Does anybody make a living with cattle?

[Supa Dexta]

Average age of a principle beef cattle rancher is 58.32
913,246 total cattle & calf operations2. Of these:
727,906 are beef farms and ranches. Of these:
91% are family-owned or individually-operated
11% are operated by women
26,586 are engaged in cattle feedlot production. Of these:
80% are family owned or individually operated
5% are operated by women
64,098 are milk cow operations
Cattle inventory: 93.5 million, up 1.8% from January 20163
31.2 million beef cows
6.4 million beef replacement heifers in 2017, a 1.3% increase from 2016
9.35 million milk cows
35 million head calf crop (2016)
The average beef cow herd size is 40 head of cattle2

Gizmom

Gizmom

Somewhere there are 95,000 operations that arent beef, dairy or feedlot.. Seedstock?

 

[ALACOWMAN]

I don't think it is how much you earn but more of a case of how much you live on.[/quote] place here that has million dollar homes..but ask the utility workers how often they have to pull he plug.cause bill ain't paid....a lot of the rooms ain't furnished and bed sheets cover the Windows...about two passes with a push mower between houses.. https://www.google.com/search?q=hampton ... lXFo2lI10M:

 

[Caustic Burno]

I don't think it is how much you earn but more of a case of how much you live on.

place here that has million dollar homes..but ask the utility workers how often they have to pull he plug.cause bill ain't paid....a lot of the rooms ain't furnished and bed sheets cover the Windows...about two passes with a push mower between houses.. https://www.google.com/search?q=hampton ... lXFo2lI10M:[/quote]


That is exactly kind of place the millionaire next door avoids.

http://www.thomasjstanley.com/publicati ... next-door/

 

[ALACOWMAN]

I don't think it is how much you earn but more of a case of how much you live on.

place here that has million dollar homes..but ask the utility workers how often they have to pull he plug.cause bill ain't paid....a lot of the rooms ain't furnished and bed sheets cover the Windows...about two passes with a push mower between houses.. https://www.google.com/search?q=hampton ... lXFo2lI10M:

That is exactly kind of place the millionaire next door avoids.

http://www.thomasjstanley.com/publicati ... next-door/[/quote] no doubt..one thing age has taught me,, to buy what I need.not what I want...once your in the ground,you ain't no better off then the next.. And be forgotten about in a year...

 

[Bigfoot]

Most of the full time guys I know aren't lazy by any stretch, they just don't play well with others and get along with cows much better. Not hard to do if you don't mind lowering your standards and forget about keeping with the Jones's. But most of N. America has priced it's land out of value in terms of livestock. Just a few pockets left where land is cheap and decent to raise cattle.

We've never lowered our standards and most people have to keep up with us. lol

Tackiest thing I've read in a very long time. Very telling.

 

[Stocker Steve]

My herd is very profitable. One of you should consider buying them all.

I can't afford those spendy Texas hobby cattle. I am sticking with profitable one eyed Herefords. :nod:

 

[southernultrablack]

I don't think it is how much you earn but more of a case of how much you live on.

place here that has million dollar homes..but ask the utility workers how often they have to pull he plug.cause bill ain't paid....a lot of the rooms ain't furnished and bed sheets cover the Windows...about two passes with a push mower between houses.. https://www.google.com/search?q=hampton ... lXFo2lI10M:[/quote]
As I understand it, that place was built on a swamp also.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

deleted

 

[ALACOWMAN]

It wasn't a swamp but river bottom country that was prone to flood and still does ...My son has a plumbing business, works that area some..has stood in six inches of water working under em. Mcmullen cove is sho nuff a swamp....that was beautiful country at one time.. Makes you sick to see it now...

 

[Farm Fence Solutions]

My herd is very profitable. One of you should consider buying them all.

I can't afford those spendy Texas hobby cattle. I am sticking with profitable one eyed Herefords. :nod:

One eyed Herefords.....They don't look so good. :lol:

 

[GAonmymind]

Bought two bulls from a guy in Alabama this week. He makes his living off the cattle business. Ray sells more than 65 brangus bulls a year. The bulls are 2 years old. Cost is $2,000 plus each. He fills a niche mentioned in another thread for good, reasonable priced bulls for seed stock/commercial producers. No web site and no advertising. Just good bulls at a good price and GREAT customer service.
He also minimizes costs by cutting and baling his own hay. Ray selectively breeds (no A.I. and no line breeding) and raises cattle. No bull leaves until he is vet checked and passes a BSE.
I could fill a book with the mistakes I have made in two years of running cattle. Ray has probably forgotten more about cattle than I will ever know. Yes, Ray makes a living with cattle.

 

[dave_shelby]

Long thread. Dont mean to cut anyone down, but I was dissapointed. Most of us are hobby farmers.

I get the land cost issue. I wanted to get in and saved for years to buy this place, the family land not working out. There is debt. I have to work a demanding job and balance being a dad. My wife is thankfully is putting up with an old farm house. Most of our clothes are thrift shop buys or stuff from the dumps share shed. We run old equipment, drive old cars, and make do. With all that, I dont see how its possible to start with out off farm income but do know some folks who are but they are all direct market organic.

 

[cowgirl8]

So much negative talk. I wasted too much time reading through this but I have my doubts and am curious what other folks are thinking. Dont mean to cut anyone down, but I was dissapointed. Most of us are hobby farmers.

I was obviously wrong to admit that's what we do for a living....so, I was disappointed too... Damned if I do, damned if I don't...

 

[Ol' 243]

So much negative talk. I wasted too much time reading through this but I have my doubts and am curious what other folks are thinking. Dont mean to cut anyone down, but I was dissapointed. Most of us are hobby farmers.

I was obviously wrong to admit that's what we do for a living....so, I was disappointed too... Damned if I do, damned if I don't...

That's BS, and eveyone here knows it but you. Nobody begrudges you making a living raising cows, nobody even begrudges you being a nutty fruitcake, just don't belittle other folks, and don't think other folks wanna be like you. I doubt you're the "Jones".

 

[M-5]

So much negative talk. I wasted too much time reading through this but I have my doubts and am curious what other folks are thinking. Dont mean to cut anyone down, but I was dissapointed. Most of us are hobby farmers.

I was obviously wrong to admit that's what we do for a living....so, I was disappointed too... Damned if I do, damned if I don't...

That's BS, and eveyone here knows it but you. Nobody begrudges you making a living raising cows, nobody even begrudges you being a nutty fruitcake, just don't belittle other folks, and don't think other folks wanna be like you. I doubt you're the "Jones".

Word of the day - Supercilious

 

[callmefence]

I was obviously wrong to admit that's what we do for a living....so, I was disappointed too... Damned if I do, damned if I don't...

That's BS, and eveyone here knows it but you. Nobody begrudges you making a living raising cows, nobody even begrudges you being a nutty fruitcake, just don't belittle other folks, and don't think other folks wanna be like you. I doubt you're the "Jones".

Word of the day - Supercilious

You google that?

 

[Workinonit Farm]

That's BS, and eveyone here knows it but you. Nobody begrudges you making a living raising cows, nobody even begrudges you being a nutty fruitcake, just don't belittle other folks, and don't think other folks wanna be like you. I doubt you're the "Jones".

Word of the day - Supercilious

You google that?

:lol2: :lol2: :clap:

 

[Dave]

I know lots of people who make their living on cattle. Probably over half inherited the place. The ones who didn't inherit started by working a full time job (or a couple with two full time jobs) and running cows on the side. Most probably used leased land to start off with until they owned a herd. Cattle can pay for land or land can pay for cattle but cattle won't pay for both.

 

[Bigfoot]

Original question was do we know somebody, or does one of us. Also something to the affect of size and kind.

It would be a rare beast to put that many eggs in one basket.

I knew lots of folks that did that with tobacco. I also know lots of folks that had to start over late in life because their operation was too focused in one direction. I can hear them now," people will always smoke". They were correct. They just didn't realize it'd be a South American cigarette.

 

[Turkeybird]

You are so right mr. Foot! Tobacco, moonshine,and cotton is what got this country on its feet