USDA Says Yellow Fat Is Asset, Not Liability: 1949

A good “plug” for grass-fat beef, or at least for beef from cattle that have had a good deal of grass in their diet, comes from scientists of the USDA. That yellow color in the fat should command a premium instead of being discounted, they contend, because it indicates the presence of more carotene, carrier of vitamin A. In their tests, the fat of cattle fed on grass has been found to have up to 20 times as much vitamin A value as that of cattle fed on a low-carotene drylot ration. If American farmers who raise and feed cattle are going to follow the good management practice of seeding down more of their land to grass, there couldn’t be a better time to get the news to the consuming public that yellow color in beef is an asset, not a liability.