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| where does Holstein steer meat end up in the food chain? can a person tell the difference if it was in front of you compared to colored cattle. thanks |
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Columbia City, Indiana | Honestly it mainly depends on how it was fed in my opinion. That said, I always say you wouldn't milk an Angus, why would you eat a Holstein?!? That, and I have a neighbor who feeds Holsteins and buys a half a beef from me every year for his own freezer... he always says "That stuff's not fit to eat." But he also gets a buck every year and gives it to his nephew and his family for the same reason, lol. |
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n.c.iowa | I've wondered that too, asked a few people, nobody can ever give me a straight answer alot steiners get slaughtered in green bay. figured that they were mostly hamburger, but a friend of mine has been going straight to the packer, and 60-70% have been hitting prime/choice.doesn't make sense that they would be grinding them for burger. we have been eating and selling stein and crossbreds for a good number of years. I have had customers that prefer steins, and customers that prefer crossbreds. I myself prefer a well finished stein over a crossbred. if you don't push the energy to the steins, marbling can be a little scarce. |
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| If they are fed right ie. straight corn, holstein is great meat.. |
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Wabash, IN | Up until this year, all I ever put in the freezer was holstien. I can not tell any difference in the steaks or roasts or anything. I sold alot of quarters also and have happy repeat customers. I could see if you tried to feed one like a beef breed you would be unhappy, but most people that raise holstiens know they have to be fed different. |
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South cental Ohio | I've raised and fed out all kinds of cattle and if you've never ate a stein, you shouldn't put the meat down. It tastes as good or better than colored cattle meat, it just has more bone to it if you let them get too big. It mostly depends on how they're fed as others said. |
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North Central Indiana | We have raised a lot of different breeds and crosses over the years and have been happy most of them on the grill. Our freezer beef customers as a whole ask for Holstein over our other calves. My personal opinion is that it varies on the animal and how each of them is fed. I have a friend that raises specialty cattle and is into blind taste tests with different breeds. If each is fed right, they are all good. |
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Kingston,Mi | When I was at Michigan State University's College of Agriculture in the Animal Husbandry program, my advisor and instructor Harlan Richie, was ask which European exotic breed would he be interested in (when the existing European breeds were Charolais , Simmentals, Maine Anjou and Brown Swiss), he answered Holstein. Some one ask for clarification with "aren't they milk cattle?" and Harlan said they were dual purpose in Europe. This would have been about 1970.
Edit: added Harlan Richie's name
Edit 2: the Charolais, Simmentals, Maine Anjou and Brown Swiss were all dual purpose breeds in Europe as were the Red Polls and Shorthorns. When "She Who Must Be Obeyed" worked at a Vet. Clinic in Frankenmuth Mi., they had a client that milk Simmentals exclusively (Frankenmuth is a proud German centered area of Michigan).
Edited by BOGTROTTER 2/7/2014 08:20
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| so how about when it leaves the packer, major restaurant chains? or where |
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| We feed our holstein steers straight corn. I like holstein meat better than angus. |
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Center of IL | I fed Holsteins for many years. Most of mine went to Green Bay, although I used to send them to IBP if they weren't huge. Till someone sent a load of heavyweights up there and pulled the rail down from the roof. Quite the mess, I heard. Also, if they were too big, they had to carry them somehow through the plant so they didn't drag on the floor. The meat is as good as purebred beef in my opinion. Not nearly as fat. AT least on a huge one. One good thing about them is you could keep feeding them to 1600 lbs + if corn was cheap and the cattle price was lousy. Beef, you pretty much have to sell when they are finished or get discounted. Last time I looked at Walmart, most of their meat was coming from Geen Bay. |
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swmn | As soon as the hide is off its all red meat we have sold steins as certified angus beef |
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MN | Fed a high energy diet, holstein beef is just as good or better than anything else. If you feed a holstein like colored cattle you are going to have poor results. They are not going to convert like a colored so it takes a different ration to get quality beef. Taste panels, shear test, marbling have all ranked holsteins at least as good as beefers if not better. JBS is starting a holstein brand http://www.5starbeef.com/ It ends up wherever it grades at - prime, choice, select - ribeye area, marbling...etc will affect that as well. |
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SE SD | Ain't that nice. Gives the whole CAB a lot of credibility doesn't it? I have herd all kinds of stories about guys selling all colors of cattle together and as long as there's a percentage of black they all go CAB. Should be against the law. False advertising. Not blaming the feeder for getting a good price but CAB should be CAB. My red angus calves bring less as feeders then get sold as CAB for a premium. Bunch of BS. Then I see every restaurant in town advertising CAB and don't have a clue what there selling but Joe consumer thinks he's doin good stayin brand loyal. Guess it doesn't specify red or black angus does it? |
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all over Iowa | Holsteins fed right will kill right with the beef breeds. Ribeye area tends to be a little smaller relative to their carcass size, which isn't all bad considering some consumers are looking for smaller portion sizes and a Holstein can give you a thick cut 8-12 oz ribeye. If they grade, they go in with the regular boxed beef. |
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all over Iowa | Does not need to be straight corn, just a high energy diet. Less corn and a little roughage in the diet will prevent stall out and give us better rumen health, better gains, better conversions, and same carcass results. |
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nw oh | Was at a tour of JBS Plainwell, they said there biggest customer for that plant was Meijer stores. That is a Holstein only plant 1200 steers 700 cows per day. They put out a lot of ground beef. The way I understand it they need the cow to make your 80% lean and up products. There were a lot of steaks and other cuts going down the assembly line. |
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Center of IL | Your right about the steaks being a little smaller. Butchered a purebred Charolais one time. Looked like a normal steer but when he was cut out, the tbones were gigantic. Was told by the butcher that the steer could have easily won the state fair carcass class. He would have known too, as they had just done the carcass class there a few days before. The tbones would have been too big for a large skillet but to tell you the truth, I thought the Stein meat was as good or maybe better. Traded half of the charolais on a paint job. Never heard a word from them. They probably figured it was normal, as I don't think they ate much good beef. Butchered a 1350+ purebred angus one time. Was over finished. Meat was super tender but also super fat. Split it 3 ways and both of the guys I split it with had heart trouble shortly after. Hopefully it wasn't from the steer. |
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holstein meat
