Cheapest place to raise cattle

[pdfangus]

I wintered in NE Ohio for three years and there is no power that would put me back up there at my advanced age....

I have proven to myself that I cannot take cold weather....

My best friend from High school was raised with me in central Va and he has been a Vet on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan ever since he went to vet school there and he loves it...

i could not survive in thirty and forty degree below zero weather....have a hard enough time with thirty and forty above zero weather.

 

[shaz]

I do know for a fact, that cattle won't pay for land in my area, and have money left over for living expenses.

If what you are saying is true, and I believe it is, then the future of cattle farming is bleak.

Who's getting in the business? Most are getting out due to age. What's the average age of a cattleman?

 

[Rafter S]

I do know for a fact, that cattle won't pay for land in my area, and have money left over for living expenses.

If what you are saying is true, and I believe it is, then the future of cattle farming is bleak.

Probably well before I was born, but certainly all my adult life, land in my area has been priced well above the level where you could pay for it with cattle, or any other type of agriculture. I remember reading a study probably 30 years ago that said the average time required to pay for land with farming had increased from 15 years to 80.

 

[TB521]

I do know for a fact, that cattle won't pay for land in my area, and have money left over for living expenses.

If what you are saying is true, and I believe it is, then the future of cattle farming is bleak.

Who's getting in the business? Most are getting out due to age. What's the average age of a cattleman?

Couple of years ago it was 59

 

[Jessica06]

Look up the Texas Gulf Coast. Lots of rain, land is reasonable, high stocking rates. We stock at about 5:1 and never worry about having enough grass even in a drought. Manage your pastures right and you can do as good as 2 or 3:1. Snows every few decades...last year we didn't have a frost until the first of January. LOTS of sale barns. Downsides would be hot, humid summers, parasites, weak grass, and mud...if you end up in rice country. Find enough leases and you can run a LOT of cows. Just a thought.

 

[HDRider]

You can find decent pasture in my area for $2K per acre +/-

http://www.unitedcountry.com/search06/S ... &AU=N&DA=N

http://www.unitedcountry.com/search06/S ... &AU=N&FT=P

How many acres do you need to support a pair in your area?

Cow : Acre

It is going to vary on the time of the year and your grazing method.

Being best of the best (time of year & MIG) 1:1
Spring flush of Fescue/Legumes 1:1
Summer dormant Fescue/ mix of good Bermuda 1:2
Fall (Bermuda/Legume/re-surging Fescue (September to first frost (Nov 1 or so)) 1:2
Winter (Nov - March) with hay 1:2

All that, most folks run 1 cow on 2 acres using continuous grazing and 4 or 5 months with hay.

Further - I am a student of beef cattle, not a practitioner, nor experienced.

 

[Supa Dexta]

Parts of canada, esp with the dollar difference would really look good if you can handle the cold. Otherwise south america would be my go to - as they are just coming on the beef scene in a serious manner. Regulations are killing north america, and will continue to do so, europe was that way a few decades ago and many moved to the US and Canada to get away from it, now its catching up here. South america is behind the times in that sense, so you'd be free to work. Local laws and customs would have to be looked into though, as I saw a video from argentina, where the gov't takes 25% of the calves right off the top for taxes I think it was.

 

[Howdyjabo]

Find a place that is right next to a producer of waste product you can use as feed- preferably in a populated area so you have little competition.

I know one guy that has that situation and year in and year out he makes good money-- unlike me

 

[Supa Dexta]

Yeah I know a guy around here that has gotten over 190 18 wheeler loads of veggie scraps from a plant, since september. Free for the taking. Thats gotta help the bottom dollar. Unless you're taking over a situation though I'm sure those deals are hard to just walk into.

 

[rynophiliac]

What do you guys think about this place: http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhom ... 1095-44834

It sounds 500 cow capacity but I would think that it high

 

[Bigfoot]

Per acre, that don't sound to bad. I'm not convinced anybody could run 500 head (shy of some pretty intensive management).

 

[HDRider]

What do you guys think about this place: http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhom ... 1095-44834

It sounds 500 cow capacity but I would think that it high

I think that is kinda close to Big Cheese.

Are those chicken barns I see on Google Earth?

 

[rynophiliac]

What are your thoughts on this one:
http://www.unitedcountry.com/search06/S ... &AU=N&FT=P

 

[HDRider]

First off it's $2.4M. How many acres? I couldn't see that.

Isn't row crop the premium farm land costing more than non-tillable?

 

[JMJ Farms]

In my area I rent land for $30-$40/acre. One pair to 2 acres. And there's still not enough left over for living expenses. Sad but true. I don't see how, with the volatility in any commodity prices, that one could by land for ag purposes. I'd love to buy a lot of land, but it wont work here. If someone knows something I don't, I'd love their input.

 

[rynophiliac]

how often do these land leases come up? Are they hard to get? For example if you had 100k burning a hole in your pocket right now to buy more cattle with would you be able to find a place to rent? How long would it take?

 

[JMJ Farms]

how often do these land leases come up? Are they hard to get? For example if you had 100k burning a hole in your pocket right now to buy more cattle with would you be able to find a place to rent? How long would it take?

You buy $100k worth of cattle and I will provide the lease and the care. Gonna have to send them to georgia though.

 

[rynophiliac]

First off it's $2.4M. How many acres? I couldn't see that.

Isn't row crop the premium farm land costing more than non-tillable?

It's 966 acres, mostly all open pasture

 

[Spera511]

Im in southern Colorado East Central Pueblo county. I've been on this little ranch for 25 years you can still run a cow calf operation and make it work, but the only way your going to buy a ranch is if you have one to sell or a lot to put down. You can still buy range land here for less than $1000.00 an acre I know of a place south of me that is for sale and the cheapest I know of at $125 an acre it's 90,000 acres.
The climate is mild takes 40ac per unit out here.
Hell I'll sell mine for under $1000.00/ac if your serious

 

[Jrebyank]

A pair per acre here in MS easy! Feed hay about 4 months a year. Sell 5-600lbs calves at 6 months routinely. Main problem here is finding enough acreage to have enough to make a living. Mostly supplemental ranching around here.