Dairy vs. Beef

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tncattle

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I know this a very general question with tons of contributing factors.

But in your own opinion: Which is likely to be more profitable?
Dairy or Beef farming?

No particular reason for the question other than curious.
 
jkwilson":1f34uqww said:
Dairy. If you like hard work and ungodly hours 365 days a year.

Right, but you can also lose your but faster too.
 
On top of the great hours there is the big initial investment. Replacement dairy cattle are costing $2,000 and up right now depending on your part of the country. Milk prices are good at over $20 per hundred-weight but have gone as low as $9.00 per hundred-weight. For a dairy with any debt load at all even excellent management will have a hard time just keeping it afloat.
 
tncattle":3bfdk7o9 said:
dun":3bfdk7o9 said:
jkwilson":3bfdk7o9 said:
Dairy. If you like hard work and ungodly hours 365 days a year.

Right, but you can also lose your but faster too.

Why can you lose your butt faster? Milk prices?

Those dairy cows have to eat grain all the time. Doesn;t matter if milk prices are up or down, the grain bill is still there every month. When cost of production is higher then milk prices like they were most of last year you can dig a pretty deep hole awfully fast.
 
if you dont mind being in debt thousand dairy may be profitable up here, only problems are quota is around 30,000 per cow, and fresh heifers arent worth a dollar
 
TexasBred":14kax13a said:
On top of the great hours there is the big initial investment. Replacement dairy cattle are costing $2,000 and up right now depending on your part of the country. Milk prices are good at over $20 per hundred-weight but have gone as low as $9.00 per hundred-weight. For a dairy with any debt load at all even excellent management will have a hard time just keeping it afloat.
Can you explain $20 per hundred weight? When dairy farmers sell there milk is it not by the gallon?
 
BertS":1r9orxti said:
sounds like raising replacement dairy cattle could be the way to go? :idea:

Guy here locally only raises Holstien heifers. Does pretty well. He has 2 to 3 hundred at any given time. He sells them as replacements to dairy farms.
 
tncattle":27zpweyt said:
Can you explain $20 per hundred weight? When dairy farmers sell there milk is it not by the gallon?

Milk is sold by the pound. If I remember right, a gallon weighs 8.6 pounds or something like that.
 
VanC":36px397v said:
tncattle":36px397v said:
Can you explain $20 per hundred weight? When dairy farmers sell there milk is it not by the gallon?

Milk is sold by the pound. If I remember right, a gallon weighs 8.6 pounds or something like that.

Dairy farmers get paid by the Hundredweight (cwt) of milk.

I've seen it as low as $6.00 for school milk. :shock:
 
VanC":3s521v5x said:
tncattle":3s521v5x said:
Can you explain $20 per hundred weight? When dairy farmers sell there milk is it not by the gallon?

Milk is sold by the pound. If I remember right, a gallon weighs 8.6 pounds or something like that.

I'm kind of slow. Milk is sold by the pd. so how much is it a pd. $20 per hundred weight, does that mean $20 for 100 pds. of milk?
 
tncattle":xh6w0czp said:
VanC":xh6w0czp said:
tncattle":xh6w0czp said:
Can you explain $20 per hundred weight? When dairy farmers sell there milk is it not by the gallon?

Milk is sold by the pound. If I remember right, a gallon weighs 8.6 pounds or something like that.

I'm kind of slow. Milk is sold by the pd. so how much is it a pd. $20 per hundred weight, does that mean $20 for 100 pds. of milk?

Yes.
 
VanC":1wstaysc said:
tncattle":1wstaysc said:
Can you explain $20 per hundred weight? When dairy farmers sell there milk is it not by the gallon?

Milk is sold by the pound. If I remember right, a gallon weighs 8.6 pounds or something like that.

I know 1 gal. of water weighs 8.33 pds. so is milk the same or heavier?
 
I think my math is wrong, ya'll correct me where I need it.

If 20 cows give an average of 5 gal. of milk a day at $20 per hundred weight and 1 gal. weighs 8.33 pds. then that works out to $166.60 gross a day. Am I even close to figuring this right?

100 gal. x 8.33=833 pds
8.33 x $20.00=$166.60 a day gross
 
milk weighs 8.6lbs to the gallon.raising holstein heifers arnt cheap either.hol heifer calves sell for $300 to $600 or more as baby calves.an yes you can lose your butt real quick milking cows.the debtload is real high even if your renting a dairy.
 
tncattle":2tbof3d6 said:
I think my math is wrong, ya'll correct me where I need it.

If 20 cows give an average of 5 gal. of milk a day at $20 per hundred weight and 1 gal. weighs 8.33 pds. then that works out to $166.60 gross a day. Am I even close to figuring this right?

100 gal. x 8.33=833 pds
8.33 x $20.00=$166.60 a day gross
out of your gross milk check you have to deduct the feed bill water bill power bill rent for the dairy an loan payment.at the end of the month youll be in the hole.
 
bigbull338":3khad2mu said:
tncattle":3khad2mu said:
I think my math is wrong, ya'll correct me where I need it.

If 20 cows give an average of 5 gal. of milk a day at $20 per hundred weight and 1 gal. weighs 8.33 pds. then that works out to $166.60 gross a day. Am I even close to figuring this right?

100 gal. x 8.33=833 pds
8.33 x $20.00=$166.60 a day gross
out of your gross milk check you have to deduct the feed bill water bill power bill rent for the dairy an loan payment.at the end of the month youll be in the hole.

On top of that most folks also require food.
 
bigbull338":bstrxj8m said:
tncattle":bstrxj8m said:
I think my math is wrong, ya'll correct me where I need it.

If 20 cows give an average of 5 gal. of milk a day at $20 per hundred weight and 1 gal. weighs 8.33 pds. then that works out to $166.60 gross a day. Am I even close to figuring this right?

100 gal. x 8.33=833 pds
8.33 x $20.00=$166.60 a day gross
out of your gross milk check you have to deduct the feed bill water bill power bill rent for the dairy an loan payment.at the end of the month youll be in the hole.

Not intending to be a smart butt, but I know about all the deductions I'm just curious how the dairy business operates. Did I figure it right.
 

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