DS Family Farm
Worried about what you are "really" eating? Have peace of mind with pasture grazed meats.
2021 Grass Finished Beef
Pasture Grazed Beef at DS Family Farm is grass-fed beef for life. Some folks refer to this type of management as Grass Finished beef. Since practically all beef are “grass-fed” for a portion of their lives, “grass-finished” implies that the beef was “grass-fed” right up to harvest. Since we do not feed any grain, do not allow the herd to “glean grain” in harvested crop fields and our cattle live their entire lives on pasture, we refer to our beef as “Pasture Grazed“.
This past week we harvested 2021 pasture grazed beeves. Harvesting off green growing forages results in meat with flavor and nutritional value that our customers have come to expect.
Come visit the herd…
COWS = GRASS
This month we reach the 10 year milestone of grazing cattle here at DS Family Farm. Since July 2011 we have embraced “Fresh Grass and Move” management with the cattle herd. Prior to the cattle arriving, we spent about 15 years managing the pastures with periodic prescribed burns (fire).
Without cattle to recycle the old forage, fire was the tool we used to remove old grass. Fire is rarely used now that we have the herd available to manage pasture. Recently we did burn a 5 acre patch of Conservation Reserve Program land (see May 2020 blog post).
10 Years of Cows vs. 10 Years of Fire
Curious to know if cows or fire results in more forage production? We turned to the Rangeland Analysis Platform (RAP). RAP gives the ability to investigate “rangelands across space and time” for the western states. We can actually go back in time and compare the past 10 years of managing pasture with cattle versus the previous 10 years of managing with fire.
Managing with cows = more grass produced
For the past ten years we have used a “Fresh Grass And Move” management technique. The cows are constantly on the move. Appropriate animal impact is applied to the land. Cows and grass have a symbiotic relationship. Cattle managed this way ensure that a future harvest of grass will be available. Below we show 10 year accumulated biomass totals for three key points during our growing season.
10 year forage production results
- June 25th represents about 40% of our growing season.
- During the growth period (Jan. 1 to June 25), the pasture accumulated an additional 100 lbs. of forage per acre under cattle grazing versus fire management.
- August 28th represents about 80% of our growing season.
- During the growth period (June 25 to August 28), the pasture, on average accumulated another additional 100 lbs. of forage per acre with cattle grazing vs. no cattle fire management.
- December ends our growing season (100% accumulated forage production for year).
- During the growth period August 28 to the end of the growing season, the pasture, on average accumulated another additional 100 lbs. of forage per acre under cattle grazing vs. no cattle fire management.
Bottom Line: when averaging 10 years of total forage production, cattle grazing management out produced 10 years of total forage production under fire only management by 300 lbs. per acre.
- Fire management only, 10 year average total growing season production = 2,601 lbs. per acre.
- Cattle grazing management, 10 year average total growing season production = 2,899 lbs. per acre.
- 2,899 lbs. per acre – 2,601 lbs. per acre = an additional 298 lbs. per acre production with cattle grazing management.
Additional Considerations
There are many variables that go into each growing season. The only variable that we knew was different between these two 10 year data periods was the addition of cattle grazing and the elimination of fire over the past 10 years.
RAP does include climate data. When we look at temperature and precipitation we find:
- 10 year average precipitation without cattle (fire only management period) = 28.3 inches per year.
- 10 year average precipitation with cattle grazing/no fire management = 31.5 inches per year.
- Note: the 10 years with cattle management had both the highest and the lowest recorded annual precipitation.
- 10 year average annual temperature without cattle = 51.2 degrees F
- 10 year average annual temperature with cattle = 52.0 degrees F.
Further reading on climate variables
The paper “Annual Range Forage Production“, from the University of California, highlights climate variables on annual range production. Below I try to summarize the findings:
ABOVE average annual production under these conditions:
- Warm, wet fall, with an average winter and spring.
- Average fall, mild winter and average spring.
- Average fall, short winter with an early spring.
BELOW average annual production under these conditions:
- Cold, wet fall, average winter and average spring.
- Dry fall, average winter and average spring.
- Average fall, long winter and late spring
NORMAL average annual production under these conditions:
- Average fall, average winter and average spring
- Average fall, cold winter, average spring.
Note how the fall is used as the starting point when considering a growing season total forage production. Annual production in temperate climates start the fall before the growing season. That is why we take interest in how our water year begins in October. Refer to this past post for more information: Happy New Water Year.
Want to produce more grass? Properly managed cattle appears to produce more grass then when cattle are absent. Does this surprise you, that cattle grazing would stimulate more grass growth?
Pasture crop – Year One Experience
We completed year one of the CCTA-Farms Advancing Regenerative Management Systems project. The main practice we tried out was seeding annual covers into perennial grass pasture. Refer back to our September and October blog posts for more information and early results.
Bale grazed area
See below for a series of photos from an area that was bale grazed January 4, 2019. The first photo below shows a nice circle outline of where the bale was placed. The perennial grass below the bale was set back due to the left over bale residue. The seeded annuals did well.
We only clipped the annual covers (rye, vetch, winter pea) that were growing. We did not clip the growing perennial grasses. After air drying the the two samples shown in photo above:
- Grazed sample had the equivalent to 450 lbs. of growing annual cover (rye) per acre.
- Not grazed sample was equivalent to 6,700 lbs. per acre of growing annual covers (rye, vetch and pea).
Non bale grazed area
The first photo below is from September 2020. The seeded covers have emerged and growing well as the native warm season pasture grasses are going dormant.
Summer broadleaf seeding
We are seeding in old Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands. Native warm season grasses make up the majority of the current vegetation. Earlier this month we tried seeding warm season annual broad leaf covers. We are curious if these annual forbs will find a niche in the predominant grass pasture. From the photo, it appears the cattle herd is also curious!
Based on our early results, cattle impact prior to seeding is key. In the photo above, the pasture grasses have been “set back” by a recent graze. Stay tuned for results.
Chicken Omega 6:3 Ratio
We have six years of Omega 6:3 data on DS Family Farm grassfed beef, so this past year we decided to test our No Soy – No Corn, GMO free Pasture Chickens. The first thing to remember is that a chicken is not a herbivore like cattle. Chickens are omnivores, yes, just like humans. Traditionally, chickens were kept around a farm to clean up kitchen scraps. Scraps of meat to veggies, along with grass, bugs and small critters are all fair game for a chicken!
A chicken can consume a wider range of items than a human since they have two stomachs. First a glandular stomach, similar to ours, is an area where chemical digestion occurs. Second, chickens have a strong muscle called a gizzard, that they fill with small stones. Mechanical grinding and mashing of the food occurs here. The gizzard allows a chicken to eat seeds/grains. During the non-growing season, when insects are not available, mixed grain rations are the common feed for chickens.
Green = Omega 3 fats
Previously we have explained that our world is awash in Omega 3 fats. Where ever you see green growing vegetation, you see omega 3. Plant chlorophyll is a great source of omega 3 fats, but these fats are highly perishable and do not persist very long. When we harvest grassfed beef directly from green growing pasture, the omega 3 fats are present and the omega 6:3 ratio is very low as our beef do not consume any grains.
Seeds = Omega 6 fats
Since omega 3 fats are highly perishable, plants use omega 6 fats, stable fats, for long term storage of energy in their seeds. When cattle are fed corn, consuming omega 6 fats, corn fed beef will display a higher omega 6:3 ratio. Our pasture chickens, supplemented with plant seeds (oats, barley, peas) consume these omega 6 fats as part of their diet.
Pasture Chicken Omega 6:3 Ratio Results
As you can see, DS Family Farm Pasture Chickens consume grains (unlike our Pasture Grazed Beef). So we would expect our chicken meat to test with a higher Omega 6:3 Ratio compared to our beef. Midwest Lab Fatty Acid test results testing our chicken:
2020 Pasture Chicken Breast Omega 6:3 Ratio = 5.6 : 1
At the time of writing this post, we have not researched what typical grocery store chicken tests for O 6:3 ratio. This seems like a very good ratio considering these chickens ARE feed grains. This ratio is well below grocery store grain feed beef that we previously researched and typically has an O 6:3 ratio of ~14:1.
Feel free to chime in on our FaceBook page with any comments you may have.
Omega 6:3 (2020 Results)
We now have 5 years of laboratory data from testing our pasture grazed beef. Since the label of “Grassfed” is meaningless, at DS Family Farm we go the extra steps to ensure customers that our beef is truly grassfed from birth to harvest:
- Third-Party Certification by A Greener World (Certified Grassfed by AGW).
- Annual Fatty Acid Profile testing of beef by Midwest Labs, Omaha Nebraska.
- DS Family Farm beef born and raised in U.S.A – Nebraska.
Why is the label “grassfed” meaningless?
With awareness of how food impacts our health, the demand for real, nutritious whole food, such as grassfed meats has increased dramatically over the past two decades. The term “grassfed” is just another marketing strategy being used by the large-scale meat industry. Along with terms like “natural” and “free-range”, “grassfed” is a way to trick consumers into buying a product with less than accurate advertising. True, almost all beef are “grassfed” for a portion of their lives but that is not the “rest of the story”.
As an informed consumer of “grassfed” products, you need to know how the animal was raised from birth to harvest. Not only that, but you also need to know where the animal was raised! Currently, about 80 percent of “grassfed” beef found in grocery stores came from outside of the USA. This includes grocery store “grassfed” beef from other countries with the label “Product of USA”! This is a loophole in our labeling laws since Congress eliminated country of origin labeling in 2015. (Information from recent “The Regeneration” newsletter.)
Why analyze Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio?
Unlike carbohydrates, certain fatty acids are “essential nutrients” we must consume in our diets. We have discussed the need for both O6 and O3 fatty acids in past posts. The current Standard American Diet (SAD) includes high levels of omega-6 seed/vegetable oils resulting in a SAD intake O6:O3 ratio around 15:1. “Several sources of information suggest that human beings evolved on a diet with a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids of approximately 1:1.” (PubMed Source)
Past studies have found that true pasture raised beef results in meat testing with a low O6:O3 ratio. Beef are ruminants and are designed to eat forages. When they live their entire lives on forages, as designed, their resulting meat fits a low O6:O3 profile. (Beef Tallow Study, Rib Eye Study)
Know your farmer know your food!
This study from 2019 confirms that grocery store beef labeled “Grass-Finished” will not consistently exhibit a low O6:O3 profile. The study only includes 12 producers. Some producers noted they used grain by-products for supplementation even though they labeled their product as “Grass-Finished”. The five producers with the lowest O6:O3 ratio reported their finishing diets were pasture-based. My guess, these producers harvest from green growing forages.
Though the Rib Eye study from Mother Earth News included 23 pasture-based farms. We do not know how many samples were in the beef only analysis (included beef, eggs, poultry and butter). These farms advertise as being pasture farms, and the resulting O6:O3 analysis holds true with a low O6:O3 analysis at 2:1.
Impact on your health.
As we have previously said, we are all biochemically unique. A similar diet consumed by different individuals will have different results. With that said, many of us could benefit from consuming “true grassfed beef” that exhibits a low O6:O3 fatty acid profile.
As noted by Diana Rodgers, RD, and Robb Wolf in the book SACRED COW, The Case For (Better) Meat: “swapping out 690 grams per week (about 24 oz) of red meat from conventional cattle for red meat from grass-fed cattle and lamb has been shown to significantly increase serum concentrations of total omega-3 fatty acids, including DHA, and reduce the ratio of serum omega-6 to omega-3 (2011 study). Daily intake of DHA was shown to increase by 4.5 milligrams from 9.5 to 14 milligrams, which is in line with values of DHA found in grass-fed beef. (2019 study)”
Diana and Robb go on to note that (1) you need to make sure the beef exhibits the low O6:O3 profile (know your farmer know your food) and (2) the 2011 study did not include individuals who include oily fish more than twice a month in their diet.
Should you try true grassfed beef to improve your blood serum O6:O3 fatty acid profile? Maybe you should start with testing. Then we recommend that you cut all vegetable/seed oils and watch the seed/nuts in your diet (all sources of omega-6 fatty acids).
Doug’s personal notes:
- O6:O3 blood serum is definitely below the average for people eating the standard American diet
- I do on occasion have a can of sardines, but I much prefer Sardines Of The Plains.
- I am biochemically unique.
Easy Keepers
All of us have a friend that seems like they can eat ANYTHING and not gain weight. Chances are, you are thinking of someone right now. That person is NOT an “Easy Keeper”. As for myself (Doug), I am an “Easy Keeper”. I can look at one of my Mom’s cinnamon rolls and put on a couple pounds. An “Easy Keeper” is someone who can gain and keep weight, with little to no effort. In the grass fed cattle world, easy keepers are the kind of cows we want in our herds.
Are we currently on a food joy ride?
The United States and other developed countries are experiencing an obesity epidemic. Did most of us just evolve into easy keepers over the past 50+ years? Or did the industrial food system take us on a food joy ride?
What do I mean by a food joy ride? Let’s look at the cinnamon roll example, using the “nutritional” information from a Cinnabon Classic Cinnamon Roll. We find the following results from the Protein:Energy Ratio Calculator:
- 37% of calories from Fat (Energy)
- 58% of calories from Carbohydrates (Energy)
- 5% of calories from Protein
This is a perfect example of our food system taking us for a joy ride. The combination of high fat and high carbs in a “food”, hijacks our brains with a drug-like reward. Just one hundred years ago, high concentrations (95%) of ENERGY, in a readily available “food like substance”, was not an option to humans on a daily basis. When we did encounter high energy in a food (i.e. fruits at the peak of harvest) we were wired to consume them while we could, in anticipation of the on coming energy deficient season. In today’s world, energy in our diet is available 24/7/365. Our bodies keep storing the energy (as fat) in anticipation of a low energy season that never happens!
In The P:E Diet book, Dr. Ted Naiman and William Shewflet, explains how our recent obesity crisis is an Energy Toxicity problem. We are simply consuming way to much Energy, more than what our bodies were designed to handle.
Solution to energy toxicity…PROTEIN
Three steps to jump off the industrial food system joy ride:
- Avoid those “food like substances” (not found in nature) that are High Carb and High Fat (i.e. cinnamon rolls).
- Sure they are fine for a treat, but not everyday on the way to work.
- Decrease Carb Frequency (stabilize your blood sugar and your mood)
- Think intermittent fasting.
- Limit daily food intake to an 8 hour window (i.e. Noon to 8 PM)
- Increase Protein
Increasing Protein consumption is really the key point of the Protein:Energy Diet. When we focus on protein consumption (especially quality animal proteins) we feel fuller! The vitamins and minerals that our bodies innately seek are not found in high energy sources, but these key nutrients are found in protein. The P:E Diet book explains “we are wired for protein prioritization, we will continue to eat until our protein need is met.” Looking back at our cinnamon roll example, we would just keep eating roll after roll and never feel full! Increase your animal protein consumption and sit back and relax after a meal, you will feel full. If you try this, be prepared, it may feel weird at first. Like any change, take it slow and allow time for your body to adjust.
Protein is impossible to overeat. Carbs and Fat are impossible NOT to overeat.
THE P:E Diet
Soil Health under snow
A number of years ago we heard a speaker tell us that some of the greatest soil microbial activity occurs under the snow. Now how could that be? “Snow is one of the most amazing insulation materials in nature. It limits heat exchange. It stabilizes temperature.” (http://www.actforlibraries.org/the-insulation-properties-of-snow/)
Farmers with a winter wheat crop in the field were happy that we had the snow before experiencing the subzero temperatures. From the photo above, the fall 2020 pasture crop seeded into our perennial pastures look excellent and will hopefully really take off with the warm weather we are experiencing.
Soil not frozen?
As the herd moves through our pastures year round, we need to move portable fencing year round. Doug was surprised that he was able to just push portable fence posts right through the snow and into soft soil. He came up with the idea to investigate with a spade. Ok, not one of his best ideas, but it did make for some interesting photos and video.
How do the cattle fair in subzero weather?
Actually the herd does quite well in cold weather. In fact they probably do better in this cold weather compared to very hot weather. The reason? Cattle carry and active fermentation vat around with them year round. Read our summary in the Instagram post below:
Freeze proof tank
In an effort to mimic nature, the cattle herd is constantly on the move. Mimicking the roaming bison herds that developed the prairies in this part of Nebraska. The past two winters herd impact was focused on new pasture areas near our home and the herd had access to water from the house well. In 2021, it was time to get some animal impact on stockpile pastures only served by a water well with a solar pump.
The information highlighted in this post is a follow-up to a video (Livestock freeze proof water tank 2018 video) posted in conjunction with a blog titled “Subzero Frost Free Tank“. The “Subzero Frost Free Tank” post describes the steps used to install the tank and includes an overview of how the solar pump system works. We were recently surprised to see that the 2018 video had over 8,700 views at the time of this post.
Since this is a topic of interest to others, we are happy to post the video below and provide an update on powering the solar pump when our farm experiences multiple days without sunshine.
2021 Freeze Proof Tank and Solar Power Backup video:
The above video is not expected to go “viral” but we do think there should be more COW videos and less cat videos!
Herd behavior
Appropriate animal impact is a main area of focus at DS Family Farm. We are constantly trying to balance herd size with available forage over an area that will experience appropriate herd impact. The goal is to keep the herd happy while at the same time, animals are confined to an area of the pasture that receives the correct amount of impact. We are focused on positive animal impact to the pasture that includes:
- Hooves breaking crusted soil
- Old standing forage is stomped to the ground
- ALL plants in the area experience grazing pressure
- Manure and urine (nutrients) are distributed evenly
Cattle have a natural instinct to form a herd. It is the movement of animals in a herd that provides the valuable impact to the land that improves soil health, plant health and ultimately the health of the herd. It is an amazing design of nature, a regenerative design by our Creator.
Natural Herd Behavior
Through numerous past posts, we have highlighted the benefits of herding animals and the positive impact in healing land. Here we would like to share with you a sample of the social side of the herd. In daily interactions with our cattle, we have a unique relationship with most individuals in the herd. At the same time, we take for granted the relationships we observe between herd mates.
The following video will give you a glimpse of the social side of a cattle herd. As always, we invite you to stop by the farm to visit and see what really goes on in our pastures.
Precision bale grazing
Actually the herd is less than precise when they munch on a bale of hay this time of year. In this post we cover HOW we decide where we want bales placed in our stockpiled pastures. If the cows aren’t picky where they find a bale of hay, why are we choosy with bale placement? Here are some items considered when placing hay bales:
- How will cows travel to and from water?
- What level of animal impact are we planning for?
- How much stockpile pasture is available?
- Where do we want wasted hay left on the land?
- Is there protection from cold north winds?
If you are not familiar with “stockpiled pasture” you can review our previous posts on stockpiled grass. As for “bale grazing”, this is when we place bales of hay in our pastures. These include large round bales and also small square bales. The hay is a supplement to the dormant (non-growing season) stockpiled pasture grass being grazed.
What precision is involved?
In another post we described using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to plan our grazing. The same principle applies to planning our pasture moves while bale grazing. Using GIS we can see where round bales have been grazed in the past. Review imagery looking for “poor soil” areas where some wasted hay and extra animal impact would help heal the land. Finally run some simple calculations to make sure the herd has adequate feed for the amount of time planned for each move.
Follow along as we use GIS to plan and place the round bales:
With the areas planned (above image) we can use GIS to pre-plan the actual bale locations and about how big each pasture move will be. We know about how much standing stockpile is available, along with how much hay is in each bale. With our current herd size we can calculate how long the herd can be in each paddock.
Precision Placement (kind of)
With the bale locations tentatively marked, we export the data into a smart phone APP (iGIS) for use in the field. This takes the guess work out of bale placement to make sure our paddock sizes will be close.
Once in the field and navigating with the bales, we fine tune the final placement looking for areas near the planned locations that would benefit most from wasted hay and animal impact. This includes poor soil areas, thin grass stands and brush patches.
Results we are looking for
Many sources will tell you the best grazing during the winter will be on stockpiled grass. So why do we bale graze at all?
- An opportunity to bring carbon and nutrients to our pastures.
- Balancing a manageable herd size with the land we have to work with.
- Hay is insurance for unfavorable winters.
- Hay is readily available in our area.
We bale graze for the reasons listed while at the same time providing fresh stockpile grass to the herd.
