Explaining Your Feeding Practices
Customers increasingly want to know what cattle eat. A useful answer does not need to promote one feeding system as better than another. It should accurately explain what happens on your farm.
Describe the whole feeding program
A statement such as “pasture raised” may be accurate but still leave important questions unanswered. Consider explaining how feeding changes throughout the animal’s life and through Alberta’s seasons.
Useful details can include:
- Summer pasture or grazing system
- Winter hay, silage or greenfeed
- Minerals and supplements
- Whether grain is fed
- When grain is introduced
- Whether cattle are grain-finished or grass-finished
- Whether feed is raised on the farm or purchased
Grass-fed and grass-finished are not identical descriptions
Cattle can consume grass and forage for much of their lives and later receive grain during finishing. If that describes your program, simply say so.
A producer does not need to hide grain finishing to appeal to customers. Some consumers specifically prefer grain-finished beef, while others prefer grass-finished beef.
“Pasture grazed during summer, fed hay through winter and finished on a barley ration” tells a customer much more than simply saying “farm raised.”
Explain why you feed the way you do
Your feeding program may reflect climate, available forage, land, cattle genetics, desired finishing characteristics, animal condition and the type of beef your customers prefer.
Explaining those practical reasons helps consumers understand agriculture rather than simply memorize labels.
Be careful with production claims
Canadian food claims must be accurate, truthful and not misleading. If you make a specific feed or method-of-production claim, make sure your practices support it.
Last reviewed: September 2026.