55 acres (Cows or Stockers)

[tncattle]

scenario:

55 acres of river bottom pasture in very good condition--grass is about as good as it gets for this area. Already fenced into 3 even sections. Working facilities are very good and ready to go.

You could realistically run 50 mama cows if you are smart with their grazing yr. round.

What would you do? Stockers yr. round or cows yr. round?

I've seen stockers run for 5 months ( warm months) on nothing but grass and gain almost two lbs. a days.

Those stockers were given no feed at all except to get them to come to the corral every so often.

 

[Jake]

scenario:

55 acres of river bottom pasture in very good condition--grass is about as good as it gets for this area. Already fenced into 3 even sections. Working facilities are very good and ready to go.

You could realistically run 50 mama cows if you are smart with their grazing yr. round.

What would you do? Stockers yr. round or cows yr. round?

I've seen stockers run for 5 months ( warm months) on nothing but grass and gain almost two lbs. a days.

Those stockers were given no feed at all except to get them to come to the corral every so often.

Depends on your risk tolerance. The stockers would be a riskier investment but can be more profitable. Cow herd is more stable most generally.

 

[Dega Moo]

What's your flood risk on river bottom there? You wouldn't want spring flooding timed for spring calving. I wouldn't worry so much about stockers and if you can get 50 brood cows (w/calf?) then how many stockers could you run in that year?

 

[tncattle]

Actually about 80 % is flood plain and rarely floods. I'm thinking you could run two stocker loads a yr. There might be a better way to do that so one of my reasons for posting.

 

[snake67]

scenario:

55 acres of river bottom pasture in very good condition--grass is about as good as it gets for this area. Already fenced into 3 even sections. Working facilities are very good and ready to go.

You could realistically run 50 mama cows if you are smart with their grazing yr. round.

What would you do? Stockers yr. round or cows yr. round?

I've seen stockers run for 5 months ( warm months) on nothing but grass and gain almost two lbs. a days.

Those stockers were given no feed at all except to get them to come to the corral every so often.

Hay it - sell hay - take the winter off - drink the profits

Get a few cuts off it each cut can be done in no time in a small piece like that.

To small to pay for itself with cows - sooner or later you will have to buy in feed. sell your cows or you will get flooded out.

Hay is easy and always in demand somewhere - heck you guys are coming all the way to Canada to buy it by the truckload.

Bez

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I have made alot of money on both stockers and cows, if this was a normal 50 acres that would run 15 to 20 cows, I would say stockers for sure. But if you can really run 50 cows year round without feeding hay, to me cows would be the clear choice.

Buy cows, vaccinate 2 times a year, cut or band your calves, don't feed your cows, don't wean your calves, sell your calves right off the cow at 500 to 600lbs.

I'm guessing with grass this good and grazed properly you won't have to ever brushog.

What I'm getting at is, if you sell about 45k a year in calves, and your only Cost's are Vaccinations and vet supplies, fence repair, Salebarn commision, fuel, time, death loss, and either your paying interest or a lease on the land, or you own it already? Your going to make money.

With stockers you are investing enough each time you buy a group, that enough can go wrong to take all the profit and then some.

I don't care who you are, how many boxes of pencils you go through or how many calculator batteries you run dead trying to ad and make this not look profitable, but 50 cows on 55 acres year round and not feeding, will make money!

 

[Caustic Burno]

scenario:

55 acres of river bottom pasture in very good condition--grass is about as good as it gets for this area. Already fenced into 3 even sections. Working facilities are very good and ready to go.

You could realistically run 50 mama cows if you are smart with their grazing yr. round.

What would you do? Stockers yr. round or cows yr. round?

I've seen stockers run for 5 months ( warm months) on nothing but grass and gain almost two lbs. a days.

Those stockers were given no feed at all except to get them to come to the corral every so often.

Before the drought you could run a cow per acre here.
My question is how can you run that many there with no supplement.
We have very mild winters here and you still have to feed hay in the winter here.

 

[robertwhite]

I am in TN and have bottoms very close by and see no way that you can run 1 head per acre without feed or supplements.

You say it hardly floods, but what about when it does? What about when it is in drought?

You plan on running the 50 cows on 1/3 of the property, then rotating. What if they eat down the 1/3 they are on, but then we hit a span of no rain for a week or more (happens a lot). That means they knock down the new 1/3 that much quicker.

And if you decide to run cows/calves, the calves will be eating a bunch of grass in short order after birth.

You didnt say what kind of grass you have, but very few grasses grow in winter and summer. Are you planning on drilling new seed spring and fall?

You may have all this worked out already, but I can't see the plan working in my neck of the woods.

 

[HDRider]

I am in TN and have bottoms very close by and see no way that you can run 1 head per acre without feed or supplements.

You say it hardly floods, but what about when it does? What about when it is in drought?

You plan on running the 50 cows on 1/3 of the property, then rotating. What if they eat down the 1/3 they are on, but then we hit a span of no rain for a week or more (happens a lot). That means they knock down the new 1/3 that much quicker.

And if you decide to run cows/calves, the calves will be eating a bunch of grass in short order after birth.

You didnt say what kind of grass you have, but very few grasses grow in winter and summer. Are you planning on drilling new seed spring and fall?

You may have all this worked out already, but I can't see the plan working in my neck of the woods.

If I could offer options on some of the challenges you brought up - You'd de-stock during drought and a shortage of grass. You would not absolutely need grass growing during the winter if you have some stockpiled. But you can always get some green with clover and other winter seeds.

With a little more land and a similar set-up I sure hope one can make money, cause I plan on trying. I think the key is proper rotation. That is small enough you'd have to manage it tight & right.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Stockers

 

[HDRider]

Stockers

Otherwise you'd have to change your name to "Momma Cow and Calf Steve", and that's a long name. And your last name would be Bull.

 

[highgrit]

I will tell you this you can't run 50 pairs on 55ac. You might for awhile but to much can happen that you can't control.

 

[tom4018]

In this general area about 1 cow per 2 acres is a good average. Dry years throw that out the window. Since it is divided in 3 sections, you could take 1 section and cut hay off it in the spring, then run stockers on it for a while then sell before winter. Take the other 2 sections and rotate a few cows back and forth.

 

[Black and Good]

I have a place that's 110 acres. Maybe 20 to 25 acres is grazeable timber. Rest Brome, fescue and native. I run Roughly 32 to 40 pairs and one or two bulls. But, I do fertilize annually. If a bad Drought hits all bets are off! Too me if you over graze a place there's only one person your fooling and that's yourself. JMHO. B&G :tiphat:

 

[HDRider]

There are a lot of variables, fewer constants.

 

[Cabo]

If you are going to do cows, I would start with 25 and see how it works out before trying to do more.

 

[tncattle]

It's actually around 60 acres not that makes much difference but the survey says 55. I think the starting with 25 is a good idea and on 2nd thought it might comfortably hold 30-35 pairs. It's only about a mile down from a major dam so flooding is well controlled, unless the dam breaks (unlikely) flooding is a small issue. Bigger investment and risk but I like the stocker idea better.

 

[HDRider]

It's actually around 60 acres not that makes much difference but the survey says 55. I think the starting with 25 is a good idea and on 2nd thought it might comfortably hold 30-35 pairs. It's only about a mile down from a major dam so flooding is well controlled, unless the dam breaks (unlikely) flooding is a small issue. Bigger investment and risk but I like the stocker idea better.

Keep us posted over the next year or so. I'd be very interested in your adventure.

 

[robertwhite]

If I could offer options on some of the challenges you brought up - You'd de-stock during drought and a shortage of grass. You would not absolutely need grass growing during the winter if you have some stockpiled. But you can always get some green with clover and other winter seeds.

Sounds fine on paper, but what happens when you are fully stocked with 50 head and only a month or less into the cycle, then you don't get any rain for the next month? (and it sure happens in TN)

Can't de-stock as you won't make any money, can't keep as there is no grass for them to eat. Personally, it would not be a bet I'd be willing to take.

As others have said, cut that 50 in half and see how it plays out.

 

[machslammer]

I run 16 cows/bull on 13-15 acres.. During drought years your gonna have to do something different anyways.. But my cows/calves/bull have made out just fine this year. . I do keep out hay year round just in case, but during this summer they hardly touched it. They raise good calves and lose only normal weight from the calf pulling them down. Can be done..