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Best business model when unable to winter cattle?
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<blockquote data-quote="farmerjan" data-source="post: 1604881" data-attributes="member: 25884"><p>All of the ideas are good ones, in their own way. I would say that trying to find someone that is looking for pasture, and custom grazing is the least cost way to get some return. Couple of things. The animals are usually weaned, so not trying to go through fences looking for momma. They are already worked by the owner. If they are looking to pasture for rate of gain, you are getting paid for how much they gain in weight. You have no initial outlay, but need to be able to check on them several times a week and be able to get them in for any doctoring as has been said before. If the person is wanting you to graze heifers, many times if they are planning for them to be bred, they also supply the bull(s). We have a neighbor that does that, and they come in Spring, and will be going out by the middle of Nov. They are heifers that are put out with a bull to be bred. His business is selling bred heifers. He has been doing it for years and has a good reputation. </p><p></p><p>Definitely DO NOT start with bred heifers. There are just too many possible problems and you admitted you are new(ish) to this. I honestly would not even do bred cows as the markets are not great for feeder calves right now, and feeders do bring more in the spring than the fall. There is always a glut of feeders for sale in the fall as everyone that does not winter over calves is pulling calves off cows in the fall to sell. </p><p></p><p>As was stated, the money to be made is as much in the buying as the selling. You have to know what you are doing on the buying end. A good "buy" could result in a pen of "trailer weaned" calves that get sick in the transition from home, to stockyards, no mommas, to your place and need treatments.... time and money. If you lose one or 2 you have lost a major amount of profit. If you are still "green" you are not going to know if a pen of seemingly "cheap" calves is on the edge of getting sick. </p><p></p><p>Checking twice a week or so is not going to cut it with either calving cows or young weaned feeders; at least not for the first few weeks. </p><p>Example. Been in the cattle business a few years. I was checking on the first calf heifers daily and they were popping them out like popcorn. Small calves from a good easy calving bull. The very last one I noticed was off by herself and looking to calve . Went and hauled a load of water as the spring has been slow with our drought. Checked her again, and only 1 foot out. Called my son to get help to get her in the barn. Other foot was bent back at the knee, couldn't push it back in, had to pull it with me pulling the bent leg with my hand inside, and my son on the calf jack. Not a big deal, but she couldn't have it by herself. Calf was dead from being "stuck", and the sack had broken so it suffocated in the pelvis because there was no room for it to get out to breathe. An hour or so..... Can happen to a cow too. Just bad luck that the foot/leg didn't extend with the other one. She passed the afterbirth, looks good and will hopefully breed back. If I hadn't been watching, she could have been like that for a day, gotten paralyzed, gone down, or died or anything. </p><p></p><p>I like that you want to utilize this pasture. But I would suggest that having someone else's cattle, to only have to deal with them staying healthy and gaining weight, would be an easier way to get used to having cattle, and seeing what they need and all. Or, if you are surrounded by cattlemen, maybe doing a deal with one and working with them to get some practical experience???? Maybe you will find that cattle aren't your thing. </p><p></p><p> Right now the cattle business is going to break even in most cases if you are lucky. Prices are down, and things are not looking up for at least a year or more. There are too many variables with the trade deals and such too. For someone who doesn't have alot of experience in cattle, it is a real risk, and putting out a bunch of money with no good solid expectation of returns is tough.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="farmerjan, post: 1604881, member: 25884"] All of the ideas are good ones, in their own way. I would say that trying to find someone that is looking for pasture, and custom grazing is the least cost way to get some return. Couple of things. The animals are usually weaned, so not trying to go through fences looking for momma. They are already worked by the owner. If they are looking to pasture for rate of gain, you are getting paid for how much they gain in weight. You have no initial outlay, but need to be able to check on them several times a week and be able to get them in for any doctoring as has been said before. If the person is wanting you to graze heifers, many times if they are planning for them to be bred, they also supply the bull(s). We have a neighbor that does that, and they come in Spring, and will be going out by the middle of Nov. They are heifers that are put out with a bull to be bred. His business is selling bred heifers. He has been doing it for years and has a good reputation. Definitely DO NOT start with bred heifers. There are just too many possible problems and you admitted you are new(ish) to this. I honestly would not even do bred cows as the markets are not great for feeder calves right now, and feeders do bring more in the spring than the fall. There is always a glut of feeders for sale in the fall as everyone that does not winter over calves is pulling calves off cows in the fall to sell. As was stated, the money to be made is as much in the buying as the selling. You have to know what you are doing on the buying end. A good "buy" could result in a pen of "trailer weaned" calves that get sick in the transition from home, to stockyards, no mommas, to your place and need treatments.... time and money. If you lose one or 2 you have lost a major amount of profit. If you are still "green" you are not going to know if a pen of seemingly "cheap" calves is on the edge of getting sick. Checking twice a week or so is not going to cut it with either calving cows or young weaned feeders; at least not for the first few weeks. Example. Been in the cattle business a few years. I was checking on the first calf heifers daily and they were popping them out like popcorn. Small calves from a good easy calving bull. The very last one I noticed was off by herself and looking to calve . Went and hauled a load of water as the spring has been slow with our drought. Checked her again, and only 1 foot out. Called my son to get help to get her in the barn. Other foot was bent back at the knee, couldn't push it back in, had to pull it with me pulling the bent leg with my hand inside, and my son on the calf jack. Not a big deal, but she couldn't have it by herself. Calf was dead from being "stuck", and the sack had broken so it suffocated in the pelvis because there was no room for it to get out to breathe. An hour or so..... Can happen to a cow too. Just bad luck that the foot/leg didn't extend with the other one. She passed the afterbirth, looks good and will hopefully breed back. If I hadn't been watching, she could have been like that for a day, gotten paralyzed, gone down, or died or anything. I like that you want to utilize this pasture. But I would suggest that having someone else's cattle, to only have to deal with them staying healthy and gaining weight, would be an easier way to get used to having cattle, and seeing what they need and all. Or, if you are surrounded by cattlemen, maybe doing a deal with one and working with them to get some practical experience???? Maybe you will find that cattle aren't your thing. Right now the cattle business is going to break even in most cases if you are lucky. Prices are down, and things are not looking up for at least a year or more. There are too many variables with the trade deals and such too. For someone who doesn't have alot of experience in cattle, it is a real risk, and putting out a bunch of money with no good solid expectation of returns is tough. [/QUOTE]
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