This is simply not true. I started at 35 yo. Bought 90 acres and 20 cows. Now I own over 400 acres and have had as many as 120 mother cows. I've bought 3 new cab tractors, equipment, a dozer, cattle trailers, skid steer and plenty attachments, and a ton of other things. Nobody in my family owned land or cattle in 75 yrs before me. I did all this with a High School Diploma an an hourly job that anyone with half a brain could get. The trick is to want it bad enough and be willing to work. Some people spend $10k on Disney Vacation some would rather make a tractor payment. Is there easier ways to make money? Well sure but I'd say if you pursue the easier ways you don't have a ranch because you didn't want one. Nobody wants to work hard and put their time in any more, it's all about instant gratification. It really is a shame because there's a whole world ready for the Picken. Learning has never been easier either. This little deal I'm typing on has more power than they used to launch the first space shuttle but most people use it to see what everyone else has done for the day or post a pic of their lunch. Sorry I get upset when someone says " It can't be done" we all know better.
All the other stuff you mentioned is spot on but.....you could do all that while building and running a ranch....free time....what's that?
Some of the stuff partner is right on, but certainly not true in totality unless you catch some breaks. I started from absolute scratch myself at 39. The capital outlay will keep most from even having the ability to enter the business.
I retired from the Coast Guard, and see a pension from that, and from the VA for being a physical wreck from the physical beating a military career can have on your body. But if not for those "breaks" I'd have no money for cow business. Try to start cheap with old equipment was my plan-I gave that up in the first year, spent all my time working on equipment when I needed to be using it.
Cattle ground that sucks in Western Kentucky is at least 3k an acre-I have bought 150 acres of it. Old or no fences. Add time, cost of fencing, clearing, soil amending, etc- that was about 25k for me, and I got away cheap because I did most of that myself…
Tractor, mower, baler, etc, probably in 130k into equipment. I did the math-and because I have access to "free" hay ground it was the better route for me than buying hay.
Oh, I bought cows too… and handling equipment, and probably around 10k in seed-but I need more for the ground I just bought last month.
What profit have I seen? Nothing. Losses are plentiful though.
Now, long term, sure I will realize profit. I'm 42 now, my equipment is paid off or close to it. My farms, well, that'll be another 20 years. By the time I kick the bucket my kids should have a profitable ranch that's free and clear of debt.
So if you look at it like a savings account, I could agree with that methodology-my investments will pay dividends. But if I had to support my family off of a new farm, well, that would be impossible…at least for me.
I'll be in the black this year or the next, but my coming years showing a profit will really just be paying back my initial investments into the ranching operation. It doesn't pencil out when you look at everything, but I'm a cattleman and I love the work and the routine keeps me relatively sane. I'm not disagreeing that it can be done-but even for the willing it's a tough row. But I'm glad you've made it work, there are still first timers like us willing to give it a shot and always will be.
I'd go into more depth, but I've got cows to feed.
