Our Research
Every choice we make has a reason.
We raise our cattle antibiotic-free and hormone-free, grass-grown and grain-finished. These aren't just marketing labels they reflect decisions rooted in animal welfare, food quality, and what we believe is the right way to produce beef. Below are the resources and research that inform those decisions.
ON GRAIN FINISHING
Why we grain-finish our cattle.
There is a common misconception that grain is bad for cattle. The reality is more nuanced. Our cattle spend the majority of their lives on grass and pasture. Grain finishing in the final months serves a specific purpose: it develops the intramuscular fat, or marbling, that gives beef its flavour and tenderness. It is a natural complement to a life spent on pasture, not a replacement for it.
Grain-finished beef consistently scores higher on palatability metrics like tenderness, juiciness, and flavour. Our approach grass-grown, grain-finished is designed to give you the nutritional benefits of a pasture-raised animal with the eating quality that comes from a proper finish.
BEEF CATTLE RESEARCH COUNCIL • CANADA
Feed grains for beef cattle and the role of barley, corn and wheat in Canadian finishing rations
A detailed BCRC overview of how cereal grains are used in Canadian beef finishing rations, why grain is the most efficient energy source for developing marbling, and how Alberta barley specifically fits into western Canadian beef production.
BEEF CATTLE RESEARCH COUNCIL • CANADA
How does forage finishing affect product quality?
Canadian research comparing forage-finished and grain-finished beef on growth performance, carcass traits, quality grades, and eating quality. Funded by Canada's National Beef Check-off and the Beef Science Cluster.
BEEF CATTLE RESEARCH COUNCIL • CANADA
Unwinding the fiber in finishing diets — how grain finishing produces well-marbled beef
Published October 2025 in Canadian Cattlemen, reprinted by the BCRC. Explains how high-grain finishing diets improve feed conversion and produce well-marbled beef, and how Alberta barley fits into western Canadian finishing programs.
ON HORMONE-FREE RAISING
Why we don't use hormones.
Growth hormones are widely used in Canadian beef production and are legal under federal regulations. We choose not to use them. That's a deliberate decision, not a default one. Growth promotants work by artificially accelerating lean muscle development beyond what the animal would achieve naturally. We believe that the extra time and feed required to raise cattle without them produces a better animal and a better product and we're not willing to compromise that for efficiency.
The European Union has banned the use of growth hormones in beef production since 1989 on precautionary health grounds. Several independent scientific reviews have raised concerns about residual hormone levels and their potential effects. We think consumers have every right to make an informed choice about this, and choosing hormone-free beef is a meaningful one.
At Lazy E Cattle Co, we look at the natural cycle of the animal and base our feeding program off of what we believe is right for the consumer. Pushing the animal’s too hard on high concentrated feeds while yes gets you a product thats cheap but it doesn’t get you a product that tastes good.
CANADIAN FOOD FOCUS • CANADA
Questions about hormones in food? The facts about beef production in Canada
Canadian Food Focus explains the facts about hormone use in Canadian beef production, why it is regulated by Health Canada and the CFIA, and what it means for consumers who choose hormone-free beef.