Beef vs. dairy

[tncattle]

I obviously don't post much anymore but view often, our life is different right now than 6 months ago and I'm trying to get back into the cattle business but it's not going to well.

Anyway, I was thinking as I often do about dairy and beef cattle. I wonder what the % is of people that didn't grow up with beef cattle but got into beef cattle as an adult as compared to people that didn't grow up on a dairy farm but went into dairy farming as an adult. I would think the no dairy to dairy comparison is much lower than no beef cattle to beef cattle comparison. I guess this is obvious but I just felt like posting on here as I haven't lately.

 

[tom4018]

I personally don't know any that went into dairy opeartion that did not grow up in or marry into it. Lots of people have gotten into a few beef cows after buying land. That includes me after getting the old family farm.

 

[Suzie Q]

Another here who went into beef cattle as an adult.

 

[J&D Cattle]

My family never owned anything but horses. I bought my first beef cows in 2007 at the age of 26 and am still enjoying them and the cattle business. I've actually gotten my father started with some calves here in the last 3 years or so and he is looking forward to growing a little when he retires in another year.

 

[E in PA]

One grandfather went from growing up with only a family cow to full time dairy, the other grandfather married into dairy farming. I do not know of any other people that didn't grow up or marry into dairy. Almost every beef raiser I know personally is ex dairy or retired dairy.

 

[TexasBred]

I obviously don't post much anymore but view often, our life is different right now than 6 months ago and I'm trying to get back into the cattle business but it's not going to well.

Anyway, I was thinking as I often do about dairy and beef cattle. I wonder what the % is of people that didn't grow up with beef cattle but got into beef cattle as an adult as compared to people that didn't grow up on a dairy farm but went into dairy farming as an adult. I would think the no dairy to dairy comparison is much lower than no beef cattle to beef cattle comparison. I guess this is obvious but I just felt like posting on here as I haven't lately.

In short just about all of us can buy a few cows and be selling calves in no time. Dairy operations involve a lot more money, equipment and time. Did I mention money?? Dairying much like row crop farming is becoming more of a family thing. You almost have to inherit the thing or have family help to become a viable operation. Milk prices fluctuate wildly as do feed prices, cull rates run about 35% and everything that can go wrong definitely will !!!! State and federal regulations keep making it hard as well and add more to the expense side of the journal.

 

[dun]

We have a neighbor that retired from Catpillar and started darying. Now after only 20 years he is too old (physically) to keep it up. Replacing joints gets to be a problem after a while if you want to keep dairying.

 

[regolith]

In my youth training (apprenticeship) group of eighteen in Scotland I know two who didn't grow up with dairy cows - myself and one other.
In New Zealand I've met a lot more. However NZ actively encourages career change into the dairy industry and is set up so that it is possible to start from nothing and achieve farm ownership.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

My great great grandpa had dairy, and my great grandpa carried that on, but when my grandpa got into it they sold the red polls, and got chars. Grandpa always talks about milking, and all the work, and said he was glad when they went to beef.

 

[ohiosteve]

Dad never owned a cow but was great herdsman. I grew up going to work with him literally my playpen was in the milking parlor, I always worked farm jobs and at 21 or 22 bought 90 head of holsteins and rented a facility, bought my feed out of the field and started collecting equipment. I did ok but after 3 years was completely burned out. I sold out at the right time and was able to buy my current place which I love and always have some type of bovines running around. Dairy farming is a lifestyle and taught me about hardwork which has served me well.

 

[greybeard]

My father was only one of 7 brothers and 2 brother-in-laws that grew up dairy but switched to beef when he lft home. I was around all those 7 dairy farms a lot, but was never interested in that sector of cattle at all and still am not.

If we go over "the Dairy Cliff", what changes will that have in the near future?

http://money.cnn.com/2012/12/21/news/ec ... picks=true

 

[sim.-ang.king]

May go over a couple other cliffs if they don't get straighten out.

 

[suzorse]

I did not grow up with cows ,but have dairy cows,if I had more land I would also have a few beef cows, Suzanne

 

[TexasBred]

Dad never owned a cow but was great herdsman. I grew up going to work with him literally my playpen was in the milking parlor, I always worked farm jobs and at 21 or 22 bought 90 head of holsteins and rented a facility, bought my feed out of the field and started collecting equipment. I did ok but after 3 years was completely burned out. I sold out at the right time and was able to buy my current place which I love and always have some type of bovines running around. Dairy farming is a lifestyle and taught me about hardwork which has served me well.

I know a dairyman that swears that all of his children were conceived in the parlor as well. :lol2: :lol2: :cowboy:

 

[tncattle]

All those dairies are working on Christmas morning just like the other 364 days...

 

[sim.-ang.king]

I had to work this morn and i ain't dairy...but make a lot less... :lol2:

 

[Taurus]

My late grandpa was dairy farm, he switched dairy to beef in 1980's by bred all dairy cows to Black Angus bulls and a hereford bull. My dad raised horned herefords when he was a teenager but he had them for two years, so my late grandpa ended up teaching me on the beef cattle. I still has few black angus cows that can be traced to the holstein cows he had in 1980s. Now I teach my dad how to running a commerical operation.

 

[Suzie Q]

The deregulation of milk also said good bye to a lot of dairies over here.

 

[SRBeef]

Dairy and beef may both have "cows" but they are two very different businesses. Capital requirements are probably much higher with dairy than in many beef operation types.

If you start dairy now I would look for a niche marketing means such as "organic". Large scale conventional dairy operations have very low unit costs and will likely put you out of business quickly if you are in direct competition.

Beef has a number of different options. Cow/calf especially lends it self to smaller, maybe startup operations. I read somewhere that the feeders in this country come from herds which average only around 50 cows. i suspect the current average conventional (non organic) dairy herd size (and capital requirements) is much much larger.

Good luck.

Jim

 

[kickinbull]

As a youth I had a 4-H dairy heifer/family cow. Our next door neighbor had a dairy whom I worked for some and my grandad talked about dairying a lot. The seed was planted, something I always wanted to do. Coming in Feb. will be 34 years in the business. Not wanting to sound like an old foggy but I have seen a lot of changes. hehe. For me being a first generation farmer, Ive learned most everything the hard way.(Then maybe that is just me) Others raised on a dairy learn from dad or grandad.Saves a lot of steps. For a small size dairy I don't see the future as bright as before. I have tried raising beef, buy on the high, sell on the very very very lowest after all the feed was gone. lol.