Best for profit

[Pointer1160]

I'm not a beginner but I thought this would be the best place for this post. I can't have a cow calf operation because I often have to be gone a night or two because of work and that won't work when it is calving time. I have enough pasture for twenty head. Would it be more profitable to buy cows, breed them and then sell heavy bread or to buy 400 lb stockers in April and sell in October. In your mind would focusing on a particular breed turn more profit. Yes, it's hard to turn a good profit from either of the above.

 

[1982vett]

I'm not a beginner but I thought this would be the best place for this post. I can't have a cow calf operation because I often have to be gone a night or two because of work and that won't work when it is calving time. I have enough pasture for twenty head. Would it be more profitable to buy cows, breed them and then sell heavy bread or to buy 400 lb stockers in April and sell in October. In your mind would focusing on a particular breed turn more profit. Yes, it's hard to turn a good profit from either of the above.

I have some I haven't seen in two weeks. Usually check them once a week. Get some that ca take care of themselves. :2cents:

 

[pricefarm]

I'm not a beginner but I thought this would be the best place for this post. I can't have a cow calf operation because I often have to be gone a night or two because of work and that won't work when it is calving time. I have enough pasture for twenty head. Would it be more profitable to buy cows, breed them and then sell heavy bread or to buy 400 lb stockers in April and sell in October. In your mind would focusing on a particular breed turn more profit. Yes, it's hard to turn a good profit from either of the above.

I think I would rather leave a cow for a few days than a weaned 400lb steer.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Where are you located? Theres several things that can work, I wouldn't let me not being there every day and night keep me away from cows.

You could buy 750lb heifers in April put them with a bull and sell them bred in October, that could work good.

You could buy 4wt bull calves and sell 8wt steers in the fall, would be some good money there.

Or you could buy bred cows, let them calve, breed them back and sell bred cows and 5wt calves separate in the fall.

 

[Rafter S]

I agree with the others who said not to turn your back on cows just because you can't always check them every day. Mine are all within 1 mile of my house and I still often skip a day checking the mature cows during calving season. I wouldn't recommend you trying to calf out heifers, but mature cows shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Jogeephus]

I'm not a beginner but I thought this would be the best place for this post. I can't have a cow calf operation because I often have to be gone a night or two because of work and that won't work when it is calving time. I have enough pasture for twenty head. Would it be more profitable to buy cows, breed them and then sell heavy bread or to buy 400 lb stockers in April and sell in October. In your mind would focusing on a particular breed turn more profit. Yes, it's hard to turn a good profit from either of the above.

I have some I haven't seen in two weeks. Usually check them once a week. Get some that ca take care of themselves. :2cents:

Same here. Heck, my live calving rate actually increased when I wasn't around to help.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Are you wanting to only have cattle from spring to fall and not have to feed hay?

 

[Pointer1160]

If I do cows to heavy bread or 400lb stockers will not keep from Nov through the middle of March because of having to buy hay.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

If I do cows to heavy bread or 400lb stockers will not keep from Nov through the middle of March because of having to buy hay.

Ok, so your wanting to not have to feed hay.

 

[Son of Butch]

I vote for stockers...or for renting out the pasture.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I'm not a beginner but I thought this would be the best place for this post. I can't have a cow calf operation because I often have to be gone a night or two because of work and that won't work when it is calving time. I have enough pasture for twenty head. Would it be more profitable to buy cows, breed them and then sell heavy bread or to buy 400 lb stockers in April and sell in October. In your mind would focusing on a particular breed turn more profit. Yes, it's hard to turn a good profit from either of the above.

I have some I haven't seen in two weeks. Usually check them once a week. Get some that ca take care of themselves. :2cents:

I would rather operate a cow calf at a distance than any other and did for years.
Go weeks without seeing them. If I need to assist the cow I need a better cow.
This is one of the reasons I didn't deal with heifers.

 

[1982vett]

I'm not a beginner but I thought this would be the best place for this post. I can't have a cow calf operation because I often have to be gone a night or two because of work and that won't work when it is calving time. I have enough pasture for twenty head. Would it be more profitable to buy cows, breed them and then sell heavy bread or to buy 400 lb stockers in April and sell in October. In your mind would focusing on a particular breed turn more profit. Yes, it's hard to turn a good profit from either of the above.

I have some I haven't seen in two weeks. Usually check them once a week. Get some that ca take care of themselves. :2cents:

I would rather operate a cow calf at a distance than any other and did for years.
Go weeks without seeing them. If I need to assist the cow I need a better cow.
This is one of the reasons I didn't deal with heifers.

Heifers is a different story. I live a little more than a quarter mile off the main road. When I have heifers calving they are in the pasture I have to drive through to leave or even go to the mailbox. Easy to keep an eye on them.

 

[torogmc81]

I'd go with cow/calf. Haven't seen one of mine calf since I pulled a calf in Feb. '14 from a first timer (95# heifer calf). Since then I had a heifer calf in June 2014 and two more this Februrary. Along with not seeing a few young cows calf last Sept and the rest this late winter. And you can ask my wife and neighbors, I watch them like hawks, almost like they wait till 2-3am knowing I'm prob not checking till 6am. IMO if you have cows that you're worried that much about, then they aren't worth having!!

 

[mnbryant2001]

I agree on cow/calf. I'll go on vacation during calving season unless I have a first calf heifer. I like to watch them closer.since I took Over dads farm I've pulled one calf in 4 calving seasons. And it was a first timer.

 

[James T]

I'm not a beginner but I thought this would be the best place for this post. I can't have a cow calf operation because I often have to be gone a night or two because of work and that won't work when it is calving time. I have enough pasture for twenty head. Would it be more profitable to buy cows, breed them and then sell heavy bread or to buy 400 lb stockers in April and sell in October. In your mind would focusing on a particular breed turn more profit. Yes, it's hard to turn a good profit from either of the above.

I have some I haven't seen in two weeks. Usually check them once a week. Get some that ca take care of themselves. :2cents:

I would rather operate a cow calf at a distance than any other and did for years.
Go weeks without seeing them. If I need to assist the cow I need a better cow.
This is one of the reasons I didn't deal with heifers.

Yep, ditto that. It can take a while to reach that stage with your herd though. With registered cattle one can always look at BW EPD's but even those are no guarantee of a trouble free birth. It would be interesting to hear what everyone looks for when buying a heifer or cow in-so-far as trouble free birthing goes.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I haven't pulled a calf of mine in twenty years other than a breech.
This goes back to the 70's when I wore out a set of chains pulling calves because
we had no clue what an EPD was. We put the wrong bull on the wrong set of cows and
paid a very heavy stupid tax.
Calf size is not as important as CE and the heifer pelvic area breeding a heifer
between 12-14 increases the odds of problems as she is not through growing.
This is a generality a heifer of this age will start going into risk with a calf larger than 80 lbs.
This is why Angus got so popular as a heifer bull.
Breeding between 18 to 20 months reduces risk. Again a lot of science behind this.
When buying a bull I want to see his sires progeny on the ground don't want any bricks.
With the cow you have all the pelvic area you are going to get now pick the right bull.