Raising Our Own Beef -Lesson Learned

This was the first year that we had our own beef butchered.  We bought a bottle calf two years ago, a steer, that was purchased for the sole purpose of being our first butcher calf.  He was also a 4H bottle calf for my son the first summer.  Everyone in our family knew that one day that is what would happen.  Well, this summer it finally did.  He was finally large enough to take to the locker -roughly 1000 lbs. 

There is something satisfying about raising your own animal that you will eventually eat.  We knew every single thing that he was fed -grass mostly.  We knew he didn't have any growth hormones or drugs.  When you purchase meat in the store there is a high likelyhood that it had at least a growth hormone implant as this is standard practice for many.  He was treated humanely -like a pet really.  It does take a little longer for a bottle calf who is grass fed to get to size but it would be worth the wait.  I was so tired of paying the high prices in the grocery store and the meat is just not as tasty as local farm raised beef. 

In the past we have purchased some grain fed beef from local farmers and had it processed at the local locker.  It is always better tasting than the beef at the store.  Not for sure why that is, but it is.  I do think it was somewhat cheaper to raise our own than to buy one from a local farmer.  Both ways is much cheaper than paying the high prices at the store for all those cuts of meat!  The great part about the expense from raising your own is that it is spread over time so it doesn't cost a huge chunk at once. 

I am a solid steak lover and while I was sure I could raise a calf from the bottle and then butcher it as I looked forward to all those tasty steaks, eating them is somewhat bittersweet.  I would suggest to anyone wanting to butcher their own meat - don't butcher a bottle calf.  I cannot stress that enough!  He was tame enough that if I yelled for him, he would come up from the pasture.  He was potentially dangerously tame at times, though.  The kids couldn't get in with him anymore unsupervised.  He was just too big to "play" with them anymore, but he didn't know that.  The day we took him to the locker I felt so bad for him.  It was hard on the kids too.  I kept telling them and myself that we all knew all along that this day would come and we have to eat.  I didn't know if I was even convincing myself, but it was the truth.  He was raised for this sole purpose.  Even now, a couple months later I still feel bad about the whole thing. 

All in all, we will be raising another calf to eat, but it will not be a bottle calf.  If we raise a bottle calf again I will be selling that one and either buying beef once again from a local farmer or purchasing a weened calf to raise and butcher.  I will chalk this up to a lesson learned well and won't make this mistake again. 

HAVE A GREAT DAY!