Brix and Quality Meat
by Ridge Shinn

We at Bakewell have spent a lot of energy finding the right cattle genetics for grass-fed production. The Rotokawa Devons and other subsets of English breeds produce great quality beef on a grass-only diet in various different environments. These cattle do better on some farms than others.

In an effort to figure out why cattle with the same genetic potential do better on certain farms, we have begun to measure the quality of forage on various farms. Doug Gunnink from MN conducted a seminar for Bakewell in July and started us down this fascinating learning track.

Brix is a measurement of nutrient density. A ruminant, of course, is defined by its rumen. A rumen is a unique part of a bovine digestive system that actually ferments forage and transforms it. It is really equivalent to a compost pile — although it is an anaerobic pile in that this takes place without a lot of air. The rumen works optimally when it has the right balance of ingredients just like a compost pile: the right Carbon Nitrogen ratio, the right pH, and the right amount of protein and energy. The quality and make up of the forage that the bovine eats becomes quite important as we focus on how to optimize rumen function.

Forage can be tested in a laboratory for the various elements that are present and Doug Gunnink suggests that this is more important than the soil test since if it’s not in the forage it never gets to the rumen. Actually he says, “Once the cattle start eating dirt, we will start testing soil.”

Another method of spot testing forage quality is with a refractometer or Brix meter. This is used for a field assay of “nutrient density.” It is a measure that is used often in the fruit business and especially in the wine industry to measure the sugar content of wine grapes. We find we can use it to measure the quality of forage. To change the quality of forage requires a forage analysis and then a prescription to change the mineral and sugar content of the forage (which we will address in a later bog article). To learn more about forage quality testing, read this series of articles explaining Brix, meters and optimal values for various crops:

USING A REFRACTOMETER TO TEST THE QUALITY OF FRUITS & VEGETABLES by Rex Harrill