Counting my pennies

[Jogeephus]

While moving hay today I looked at the remains of a big muscadine head that had been chewed to oblivion by some cows. I watched as one cow chomped at the last reminents of what once was a huge mountain of vine and wondered how much of this worthless weed was converted into salable weight at little to no cost to me. As you all know, when doing monotonous tractor work all you have is time to think. So rather than thinking about what it would be like to be invited to one of Hugh Hefner's parties, I spent the day thinking about how many worthless plants cows are capable of converting into money and wondered:

In a commercial cow calf operation, how many inputs (costs) are we using that are not necessary. In the pursuit of creating slick well conditoned cattle are we possibly spending money unnecessarily?

Lets just say you are going to make $650 on the sale of each calf you raise and for simplicity there is no death loss. The most you can make is the $650 yet the average cattleman only clears say $200 per head. Where'd the $450 go? Of this, how much HAD to be spent in the care of the animal?

Take a vet call for instance. If you are only going to clear $200 on the calf, does it make sense to spend $650 plus a day of your time to have a C-section of the animal in hopes that the calf will live and Bessie will thrive and calve in the future?

How bout minerals. Is the most expensive brand actually going to make up for the extra cost to you in weight gain. Using real world figures not advertisement figures.

Is it worth your time and the expense to spray the patch of weeds in the far corner of the pasture?

Was the last bag of range cubes or sweetfeed actually necessary and did you make a positive return on the investment when you sold the calves? Or did momma eat them all?

In markets that discount "fat calves", is creep feeding your calves a wise choice? Are you doing it for money or self satisfaction?

I'm not trying to stir anything up here but I think this kind of stuff is worth considering. I think it is too easy to make raising cattle harder than it needs to be, At some point you reach a point of diminishing returns. After all, we have to deal with the elements, market fluctuations and all kinds of other adversities and it would be nice to get as large a reward for these toils as possible without spending all our profits on frills. I don't know of any magic recipe for each of us to follow since each operation is different. But I do know IF I could raise my cows year round on muscadine and pigweed I'd be making a ton of money and I'm going to try and do a better job identifying what is truly neccessary from this point on.

Again, this is meant only for the commercial folks. To you folks on the board that are selling those $20,000 pure blooded papered animals - my hat's off to ya and I'd feed em all they could eat too on my mommas best china set. ;-) :lol:

 

[rockridgecattle]

something we are trying to work out as well.

 

[Beefy]

so are you saying muscadine and pigweed is not the norm?

 

[ga. prime]

A man from over around Metter told me he bought 20 head of Longhorns at The Dixie Livestock sale and put them in a pasture with several acres of wooded area included. He said the Longhorns ate all the gallberries, briars, vines, etc. down in the woods before they ever started on the grass.

 

[Paul54]

Guilty, I sometimes spend money on them that is not neccessary. :shock:

 

[Caustic Burno]

The money to be made in this business is contolling cost on the front end. All a cow needs is grass and minerals. The trick is finding the most productive cow on your grass. If a cow here can't stay in condition raising a calf on my grass, I am changing the cow not the grass.

 

[newrancher]

GOOD post jogee, I think a lot of spending is self satisfaction. Take a gate for example, a barb wire gap does the same thing as a tubular type and costs less, I know the tube type is more convenient but is it REALLY necessary for that back 40. You trade that 454 in for a duramax that gets better fuel mileage, HOW MANY MILES do you have to drive to recoup the extra cost for fuel ,interest, insurance. Instead of 40,000 for a new tractor , could you put say 5k into your old one and go for another 5yrs. I think a lot of people could bring their margins up if they if they didnt have to keep up with the jones. I am not suggesting that an equipment investment wont pay off, but I think for some its EASIER to write a check or sign on the dotted line than it is to say fix that gearbox. JMHO

 

[ga. prime]

CB is of course right. Sustainable grass pastures are most definately the key to profitabilty.

 

[ga. prime]

newrancher, you use those barb wire gaps too? I thought that was just a Ga. thing. I have some visitors up here from Florida during deer season and they call my barb wire gaps Georgia Gaps.

 

[newrancher]

ga prime, Do those people from Fla. actually bring ammunition? I would take down all my road signs if I were you.

 

[C HOLLAND]

Joe, I have mine on cut timber land now, I have it pushed up in long trash piles (plan to burn this fall). They do real well on the brush and love the vines especially the flowers on the vines. This is not low ground and I don't have to worry about some of the poisonous brush that grows in thoses areas. I have another section that connects to one of my pastures and they have helped in spreading the bahia to this area. We have to use all our resources in times like the drought we have now.

 

[ga. prime]

ga prime, Do those people from Fla. actually bring ammunition? I would take down all my road signs if I were you.

The fla boys I get aren't a prob. They've been coming for years and know the rules. I know what you're talking about though.

 

[Gate Opener]

I have been thinking along those lines also. I am still trying to figure some of it out.

Pastures, is it worth it to have pristine coastal pastures? Lot of expense getting rid of what is there and sprigging, fert., etc.. Around here we try to get rid of Bahia. Should we, or should we just stick with Bahia and native grasses?

I try my best to stay out of the vets office. Never seem to get out of there for less than $100 no matter what it is. Yes, I know about having a relationship with the vet.

I don't mind if the cow looses a little condition when she has the calf on her as long as she is healthy and picks it back up after weaning. Some of the ones that do that raise really good calves. It would certainly be better if they could do both.

Can't see doing a c-section on a commercial cow.

I fed creep for a couple of months one time. I kept thinking, I don't know how this is going to pay off, I stopped feeding it. I found it is better to sell them right off of mama.

Where I tend to loose is in the buying process. Still making mistakes there. One of these days. :roll:

 

[newrancher]

ga prime, only joking about the fla.visitors, but we do use the wire gaps, when I was a kid we used about anything we could find. Some of those old iron bedsteads all sanded and painted would bring a premium now. It is funny though, turned the steers into a little patch awhile back, had a really nice stand of bermuda, and the dang critters ate the buckbrush in the fencerow first and they sure werent using it to pick the oats out of their teeth.

 

[mermill2]

I agree with Jogee, 100%. I remember the days, before round balers, and the unnecessary work practices and expenses in those days. There are still a lot of unnecessary things that can be cut out today. Let the cows do the work.

 

[Jogeephus]

I think the biggest improvement to my cattle operation came after I read a book by Dr. Eddie Straiton DVM. He said that 95% of the time the cow would calve without assistance and its best to leave them alone. I tried this and it has worked wonderfully and I haven't pulled a calf in three years and my calving rate is exceptional.

 

[cfpinz]

I think the biggest improvement to my cattle operation came after I read a book by Dr. Eddie Straiton DVM. He said that 95% of the time the cow would calve without assistance and its best to leave them alone. I tried this and it has worked wonderfully and I haven't pulled a calf in three years and my calving rate is exceptional.

I'd go as far as to say 95% of all "problems" are not really problems at all. The hard part is recognizing the other 5% before they get out of hand.

cfpinz

 

[Rod]

Enjoyed the post, I often look back and think how the he## did cow ever make it back in my great grandfathers day, considering all the practices that are supposibly neccesary today.

 

[msscamp]

I thought that was just a Ga. thing.

:shock: Heavens no! When we were on the ranch, dang near every gate we had was barbed wire.

 

[Beef11]

"Georgia Gaps" We aren't talking about wire gates with a couple dancers in the middle are we?

As far as eating weeds and whatnot. Lookup Fred Provensa @ Utah State University He has done alot on getting your cattle to eat stuff they would normally avoid. He says alot of it where and how they were raised.