Caring for their cattle:
How California ranchers prioritize the health of their cattle
Click here for our California Local Beef Directory
Looking for locally-sourced beef?
PRESENTED BY:
Beef Osso Buco
Braised Brisket Street-Style Tacos
Classic Beef-Stuffed Peppers
Cowboy Beef Stew
Lazy Day Beef and Vegetable Soup
Ridiculously Tasty Roast Beef
Slow-Cooked Whiskey-Molasses Shredded
Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs
Around here, we're fond of foods that take us back to memories of family meals around the dinner table. Take comfort in all your favorite classic beef dishes, like meatloaf, stroganoff, meatballs and more.
TRY OUR RECIPES: CLASSIC BEEF COMFORTS
Do ranchers care about their cattle? It’s one of those philosophical questions you might ask yourself while staring at the freshly cooked hamburger on your plate. It’s only natural to wonder, and it’s our responsibility as consumers to seek out the answer. If you were to ask some of California’s ranchers, their responses would resonate with the following:
“There’s nobody that works around these animals that wants to see these animals do poorly or suffer. We like to see them ... content. I think that’s important to almost any rancher I know.” - Mike Williams, Diamond W Cattle Co.
“I think our family’s philosophy of ranching is pretty simple, and that is just to take care of those cattle that we have.” - Celeste Settrini, Settrini Ranch
“We take it seriously, you know. … We work every day not only to take care of our cattle, but just to continue to make this place the most beautiful piece of land that we can make it.” - Karen Stone, Yolo Land & Cattle Co.
So as you pile the toppings and condiments onto your beef patty, it’s really not a question of if ranchers care about the animals they raise, but rather how they care for them. Knowing the nature of how cattle are taken care of will not only give you confidence in your food choices and allay ethical and food safety concerns, but it will make your beef taste that much better.
There are a lot of practices ranchers follow to ensure the health of their herds. As with humans, one of the best ways to keep cattle healthy is through a proper diet. So what exactly is being fed to your food? Cattle spend much of their lives eating grass and grazing in pastures, but that’s not necessarily all they eat. Many ranchers work with a nutritionist to help them determine if their herds are getting the right balance of nutrients. If they aren’t, they’re often given vitamin, protein or mineral supplements to round out their diet.
Now, if you’ve ever picked up a package of ground beef at the grocery store labeled “grass-finished,” it means that cow spent its entire life on a diet of grass, hay and other vegetative matter. Typically, though, cattle are also fed a mixture of grain. This commonly includes things like corn, oats and wheat. If you want to learn more about the differences between grass-finished and grain-finished, check out this breakdown.
DIET
Beyond keeping cattle properly fed and hydrated, ranchers keep a close eye on their herds for any signs of illness. This brings us to antibiotics, which are commonly used to prevent, treat and cure illness in livestock. Of course, as Mike Williams said above, nobody wants to see their animals suffer. So when one of them gets sick, treating it is the humane and rational course of action. Ranchers who choose to administer antibiotics take the process seriously, and in California they’re required to consult with a veterinarian to determine if and when the drugs are necessary. They must adhere to the veterinarian direction and any guidelines set by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Watch the video below to see how Celeste Settrini approaches the use of antibiotics for her cattle.
ANTIBIOTICS
QUALITY OF LIFE
Antibiotic best practices, guidelines and laws are continuously being researched and improved. Any antibiotics used on livestock must go through rigorous testing by the FDA and must be deemed safe not only for the animals but also for the humans who consume them. The amount of time required for an animal’s body to fully process a drug is referred to as a withdrawal period. Withdrawal periods are set by the FDA and vary depending on the drug to ensure they don’t contaminate the meat. There are also strict laws in place that prevent meat that contains certain levels of antibiotic residue from being sold. When it comes to antibiotic best practices, ranchers have many resources at their disposal, including the Beef Quality Assurance program, which takes big strides to provide ranchers with in-depth training and guidance. The CDC, USDA and FDA are all great resources if you want to dig further into how antibiotics are regulated for use in livestock.
From the day cattle are born through the end of their life cycle, their well-being is a top priority for any cattle rancher. When it comes down to it, though, most consumers just want to know: did the beef I’m eating come from a cow that had a good life? According to Chris Herrara, a cowboy at Hearst Ranch, they just like to let cows be cows.
“We don’t like to move cattle around a whole lot, we just like to let them be free and do their own thing.”
Hearst Ranch is located on California’s central coast. They raise cattle on two sprawling properties that total over 150,000 acres combined. Nestled among rolling green hills and views of the ocean, let’s just say it’s a place anybody would be happy to live. Ranching, no matter the number of acres, is a 24/7 commitment that takes dedication. If you don’t love taking care of animals, you’re probably not in this line of work. Rancher Mike Williams is someone who cares deeply for the animals on his ranch. He’ll be the first to admit it’s one of the top reasons he loves his job.
“I love everything there is about ranching. There’s nothing about this that I just don’t love. … It doesn’t matter if it’s fixing fences or digging post holes. … I mean, one of my favorite parts of it is the animals.”
At the end of the day, it’s pretty simple. Allowing cattle to lead healthy, natural lives in low-stress environments is going to produce good beef. And that happens when ranchers care about their cattle.
To learn more about cattle raising practices, check out beefitswhatsfordinner.com.
Click here for our California Local Beef Directory
Looking for locally-sourced beef?
PRESENTED BY:
Kevin Kester, Bear Valley Ranch, Courtesy of BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com
PRESENTED BY: