ottawa foodies

Well they finally did what I knew was inevitable - they are doing to beef what they did to poultry - turning shite into gold with good marketing.

Superstore now has big stickers "Ontario Corn Feed Beef" on all the beef that this applies to. As though that were somehow a good thing. My beef farmer friend told me that even barley, oats and other grains are a lot better than corn for cattle. Corn is the bottom of the barrel baby.

I always knew it was shite and I still buy it, but I just think it is hilarious that they are doing this. And sad in a way because suddenly everyone is going to think that corn fed beef is so awesome just like they think with grain fed poultry.

Here is the sticker

I should say I think it is good at least to know it is from Ontario

Sometimes it amazes me the level of emotion on such a statement. So beef cattle eat corn, how do you conclude it is an inferior product?

www.ag.ndsu.edu

corn has less protein as a supplement but how do you come to the conclusion it is not any good?

With my mouth :-)

EDIT: exclusively grass fed is way better. You are the guy who could not get pastured pork right? So started raising your own. Same applies to beef.

The guy who wrote the book on steak agress

Forum - new book on steak

He travelled the world trying beef and he came to the conclusion that exclusively pastured is best.

www.theglobeandmail.com

Oh also if you read up on paleo - pastured meat is WAY better for you. It has a much healthier mixture of fatty acids (omega whichevers and MUFAs and PUFAs) so way better for your brain and your heart.

Good thing we wont have fight over steak then. I have had the same exclusive grass fed as you and now prefer cattle with a grain supplement to finish them on. The marbling is much more pronounced and consistent.

Also understand what pastured beef means in Canada. In Ottawa you can have your cattle eating from the pasture May to Oct at best and the rest of the time they are eating hay. So they may live on the pasture, but the most they would have is 6 months of fresh grasses to eat.

Well hay used to be the pasture didn't it? :-)

Barley and other grains are even better than corn. Corn is the bottom of the barrel. But not anymore thanks to the marketers at the Ontario Beef Marketing Board!

Mmmm I like corn probably won't see much this season. My buddy pastures his cows and finishes on silage they taste great. O'Briens finishes on corn hence the nice marbling. Pretty tasty stuff as well. I think the this emotional thing about corn is blown out of proportion. What next something about climate change LOL! Zym don't you consume mostly frozen beef?

Here is a good primer on grass fed vs grain fed

www.marksdailyapple.com

I should also add that I've been told by folks inside the industry that feedlots in Ontario are rare, unlike in Alberta. So in general the animals are better treated here, and that also means they typically get plenty of grass (and hay depending on time of year) in their diets and not just grain, which is the case for feedlot beef.

So I'd be willing to bet much if not most of it is a good middle-of-the-road meat all things considered. But best to get to know your farmer and ask questions and look for the answers you want to find.

EDIT: In any case, like I said above, it is good to know at least that it is Ontario Beef and not from Alberta. Since it is far, far less likely to be feedlot.

start feeding the cows beer and sake!! with an occasional massage.

Don't forget the ice cream what would we be thinkng beer and a massage without the ice cream.

@Eastcoast.chef: I'm just going to cut out the middleman (middlecow?) and feed ME the beer and sake and have the occasional massage. I should be ready for market in another 40 years.

MMMmmmmm. Long pork.

Looks like the cow in Rizaks picture was fed beer and sake...

I call dibs on Rizak's tenderloins !

I guess I have some time to decide ... stuffed and baked or smoked and sliced.

All joking aside, I was talking to a local farmer(near Kinburn). Apparently with all this dry weather the grass for hay and grazing is terrible. All the clover/alfalfa and nutrients have perished. The grass will fill the cows up but it won't be as tasty or nutritios-even worse for milk. And the corn is looking pretty bad at this point. Cross your fingers for rain!

Had a 3 min torrential downpour at 4am ish this morning... It was a nice relief from the heat overnight, but just not enough for farming purposes... I just hope with the prescribed storm today that we are absent the lighning... *crosses fingers* Gonna be a few people singing the thunder buddies song tonight...

They're doing the same thing with "corn fed" as they did with "AAA" beef standardization. AAA beef is just beef with nice marbling, and the best/most marbling is caused by feeding cows corn for a loooong time.

The issue with corn and cattle is that it's not easily digested by ruminants, and too much of it can actually kill the cattle. I have no objection to using corn as a little filler, and when finishing up the cattle before slaughter, that's acceptable. It's the new idea that feeding cows primarily corn for their whole life that's unacceptable.

People will eat what they eat, and that's their business.

Generally speaking, 100% grassfed cattle can have a gamey taste to it. It depends on the type of cattle and the quality of life (lots of exercise makes for gamey meat)... but my wife doesn't like 100% grassfed, so we get most of our beef from farms that do "some corn" and "corn finish".... corn in the last several months of a steer's life won't hurt it and will greatly increase the quality of the meat.

All that being said... I've been told that we're supposed to cut down our beef intake to once per week, something about excessive methane production from the cattle (and maybe myself)

"People will eat what they eat, and that's their business."

And quite often, for the masses, that decision of what to eat is based on huge marketing campaigns .... as Zym implies at the start of this thread.

Zym:" ... suddenly everyone (edit: not us Foodies !) is going to think that corn fed beef is so awesome just like they think with grain fed poultry."

The campaign:
ontariocornfedbeef.com/
The picture is of the semi/trailer going to suburbs throughout Ontario. Waving the flag and beating the drum for Ontario Corn Fed Beef.

Who is behind the campaign:

The Cattlemen:
"The Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association was formed in 1998 by a group of feedlot operators committed to reclaiming and increasing market share for beef in Ontario."
"There is a membership base of 90 producers feeding over 55% of the fed cattle in Ontario."

The Processors:
"Cargill Premium For OCFB Cattle. Ontario’s largest packing plant is offering a price incentive for cattle certified for the Ontario Corn Fed Beef program."

The Retailers:
" ... Loblaw Companies to offer Ontario Corn Fed Beef at 46 more stores."

Nothing new hear folks ... Just another case study in Agriculture + Capitalism = Agri-Business.

Thanks for that Captain Caper - looks like I was wrong above and that this is definitely feedlot beef.

There is a documentary called "King Corn" which you can get at the library. It explains the role of corn in the North American diet. It's an interesting and entertaining film and I guarantee you will not look at corn the same way.

I wonder if that movie mentions biodegradeable food containers made from polylactide (from corn).