New research is aimed to find out if a new food industry will work in Michigan.
MSU Extension wants to sign up 20 farmers in the northwestern part of the state this fall to raise beef solely on a grass diet.
Most cattle are fed corn. But prices for the feed have nearly doubled in the last few years.
Grass fed beef is supposed to be healthier and take less energy to produce.
Jerry Lindquist says it also commands a price that’s about 20% higher. He’s a grazing specialist with MSU Extension. And he says grass finished beef would be sold primarily in restaurants and small markets in the Traverse City area.
“We know it’s a strong market for products like this that are environmentally sound, have a lower carbon footprint and still are of high quality,” Lindquist says.
The idea was sparked by local food enthusiasts who wrote the Good Food Charter for the Grand Traverse area. Its goal is to supply 20% of food from within a hundred miles of Traverse City by the year 2020. And the charter specifically calls for grass fed beef as one component of the local food supply.