Mike Baker, Beef Extension Specialist at Cornell University.I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Mike Baker of Cornell University regarding a grass-fed beef study he is conducting. This is the first year that Cornell has used grass finishing in a beef study and Mr. Baker admitted that he was learning a lot about the process and the ins and outs of rotational grazing. The purpose of the study is to measure weight gain and final carcass measurements in an effort to some how quantify grass finishing in New York State.
The study was instigated by a group of upstate farmers (Mr. Baker is himself a Beef Farmer) to explore how to best utilize the 3 million acres of unused pastureland in New York State. It will also serve as resource for grass-fed producers and will continue next year.
When asked what he felt was the solution to Upstate New York’s devastated agricultural sector he answered: “Use of the 3 million acres is going to have to be a patchwork of organic and conventional farmers working together.” This outlook is refreshing. We do need more farmers, processors, artisan butchers, creameries, marketplaces and local middlemen to help farmers bring their products to us. The more farmers we have in each community the better chance there is for us all to succeed. The more communities are invested in farming the better.
Next year the study will be more organized and will measure weight gain more intensely, monitor grass intake and the body condition score of the carcass after slaughter. Mike Baker also mentioned that other aspects need to be explored like breeding, age at slaughter and the amount of land needed. “The propose is to make our land useful but most importantly profitable.” Studies like this are essential to understanding what goes into grass finishing so that it can be an option for more producers in New York State. The quality and profitability of American grass-fed beef has a long way to go but it is with the help of dedicated academics, farmers, chefs and customers that we can create a world-class product on our pastures. I believe that grass-fed beef could become a big part of a solution for utilizing our land and our vicinity to New York City is going to play a major part in this grass-fed renewal.
The steers are set to go to slaughter in a few weeks so there will be a lot more info to talk about then. I would really like to get press coverage for this study, as it is so important for grass-fed farmers to have an academic basis for finishing their beef. If you are interested in this study please contact me at ullabear (at) yahoo.com or contact Cornell.
Related links
An article I wrote for Goodlifer about the grass-fed beef movement upstate A Quiet Grass-fed Revolution. The study was instigated by a group of upstate farmers (Mr. Baker is himself a Beef Farmer) to explore how to best utilize the 3 million acres of unused pastureland in New York State. It will also serve as resource for grass-fed producers and will continue next year.
When asked what he felt was the solution to Upstate New York’s devastated agricultural sector he answered: “Use of the 3 million acres is going to have to be a patchwork of organic and conventional farmers working together.” This outlook is refreshing. We do need more farmers, processors, artisan butchers, creameries, marketplaces and local middlemen to help farmers bring their products to us. The more farmers we have in each community the better chance there is for us all to succeed. The more communities are invested in farming the better.
Next year the study will be more organized and will measure weight gain more intensely, monitor grass intake and the body condition score of the carcass after slaughter. Mike Baker also mentioned that other aspects need to be explored like breeding, age at slaughter and the amount of land needed. “The propose is to make our land useful but most importantly profitable.” Studies like this are essential to understanding what goes into grass finishing so that it can be an option for more producers in New York State. The quality and profitability of American grass-fed beef has a long way to go but it is with the help of dedicated academics, farmers, chefs and customers that we can create a world-class product on our pastures. I believe that grass-fed beef could become a big part of a solution for utilizing our land and our vicinity to New York City is going to play a major part in this grass-fed renewal.
The steers are set to go to slaughter in a few weeks so there will be a lot more info to talk about then. I would really like to get press coverage for this study, as it is so important for grass-fed farmers to have an academic basis for finishing their beef. If you are interested in this study please contact me at ullabear (at) yahoo.com or contact Cornell.
Related links
My flickr set about the trip
10 comments:
Nice, Ulla! I'm linking to this post from www.ithacasfoodweb.com!
Wow, I'm eager to learn more about this study! From what I understand, one of the problems of raising grass-fed beef in NYS is winter: the grass is gone, so what are the best alternatives. Will this be part of the study as well? And are they looking at different breeds as variables in the study?
Ithaca's Food Web: thanks so much!
Adriana: thanks so much for your comment and your support in general!
That is a great question. On our farm we use ballage which is hay that is wrapped in plastic so that it ferments. The cows love this and loose no condition over the winter.
I think this study will have more information more years in.
If you can imagine that this is the FIRST grass finishing study there is going to be so many things to learn.
Think of all the money and science that has gone into beef rations at feedlots. Makes you appreciate this study a lot.
It is the first study at Cornell I meant.
I think breeding is going to be included but that is costly so I am not sure:)
I was just going to ask, Ulla, what breed or breeds they're studying (and if they are selecting for good grass-finishing genetics). Beef Geek that I am I've read a lot of meat studies & only once did I see one that was breed specific (and then it was something inane).
No matter, it's great to have such a top notch university starting to focus on grass-fed beef. I drove to Ithaca a little over a week ago to go to the meat fair Cornell was hosting. Met lots of enthusiastic grass-fed and grain-fed beef farmers.
Ulla,
Thanks for going up to Cornell to get the story on this important development for the Grass-fed industry. A major Ag University conducting a funded study like this is a good move forward for bringing grass-fed practices closer to mainstream acceptance. I know that UC Davis has done studies on Grass-fed, but the terrain and grass in the Northeast hardly comparable to that of Northern California. It's good Cornell is taking on a regional leadership here.
3 million acres of unused pastureland!! And still people argue that feedlots are the only way we can produce enough to feed our people!
Very interesting. The middleman theory is not always applied, even in small countries such as France, but farmers markets remain very much of an institution (although I wouldn't be able to tell what the percentage of producers vs sellers present on the market is). Thanks for that Ulla!
ulla, I'm always so happy to read a new post from you about farming. I know your readers will learn a lot from ou since you explain everything so well. I'm glad you did this intereview. Also so very happy, and I know I've said this before, that your family's farm treats their animals ethically. Growing up on a farm myself--why would anyone do it differently is beyond me.
As a Cornell student, and one who has worked a lot with Dr. Baker, I was thrilled to see this article. Over the summer, I excited to hear that CU was looking into grass-finishing, as it is an up-and-coming management tool that is both economically and environmentally pleasing, and attractive to customers. It is a challenge in terms of space required (though there is clearly a good bit available!) and the labor involved in moving cows, but when well-handled and well-managed cows are put on pasture it is definitely a viable option.
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