***The difference between grass fed and corn fed is astounding.***
Yes it is, and the purpose of grain fed cattle is to get rid of the “off” flavors picked up by the cattle. You really should try some beef that has been eating on pasture with some wild onions growing in it! You will never badmouth grain fed beef again.
Yes. Enough grazing on wild garlic in parts of the Midwest will really put the ugly to the taste of beef. In the West, there’s not much taste at all to beef, and it’s tougher. There’s one reason for the popularity of grass-fed beef in the West: marketing. There are two sub-reasons.
1. Grains are much more expensive in the West.
2. Folks with big incomes derived from government and government-connected corporations don’t want to buy grain, vaccinate cattle or build shelter for cattle (shelters being an invitation to paying big engineering fees, permit fees and tax hikes far bigger than any profits).
Rangy cattle result.
It tastes more like beef, so I don’t know what “off” taste you mean. Corn fed is like beef light to us. Flavorless and bland. Our farmer’s pastures have no (or extremely minimal) wild onions or garlic. Pastured beef and lamb and deep bedded pork are his specialty.