The Difference Between Grain-Fed & Free-Roaming Cows

The difference between grain-fed and free-roaming cows refers to steers and heifers put in a feedlot after weaning versus calves left on pasture until harvested. Calves are managed in feedlots for relatively short periods of five to eight months. Feedlot cattle are fed rations balanced with their nutrient needs. These rations can include feeds such as alfalfa, soybean meal, vitamins, minerals, silage or hay in addition to grain, so the term grain-fed is somewhat a misnomer.

  1. Feed

    • Feedlot cattle are provided a daily supply of nutrient quantity and quality required to produce the desired weight-gain. Free-roaming cattle are expected to obtain most or all of their nutrient requirements by grazing grass pastures. Some producers give their calves protein supplement, such as cottonseed cake, cracked corn, and soybean meal during winter and droughts. Others maintain a pasture system that provides adequate nutrition to calves throughout the year.

    Space

    • The University of Nebraska recommends at least 150 to 200 square feet per animal in the feedlot, especially when calves are being started on feed. Stocking rates for free-roaming cattle vary from one acre to 50 acres per head depending upon the ranch's geographic region and whether the pasture is improved or native.

    Type of Meat

    • Free-roaming cattle with grass as their only feed source provide leaner meat with less marbling than that produced by feedlot cattle. Marbling is fat cells deposited between muscle cells in meat. Susan Deckett with the University of Georgia reported that cattle fed increased amounts of oilseeds and vegetable oils had increased marbling. Preference of lean versus marbled meat is dependent upon personal tastes. Marbling has no effect on tenderness, so either type of beef can be tough or easy to chew.

    Fatty Acid Profiles

    • Daley and colleagues presented a review of fatty acid profiles and antioxidant content in grass-fed and grain-fed beef in the "Nutrition Journal" in 2010. The authors reported that grass-fed beef has a more desirable soluble fatty acid content than grain-fed animals. Grass-fed beef also contains more Vitamin A and E precursors and cancer-fighting antioxidants. Lean beef, regardless of how it is fed, can be used interchangeably with fish or skinless chicken to reduce cholesterol levels.