You've probably seen grass-fed beef at the grocery store, but there's an important distinction that many people don't know about. At Prairie Ranchers Beef, our cattle are both grass fed and grass finished — meaning they eat only grass and grass-based forages (silage and hay) throughout their entire lives. This method, an important aspect of regenerative ranching, creates benefits you can taste and feel good about.

How Finishing Affects Your Beef

Think of beef finishing like the closing chapter of a book — it determines how the whole story ends. During those last 3-4 months before harvest, cattle typically gain their marbling (the intramuscular fat that creates tenderness and flavour). What they eat during this period significantly influences the meat's taste, texture, and nutritional content.

Many grass-fed operations choose grain finishing during these final months because grain is calorically dense and helps cattle develop marbling efficiently. It's a practical approach that works well for many producers. But we've chosen a different path.

The Right Cattle, The Right Diet

Grass finishing works when you match the right cattle with the right diet. We select smaller-framed cattle with high relative feed intake — animals that can efficiently convert grass and grass-based forages into beautifully marbled beef. We also focus on producing high-energy forage crops that provide the nutrition our cattle need to develop excellent marbling naturally.

Using these practices, our beef achieves 70% AAA grading while maintaining the nutritional profile of a grass-only diet throughout the animal's entire life. It's an approach we're passionate about because of the results it delivers.

What This Means for Your Family

When you choose grass-finished beef, you're getting meat that's rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A and E, and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). You're also experiencing exceptional flavour that reflects the diverse prairie grasses our cattle consume throughout their lives.

Many customers tell us they rediscover what beef is supposed to taste like when they try our grass-finished cuts for the first time. The deep, clean flavour and exceptional tenderness aren't accidents — they're the direct result of staying true to grass-based nutrition from birth to harvest.

The next time you're choosing beef for your family, look beyond "grass-fed" and seek out "grass-finished." Not only will your taste buds thank you, but you’ll be getting the full nutritional benefits that a grass-only diet provides.