Natural cattle

Ranchers who battled the harsh winter know that to keep calves alive many had to be vaccinated But will all that vaccine affect the number of cattle entering the natural beef market To qualify as natural the animal can never be given antibiotics or growth enhancing feed additives Animal Scientist Dr Vern Anderson says it s a small niche market in North Dakota but it is growing slowly and steadily He says although a large number were disqualified due to being treated for winter sickness he still thinks many calves can qualify The natural market is a fairly small percentage of the entire beef industry So I don t know that we will be challenged in finding enough natural calves If producers are keeping track of their individual identification there is still a large number of animals that will qualify that have not been treated Anderson says if you are looking at finishing natural cattle be sure to use the most effective additives to help minimize your costs