Grass-finished beef catching on in Sisters

There's an old mountain man saying that "meat's meat."

Allan and Kathryn Godsiff will tell you that that's just not so. As managers of Willows Ranch Natural Beef, the Godsiffs are producing grass-finished Red Angus cattle at the ranch off Indian Ford Road. Grass-finished beef is lower in fat content than grain-fed beef - about the same as skinless chicken or wild venison.

Quality, healthy beef sold to the local market is "part of the local food movement," Kathryn Godsiff said. That movement is a cultural shift toward a more connected way of life, shortening supply chains and improving diet.

"It's kind of a radical new thing in the U.S.," said New Zealand native Allan Godsiff. "But it's what we've been doing for decades in New Zealand."

Willows Ranch Natural Beef offers a whole beef, a half or a quarter. Their kill dates are August 30, September 10 and September 20.

"We can be flexible as to when you want it," Kathryn said. "If somebody doesn't want a whole quarter, we encourage them to 'cowpool' with others."

The common belief is that grass-finished beef is substantially more expensive than supermarket beef. According to Allan, that's not necessarily so. Prices average out per pound to be about the same as for a comparable amount of store-bought beef.

"It's a niche market," Kathyrn said, "but it doesn't necessarily have to be a luxury product."

On-farm slaughter as conducted by Willows Ranch Natural Beef improves the quality of the beef, according to the Godsiffs, who note that the main toughness issue with beef is stress on the slaughtered steer.

Cinder Butte Meat Co. out of O'Neill Junction handles the mobile slaughter aspect of the production.

Kathryn points out that preparation of grass-finished beef is a little different than for store-bought beef, because the fat content is lower. The Internet abounds with tips on how to properly prepare the Omega-3-rich beef.

For the Godsiffs, grass-finishing is not a lifestyle novelty; it's a practical approach that returns cattle-raising to a more natural method.

"It's how cows are meant to be fed," Kathryn said. "They're herbivores; they're meant to eat grass."

For more information e-mail [email protected]

outlawnet.com for a flyer, or contact Allan Godsiff at 541-480-6967.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

• Email: editor@nuggetnews.com
• Phone: 5415499941