Where's the beef...from?

INTRO: The tradition of grass-fed cattle in Argentina may be a thing of the past as more and more cattle become feed fed.

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High grains prices have driven up prices on the famed Pampas farmlands, meaning less land for allotted for free-range cattle.

Deborah Lutterbeck reports.

STORY:

Grass-fed beef from the vast Pampas prairie in Argentina is as much a source of pride as cultural icons like the tango.

But a growing trend of finishing cows in feedlots threatens to change that.

Celebrity Chef Martinaiano Molina says grass makes all the difference.

SOUNDBITE: Andrzej Bereszynski of the Poznan Agriculture Academy, saying (Spanish):

"Meat from grass-fed cattle has a more intense flavor and possibly has more texture, a firmer texture. When I go to the country I look for grass-fed beef because you can't find it in the city."

Since 2001, the percentage of cattle finished in corrals has tripled. This year around 40 percent of the 12 to 13 million cows slaughtered in Argentina, were feed fed in their final months.

High grains prices, have driven up prices on the famed Pampas farmlands, meaning less land for allotted for free-range cattle.

At 1880, a traditional steakhouse in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, regulars who file in for lunch know they will be getting steak from traditional grass-fed cattle. Increasingly that is becoming a luxury item in a place where it was all about tradition.

Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters.