Wanting to get you folks opinion. If you have 36 acres what would be the best way to make money in cattle? Would it be beef cows, using buses cows, or raising feeder calved? All input is needed thank you!
Best cash flow for cattle
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Workinonit Farm
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Not trying to be a wise-a$$, but what are "buses cows"?
Cucumber35
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If there was a 'best way' to make money in cattle, everybody would be doing that. In fact if making money period in cattle were easy, everybody would be doing it. Not trying to be a smarta$$ but I don't see how anybody can honestly answer your question. Too many variables for one, what kind of resources and facilities are you working with besides the 36 acres? Which isn't much by the way if you are looking to make much more than beer money.
kd4au
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One of the things about the cattle bis. is there are a lot of ways to be in it,mostly you need to do what suits you the best.
farmerjan
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:?:
:?: :?: :?: x3Workinonit Farm":30wygqqa said:
Nurse cows?
I have not done this but I was thinking the other day if I had a small place i would buy 4 or 5 really good papered females. I would AI them to good bulls and sell them private treaty for breeding and/or show animals.
I have not done this but I was thinking the other day if I had a small place i would buy 4 or 5 really good papered females. I would AI them to good bulls and sell them private treaty for breeding and/or show animals.
M-5
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I know a guy that does pretty good , buying culls from barn in spring pits them on millet all summer sells in fall. Most are bred so he takes calves and gets them to 4 to 500 then sells them. He told last week he doubled his money after expenses , I think that's stretching it some but I think he does pretty good on it.
M-5":2qj9hs1w said:
Any system that eliminates producing or buying hay to get through the winter sounds enticing to me at this point.
Brute 23":17l19yx2 said:
Good suggestion.
Craig Miller
Well-known member
Bigfoot":23reggl4 said:
Over the spring/summer/fall so you don't have to buy hay or hay equipment.
RanchMan90
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How much of your acreage is grazeable? How much risk are you comfortable with? Grazing 2 wt calves to 4 wts looks pretty good right now being that they bring the same per lb selling as buying them. Some of my customers having been keeping them 10 months til they're 7 wts and grossing $1.50 per head per day on minimal feed. Don't need to keep a cow around to nurse them either. :2cents:trin":2z23znwh said:
BC
Well-known member
I used to plant rye and overseed with ryegrass. Bought no mouth pairs in December. Word of advice, sell the cows by tax day (April 15). Schools about out and school lunch program stops. You could graze the calves until end of May. If I were to do this again, I would throw crabgrass seed in with ryegrass. Noble Foundation did this and you could graze a set of yearlings in the summer before time to plant rye and ryegrass again. The disking in the fall helps plant the crabgrass for next summer.
NonTypicalCPA
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Brute 23":1bsa7mkd said:
This is exactly what I'm doing. Four registered Beltie cows, but I also bought a nice registered bull instead of AI. Calves at 12 months selling for $2,000 to $2,500 on the low/middle end. I'm only on 15 acres.
NonTypicalCPA":3pabeiax said:
That's awesome... 4 x $2500 aint bad at all.
I was talking with a friend a while back that sells all his heifers private treaty. Most go to kids for show animals. He has pure Brahmans and Tigers. He starts at $2k at weaning age for them. They are purebred but not papered.
wacocowboy
Well-known member
I know few guys with small places
One guy plows his every fall and plants oats and runs feeders
One guy goes to the auction each week and only buys skinny bulls then fattens them and sells them. Better have good fences if you have neighbors with cows in heat. Most of the bulls are old but they love a cow in heat.
Another guy buys the best 800lb heifers he can find breeds them to his LBW Angus bull then sells heavy bred. We have a running joke about that bull getting around 15 virgins every year.
The last guy buys any 6 years and up 7months or more bred calves them out then sells either as pairs if cow is still good or sells at 5 months cow for slaughter calf for feeder.
I don't get into other people's money business so don't know how much they make but they make some and get to claim a tax exemption on places smaller than 40 acres.
One guy plows his every fall and plants oats and runs feeders
One guy goes to the auction each week and only buys skinny bulls then fattens them and sells them. Better have good fences if you have neighbors with cows in heat. Most of the bulls are old but they love a cow in heat.
Another guy buys the best 800lb heifers he can find breeds them to his LBW Angus bull then sells heavy bred. We have a running joke about that bull getting around 15 virgins every year.
The last guy buys any 6 years and up 7months or more bred calves them out then sells either as pairs if cow is still good or sells at 5 months cow for slaughter calf for feeder.
I don't get into other people's money business so don't know how much they make but they make some and get to claim a tax exemption on places smaller than 40 acres.
farmerjan
Well-known member
Wacocowboy gave you a couple of really good examples. We do some cattle trading although we are basically a cow/calf operation. But I do buy some older cows, sometimes breds and some with calves by their sides. I try to stay in the $1000 range as I can sell the calf for around 500 and the cull cow for the same on years when prices aren't very good... but because we often will have some land with grass, can usually put some pounds on the cow and make a bit on her and the calf. IT IS ALWAYS A GAMBLE.
Have bought some 4-5 wt bulls and banded and sold as 6 wt feeders and made a little. Sometimes keep more of our heifers than we are going to retain as replacements and feed a little heavier than the usual 4-5 wt weaned size and then just watch the markets and sell when we need to move them off grass or the market takes an uptick.
Will not get into feeding any bulls, too much possible problems with fences and seldom if ever see a thin bull here, most are sold as getting too big or been there for too many years, and the farmer has to find a new bull. We have about 10 bulls of our own at any one time and they are all GOOD bulls as far as being what we want for breeding and will not bring in anything else to risk any injury or problem with fences or attitudes with people. But it could work in the right situation if there are thin bulls to be had. I would think it would be a better deal for someone VERY experienced with cattle.
Feeder prices fall off here after the middle of june most of the time, so waiting until the "rush to get feeder cattle" is over will often get you some fairer priced animals to run.
If you don't have to worry about neighbor bulls, heifers are usually a bit cheaper and will usually bring near per pound what you paid so the added pounds they put on will be gain. That is why we have started keeping some of our heifers that we really don't plan on breeding, they will bring close to the same price per pound at 400 that they will bring at 6-700. Let someone else do the breeding etc because the replacement market here is not all that great. I can sell an open 7-800 lb heifer and not have to breed her and feed her for another 6 months to sell as a bred for only a couple hundred more. But different conditions different places.
Have bought some 4-5 wt bulls and banded and sold as 6 wt feeders and made a little. Sometimes keep more of our heifers than we are going to retain as replacements and feed a little heavier than the usual 4-5 wt weaned size and then just watch the markets and sell when we need to move them off grass or the market takes an uptick.
Will not get into feeding any bulls, too much possible problems with fences and seldom if ever see a thin bull here, most are sold as getting too big or been there for too many years, and the farmer has to find a new bull. We have about 10 bulls of our own at any one time and they are all GOOD bulls as far as being what we want for breeding and will not bring in anything else to risk any injury or problem with fences or attitudes with people. But it could work in the right situation if there are thin bulls to be had. I would think it would be a better deal for someone VERY experienced with cattle.
Feeder prices fall off here after the middle of june most of the time, so waiting until the "rush to get feeder cattle" is over will often get you some fairer priced animals to run.
If you don't have to worry about neighbor bulls, heifers are usually a bit cheaper and will usually bring near per pound what you paid so the added pounds they put on will be gain. That is why we have started keeping some of our heifers that we really don't plan on breeding, they will bring close to the same price per pound at 400 that they will bring at 6-700. Let someone else do the breeding etc because the replacement market here is not all that great. I can sell an open 7-800 lb heifer and not have to breed her and feed her for another 6 months to sell as a bred for only a couple hundred more. But different conditions different places.
Caustic Burno
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wacocowboy":j1z0yx55 said:
Unless the law changed in Texas all you need is ten acres in production to claim the exemption.
Rafter S
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Caustic Burno":2jbnlbu3 said:
I'm pretty sure that varies some between counties.
