'' Gompert said. ``With grass-fed, I'm going to eat every bit of the fat because that is where the health and the flavor is at.''
Gompert said he expects the grass-fed market can eventually contend with Nebraska's corn-fed beef tradition. Slanker, who sells his beef locally and over the Internet, knows it will be tough. Prices for grass-fed beef are generally 25 to 50 percent higher because of the limited market.
``You take just one large packing plant and they process more cattle in a half-hour than the entire grass-fed industry does in a year,'' Slanker said. ``We are gambling big time by turning our backs on production agriculture ... and hoping to develop our market.''
On the Net:
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension: http://extension.unl.edu/
Nebraska Beef Council: http://www.nebeef.org/
U.S. Department of Agriculture: http://www.usda.gov/
U.S. Food and Drug Administration: http://www.fda.gov/Associated Press:
