Ms P > wrote:

>"sf" wrote in message ...

>>>Yes there is such a thing as free range beef. Steers may not be raised in
>>>a
>>>cage but they are raised in pens. They're called feedlots. Feedlots are
>>>most definitely not free range.

>> Steers don't spend their entire lives there, they just spend the last
>> part of their lives there. Think of it as a retirement home.
>> Cattle spend their last 60-90 days in feed lots to fatten up just
>> before slaughter.

>They can spend as long as 200 days in a feedlot. Calves can be taken
>directly from weaning to the feedlot and raised entirely in a feedlot.
>They're called calf-feds. Cattle are generally slaughtered at 20 months of
>age or less.

I really should have said "grass-fed" rather than "free-range",
as it is this that leads to shorter cooking times and different
fat chemsitry/quality.

Free range, grain-finished beef is not much different from
feedlot beef.

Steve