Cost of keeping a cow

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Caustic Burno":24wqad4e said:
You can't roll hay for 25 dollars a roll
By the time you figure fuel,maintenance, fertilizer and equipment you be lucky to come in at forty bucks a roll.

We had $1550 in fertilizer, the guy charged us $1300 to cut and roll it with his equipment, and it made 109 rolls. I guess that is more like $26 a roll.

We didn't spray for weeds or have any other expenses with it.
 
TennesseeTuxedo":3g92dm4c said:
Caustic Burno":3g92dm4c said:
You can't roll hay for 25 dollars a roll
By the time you figure fuel,maintenance, fertilizer and equipment you be lucky to come in at forty bucks a roll.

Don't tell my hay supplier that because I'd hate for him to cut me off after 3 years of paying $25 a 4x5 roll.

If he bought a used Vermeer 505 that is 10K and he hasn't bought the first new belt bearing or chain much less string less the minimum 60hp tractor to pull it.
You add that rakes and cutter he is lucky if has less than a 100 K tied up in equipment.
He hasn't bought the first drop of fuel or pound of fertilizer
 
If you really want to know, there is finbin data on the internet from the farm business management programs.
They are based in the north, and attempt to allocate OH and capture depreciation and capture all other expenses.
So, their (total) cost number is higher than anything quoted on this thread.
Many folks get confused and claim their cow cost is the out of pocket spending that they remember.
 
herofan":1ccvft6j said:
Caustic Burno":1ccvft6j said:
You can't roll hay for 25 dollars a roll
By the time you figure fuel,maintenance, fertilizer and equipment you be lucky to come in at forty bucks a roll.

We had $1550 in fertilizer, the guy charged us $1300 to cut and roll it with his equipment, and it made 109 rolls. I guess that is more like $26 a roll.

We didn't spray for weeds or have any other expenses with it.
You never get it bailed by the bale here
you will pay by the hour for a custom bailer to show up. If you do he will have a 100 roll minimum
 
Yes you can make hay and a profit for 25 a roll . it's relative to amout of hay you roll. 75k in equipment only cost 15 a roll doing 500 rolls a yr (which is miniscule) to hay guys. Over 10 yrs. LikeTT said everyone counts expenses different. Also more animals spreads the cost out even more.
 
Caustic Burno":p9pdjn5z said:
herofan":p9pdjn5z said:
Caustic Burno":p9pdjn5z said:
You can't roll hay for 25 dollars a roll
By the time you figure fuel,maintenance, fertilizer and equipment you be lucky to come in at forty bucks a roll.

We had $1550 in fertilizer, the guy charged us $1300 to cut and roll it with his equipment, and it made 109 rolls. I guess that is more like $26 a roll.

We didn't spray for weeds or have any other expenses with it.
You never get it bailed by the bale here
you will pay by the hour for a custom bailer to show up. If you do he will have a 100 roll minimum

Maybe that is part of the difference. I don't know anyone that I would call a "custom baler" around here, there is no 100 bale minimum, and they charge by the bale/roll.


Bigfoot":p9pdjn5z said:
My dad buys any old hay they have at the auction, never worms, doesn't vaccinate, and puts salt blocks out in the summer. Bushhogs every 2 or 3 years. He ain't spending much per head, and hauls a lot of calves to town.


And I will bet that the calves he hauls to town look just as good and bring just as much as the rest of them.
 
M-5":1ufqjjh8 said:
Yes you can make hay and a profit for 25 a roll . it's relative to amout of hay you roll. 75k in equipment only cost 15 a roll doing 500 rolls a yr (which is miniscule) to hay guys. Over 10 yrs. LikeTT said everyone counts expenses different. Also more animals spreads the cost out even more.

No way those bailers, tractors,rakes and cutters require maintenance and fuel every year.
If you are really bailing hay you might get through the first season with out dropping some bucks in that bailer.
The warranty is one hay season I wonder why.
They are BSing themselves
 
Caustic Burno":1hms0v63 said:
M-5":1hms0v63 said:
Yes you can make hay and a profit for 25 a roll . it's relative to amout of hay you roll. 75k in equipment only cost 15 a roll doing 500 rolls a yr (which is miniscule) to hay guys. Over 10 yrs. LikeTT said everyone counts expenses different. Also more animals spreads the cost out even more.

No way those bailers, tractors,rakes and cutters require maintenance and fuel every year.
If you are really bailing hay you might get through the first season with out dropping some bucks in that bailer.
The warranty is one hay season I wonder why.
They are BSing themselves

No sense arugung with someone that that ain't got a clue what life is like out side of big thicket . prolly best you stay there because alot of folks would make you eat crow if you ventured into this part of the world.
just because you can't do it dont mean others can't.
 
Just one question Dash how many bailers have you bought and maintained along with the tractors to run them.
I wore out a M&W, Vermeer,Krone and Heston.
Hay and heifers are not cheap.
That's like stupid people that think they are making money with ag write offs.
It is so profitable as you say you should go drop a 100K into it and see how that works out
 
Folks are only cheating themselves if they're not figuring in true costs (land, machinery, depreciation,taxes). Unless they're not in it for the money (tax purposes).
 
Why can't we all just get along. :hide: Atleast learn to agree to disagree :D

Around here in my operation it cost $400 a year. You start adding up everything it can get scary in a hurry. If I pay myself good money for my time I can add a couple hundred easy.
 
RanchMan90":2ipa06b1 said:
Folks are only cheating themselves if they're not figuring in true costs (land, machinery, depreciation,taxes). Unless they're not in it for the money (tax purposes).
I owned the land before I owned one cow. The cows save me over $6,000 a year in nothing but property taxes by getting the agriculture exemption so if I'm going to charge them for the land I'm going to give them credit for the tax savings. I've gotta be doing something all day so my labor is free. Only thing I charge to the cattle operation are the same things I can also charge off on my tax return.
 
TexasBred":2kdoq7ne said:
RanchMan90":2kdoq7ne said:
Folks are only cheating themselves if they're not figuring in true costs (land, machinery, depreciation,taxes). Unless they're not in it for the money (tax purposes).
I owned the land before I owned one cow. The cows save me over $6,000 a year in nothing but property taxes by getting the agriculture exemption so if I'm going to charge them for the land I'm going to give them credit for the tax savings. I've gotta be doing something all day so my labor is free. Only thing I charge to the cattle operation are the same things I can also charge off on my tax return.

Here you don't need a cow for ag exemption
Timber works just fine
Never mind I forgot you can't grow a marketable tree. :hide:
 
I buy my hay and rent the summer pasture. That makes it easy to calculate feed cost which are the biggest expense. Buying hay by the ton in semi loads makes it real easy to calculate the real cost. Right now I am feeding for $1.1425 per cow per day. When I go to pasture it cost $14.85 per pair per month. Totaled up that comes to $274.95 per cow per year. I own one tractor which runs about 5 minutes a day this time of year and sits without running for months in the summer. Any implements I own were bought on the cheap at auctions. I haven't spread fertilizer or done weed control in years. The one semi big project is spreading the manure collected at the barn. But with purchased hay that manure is imported nutrients for the pasture. I spend a lot less spreading that manure than I would on purchased fertilizer.
 
Dave":13m16i1b said:
I buy my hay and rent the summer pasture. That makes it easy to calculate feed cost which are the biggest expense. Buying hay by the ton in semi loads makes it real easy to calculate the real cost. Right now I am feeding for $1.1425 per cow per day. When I go to pasture it cost $14.85 per pair per month. Totaled up that comes to $274.95 per cow per year. I own one tractor which runs about 5 minutes a day this time of year and sits without running for months in the summer. Any implements I own were bought on the cheap at auctions. I haven't spread fertilizer or done weed control in years. The one semi big project is spreading the manure collected at the barn. But with purchased hay that manure is imported nutrients for the pasture. I spend a lot less spreading that manure than I would on purchased fertilizer.

Just finished the book and taxes for last year my cost came to 1.52 a day.
That's roughly 555 a year that's everything contributed to the cow labor, meds, fuel,fertilizer maintenance,taxes you name it.
 
Caustic Burno":3abav5cf said:
TexasBred":3abav5cf said:
RanchMan90":3abav5cf said:
Folks are only cheating themselves if they're not figuring in true costs (land, machinery, depreciation,taxes). Unless they're not in it for the money (tax purposes).
I owned the land before I owned one cow. The cows save me over $6,000 a year in nothing but property taxes by getting the agriculture exemption so if I'm going to charge them for the land I'm going to give them credit for the tax savings. I've gotta be doing something all day so my labor is free. Only thing I charge to the cattle operation are the same things I can also charge off on my tax return.

Here you don't need a cow for ag exemption
Timber works just fine
Never mind I forgot you can't grow a marketable tree. :hide:
Sometimes the truth hurts CB...but you're right. These folks out here think a light pole is the state tree and have no idea where it was grown before harvest. I've lived in that "JUNGLE" you folks call home over there. There's places over there that haven't seen sunshine in ages. Not to mention you still got injuns running wild. :lol2:
 
TennesseeTuxedo":25mqoldf said:
Caustic Burno":25mqoldf said:
You can't roll hay for 25 dollars a roll
By the time you figure fuel,maintenance, fertilizer and equipment you be lucky to come in at forty bucks a roll.

Don't tell my hay supplier that because I'd hate for him to cut me off after 3 years of paying $25 a 4x5 roll.

I'm at 60/ton for pretty good quality Johnson grass and fescue. Started hiring a custom baler last year.
 
RiverHills":34ipq2pp said:
Why can't we all just get along. :hide: Atleast learn to agree to disagree :D

Around here in my operation it cost $400 a year. You start adding up everything it can get scary in a hurry. If I pay myself good money for my time I can add a couple hundred easy.

I would figure in my time but I'm not a very good employee! :drink: :drink:
Know what I mean?
 
shaz":bsbo00k0 said:
RiverHills":bsbo00k0 said:
Why can't we all just get along. :hide: Atleast learn to agree to disagree :D

Around here in my operation it cost $400 a year. You start adding up everything it can get scary in a hurry. If I pay myself good money for my time I can add a couple hundred easy.

I would figure in my time but I'm not a very good employee! :drink: :drink:
Know what I mean?
I'll drink to that myself. :nod:
 

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