Custom Grazing Weaned Calves

[Brute 23]

Does any one have experience custom grazing calves? Looking for experience on either side as the person grazing for some one else or the person sending the calves off.

What I would like to do is send weaned calves up in to central texas to graze winter pasture. I would wean around Sept/Oct and get them lined out. Then we would send them before the end of the year.

I have some one interested but neither of us have ever done it before with/for some one else like this. Trying to see what would be a fair deal. I like the idea of paying a percentage of the pounds gained as opposed to a flat daily rate but probably dont know enough about either yet.

 

[Lucky]

Does any one have experience custom grazing calves? Looking for experience on either side as the person grazing for some one else or the person sending the calves off.

What I would like to do is send weaned calves up in to central texas to graze winter pasture. I would wean around Sept/Oct and get them lined out. Then we would send them before the end of the year.

I have some one interested but neither of us have ever done it before with/for some one else like this. Trying to see what would be a fair deal. I like the idea of paying a percentage of the pounds gained as opposed to a flat daily rate but probably dont know enough about either yet.

I've got a friend that custom grazes allot of calves. I've never ask him what it pays but he did mention it pays about double what custom grazing cows does. I do know it's a percentage of weight gained. The problem I see is he has to check them several times a day. Generally they check them morning and evening. Mornings they do horseback ride through to work the horses. Calves also get sicker than cows so you can have a train wreck if you don't know what to look for. Death loss is another thing that can hit him pretty hard. It's definitely not for the absentee or semi-there type of cattle person.

 

[mwj]

You will both have to be very honest on what to expect as far as gain and condition of the calves. Have this discussion well ahead of time so both can look at others that do this.

I would rather rent the grass if it were my calves. Someone will think it was not quite fair and it could be the grass or cattle guy or both.

 

[regolith]

I've been sending my dairy heifers out to a big grazing company for years... they take them from weaners (5 months old), but I won't send mine that young they go out at 10 months and back home in-calf at 22 months. By this stage they've got most things covered in contract... what the procedure is if one goes missing or dies, when to investigate/treat (always; it's a vet-run operation and there is a health insurance built-in to the grazing fee). So basically a small team employed by the vets supervises and does the admin but the actual grazing is done by a whole lot of farmers that they contract with.

They weigh every six weeks. Heifer owner pays a flat rate per month. Then on the final weigh they pay the rest... the payment is on weight gain, and if the heifers have done well that payment after they come home can be a big one.

Anyone with spare grass can take in heifers if they prefer not to have their own cattle but there are pitfalls every which way; given the option I'd send them to the experienced company that's got everything tied up. It can be great working with an honest farmer who simply enjoys being around cattle and is motivated to grow them well, but it only needs a bad drought year and he'll either be negotiating with the heifer owner about who pays for feed, feeding them at a financial loss to himself, or letting the heifers stall in growth.
I've seen how the large company handle some of their problems with inexperienced grazers over the years, two or three times it was my cattle involved and I've been kept informed, seen their computer system, and gone with them on visits to check up. Long time ago now, my heifers have been with an experienced grazer and no issues for better than ten years since those days. They'll advise and support the farmers through problems but if the farmer can't turn things around (or can't take the advice) they won't be grazing for the company the following year.

 

[Brute 23]

I've been sending my dairy heifers out to a big grazing company for years... they take them from weaners (5 months old), but I won't send mine that young they go out at 10 months and back home in-calf at 22 months. By this stage they've got most things covered in contract... what the procedure is if one goes missing or dies, when to investigate/treat (always; it's a vet-run operation and there is a health insurance built-in to the grazing fee). So basically a small team employed by the vets supervises and does the admin but the actual grazing is done by a whole lot of farmers that they contract with.

They weigh every six weeks. Heifer owner pays a flat rate per month. Then on the final weigh they pay the rest... the payment is on weight gain, and if the heifers have done well that payment after they come home can be a big one.

Anyone with spare grass can take in heifers if they prefer not to have their own cattle but there are pitfalls every which way; given the option I'd send them to the experienced company that's got everything tied up. It can be great working with an honest farmer who simply enjoys being around cattle and is motivated to grow them well, but it only needs a bad drought year and he'll either be negotiating with the heifer owner about who pays for feed, feeding them at a financial loss to himself, or letting the heifers stall in growth.
I've seen how the large company handle some of their problems with inexperienced grazers over the years, two or three times it was my cattle involved and I've been kept informed, seen their computer system, and gone with them on visits to check up. Long time ago now, my heifers have been with an experienced grazer and no issues for better than ten years since those days. They'll advise and support the farmers through problems but if the farmer can't turn things around (or can't take the advice) they won't be grazing for the company the following year.

That sounds nice. I would probably be better off with a larger company. I wasn't thrilled about them mixing the calves but it's nice to have the experience.