We currently have beef available! Please contact us via email or phone (call or text) for pricing and available cuts…….we would love to help you experience the eating delights of Murray Grey grass-fed beef.
Our Murray Grey Beef
I will never forget how eye-opening a conversation was with a local livestock sales barn auctioneer when I had him come out to our farm to view some Holstein steers that I was attempting to sell through the sale barn. One of the first things he said was “Have you implanted these cattle yet? If you haven’t, I would recommend implanting them.” (The implanting he was referring to was to inject small pellets of growth hormone under the skin at the base of the steers’ ears to increase their rate of gain.) A few weeks later, I was asked again by a local dairy cattle grower (and friend) if my cattle were implanted. My responses to both of these folks was “no” that I hadn’t implanted them and that “I wasn’t planning to.” The frequency of these comments made me realize how common-place implanting cattle intended for meat most likely is in the beef industry. I thought of how difficult it probably is to find non-implanted beef in places such as fast-food restaurants and the typical beef on grocery store shelves. Even if it were to make sense economically to implant my cattle with growth hormones, morally, I felt like if it wasn’t the type of beef I wanted to feed my own kids, why would I want to add to the amount of implanted beef already out there? Thus my overall philosophy, the less artificial stuff to go into my cattle (and my kids), the better. That’s my definition of “honest” beef. —Haly Schultz
This said, the following is what is NOT in our Murray Grey beef:
No artificial growth hormones
Never fed antibiotics
No grain (ever)
how our cattle are raised
On our farm we are committed to the practice of Management Intensive Grazing (MIG) and raise all our livestock on intensive rotationally grazed pastures during the grazing season; cattle are given a new "slice" of high quality pasture every 1-3 days and are moved through pastures quickly to allow grass to regrow for the next grazing rotation. This maintains super fresh and high quality forage for the cattle and, as we are conservation-minded, keeps much of our land in permanent pasture maintaining wildlife habitat and preventing soil erosion.
We treat all animals humanely and strive to provide them with a low-stress environment. We treat our animals with respect and love and feel so blessed to be the 6th generation of caretakers of both land and animals on Marth Homestead Farm.
grass-fed makes a difference
Strictly grass-fed meat has been shown to be higher in omega-3 fatty acids and contain more conjugated linoleic acid verses grain-finished beef. Grass-fed beef should still be tender and juicy; this is where genetics, breed, working with a knowledgeable butcher, and correct cooking methods at home all come into play. (Grass-fed meats may cook faster and may not need as high of a cooking temperature to reach “doneness.”)
“Grassfed beef cooks about 30 percent faster than grain fed beef. Use a thermometer to test for doneness and watch the temperature carefully. You can go from perfectly cooked to overdone in less than a minute. The meat will continue to cook after you remove it from the heat, so when it reaches a temperature ten degrees LOWER than the desired temperature, it’s done. Then let the beef sit covered in a warm place for eight to 10 minutes after removing from heat to let the juices redistribute.” —-from the American Grass-fed Association website (2019)
Murray Grey Breed Makes a Difference
Igenity, a genomic company that uses DNA to predict the genetic potential for all ages/stages of beef cattle including bulls, has DNA screenings that show Murray Grey cattle with more of the alleles for Marbling, Percent Choice, and Tenderness than other breeds. As Mike Lowry states in his article, Meeting the Needs of the American Beef Producer and Consumer, “The Murray Grey carcass quality combines yield, tenderness, marbling, and consistency that has created a well earned export market for the Australian beef industry. The Murray Greys’ extraordinary carcass quality was well illustrated at the 2008 Midland Bull Test and sale in Columbus, Montana. For the first time in the history of the Midland Bull Test, a Murray Grey bull scored a perfect 10 on the genetic test for marbling and a near perfect 9 on the genetic test for tenderness. In Australia the Murray Grey is setting records in multi-breed carcass competitions. The Murray Grey is proving to be the best suited breed for providing excellent beef in the rapidly emerging grass-finished beef industry.”
Renowned for their ability to ‘marble’ (lay down intramuscular fat) and without excess subcutaneous fat, the breed has become popular for both grass-fed and feedlot production of beef for the Japanese and Asian market and for Australian domestic use.
Overall, Murray Grey cattle tend to be more “refined of bone” (smaller bones) compared to other beef breeds which allows them to deliver much higher dressing percentage and cutout than other breeds.