55 acres (Cows or Stockers)

[novatech]

Stock to 75% expected capacity. If you have extra grass then buy stockers, bail hay and or leave for stockpiled forage. This accounts for weather doing the unexpected. Doing this allows for better pasture management.
Even with small endeavors a little diversification is a good idea.

 

[HDRider]

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..

That is very good. Can you talk about your program, rotation, water system, grass, lbs per acre, whatever you can tell us?

 

[Howdyjabo]

Cows The cow calf guy is going to be in the drivers seat for a long time.

 

[bigbull338]

cows or stockers both are a costly investment.an itll take the cows 4yrs to pay for themselves before they really turn a profit.stockers if you loose 3 or 4 to death will take all the profit out of the stockers.

 

[HDRider]

cows or stockers both are a costly investment.an itll take the cows 4yrs to pay for themselves before they really turn a profit.stockers if you loose 3 or 4 to death will take all the profit out of the stockers.

Maybe you could do the best of both worlds. Bred cows with a calf at their side. Numbers are still something you have to play with.

 

[Texas PaPaw]

Cows The cow calf guy is going to be in the drivers seat for a long time.

Got to agree with Karen on this.

Stock the place very conservatively at first and build from there. Think you will find that the less hay you feed the more profitable you will be.

 

[bigbull338]

i know i wouldnt want to owe $50,000 on 25 beef cows an a bull.unless i could make the payment without depending on the cows todo it.

 

[HDRider]

I find this question very interesting, as I will be facing it soon myself. So I appreciate hearing the feedback, and maybe giving the OP something to use or at least consider.

Let's play with some hypothetical numbers.

Let's assume you run 55 575# stockers for 83 days gaining 1.5 pounds per day. Say you buy them at $179.33 per cwt and sell them at 700# for $165.53. You gross $7K. The question becomes how many times in one year could you repeat this? Assuming all goes as plan. :nod:

Say you buy 25 bred cows with a calf, and drop new calves 200 days later. Can you run those cows 200 days? If so let's assume you sold those 25 calves at 400# for $198.55 per cwt. You gross almost $20K in 200 days, still have the cows and a new crop of calves. Same assumption.

You'd have to run the stockers through three times to equal the gross of the cow/calf. Realize though you got some capital tied up and at risk with those cows. :drink: :cowboy:

Not outside the realm of possibility. What do you guys think??

 

[tncattle]

Are you saying buy 3 in 1 cows or just pairs where the cow is t bred back?

 

[bse]

At the prices mentioned for the stockers you would invest $56,608 dollars making 7k over 83 days lets say you loose 2 cutting it to 5k in TN you may be able to do this 3 times for 15k gross per year.
the cow way if you can get good 3 in 1s for $2000 it would be a $50,000 investment selling calves at 400lb grossing 19,800 you would show a gross profit in the 3rd year of 10,400.
after 3 years you are up 45k on stockers and 10,400 on cows but you still have the factory.
Gross profit really doesn't mean anything except down at the co op early in the morning. Now if you figure the cost in do you own this land (taxes) or do you lease it (how much) you may get away with not as much fertilize on bottom ground then the cost to maintain the animals id think 50 per head for vaccinating and minerals then hauling and just all the things that happen.
I know that's not all and the net will vary from place to place I think you could make money either way. if I owned it id do cows if I leased it would be stockers you never know when you may have to leave.

 

[Howdyjabo]

after 3 years you are up 45k on stockers and 10,400 on cows but you still have the factory.

:nod:

 

[HDRider]

Are you saying buy 3 in 1 cows or just pairs where the cow is t bred back?

3 in 1. A bred cow with a calf at her side.

 

[tncattle]

I thought you meant 3 in 1s but wanted to clarify. I think BSE has got figured out and I like his analysis of the situation.

 

[J&D Cattle]

Good commercial pairs, not 3-n-1, were $2,710 here in Salem MO a couple of weeks ago. Cows were flashy but calves weren't huge by any means. Are cows trading that much cheaper in TN?

I think the cow/calf producer is in the driver's seat but you'd better already own the car. In saying that I bought fancy 3rd stage heifers 6 weeks ago for dam near $2,000/hd. I think I need my head examined.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Good commercial pairs, not 3-n-1, were $2,710 here in Salem MO a couple of weeks ago. Cows were flashy but calves weren't huge by any means. Are cows trading that much cheaper in TN?

I think the cow/calf producer is in the driver's seat but you'd better already own the car. In saying that I bought fancy 3rd stage heifers 6 weeks ago for dam near $2,000/hd. I think I need my head examined.

What breed?

We paid that much for registered Angus bred heifers last October and 14 out of 15 put calves on the ground in Feb/March of this year and the one that miscarried should calve in the next 45 days.

 

[J&D Cattle]

Good commercial pairs, not 3-n-1, were $2,710 here in Salem MO a couple of weeks ago. Cows were flashy but calves weren't huge by any means. Are cows trading that much cheaper in TN?

I think the cow/calf producer is in the driver's seat but you'd better already own the car. In saying that I bought fancy 3rd stage heifers 6 weeks ago for dam near $2,000/hd. I think I need my head examined.

What breed?

We paid that much for registered Angus bred heifers last October and 14 out of 15 put calves on the ground in Feb/March of this year and the one that miscarried should calve in the next 45 days.

Angus. You did good then, both price and calving. We've had 4 calve so far. Hopefully the rest will finish up soon.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Thanks J&D. Call it beginners luck I suppose because everybody told me I was crazy for buying 15 1st calf heifers and leaving an 80 year old lady to watch over them during spring calving.

 

[J&D Cattle]

Thanks J&D. Call it beginners luck I suppose because everybody told me I was crazy for buying 15 1st calf heifers and leaving an 80 year old lady to watch over them during spring calving.

She sounds like quite a lady if she signed up for that. :tiphat:

(I believe you said previously she was your MIL)

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

She is both quite the lady and my mother in law and she's forgotten more about this business than I'll ever be fortunate enough to learn.

 

[Stocker Steve]

You'd have to run the stockers through three times to equal the gross of the cow/calf. Realize though you got some capital tied up and at risk with those cows. :drink: :cowboy: Not outside the realm of possibility. What do you guys think??

On stocker quality pasture - -yes - - on average stockers will return much more per acre than pairs.
On paper - - increasing stocker turns is a real money machine. But, local stocker availablility and grass growth as usually seasonal.
So we are missing most of the big questions on what you are able and willing to do:
- do you have a year round source of calves ? Most people do not.
- are you able to run an effective receiving yard to start calves, or do you have someone you trust to run a receiving yard ? Many people can not.
- do you have a betweener play by retaining (some of your own calves) ? In an up market I think there is alot of $ to be made on replacment heifers IF you buy the right cows and know how to market heifers.