Raising Cattle on Grass
Field Day Offers Management and Marketing Ideas

Auburn, April 22, 2004 ---- More and more Alabama farmers see possibilities in raising cattle 
on grass, forgoing the more traditional finishing of beef on grain in Midwest feedlots before 
slaughter.  But an agricultural economist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System said 
making the shift to a grass-fed operation is more complex than simply changing feeds.
	
Dr. Walt Prevatt, an Extension economist, said Alabama beef producers need to consider a 
number of factors including production costs and product marketing before making the leap to 
finishing their steers on grass in Alabama.
	
“This is one area where farmers really need to do their homework before they decide to make a 
wholesale change in how they manage their animals,” said Prevatt.
	
An upcoming field day sponsored by the Auburn University College of Agriculture should provide 
answers to many of producers’ questions.
	
The field day set for May 14 will be held in two locations.  The morning session, which starts at 8, 
will be at the Beef Unit of the E.V. Smith Research Center off I-85 in Shorter.  Producers will have 
the opportunity to review current grass-fed beef research being conducted by Auburn University 
scientists.
	
Dr. Chris Kerth, an Auburn University meat scientist, will discuss his work in meat quality and 
nutritive values of grass-fed beef and grain-fed beef.
	
“Grass-fed beef does have a different flavor than beef finished on corn,” said Kerth.  “But our 
research, which includes consumer taste testing, indicates that consumers can make the change 
and that there is a market out there for grass-fed beef.   In fact, 20 to 30 percent of consumers 
surveyed in our research indicated that they would prefer the grass-fed beef product.”
	
Lunch and the afternoon session will be at the Ham Wilson Livestock Arena in Auburn where 
participants can evaluate carcasses from grass-fed and grain-fed beef.  Speakers will discuss a 
number of  topics including forages for finishing beef, managing beef nutrition, selecting beef 
genetics, economics of production, meat quality and nutritive value and meat marketing.


	
Tours of the newly constructed Meat Lab and Beef Teaching Unit and ALFA Services building will 
be conducted following the afternoon program.  Registration before May 7 is $15 per person.  
After that date, the fee is $25.  
	
Send your name and fee payment to the following address.

	Grass-fed Beef Field Day
	c/o Carole Hodge
	Animal Sciences Department
	Auburn University
	209 Upchurch Hall
	Auburn, AL 36849
	
Checks should be made payable to Auburn University Department of Animal Sciences.
	
For more information and maps to the field day locations, go to www.ag.auburn.edu/~ckerth.