Grass-fed beef isn't as good as grain fed. Grain gives the beef extra fat and marbling, adding too the flavor and texture of the cut.

You think you would only eat half a beef a year? We ate a whole beef, pig, and deer over the past year! And I've been buying ground beef for about the past 4 months. We have really got to put one in our pens and finish it out so we have some good beef soon.

I wish we were doing well. One of the biggest things killing the family farm isn't the factory farm, but the rising cost of machinery and such, but low prices on crops. In fact, many crops are bringing what they did in the 40's and 50's. Our cows just make the land payment on the ranch and house. It doesn't provide for any living or the farm and farm land at all. Try out these prices:
*New tractor (pulls plows, baler, rakes)= $130,000 (yes REALLY! We bought our newest one last year, it's a 94 model, for $35,000)
*New baler (bales hay)= $75,000 (again, we bought a used one 4 years ago for $50,000)
*Swather (cuts hay)= $70,000 (we found a used one a couple years ago for $15,000 and had to put about $7,000 in parts to get it working)
*Combine (harvests wheat)=$150,000 (we don't combine wheat, we bale ours into hay, so at least this is something we don't have to have)
*hay rakes= $7,000 (our only piece of machinery that we ever bought brand new!)

A majority of our machinery is very used. Some of our plows are older than DH!

This year so far, we have spent $14,000 in parts alone to keep the machinery together, $7,500 in diesel and natural gas for our irrigation motors, $7,000 in seed, $10,600 in fertilizer and pestacides. Another $12,000 in diesel for the trucks and tractors. And we are small farmers! At least land is cheap. About $200/acre or so for pasture, a little more for non-irrigated farmland.

Wait, this was supposed to be about beef, right? LOL!! Sorry, I got off onto a farming tangent rather than ranching. Maybe when some of the machinery is paid for and we get out of this drought, we will actually make some money (in case you are interested, our annual rainfall is supposed to be about 15 inches. We haven't gotten more than 10 inches a year for the past 10 years). One reason why I want to get my teaching degree and get back to work when Chance is in school, take ALOT of pressure off the farm to support the household. The farm can support the farm, I can support the house, and anything extra would just be nice.

Oh, one more thing. We have almost 1,200 acres and 50 cows is all it can support because the grass is so scarce. Now, places like Georgia and East Texas and the Pacific Northwest can put many more cows per acre, rather than acres per cow.

Studmuffin, of course I remember you well! We nearly moved to Alamosa a few years ago, but couldn't afford the land up there. Besides, gets a bit too cold in Colorado for me! LOL!!