FAQ
What is Grassfed Beef
Grass-finished beef (sometimes marketed as grassfed beef) comes from cattle that have been raised on a forage diet their entire lives. While most cattle spend the majority of their lives in pastures eating grass before moving to a feedlot for grain-finishing, grass-finished beef cattle remain on a pasture and forage diet.
WHAT IS GRASSFED VERIFIED?
Beef producers wishing to make marketing claims associated with what their animals are fed or how their animals are raised must submit a documented quality manual to the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). Once AMS approves the supplier’s quality management program, the program is then “USDA Process Verified.” Process claims such as “free-range,” “pasture-raised” and “grass-finished” must be approved by USDA FSIS before they can be used on a beef product label. W & R Farm and Ranch meets the USDA standards for certified grassfed beef.
WHAT SHOULD I KNOW ABOUT W&R FARM AND RANCH STEERS?
At W&R Farm and Ranch, we slaughter twice a year - in the Spring and the Fall. Our steers will range from 1,000 - 1,300 lbs and will be approximately 28 months old at the time of butcher.
We raise British breed cattle, including Hereford, Angus, Red Angus, Black Baldy and Red Baldy. Our cattle are raised in South Texas in either LaSalle, Live Oak or Nueces counties and are slaughtered in Poth, TX at Dean & Peeler Meatworks, a state-of-the-art, federally inspected, custom meat processing plant.
ORGANIC FED VS. GRASSFED: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
If beef product is labeled “grassfed,” it came from cows exclusively fed grass, hay and forage. No grains were included in the mix. It’s possible that pesticides were used on the grasses or hay, and it’s also possible that cows were given vaccines. Grassfed does not mean organic. Organic cows are fed organic feed that could include grain with grass, hay and forage.
W & R Farm and Ranch currently offers grassfed beef in the San Antonio area and beyond. All cattle is raised by us, to our standards, under our supervision, and on our land.
I WANT A STEER, WHAT DO I DO?
That’s an easy one! Click here to reserve your steer. We will call you once your steer is delivered to the slaughtering plant with a tag number for your animal. The butcher will then contact you about custom cutting.
HOW DO I GET READY FOR MY MEAT PURCHASE?
A 1,300 lb steer will yield approximately 600 lbs of meat! While that may sound like a lot, it goes faster than you think. However, many of our customers opt to find friends to split a steer with. If you choose this option, you will be the point of contact for your animal throughout the whole process.
When the butcher calls you for cuts, he’ll need to know:
Your desired packaging sizes - Ground Beef pounds, Rib Size, etc.
Your preference for Bone-in vs. Bone-out
Desired thickness of Cuts for Steaks, Chops, Etc.
For freezing, we recommend an inexpensive freezer that can be purchased at any of the big box hardware stores
We are happy to deliver your order once it's complete or you can pick it up from the butcher directly