Cow/Calf annual costs?

[rakr]

I'm trying to track down a thread on annual cow/calf costs <$100/hd. I stumbled upon it once, but didn't care to mark it at the time. I'm in Georgia am just getting started, and would like to start with the best practices.

Or if anyone cares to share their personal experience, that would be appreciated as well.

Thanks

 

[M.Magis]

There are so many variables, I think you'll need to be more specific with your plans. Dairy or beef? Cow/calf or feeders? One or fifty? Will you lease land or do you already have pasture? I think I recall seeing the number $300/head for a cow/calf operation, but I don't know how many that was based on.

 

[JWBrahman]

I'm trying to track down a thread on annual cow/calf costs <$100/hd. I stumbled upon it once, but didn't care to mark it at the time. I'm in Georgia am just getting started, and would like to start with the best practices.

Or if anyone cares to share their personal experience, that would be appreciated as well.

Thanks

LSU Agcenter website has everything you need, they have fairly accurate numbers for start up costs.

 

[snake67]

I'm trying to track down a thread on annual cow/calf costs <$100/hd. I stumbled upon it once, but didn't care to mark it at the time. I'm in Georgia am just getting started, and would like to start with the best practices.

Or if anyone cares to share their personal experience, that would be appreciated as well.

Thanks

Well, here is the best way for you to figure it out.

Take some money - you pick the figure.

Put it in the bank.

Buy, raise, feed and sell your cattle using that money.

Do not add any money to the account unless it comes from the cows.

If at the end of the year there is still money there you are doing good.

Yes I know there is an asset on four legs in the field, but you cannot spend it unless you sell it.

If you can raise an animal for 100 bucks a year I can name a few ranches that would hire you in a heartbeat

Best of luck - plan on two bucks a day as your start point per animal - more if you are really a beginner and have nothing but a fenced field to put them in

Best to you

Bez

 

[3waycross]

Hay alone in this country will runn you approx $3.25 a day for 5 to 6 months and then approx $20 to $25 dollars a month per cow unit for pasture. If you think that sounds high, that is what a man can get for those commodities around here if he chooses to sell his hay and lease his pasture.

.................and no i don't care if ya'll think that is not correct it is what it is in my neck of the woods. Your results will probably vary by region!

 

[rakr]

Thanks for your input. JW, I'll give LSU a look.
Thanks again.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Cost me 492 dollar's a head last year.

 

[tripleBfarms]

Cost me 492 dollar's a head last year.

What all is factored in to that figure? Does that include all expenses claimed on your taxes?

 

[Caustic Burno]

Cost me 492 dollar's a head last year.

What all is factored in to that figure? Does that include all expenses claimed on your taxes?

That is every penny spent on the cow or operation to maintain the cow. If you don't you are BSing yourself.
That is fuel,med's,taxes,hay,all item's needed to maintain the operation related to the cow from a tractor part to a T post.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I'm trying to track down a thread on annual cow/calf costs <$100/hd. I stumbled upon it once, but didn't care to mark it at the time. I'm in Georgia am just getting started, and would like to start with the best practices.

Or if anyone cares to share their personal experience, that would be appreciated as well.

Thanks

Well, here is the best way for you to figure it out.

Take some money - you pick the figure.

Put it in the bank.

Buy, raise, feed and sell your cattle using that money.

Do not add any money to the account unless it comes from the cows.

If at the end of the year there is still money there you are doing good.

Yes I know there is an asset on four legs in the field, but you cannot spend it unless you sell it.

If you can raise an animal for 100 bucks a year I can name a few ranches that would hire you in a heartbeat

Best of luck - plan on two bucks a day as your start point per animal - more if you are really a beginner and have nothing but a fenced field to put them in

Best to you

Bez

That is spot on Bez.
The two buck's a day is probabaly real close for most as well, they just haven't set down and put a sharp pencil to all the input's that go into a cow. Or they are not charging it against the cow.
Last year cost me a 1.35 a day to keep a cow standing in the pasture.

 

[cypressfarms]

I'm trying to track down a thread on annual cow/calf costs <$100/hd. I stumbled upon it once, but didn't care to mark it at the time. I'm in Georgia am just getting started, and would like to start with the best practices.

Or if anyone cares to share their personal experience, that would be appreciated as well.

Thanks

It's not possible to keep a cow for less than $100 a head per year. Anyone that tells you so, is not including all expenses. As usual I think Caustic is dead on with cow costs. It'll vary widely depending upon where you're located.

 

[Bigfoot]

I'm not saying this to discourage you Rakr, but your start up cost will be so high it will be years before you see any profit.

 

[tom4018]

I'm not saying this to discourage you Rakr, but your start up cost will be so high it will be years before you see any profit.

Agreed, and CB is right on target for his numbers. IMO the smaller you are those cost creep up a little bit more per head. The initial startup costs really suck out the cash.

 

[Dave]

Last year winter feed cost and pasture rent cost me $363 a head. By the time you add on fuel, meds, taxes, and all the other expenses it looks like CB runs a pretty tight ship to come up with $492 a head total cost.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Last year winter feed cost and pasture rent cost me $363 a head. By the time you add on fuel, meds, taxes, and all the other expenses it looks like CB runs a pretty tight ship to come up with $492 a head total cost.

I am beating you most likely in the hay cost per head the rest is apples to apples.
Last winter cost me 200 dollar's a head for hay.

 

[Rowdy]

Adjust your stocking rate as to not have to supplement with hay or grain and the $200/hd number will seem high. Land and infrastructure are investments of their own and should only be expensed if you are leasing.

 

[Bigfoot]

Cattle really lends itself to opportunity cost as well. I could easily run more cows. Cows don't pay my bills. I can't afford to be spending any more of my time on them. I have to leave time for more profitable enterprises.

 

[backhoeboogie]

I'm trying to track down a thread on annual cow/calf costs <$100/hd. I stumbled upon it once, but didn't care to mark it at the time. I'm in Georgia am just getting started, and would like to start with the best practices.

Or if anyone cares to share their personal experience, that would be appreciated as well.

Thanks

Free truck, trailer, fertilizer, cows and free pasturing on grandad's or dad's place. Vaccinations, worming, fuel, tires and fence repair is going to eat up that $100. You buy a heavy bred cow and keep her 12 years to get her cost to $100.

Pay close attention to Bez and CB's wording.

 

[kenny thomas]

Cattle really lends itself to opportunity cost as well. I could easily run more cows. Cows don't pay my bills. I can't afford to be spending any more of my time on them. I have to leave time for more profitable enterprises.

Same here,
and my costs are much different than CB, or anyone in the north. For my cows I pay $5 a month for pasture for 9 months of the year and then run them on free pasture in the winter. I fed hay for 3 weeks this winter because spring came late. Most of my grazing cost me labor but not out of pocket cash. If I had to pay myself I might go in the hole. But then again maybe I am not worth much. My cost are still way over 100 a year but I run fewer head on the land.
But this has not came to me overnight it has taken a lifetime to get done. And now most the cattle is for the pleasure of them and to pay for the extra's I want.

Pay very close attention to Bez and CB's thoughts. They are more correct than many.

 

[js1234]

I copied this, it was my response to to a thread about cost per head per year in an earlier thread.



Seems way, way too low.
We break our mother cows down into 650 cow units for accounting purposes as counting fence guy, cowboys etc we have one salary per 650 head and labor is our single biggest non-land cost. This is hired men, not returns to ownership which is not counted. So land (lease land of course has a lease cost and deeded ground is leased back to the cattle co.), hay, meds, salt, minerals, hired man salary/ins/bens, his truck fuel and maintenance, horse care, road/fence/h2o maintenance, bull cost and misc. would come up to around $650 per cow. I'm in my truck on my iPad so I could certainly be off by $50, and if I'm forgetting something big, I'll edit my post. None the less, I run a few more than 50 cows and I couldn't get 6 months in the books for $300/cow. Would be nice though.

This is in California. We have some cows in Nevada and they run about 10-15% cheaper.
This isn't to say that anyone else's numbers are wrong, this is just an approximation of ours.
All regions and operations within any region of course will have different figures based on a number variables.