For the Love of Grass-Fed Beef arti

FOR THE LOVE OF GRASS-FED BEEF

Troy, PA—Sport’s teams that win championships are often laded with talent, passion, determination and intangible qualities that mesh together at the right time to create a winner.  It seems this combination is also producing winners in the Northeast grass-fed beef business.  Getting all the right ingredients in line for producing gourmet beef is what a recent “Hoof to Hook” program held at Leona Meat Plant was all about.  Pasture management, cattle genetics, artisan animal harvest and preparing the meat, raised on grass and sunshine, by a knowledgeable Chef, were the topics to achieving a healthy, happy consumer and a more profitable farmer.

It was standing room only, when over 60 farmers from six states, flocked to the paddocks to see how Mike Debach, Co-Owner of Leona Meats, had transformed his property into a well-oiled grass machine.  The combination of frequently moved pastures and the use of compost generated by his facility made for spectacular sod, shiny cattle and a sense of pride for Mike.  He commented, “It all starts with good grass.  The rest of the production chain doesn’t matter if you don’t manage your grazing resource, it’s that critical”.

Special guest Gerald Fry, from Bovine Engineering and Consulting and the Bakewell Reproductive Center concurred with Mike about harvesting sunshine with the most efficient grazing animal possible.  To do this, he walked through a herd of grass-finishing steers and pointed out to the group the good points and not-so good points of genetic traits and health indicators.  He emphasized a visible shiny line down the center of the animal’s back as a good indicator of an active thymus gland, which is a good marker for health.  “ I also want to see a large heart girth, an obvious hair whorl and not much real estate between the belly and the ground,” he added.

The pasture walk was just the opener as the farmers broke up into 3 distinct herds to delve into more intense learning opportunities.  Aaron Miller of Miller’s Livestock in Kinsman, Ohio and Jeff Mattocks from Fertrell Minerals in PA, shared personal incites and information on managing pastures for finishing beef.  Stocking rates, grazing annual forage crops, paddock design, soil fertility and animal health strategies were just a few of the many topics discussed.

Mike led a group on a tour of the meat plant and the logistics of humane animal harvest.  He pointed out the many machines that make different kinds of products and talked about the importance of food safety, proper labeling and marketing various products.  In a “Rocky-like” moment, the craftsmen, Mike and brother Chick, took the group in the cooler and showed where every cut of meat came from and pointed out the differences in marbling.  “Grass-finished animals have a finer marbled profile in the cuts then your feedlot finished animals,” said Mike.  Questions ranged from aging beef to capturing the most meat per carcass.  By the time the tour ended with the many questions, it was high time for a sweater!

The last group enjoyed a very hands-on, close-up, chute side look and “feel” of animal genetics by Gerald Fry.  He started by describing the various characteristics of a sound beef animal destined to finish on grass with excellent eating qualities.  He pointed out bone structure, hide and hair coat, gland activity and an interesting discussion on butterfat and how you can tell by the inside of the ears or at the end of the tailbone whether this animal produces high butterfat that is associated with fine textured, tender, juicy meat.  He then wielded a tape measure and linear measuring tool to evaluate the correctness of the qualities he was looking for in highly efficient beef animals destined for the grass-fed market.  Most of the farmers, including yours truly, were furiously writing down all the formulas and percentages that Mr. Fry knew by heart.  He certainly had the experience of the “Master’s eye fattens the cattle” wisdom that made this session memorable for all.

Capturing all this knowledge can make for a big appetite, and what better place to taste the sunshine then a barbeque highlighting the skills of Chefs Andrew Tarlow and Mark Firth of Marlow & Sons of Brooklyn, N.Y.  These fine gentleman and staff cooked up colossal hamburgers and thinly sliced Delmonico steaks to perfection.  The steaks, hand carved by the “Chickster” Debach, took on their own story as Ann Seeley pointed out that many of them resembled a heart.  “I think we have a new story to tell about grass-fed, it’s called the “Steak of Love,” emphasized Mrs. Seeley.  This love of locally produced grass-fed beef is just the conversation Chef Tarlow likes having with his customers. “There is a farmer and a story behind every cut that should be respected and celebrated,” he said.