Grass-fed Beef in Ohio Winter?

    As winter approaches, we are often asked how we manage “grass-fed” cattle during the winter months.  It’s a fair question. After all, grass doesn’t grow in Ohio from November through March.  We solve this problem by feeding sun-cured grass, AKA hay.  We feed hay through the winter in the form of dry round bales and wrapped baleage.  Modern technology in harvesting equipment has made baleage possible. This fermented form of grass is a significant benefit for the health of cattle.  Grass is harvested and baled at a higher moisture content, then wrapped.  The fermentation that occurs makes the nutrients more bioavailable for the cattle. 

    Year-round, we supplement with essential minerals and apple cider vinegar. This plays a key role to balance the pH of the cattle’s digestive system, thus allowing them to access more of the nutrients from the hay and baleage.  To offer perspective, we feed several thousand gallons of apple cider vinegar to our cattle annually.  It is a costly program, but the end result is second to none. 

    Another way we solve the “lack of grass” problem is to butcher cattle mostly during the grass-growing seasons.  Over 75% of our cattle are butchered April through October.  We build an inventory of this beef and then supplement with less frequent butcher dates December through March.  Some cattle perform very well on hay and baleage through the winter.  Only these top performers are chosen for butchering during these months.

    Even though the grass is green in Ohio for only seven months, our year-round grass-fed beef operation thrives on fine-tuned forage, mineral and butchering management. 

Hope this answers some of those questions!  😉 Dustin