Grass-Fed or Grain-Finished? What the Words Mean, and What We Do

Folks ask us this one at pickup and in the messages: “Is your beef grass-fed?”

Here is the honest answer. Our cattle are born on our pasture, raised on grass, and finished on grain. So the label that fits us is grain-finished, not grass-fed. Here is what those words mean and why we do it this way.

What “grass-fed” means on a label

A lot of people think grass-fed just means the cow ate grass at some point. Every cow does. Every calf in America starts on its mama’s milk and a pasture.

The USDA sets the rule for what goes on a meat label. USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service says “grass fed” and “100% grass fed” mean the same thing: after weaning, the animal ate nothing but grass and forage. No grain. No feedlot. If a farm feeds any grain, the label has to say how much, something like “fed 85% grass and 15% corn.” Beef that was ever in a feedlot cannot be called grass-fed.

So when you see “grass-fed” on a package, it is supposed to mean forage only, start to finish. That is a fair rule and we have no quarrel with it. It just is not what we do.

What we do

Our calves are born here and raised on grass. When they are big enough, we put them on feed and finish them for up to 250 days. Then they go to a USDA-inspected plant, hang and dry age 20 to 30 days, and get cut and vacuum sealed.

No hormones. No steroids. Just grass, then grain, then time.

Why we finish on grain

One word: marbling.

Marbling is the little white flecks of fat inside the muscle. It is what makes a steak tender and gives it that rich beef taste. It is also what the USDA grades on. Prime has the most marbling, then Choice, then Select.

N.C. State Extension puts it plainly. Grain-fed beef tends to have whiter fat and more marbling. Grass-fed beef tends to have yellower fat and is leaner, with less marbling. Grain has more energy in it than grass, so the animal puts on that finish faster.

University of Florida’s beef extension team looked at the research and found that when consumers taste both side by side, most of them prefer grain-fed for flavor and overall eating. The tenderness research is more mixed, but the flavor preference held up.

That is the whole reason. We want the steak on your table to eat like a steak ought to.

Is one healthier than the other?

We are cattle people, not doctors, so we are not going to tell you what is healthier. N.C. State Extension says it comes down to personal preference, and that beef raised either way is a safe, good source of protein, iron, zinc, and B12. We will leave it there.

Why we tell you this

The word “grass-fed” sells, so you will see it used loosely. We would rather tell you exactly what we do and let you decide.

If you want grass-fed, forage only, there are good farms in Georgia doing it and we hope you find one you trust. If you want a dry-aged Black Angus steak with real marbling, raised on our land in Sylvester, that is what we have.

Questions about how we raise them, ask us on our Facebook page. Shares for 2027 are on the bulk beef page.

— Mitchell Family Farms

Sources: USDA FSIS, Labeling Guideline on Documentation Needed to Substantiate Animal Raising Claims (2019) · N.C. State Extension, Grain-Fed vs Grass-Fed Beef (2021) and University of Florida IFAS, Carr, Grain-fed vs. Grass-fed Beef (2010).

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