How does Wagyu beef fit into the Grass Fed vs. Grain Fed dispute?
If you've read anything about the “grass-fed beef vs grain-fed beef” debate, you’ve probably seen that there are countless theories and positions on the proper feeding of cattle. It largely depends on what the consumer is looking for. Some want the least expensive beef possible. Others just want to claim that they don’t feed any grain to their cattle.
Customers of Fellers Ranch are individuals that are looking for the best-tasting, most tender beef available in the Midwest. If flavor, marbling, and tenderness are important, then Wagyu is the way to go. Maybe Wagyu is not called for every time you eat beef (because it is more expensive), but any time you want your meal to be “beyond average”, Fellers Ranch Wagyu should be your choice.
Wagyu’s tenderness and marbling come from a combination of factors: unique genetics, slower growth, age at the date of slaughter, and unique feed rations that are provided at different ages. Neither true grass-fed beef nor traditional feedlot (grain-fed) beef comes close to Wagyu on any of those factors.
The feed we provide to our Wagyu changes as they age – we provide far more roughage (less grain) than feedlot cattle. Our cattle are not grown exclusively on pasture grass like true "grass-fed" cattle are, but they eat very healthy diets, free of antibiotics and growth hormones. In other words, our cattle are not exclusively "grass-fed" or "grain-fed", but our feed program combines the best of both of those worlds.
What Do Locally Grown Fellers Ranch Wagyu Beef Eat?
Our feed rations are based on the recommendations of the top Wagyu nutritionist in the United States, and his advice has been based on decades of studies and on numerous trips to Japan. Wagyu cattle originated in Japan, where the meat is a delicacy that is sold by the ounce. As the Japanese have proven, slow growth with a balanced diet is key to producing healthy Wagyu. Fellers Ranch cattle are fed silage, hay, oats, and some corn, all carefully mixed by one of our partners and his family members.
Conduct a Taste Test of your Own!
If you want to make an informed decision, based on your own first-hand knowledge, consider purchasing some Fellers Ranch Wagyu steaks, some grass-fed steaks, and some conventional feedlot (grocery store) steaks, and invite some friends over for dinner. Make sure that you cook the steaks properly (click here for recommendations), and then do a blind taste test. It is a fun process, and we are absolutely confident that you will come to the same conclusion that we did. Wagyu is the best!
Use code TASTETEST for 10% off your order