Our record
Grass-finished
24farm records · 6 comparable prices · median $6.68Grain-finished
6farm records · 3 comparable prices · median $6.752 records carry both flags because the farm offers more than one programme or the evidence describes different lines. These are overlapping evidence groups, not a randomized price study. The medians describe what is published, not a controlled premium caused by feed.
What changes
Time, fat, and flavour move together.
- Time to finish
- Pasture energy changes with season and forage quality, so grass finishing can take longer and produce more variation between animals. A grain ration supplies denser, more consistent energy near the end of the animal’s growth.
- Marbling
- More finishing energy generally makes intramuscular fat easier to develop. Breed and individual genetics still set a large part of the result; a feed label is not a marbling grade.
- Flavour
- Grass-finished beef can read as leaner, mineral, or pasture-forward. Grain finishing commonly produces a rounder fat flavour. Ageing, cooking, and the cut can overwhelm that distinction.
- Price
- Grass systems carry land, winter forage, and time. Grain systems buy concentrated feed and are exposed to corn, soybean, and prepared-feed costs. The index sees a $0.07 difference between the two published medians, but does not assign that difference to feed alone.
How to use it
Ask what “grass-fed” means at finish.
Nearly every calf eats grass. The useful question is what the animal ate during finishing, and whether the farm’s claim covers the exact beef being sold. The register only shows grass-finished or grain-finished chips where it carries evidence.
A price above either median may reflect a different breed, longer ageing, included processing, smaller share size, or a different route to market. It is context, not a verdict.