Cost per cow per year

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tommaso

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Including the food, water and veterinary expenses what do you belive is the cost for 1 cow in 1 year?

PS: i know this may vary a lot, but generally speaking, or even better: your experiences

Thank you all

Tommaso
 
I would suggest that you find out the amount of hay and grain a water buffalo requires to be productive and once you know that, you can research the cost of the hay and grain here (USA). You should be able to find that out from the producers in Italy or someone who has a water buffalo dairy. I don't know if water buffalo have different dietary requirements from the cattle here.

I may be speaking out of line, but I am beginning to wonder if you are for real. A businessman or investor does not ask for advice and prices on a bulletin board. If he is planning to invest a chunk of money buying land and building a facility, it would make more sense to contact builders in the area or hire a consultant. If you have a real estate agent looking for land for you, he or she can probably supply the names of businesses that can build a dairy, barn or whatever.

Hoard's Dairyman has advertisers that sell equipment and build dairies.
 
Yes i am for real BUT here are some points:

First: I am 25 therefore i want to be sure to get a right idea (the web is not the way but more points of view can get me general image)

Second : this project is starting in March therefore i am trying again to gather as much info as possible (from march i ll be in the US)

Third: i am in italy now and eventhough i have visited farm around here the difference in price (given also a for me +ve $/€ change) are very significat therefore i wanted to know some average costs, to creat a P&L budjet.

Fourth: once i will be in the US as you can imagine i will have found a trusted person to help me on the operative part, but for now documenting my self on the web, asking questions is the best i've got.

Fith: yes, buffalos meet the same expenses that a dairy cow needs. but i know the figures here in italy and need the one there in the west. would $800 per year be a good guess?
 
tommaso":3ge6ohn5 said:
Yes i am for real BUT here are some points:

First: I am 25 therefore i want to be sure to get a right idea (the web is not the way but more points of view can get me general image)

Second : this project is starting in March therefore i am trying again to gather as much info as possible (from march i ll be in the US)

Third: i am in italy now and eventhough i have visited farm around here the difference in price (given also a for me +ve $/€ change) are very significat therefore i wanted to know some average costs, to creat a P&L budjet.

Fourth: once i will be in the US as you can imagine i will have found a trusted person to help me on the operative part, but for now documenting my self on the web, asking questions is the best i've got.

Fith: yes, buffalos meet the same expenses that a dairy cow needs. but i know the figures here in italy and need the one there in the west. would $800 per year be a good guess?
Haha you're kidding right? If a buffalo is comparable to a dairy cow and your plan is to come over and fire up an operation my best advice would be don't. Save your money. You will not buy, build, setup what you need to start out and be able to make it. $800 won't get you through a fraction of the year.
 
On average we spend about $900-$1000 per year. This is on the east coast in Massachusetts
Round bale hay $45 - 1 about every month for 1 cow.
Grain $12 per bag, maybe 10-12 bags per year.
Vet bill roughly $75-$100 per year for vaccines, and castrations if needed.
Deworming maybe $40 a year.

Hope this helps.
 
This is also with the cow on good quality grass most of the year, and we own the property. So those expenses are not counted for.
This does not include if any health problems arise. (i.e. C-Section, mastitis, etc.)
 
I understand thankyou :D putting it to the worst $1500 per year per head.

Best regards
Tommaso
 
I understand the difference in price between the US and Italy.

Have you contacted The American Water Buffalo Association? http://www.americanwaterbuffalo.org/
They should be able to get you in touch with a breeder who can give you more relevant information concerning water buffalo and the cost of maintaining a herd.
 
I only know about beef cattle. However,

From my observations, etc., any type of Dairy operation is extremely labor intensive as well as a heck of a lot of local, State, and Federal regulations concerning Health and Safety issues, food safety issues, government inspections on cleanliness of one's dairy facility, not to mention the EPA issues regarding manure/waste/water effluent that is always present with a dairy operation.

Dairies probably are 10 times more regulated and labor intensive than beef cattle operations.

;-)
 
Based on an italian model, how much forage/hay/silage/whatever is required per head? Do they feed grain, if so what protein/energy is it?
 
5.5 Kg (1kg=2.2 pounds) of hay, 20kg maize flower, 3kg corn flower, 0.5 kg soy "beans", 3kg of proteins.
 
that was true only for milking animals. those who are not milking will get only: 5kg hay, 8kg maize, 0.7kg soy, 1 kg of corn
 
:???:
I'm still trying to wrap my mind around someone drinking anything comming out of an animal that looks like this.....

800px-BUFFALO159.JPG

:lol2:
 
got your point... but that is a water ugly buffalo... google for a water cute buffalo ;)
 
ToddFarmsInc":2bi6sq1r said:
:???:
I'm still trying to wrap my mind around someone drinking anything comming out of an animal that looks like this.....

Think.....cheese, and other products made from milk,cream,butterfat etc.

Not sure of the actual figures, but most of the goats milk produced here is used for cheese.

Katherine
 
chippie":3mdwzvxp said:
Hoard's Dairyman has advertisers that sell equipment and build dairies.

Hoard's is a good publication, and very good resource for the above mentioned information. they do have a website.

I think there may be an outfit in Florida that has Water Buffalos.

Katherine
 
ToddFarmsInc":dh7hs5n4 said:
:???:
I'm still trying to wrap my mind around someone drinking anything comming out of an animal that looks like this.....


:lol2:

You ever eat any mozarella cheese?
 

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