mossy_oak23":1dqfbvzk said:
bigbull338":1dqfbvzk said:
theres a few things that deem an operation profitable.1 are you raising cows as a hobby/prp tax breaks.2 do you have a fulltime off farm job.3 do you want to raise cattle fulltime.4 do you know what you have in each calf from birth to weaning.5 are you selling your calves for more than what it cost to maintain the cow.6 all of the above work hand in hand.along with are you raising reg or comm cows.7 if reg do you sell show heifers an steers.along with breeding age bulls.
answers to your questions:
1. Not a hobby
2. I am in school and looking to make this my fulltime job
3. Yes
4. ? huh :?
5. hopefully
6. What is the difference between commericial and registered cattle?
7. Refer to answer 6.
Thanks for all the help anyone can offer!!!
All right kiddo - I am old enough to be your Grand Dad if you are in school so here is some rock hard advice - you can take it to the bank.
You want to do this full time? On your own place? Does not matter.
Then forget about it until you have an education and a full time job that will pay for your entry - unless you are independantly wealthy - stand to inherit - plan to marry into it or - you plan to get it from raising dope.
You keep 100 cows on your place and you make 100 bucks profit off each of them you just made 10,000 bucks - the carrying cost of your operation is higher than that. So you need a JOB - yeah - JOB that pays you in the six figure mark - and then you will still be in a tough spot.
By the way - check out all the Canadian Cattle organizations - you will see there is no one making that profit if they start out - they are in a LOSS position.
So once again you need the good, solid, HIGH PAYING job to subsidize your farm. And if you are smart you marry a nurse or teacher and she will help you when you are going broke.
That means you need an EDUCATION - which means you will stay in school until you have at least a Masters degree if you are really smart.
And do not think a farmer is a dumb guy and that it is easy - planning and forecasting budgets, fighting the tax man, improving genetics, calculating fertilizer inputs and a tonne of other things means you better be darned good at ALL sciences and math.
You need to be a financial wizard, a mechanical genius and be prepared to work around the clock while you also work OFF farm to pay for everything.
Why? Because your answer to question number six tells me you do know enough about cows.
So - get your education - get your job and dabble in cows until you know enough to maybe - just maybe - keep a couple on the back lot for a few years.
Harsh words? Nope - reality.
Lots of folks will be glad to help you once you get started but for heavens sakes - stop dreaming and do something about your future that can actually allow you to perhaps get into the game.
You need money - cows will not provide that - but a dammed good paying job will.
I wish you all the best - but do not waste all that time dreaming (do some though)- spend it studying - that way when you are old, fat and grey haired like me - you actually will not only have the pot to pizz in - you will have any window in your PAID for mansion to throw it out of.
No matter what you hear from the folks south of the border on input costs vs profit - they have a different tax structure, a different market structure and one additional thing that makes it a bit easier - population.
Your input costs are higher than south of the border, your taxes are higher - and your return on sold animals is lower
For most of the folks down south - other than those on the border - you have a tougher and longer winter - meaning more feed and input costs there as well.
They cannot feed their population and fill their export markets with domestic production - so there is always a demand for beef down there.
Canada has an EXCESS of animals - meaning there is less profit as you sell into an already flooded market - unless of course you are in a niche market - but you do NOT get there in a hurry - it took them years to develop.
Get educated and then go for it - it is a tough row to hoe and you need a solid base to make it happen.
Without it you WILL go down.
Regards
Bez+