SRBeef
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I know there is a wide range of management systems, but is there a dollar figure generally used as a cost to carry a cow per year? Jim
cost to carry a cow for a year
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mattyboy
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The oldtimers used to tell me it cost one dollar a day to keep a cow. That was also when fertilize was 50 dollars a ton and not 300.
I think nowadays there are to many variables between individual farms. How much feed? How much hay? How much fertilizer? How much fencing do the bulls tear up during the year
?
So without further rambling, to answer your question... I don't know. 8)
I think nowadays there are to many variables between individual farms. How much feed? How much hay? How much fertilizer? How much fencing do the bulls tear up during the year
? So without further rambling, to answer your question... I don't know. 8)
novaman
Well-known member
5 dollars less than you sell her calf for? :lol:
SRBeef
Well-known member
mattyboy":1faz8rhl said:The oldtimers used to tell me it cost one dollar a day to keep a cow. That was also when fertilize was 50 dollars a ton and not 300.
I think nowadays there are to many variables between individual farms. How much feed? How much hay? How much fertilizer? How much fencing do the bulls tear up during the year
So without further rambling, to answer your question... I don't know. 8)
The dollar a day number is what I have heard also = 365/year. Given the fact I purchase all hay, minerals, bag treat/training grain, inflation since then and other factors, my cost to carry a cow for a year is probably a bit higher, maybe $1.50/day or about $550/year.
Having a general cost number in mind helps when making keep vs cull decisions. I guess I will use $1.50/day. Thank you. Jim
mattyboy
Well-known member
cull decisions...ain't that the truth
I had an old man tell me one time....." ya know how to make a small fortune in the cow business" I said no tell me, he said "start out with a big one" :lol: :lol:
rockridgecattle
Well-known member
Manitoba Ag is saying for the 2009 year;
Cost to keep a $500.00-$550.00
This does not include:
depreciation of farm assest
loans
labour
To include that the cow needs $750.00 a year
This is for a Manitoba year where summer grazing is from May/June to October/November
Cost to keep a $500.00-$550.00
This does not include:
depreciation of farm assest
loans
labour
To include that the cow needs $750.00 a year
This is for a Manitoba year where summer grazing is from May/June to October/November
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Cost me 401.50 last year came out to a 1.10 a day.
KMacGinley
Well-known member
350, 700 lb round bales and 1000 square bales, cost me 2 halves of beef and 7 cases of FFA fruit last year out of pocket. My son sold 50 of them to compensate him for running the baler. We still have 150 left at this time and 500 square bales. Most all of the Hay was fed to the small stuff, bulls, his horse and the bred heifers. The cows have had 20 of those round bales to this point. They are home now and will probably get a good share of the rest before pasture turn out. The hay came from 20 acres here, and 125 acres, here there and everywhere for free, except for the 60 acres that I traded beef for. That was all 1 cutting except for home. I just ask people with lots if they would like me to mow it and bale it to keep the grass down and most people say yes.
Pasture rent was .33 per head per day. Cornstalks from Thanksgiving to March 1st was also .33 per head per day. 5 lbs of ddgs added .15 per head per day for the month of February. I come up with about $200 per head with minerals, and bearings and belts and fuel and twine and vaccines and tags, of course that is not counting depreciation and all of the overhead.
Pasture rent was .33 per head per day. Cornstalks from Thanksgiving to March 1st was also .33 per head per day. 5 lbs of ddgs added .15 per head per day for the month of February. I come up with about $200 per head with minerals, and bearings and belts and fuel and twine and vaccines and tags, of course that is not counting depreciation and all of the overhead.
Aaron
Well-known member
Jim, are you using that excel cost of production spreadsheet I posted a thread on? It would be a good resource for you in this instance.
That being said, on variable (cash) costs alone, my carry cost per cow last year was $318.16.
Including capital and fixed costs, it is $831.64
I find, in my case, that variable costs don't fluctuate much, but with occasional machinery purchases and fence line rebuilds, capital costs can vary quite a bit. :cowboy:
That being said, on variable (cash) costs alone, my carry cost per cow last year was $318.16.
Including capital and fixed costs, it is $831.64
I find, in my case, that variable costs don't fluctuate much, but with occasional machinery purchases and fence line rebuilds, capital costs can vary quite a bit. :cowboy:
thatdoggJake
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I'm just a rookie, but I have been keeping track of my expenses very closely. So far I'm at $72 per head for the year. $72/63 days=$1.14 per day. That does include half my lease payment for the year so it is a little off. Also gas was not figured in yet, but I live very close to my lease land.
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Roan":1fgz29c7 said:
My cost includes everything taxes, fuel, meds, maintainence, etc thats the only way to know what you are doing. My biggest expense is fertilizer. I am not raising cattle to loose money. Too many people are operating with welfare cattle. They have to support them to keep them.
I love the write off excuse to own cattle I spent 25,000 dollars on the farm and saved 3000 dollars in taxes.
marksmu
Well-known member
I think each persons costs are very different depending upon their uses.
I just started in cattle last year, so I am by no means an expert...but I can tell you every single penny I have spent so far, and every single mile I have driven.
Bought the cattle in May (their costs is excluded here), and since then I have spent $13,998.27 including rent of $8,000. So my cattle cost without the land is $5998/44/365= 37 cents per day. OR if you want to include land costs its $0.87 per day. If you count depreciation on the equipment its much much higher. I ignore it here solely b/c I try to barely run the tractors so I expect them to last a very long time. 3 tractors, less than 200 hours per year on each of them.
I did not bail any hay or buy any to speak of (bought 8 bails during weaning), but I did plant $3975 worth of rye grass (135 acres) in September that carried me all winter long. They should stay on that until I get a good green up and then I will switch the rye field to millet and have it bailed for me on and let the bailer keep a percentage of the harvest to get me some safety stock hay.
My costs included rye, vet, cubes, diesel, solar charger, and a hose.
I was surprised it was as high as it was, but that rye cost severely cut into it all. As I get more cattle, I expect the price per head to drop drastically...I rent 768 acres and the extension office tells me the carrying capacity is 2.4hd per acre....I plan on 1.6 as my final stocking rate with a single hay field way out in the future.
I just started in cattle last year, so I am by no means an expert...but I can tell you every single penny I have spent so far, and every single mile I have driven.
Bought the cattle in May (their costs is excluded here), and since then I have spent $13,998.27 including rent of $8,000. So my cattle cost without the land is $5998/44/365= 37 cents per day. OR if you want to include land costs its $0.87 per day. If you count depreciation on the equipment its much much higher. I ignore it here solely b/c I try to barely run the tractors so I expect them to last a very long time. 3 tractors, less than 200 hours per year on each of them.
I did not bail any hay or buy any to speak of (bought 8 bails during weaning), but I did plant $3975 worth of rye grass (135 acres) in September that carried me all winter long. They should stay on that until I get a good green up and then I will switch the rye field to millet and have it bailed for me on and let the bailer keep a percentage of the harvest to get me some safety stock hay.
My costs included rye, vet, cubes, diesel, solar charger, and a hose.
I was surprised it was as high as it was, but that rye cost severely cut into it all. As I get more cattle, I expect the price per head to drop drastically...I rent 768 acres and the extension office tells me the carrying capacity is 2.4hd per acre....I plan on 1.6 as my final stocking rate with a single hay field way out in the future.
canoetrpr
Well-known member
Close to the city in horse country here, just hay is costing me ~350-400 dollars per head. I'm not going to add in the initial cost of fencing my streams, adding extra electric around my existing fences, an automatic waterer, a chute, pasture pipe for my rotational grazing system that I am going to install, manure spreader I am going to purchase ..... they cattle simply are not going to pay it back. Many of those things were optional though and if I was looking to save $ I could have done it on less.
I'm taking my dividend in pleasure. It was a beautiful evening today hanging out with my two cows and calf while they ate their hay.
I suspect ongoing expenses once I am up to 6 cows + a bull will be hay, vaccinations, some diesel for the tractor, annual overseeding costs. I'd estimate $800 per head not including depreciation.
I'm taking my dividend in pleasure. It was a beautiful evening today hanging out with my two cows and calf while they ate their hay.
I suspect ongoing expenses once I am up to 6 cows + a bull will be hay, vaccinations, some diesel for the tractor, annual overseeding costs. I'd estimate $800 per head not including depreciation.
Alberta farmer
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There are many ways to calculate this, but for a real true cost a person needs to ask themselves "How much would I have if I never owned the cow"?
What could you get in rent for your land? How much could you sell your hay for? What kind of wage could you make if you weren't doing this? What kind of return could you get on the capital you have invested in the cow?
The figure of $365/yr for feed(and feed alone) is probably fairly accurate for most years. Add to that your own figures for these items:
Breeding expense $25
Salt and mineral $20
Fence &corral repair $10
vet costs $10
Selling costs $25
depreciation on cow cost $50
labor $25
interest on cow cost $50
death loss cows(1%) $10
TOTAL $590
If you raise the calf, on momma, to 600/lb steer and 575/lb hfr. you would be selling in the fall with a price of about $1.05/lb/str and $.95 hfr. or $630 for the steer and $546 for the hfr. or $588 for every calf?
Now most people don't get a 100% calf crop on a large commercial herd...probably 97% would be pretty good? $588 X .97 =$570?
So if you never did anything you would be much better off...in fact $20/for every cow you didn't own richer?
I believe my numbers are fairly realistic, but of course yours might be very different....probably the reason I sold my cows last fall.
What could you get in rent for your land? How much could you sell your hay for? What kind of wage could you make if you weren't doing this? What kind of return could you get on the capital you have invested in the cow?
The figure of $365/yr for feed(and feed alone) is probably fairly accurate for most years. Add to that your own figures for these items:
Breeding expense $25
Salt and mineral $20
Fence &corral repair $10
vet costs $10
Selling costs $25
depreciation on cow cost $50
labor $25
interest on cow cost $50
death loss cows(1%) $10
TOTAL $590
If you raise the calf, on momma, to 600/lb steer and 575/lb hfr. you would be selling in the fall with a price of about $1.05/lb/str and $.95 hfr. or $630 for the steer and $546 for the hfr. or $588 for every calf?
Now most people don't get a 100% calf crop on a large commercial herd...probably 97% would be pretty good? $588 X .97 =$570?
So if you never did anything you would be much better off...in fact $20/for every cow you didn't own richer?
I believe my numbers are fairly realistic, but of course yours might be very different....probably the reason I sold my cows last fall.
rockridgecattle":2sgamgjf said:
how many commercial calves do sell a year for more than $750/hd at weaning?
how do yall plan on making money or at least breaking even with costs like that?
if you use the argument that you are selling seedstock for more than a commercial calf brings, you cant say you raise your seedstock like the commercial man does. if you dont raise your seedstock the way the commercial man does it, you are off the list of bull suppliers for smart commercial men.
plumber_greg
Well-known member
Part of what to ask yourself is, "If I own $150,000 worth of cattle, what interest rate does this have to return me? What can I get in a saving account at a bank for that amount of money? If I invest in the stock market, is it safer than owning the cattle?" Anytime there is risk in an investment, there is a greater chance of return as well as a greater chance of loss. How many of us lost 75 percent of the value of our cattle in the recent, ongoing, recession? It's not all about what it costs to raise the calf. Like was said, what return can we get on our land if we didn't own the cattle? Even an investment in 3 head can use the same figures. What is wrong with my statments? Let me have it. gs
Aaron
Well-known member
Aero":3l00a6nl said:
There are a lot of people in RR's neck of the woods that are losing $300 a head on every calf they sell (according to a friend's ag accountant). I would assume they are either working off-farm to subsidize the cows or are in debt up to their neck (I was led to believe the latter).
In order to make it pay, a lot of people have quit selling calves and are backgrounding their own either to yearling or through grass season as well. :cowboy:
