cant make money at this anymore

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Can always do what I did sold all the beef cows bought all corrientes they are 1/2 as big as a beef cow require 1/2 the feed put a decent bull on them sell the calves at around 300-350lbs and live to see another day. It's not all about money for me tho I got a job that pays the bills cows and chickens are my only real hobby It's mostly a solution to thr headache and time it takes to mow pastures. Plus I like raising my own beef as well I much prefer opening a gate and let them having at it. I hate bush hogging and I won't ever sell the land trying to buy my neighbors out every chance I get.
 
dieselbeef said:
no sir..from thanksgiving (sometimes halloween) til its gone..i have 2 rolls left..ive go about 35-40 ac of pasture...was decent but going to hell without water...they clean evry bit too.little waste...i know im probly over stocked now..but when grass was good i was running 20 and it never got poor except in winter and i rotated em...the dry is killing me..weeds are opuurtunists...and the blackroot is my latest battle...it comes from the root..so it spreads even if we mow the seeds off...i just cant win
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With all you've been through it may be a good idea to sell out. Take some time to renovate and then decide what you want to do. At worst you'll have a nice pasture again to rent to someone trustworthy. At best you'll be able to start fresh with the exact stock you want. Nothing wrong with a recharge.
 
sprayers that are reasonably affordable...cover maybe 20 ft in a pass..most do 10 or 12...for under 1000 investment...it would take 2 passes of a 50 gal tank and have to refill. ive researched it..even got a sprayer for tsc..but returned it when i realize the application rates would empty the 40 gal tank in 2 passes..herd is 5 animals smaller than it was...i have an 8 ac pasture cows have been off of since i started feeding hay in nov and you can barely see the diff in growth vs where the cows have been all yr. most pastures around here look like mine except the blackroot part..but they have dog fennels ad broomsedge and thistles i dont have since i spot spray or mow.

blackroot can only be controlled by psraying..and i have acres of it,,,,it has value medicinally..but i haven't been able to locate anyone wants it..even thru craigslist or fb marketplace....

calfs wont be ready to ship til july or aug.....id probly get the same money whether i did it now or later...but it seems wrong to do it when theyre 2 mos vs 7-8 when i try to sell em.

i just did score this weekend 25 tons of out of grade citurs products..free score...so thats gonna help it all free choice right now...they were gonna dump it so i got the call...thank fully. its a little high moisture so out of spec to sell but perfectly fne to feed...
 
The sad and ugly truth is the ONLY way to "make it" as a commercial cow/ calf producer is NUMBERS.

I put make it in quotations because everyone has to define that for themselves, but regardless of the definition, I think the statement holds true..
 
If i were in your shoes...actually trying to make a decent profit on 50 acres.....i'd sell the remaining herd....and get a decent mower to mow down the blackroot (perennial) for two years (until most 90% of the seed base is gone) while establishing native grass. Then buy-in and bring a new breeding herd. What killed your bull? You'll need to know about any critical circumstance. Losing a bull is a money buster. Even in the 3rd and 4th years...you will need to walk and drive around and knock down any of those blackroot plants before they seed. I was naive too...takes time to bring back good pasture land after shear horse abuse (where I leased land) (overpopulation of horses to actual grazing-feed).
 
Lazy M said:
The sad and ugly truth is the ONLY way to "make it" as a commercial cow/ calf producer is NUMBERS.

I put make it in quotations because everyone has to define that for themselves, but regardless of the definition, I think the statement holds true..
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True...numbers. Which equates to lots of land acreage...OR, if you can find a really good inexpensive source of feed. I've seen cattle producers that are putting on 40 to 60 cows on 20 acres and bringing them round corn bails. I feel bad to those cows....all huddled into the only trees (shade) near the fence line. According to my research at minimum.... 100 to 150 cows on 300 acres of decent pasture lands with water source/s...that's the ticket. (some of us have this setup or better...others like me.... icanonlywish).
 
SBMF 2015 said:
We do it because we have a passion for it. Sometimes profit isn't measured in dollars.
If it's that that destitute, sell the cows. Use the money to fix the pastures. Then think long and hard about how much you really miss them. If you have a passion for it you'll rebuild.
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Well said...for myself, it's just what you said....AND breeding to get a better bull...and better cows...the temperaments, color and features i desire. I'm taking a rag-tag group of misfits- adding some new diversity- and producing better. The joy of creating your herd. I'm with you SBMF, i say sell the herd...fix the pasture...and then start fresh with all your experienced learned....more passion will ignite.
I do not believe he needs to use expensive sprayer-chemicals to kill those blackroot weeds...just mow them for 2 years and establish back native grasses.
 
bull broke is penis..........been moing that blackroot for 2-3 yrs at least..it started off small and keep spreading..it comes back thru the roots not necessarily seeding altho that spread's it...ive cut the seed heads off em to no avail
 
Brute 23 said:
This is the sprayer I have been looking at to get some places on the utv I can't get with te tractor. Its 60g and claims 24'.


What if you just buy the pump and their boom kit and hook it to a water tote? If you have a trailer you just throw it on to spray? It's not ideal but may get you by for a couple years.
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Bigfoot posted a pic of his rig that was exactly like that.
I have a 100 gallon sprayer for the tractor and a 40 gallon I use on the UTV to get to the harder spots.
 
Brute 23 said:
This is the sprayer I have been looking at to get some places on the utv I can't get with te tractor. Its 60g and claims 24'.


What if you just buy the pump and their boom kit and hook it to a water tote? If you have a trailer you just throw it on to spray? It's not ideal but may get you by for a couple years.
Click to expand...
 
That dog'll hunt right there. Never underestimate the power and versatility of the 330-gal tote. 😉
 
yea i dont have any of that stuff kids..and honestly..ive made so little money this yr off cows im laoning them moneys..so unlikely ill be buying a spray rig for 1000 bucks...i mean i fi could do all that things wouldnt suck a much...right now im doing nothing..its all i can afford and i cant come up with abetter plan except selling more animals...clafs will be ready by aug..so hopefully there will be some rain by then or they gonna be sorry skinny calfs and bring no moneys
 
dieselbeef said:
bull broke is penis..........been moing that blackroot for 2-3 yrs at least..it started off small and keep spreading..it comes back thru the roots not necessarily seeding altho that spread's it...ive cut the seed heads off em to no avail
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Ahhh, Florida is your issue....it is a perennial that needs to re-seed after winter....but the the frost line being non-existence in florida won't kill the roots. Yuck...yes...expensive chemicals required....i stand corrected.
 
the eqpt is the biggest issue..begged ..tried to borrow....nobody has anyhting i know of...ill get pic..its over running us and no stopping it
 
dieselbeef said:
the eqpt is the biggest issue..begged ..tried to borrow....nobody has anyhting i know of...ill get pic..its over running us and no stopping it
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Could you run hogs on it? Just give them a little section at a time with electric netting and keep moving them. I'd think they'd eat the roots of that and till up the soil and fertilize so you could overseed with desirable species behind them. Then you'd be able to sell pature raised pork when they're finished. Might take a few years but it would be a way to renovate the pasture and maybe at least break even doing it.
 
Brute 23 said:
Should be able to build a sprayer for less than $500 with a tote.
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I think you could especially if your handy and kept it bare bones type of build. I can usually find sprayer parts cheaper online then local. Right now everything is higher then before.
 
Allenw said:
I think you could especially if your handy and kept it bare bones type of build. I can usually find sprayer parts cheaper online then local. Right now everything is higher then before.
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I just googled around on tsc and a 12v pump was little over $125. They had a boom set up for receiver for like $225. You could go boom-less for like $30 and save up front even though chemical cost may justify the boom after one or two applications. I can find totes for free here but even if you paid $50-100, with the misc nic-nacks, a person could stay under $500.
 

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