I'm getting two dexter steers, currently 9 months old, in a couple weeks. I have roughly five acres of pasture that hasnt been grazed in a few years so it's in pretty good shape. Ideally I'd like to do graze them until the fall then have them slaughtered. I realize they probably wouldn't have reached their max potential size but I got them at a good price and with minimal feed cost inputs I can maximize my return. I haven't raised cattle before so I am wondering if it'd be a mistake to slaughter them at a young age. I live in cattle country (Nebraska) and everyone loves to tell me that I HAVE to give them grain! I like lean meat and from my experience younger animals are more tender than older ones. I live near Omaha which gives me a market for selling the grass fed beef I don't keep for myself. Anyone have experience or advice on what type of product I could expect if I slaughter these grass fed steers at around 15 or 16 months? I plan to give them a small amount of grain as a treat and so they get comfortable around me but it won't be a staple of their diet. Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks!