Boarding cattle or co-owning cattle?

[got_cows?]

If this has been discussed before please give me the link. I tried doing a search and came up empty.
A man who works with my husband approached him about buying some cattle and keeping them at our place or buying some cattle together. Has anyone ever done this? What type of contract/agreement needs to be in place? Is this just a mess waiting to happen?
This man thought that if he purchased the cattle when we sold the calves in the fall we could split the money.
My problem with this is that feeder prices vary, calves die, cows die, costs of input vary, the list goes on and on.
I don't want to take advantage of someone who knows nothing about cattle but I don't want to do all the work, pay for someone elses cattle and still end up in the hole at the end of the day.
Has anyone successfully either co-owned cattle or boarded other's cattle?
We run registered cattle and prospective cattle are the same breed and also registered.
Thanks for any responses.

 

[randiliana]

If this has been discussed before please give me the link. I tried doing a search and came up empty.
A man who works with my husband approached him about buying some cattle and keeping them at our place or buying some cattle together. Has anyone ever done this? What type of contract/agreement needs to be in place? Is this just a mess waiting to happen?
This man thought that if he purchased the cattle when we sold the calves in the fall we could split the money.
My problem with this is that feeder prices vary, calves die, cows die, costs of input vary, the list goes on and on.
I don't want to take advantage of someone who knows nothing about cattle but I don't want to do all the work, pay for someone elses cattle and still end up in the hole at the end of the day.
Has anyone successfully either co-owned cattle or boarded other's cattle?
We run registered cattle and prospective cattle are the same breed and also registered.
Thanks for any responses.

There are several different ways that you could do this. We are currently leasing 35 cows on a 60/40 calf share. We get 60% of what the calves are worth and they get 40%. Plus they supply the bulls and replace any cows that are dry, lose a calf or die (as long as it is natural causes). We have a contract wrote up with them stating who does what, and who gets what.

A number of years ago we leased cows on a cash basis. We paid the owner a certain amount of money per cow per year and in return we owned the calf crop. In that arrangement, we supplied the bulls, and we supplied the replacement (calf) if a cow died. No-one replaced dry cows.

Also, we have custom fed cows for people. For this one you need to figure how much the feed, machinery, supplements, vaccinations, and your time is worth, and he pays you on a per day basis. For medications the best way would be to have him pay whenever you treat something, since it is impossible to forsee the use of medications.

Your local ag rep should likely have some information on different contracts or such.

 

[Texas PaPaw]

There is a book titled "No Risk Ranching" written by Greg Judy telling about his successfull custom grazing operation. Gives details of writing grazing contracts along with numerous do's & don'ts of the business.

This book can be ordered from the attached link.

http://www.stockmangrassfarmer.net/Bookshelf.html

Hope this will be of assistance.

Good luck & happy trails

Brock

 

[CowCop]

~

We board cattle for various people from several states.
Most come for the Summer, May-Nov 1st.
A few dozen stay through the winter as well.

We supply minerals, water, grass or hay only.

Owners must assist with roundups and pay separate for worming, vetting, preg checks, vaccinations etc.
2 Saturdays a month the renters are required to help with various cow chores such as fence repair, haying, worming, moving cows to other pastures etc.

We run a bull with our herd. They can use him or bring their own and be kept in separate pastures. That owner is responsible for the exclusive up keep of those pastures where he runs only his cows and bull.

Boarding fees are due the first of every month.
A contract is written up and signed by all parties.
If the owners don't show up to help worm and work the herds on the designated days, we charge them $20/head in addition to their board.

Winter Board is near $50/month per cow
Summer is $20/month per cow-calf
Weanlings and Yearlings are $15.00/month summer & winter ( it will increase this year )

Co owning cattle or working on shares didn't work for us at all. The market was too unpredictable.

Hope this helps.

Let us know what you finally do.

 

[Howdyjabo]

Around here backgrounding is done on (so much) /lb of gain.
They are delivered worked up or there is an additional fee for working up.
Death loss is split 50:50
Who pays for medicine is variable

Making sure that the check clears-- is the scary part

 

[MoGal]

You probably won't get many posts as its not "successful".

Mom and Dad tried that with his brother and mom/dad never saw the books on the cattle. Uncle would bring in/out cows (some didn't know how to stay in and we spent our time chasing em down or fixing fence). Upshot was Mom and Dad bought out his half a year later.

If you can't afford your own, then lease the pasture. I have it good compared to those in Vermont. I only pay $7.00 per month per cow or $7.50 per month for cow/calf pair. My heifers were $6.50 month until they got to 650 pounds. I purchase my hay from the guy I rent pasture from. The heifers went through one round bale (stored inside, $30) every 9 days and the cows went through one round bale (stored outside, $20) every 6-7 days. I pay my board on them 3 months at a time (in advance) and the hay monthly. I'm up there every day, so I know whats going on with my critters. I'm there to help them with all the cattle (whether they are mine or not) anytime they need it.

I may need to bring my cows home for a couple of months ( I have six acres) as the guy I rent from is all excited about fescue seed this year (gonna be 50 cents lb) so he's wanting his pastures cleared so he can cut fescue seed. So if you have fescue pasture you might wanna think about having the seed cut from it before you pasture it.

But as far as co-ownership, I don't think it will work. Whatever you do, BE SURE to put it in writing signed by both parties.

 

[Howdyjabo]

Sorry I read "Cattle" and thought calves not cows.
Cows are too long tem and complicated-- Wouldn't touch it.

Rent the pasture to him -- and he could just pay you a salary for time-- if you helped take care of them.

 

[moocow]

Sounds like you have the land, how are the fences, facilities, water sources and pastures? These will be added expenses that will have to be put in to the contract if they don't exist. If neither of you have cattle at the moment, I would lean twards letting him buy the cows and lease the land to him, unless your end goal is to retain a cow/steer for yourself. Put everything in writing. Going to be doing this over the winter too? Who will buy hay and feed etc. Despite stories of deals going sour, if done right, this can be benificial for both. As an example, I board 20-30 cows from my wife's uncle from May-Sept. He worms all cows, including mine, when he drops them off and when he picks his up and I get free breeding from his registered bulls. We monitor the pastures and pull his cows off early if needed, but have'nt had the need to do that yet. He also brings over extra water tanks, supplies etc to help support the extra head count, then takes it back with the cows. This won't work with everyones situation, but it works for us.

 

[moocow]

Forgot to mention, he also does all the fertilizing of the patures
during the winter...

 

[got_cows?]

Thanks for the responses. Here's a little more information.

The cattle would be here year round as this man lives in an urban area. Since we are in Wisconsin we can pasture for 6 months and then have to hay them the other 6.

We do have pasture, hay fields, fencing, water, our own cattle, etc. I never thought of the bull (registered), but he's ours too. His cattle would have to be with ours since we already have so many different fields with 4-H steers, replacement heifers, cows that are going to calve, etc. We don't have the room to run a totally separate herd.

I am also a little concerned that he has no experience with cattle. Most people without cattle don't realize that cattle=work and a whole lot more.

From what I'm hearing it seems that we'd just have to charge him a fee and he can decide what's to be done with the calf crop.

 

[simpleredfox]

Your local ag rep should likely have some information on different contracts or such.

Sorry if this is a strange question, but how do you find/contact your local ag rep?

 

[Dave]

Your local ag rep should likely have some information on different contracts or such.

Sorry if this is a strange question, but how do you find/contact your local ag rep?

Well for starters Randi is from Canada so her terminology might be a little different. But I would think she is referring to a county extension agent. They may be called something different in Canada.

 

[bulldog04]

What's common in my area is the person with the land feeds and manages them. The owner pays for any medicine and vet bills and receives 1/3 off calf crop and culls

 

[farmerjan]

First off, the thread is an old one.... from 2006. So doubt that the same person would be in the same situation.

There are lots of different scenarios presented here..... and some are very workable.... some will only work in certain situations and with "family" that gets along good. The cattle times are different than they were in 2006 too. I don't think I would get into any type of a "partnership" with someone that is an "urbanite" and doesn't know what "working cattle " really means. Since the original poster also has cattle, and several different ages and groups, they honestly would be foolish to get someone else's cattle in there in any scenario that would be a 12 month deal... At least with a seasonal thing, grazing them for the season, they would be "going out of there" at some point and the deal could be terminated more simply.
Today, the only one I would consider some sort of a "working partnership" with is someone that has had cattle, needs some "expansion room" and is capable of helping for most everything that needs doing, or willing to pay the other partner the equivalent in some sort of cash deal if they needed to get other help.....

 

[Katpau]

Your local ag rep should likely have some information on different contracts or such.

Sorry if this is a strange question, but how do you find/contact your local ag rep?

Yes, your county extension agent is often a good source. Not every county in Oregon has one. The state cut funding awhile back and some counties voted to fund through a tax added to real estate taxes, and some did not. Another source might be to contact someone from your local county Livestock Association. Oregon Cattlemen's Assoc (OCA), could likely give you information on your local Assn. I recommend joining both OCA and your county assn. I would also contact your local Farm Service Assoc. (FSA). Let them know you are new in the business and they can tell you about any helpful programs available in your area.

Where in Oregon are you located?

 

[Dave]

Your local ag rep should likely have some information on different contracts or such.

Sorry if this is a strange question, but how do you find/contact your local ag rep?

Yes, your county extension agent is often a good source. Not every county in Oregon has one. The state cut funding awhile back and some counties voted to fund through a tax added to real estate taxes, and some did not. Another source might be to contact someone from your local county Livestock Association. Oregon Cattlemen's Assoc (OCA), could likely give you information on your local Assn. I recommend joining both OCA and your county assn. I would also contact your local Farm Service Assoc. (FSA). Let them know you are new in the business and they can tell you about any helpful programs available in your area.

Where in Oregon are you located?

I missed that the poster is from Oregon. My bad. The FSA is Farm Service Agency not Assoc. They are a federal agency and they do have programs for beginning farmers. I will second the OCA and especially the county rep will be a good starting place.

 

[Katpau]

OOps, I knew that. I just listed a few associations and my fingers went on auto pilot