There's a saying: "you can't manage what you can't measure". You can, of course, but not well in most cases. In managed grazing that's long been one of the big issues since you need to be able to measure dry matter content of paddocks on a daily basis to do good management.

A variety of instruments have been offered to help with this but they are either expensive and unreliable, or labor intensive. Most graziers end up reverting to guess-timating, relying on experience to quantify the highly variable content of paddocks as the seasons change and swards evolve in a succession of species and growth stages. Dry matter mesurement isn't enough since the nutritional value also varies. One longs for some sort of Star Trek tricorder hand gadget that could quickly and precisely tell you all about whatever you point it at. It isn't just forage that requires measurement, it's also the livestock and the soil.

The end result in some cases is that grass fed animals aren't very well fed, and the meat currently on the market is in some cases a bit disappointing as a result.

The aged 100% grass fed beef was supplied through a reputable butchershop in Toronto sourced from Ontario. There is generally little marbling however, and the argument is that grass-fed beef has a beefier taste.

As you can see there is a contradiction when grass-fed beef is said to have a beefier taste when at the same time corn-finished beef is to have more of the flavorful fat. . .

The grass-fed muscle had beautiful deep red colour as the corn-finished was more opaque. Both had the same consistency in body when prodded however the grain-fed had considerably more moisture. Interestingly we noticed that the grass-fed butcher decided to leave on a considerable amount of fat covery around the steak. We wondered if this was to compensate for the lack of marbling. . .

The two opposing striploins were profoundly different. This was confirmed upon initial texture tasting. In the blind tasting each tasting judge had the ability to discern each varietal with 100% accuracy. Also, the fat left on by the grain-fed butcher was very tough and the judges were unable to chew through it. . .

After taking the rare steaks off the cast iron pan to rest we knew upon slicing that the grass-fed would be less tender. It should be noted that grass-fed steaks did have more of a chew but some people enjoy that, especially with a NY cut. . .

None of our tasters were able to discern a beefier flavour with either steaks therefore debunking the beefier tasting argument of the grass-fed. They definitely tasted different, but none were able to discern a grassy taste that is often attributed to grass-fed beef. Interestingly some of the tasting judges were able to sense a livery taste with both steaks.

Based on taste alone, setting aside nutritional and environmental arguments, we were able to state with confidence that the corn-finished beef is superior in each of the judging criteria of texture, tenderness and flavour.

My beef isn't like that, though it is grass fed. It's well marbled and trimmed, just like you would get in any market. It is dry aged for 21 days, which enhances flavor and tenderness. You can't do that with skinny steers. After 10 days they've had all they can take.

The flavor is quite different from grain fed beef, especially the fat since it is high in omega-3 fatty acids. You can taste that. I'm not sure I'd call it a more beefy flavor, whatever that might mean. It isn't regular beef but more so, it's different and many think better, as do I.

The point is that it isn't enough to just raise animals on grass. They have to be well raised and truly finished. This is part of why I have criticized the USDA grass fed marketing standard. It allows growers who have no skill to make marketing claims for poorly raised beef that deceive the public in some important ways and so harm the grass fed name. This would happen with or without a standard, but the public is led to believe that such "verified" beef is representative of the production method.

In the end there's no substitute for brand names and reputations. Trying to turn grass fed into a commodity is a mistake. This makes life a bit harder for large retailers, but if they can do it with wine then they can do it with beef. And should.