Does anybody make a living with cattle?

[RanchMan90]

Do you or anyone you know make a living with cattle? What size and type of operation would it take in your opinion?

 

[Caustic Burno]

Do you or anyone you know make a living with cattle? What size and type of operation would it take in your opinion?

I know of no one today that does.
In my youth truck farming yes but not on strictly cattle.
My uncle ran the largest registered herd I knew of at the time in East Texas (250) he made his money in liquor.
Owned several package stores on the only wet county line for several counties. I have actually rode with him to the bank and he had a weekend worth of cash in peck baskets on the seat.
If you ever seen him you would have thought he was penniless.
On just cattle bet it would take minimum 300 head.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Do you or anyone you know make a living with cattle? What size and type of operation would it take in your opinion?

Know several, the majority are seek stock producers..need to have a few hundred if your commercial, can get by with less if your frugal.

 

[shaz]

A couple of local stockers here. Probably 1500 calves. One has been out of cattle for a while and probably has 14 broiler houses.

 

[pricefarm]

I used to. They all went broke and now have a 8-5 job.

 

[Craig Miller]

I know one. He and his dad work together. His dad also has cattle on the place. I've never asked how much land he has or how many cows. It ain't polite. It's probably 800ish acres between what he owns and rents and probably 400 cows. That's all just a guess though.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

A couple of local stockers here. Probably 1500 calves. One has been out of cattle for a while and probably has 14 broiler houses.

Was up in Amish country this past week...seen some feedlots...musta been a lot in and around Lawrenceburg at one time...

 

[TexasBred]

Do you or anyone you know make a living with cattle? What size and type of operation would it take in your opinion?

Everybody knows all you have to do is get "bigger" to make more money. Just grow your way into a profit. :cowboy:

 

[ClinchValley]

The few i know direct market. I know specifics on one guy, he sells 50-60 a year i would guess. Roughly half of which are born on his farm. I'm thinking he has a good thing going. Doesn't live an extravagant lifestyle, nothing new. But is content and seems to be very comfortable. He trades some cattle around throughout the year also. He has the function over fashion mentality, which i think is imperative. He leases quite a bit of what he farms.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Do you or anyone you know make a living with cattle? What size and type of operation would it take in your opinion?

Everybody knows all you have to do is get "bigger" to make more money. Just grow your way into a profit. :cowboy:

that's better then some did here when they were high...they hocked every thing buying up cows...lot of em lost their butts...

 

[Ol' 243]

I know three or four guys in the 250 to 300 head range, but they made their money elsewhere and retired and run cows. The only person I actually know that has made a living at it runs about 450 head, but he inherited the land.

 

[Bright Raven]

There are a few. Very few!!!! Here it is the guys who produce seedstock and they have a reputation. They flush their top pedigrees and sell embryos. They hit it big with a couple bulls every year so can sell semen. They also run big herds and can scrape off the cream and sell it at premium prices. They sell commercial seedstock to buyers on a national scale. But even these operations plow a lot of the money back into the infrastructure.

 

[cowgirl8]

We have for 37 years... I don't know how people get started these days with the price of land though....

 

[True Grit Farms]

I know a few folks that do alright with cattle. I'd say around 100 head is the break even point and all one man can handle when you have to feed hay.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

We have for 37 years... I don't know how people get started these days with the price of land though....

it's almost impossible for a young person to get into the business now...it can be done but,they have to be industrious...most ain't . My son is,I'm not...

 

[True Grit Farms]

We have for 37 years... I don't know how people get started these days with the price of land though....

it's almost impossible for a young person to get into the business now...it can be done but,they have to be industrious...most ain't . My son is,I'm not...

Why would a young person want to get into cattle? If cattle is your life, your sure missing out on a lot things and places this great country has to offer. We feel guilty leaving the cows to fend for themselves for a week.

 

[Ol' 243]

We have for 37 years... I don't know how people get started these days with the price of land though....

Well duh . . . . . . .I heard you invented em, why would you not be able to make a livin' on em. :lol:

 

[ALACOWMAN]

They say the average age of a cattleman now is 58...alot of younger ones love the idea of it,but when it becomes work, they start weighing the effort?..

 

[Caustic Burno]

They say the average age of a cattleman now is 58...alot of younger ones love the idea of it,but when it becomes work, they start weighing the effort?..

The last number I heard for Texas was in the 60's.

 

[cowgirl8]

We have for 37 years... I don't know how people get started these days with the price of land though....

it's almost impossible for a young person to get into the business now...it can be done but,they have to be industrious...most ain't . My son is,I'm not...

Why would a young person want to get into cattle? If cattle is your life, your sure missing out on a lot things and places this great country has to offer. We feel guilty leaving the cows to fend for themselves for a week.

Back in the day, we considered getting into the dairy business..Sure glad we didn't. Talk about getting tied down..
Our son works on the ranch, luckily, we can leave with him in charge and feel good about it. We don't leave during the peek of the calving season, hay season...But the other times we take off..