Case IH
Well-known member
Just thought I would get everyones opinion on what is the fastest, most quickest way to make money off of cattle?
Fast Money
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Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Case IH":126dph5y said:
Hate to burst your bubble there ain't one play the lottery.
Mahoney Pursley Ranch
Well-known member
You wanna make money :?: Stay out of the cattle business. ;-)Case IH":1rd3nx5z said:
Case IH
Well-known member
Definatly didnt burst my bubble, just wanted some opinions thats all. I've been in the cattle business now for a while, I know firsthand theres not much if any money to be made. Let me rephrase my question. What are some good ways to "try" to make money off of cattle?
farmer4620
Well-known member
good cash flow buy calves sell them as freezer beef make pretty good money and good for cash flow big investment but good return in just a few months
Bama
Well-known member
Come on Ya'll thats an easy question.
Buy Low, feed cheap with high gains, Sell high.
Now when anyone figures out just how to do that regularly we'll all be rich.
Buy Low, feed cheap with high gains, Sell high.
Now when anyone figures out just how to do that regularly we'll all be rich.
Bama
Well-known member
Aero":3g5loxb8 said:
Just bought some calves this last week. I sure didn't get to buy cheap. Only time will tell I reckon.
SF
Well-known member
Case IH
Don't know of any fast quick way. But the cattle business like any business, is a "business". Treat it as such. Be creative, look for ways to be more efficient and profitable. For example, cows will do pretty well on their own. You don't have to pay someone to go out and check on them every day, not even once per week. I have cows that I'm only able to check on one per month, sometimes more like once every six weeks or so.
A friend of mine runs about 2000 head of cows, he checks on his about every month to six weeks. He says the cows have to work too. Mother Nature designed them to live with minimal interference from us. Oh by the way, he makes way more than the $100 per head average that most folks like to tout.
Anyone who invests the funds to raise cattle and doesn't make money, plan to make money, and/or doesn't believe they can make money are already rich and are simply doing this for a hobby. Ignore them. Don't listen to what they say. These people plan on failure. Ignore their statements on this and most subjects. I realize my words are harsh on this subject, but it gets quite annoying to constantly hear "wannabe" cattlemen constantly tout how they don't make any money in the cattle business. Why do they keep doing it? They say they don't make any money at it, but yet they keep doing it year after year. Go figure.
I'm sure I'll catch lots of flack over these statements. Just because you don't like what I say, doesn't make it less true.
Don't know of any fast quick way. But the cattle business like any business, is a "business". Treat it as such. Be creative, look for ways to be more efficient and profitable. For example, cows will do pretty well on their own. You don't have to pay someone to go out and check on them every day, not even once per week. I have cows that I'm only able to check on one per month, sometimes more like once every six weeks or so.
A friend of mine runs about 2000 head of cows, he checks on his about every month to six weeks. He says the cows have to work too. Mother Nature designed them to live with minimal interference from us. Oh by the way, he makes way more than the $100 per head average that most folks like to tout.
Anyone who invests the funds to raise cattle and doesn't make money, plan to make money, and/or doesn't believe they can make money are already rich and are simply doing this for a hobby. Ignore them. Don't listen to what they say. These people plan on failure. Ignore their statements on this and most subjects. I realize my words are harsh on this subject, but it gets quite annoying to constantly hear "wannabe" cattlemen constantly tout how they don't make any money in the cattle business. Why do they keep doing it? They say they don't make any money at it, but yet they keep doing it year after year. Go figure.
I'm sure I'll catch lots of flack over these statements. Just because you don't like what I say, doesn't make it less true.
Case IH
Well-known member
SF, I highly agree with everything you say, there are farmers in my area that complaine about how there is no money in farming but they are standing beside there 40,000 dollar truck with smiles on their faces. That gets old after a while.
cypressfarms
Well-known member
dun":1r8gz25s said:
Now THAT"S who makes the money.
Case IH,
Quick being a relative word, probably the two best "quickies" I've seen were:
1. There is a cattleman close to me who buys 100 ~ 200 fall calves almost every year (young weanlings maybe 400 lbs or so), and winters them on ryegrass and hay. (He has some great hay fields). In the spring he sells every one, and he's come out ahead every year that I've seen (about 10). He follows "trends" in what the market wants. I definitely don't have the $$$ to do this on such a large scale.
2. Another local cattleman, my dad, buys heifers at about the same weight (maybe 500 to 600), all of angus/brangus cross. He picks them out with a fine tooth comb, raises them, and breeds them to an angus bull. Then sells them as bred heifers, sometimes even 3 in ones. The local cattlemen around here line up to buy his heifers. He's developed a very good reputation in the area with commercial cattlemen. Last year they all got mad at me because I bought all of his bred heifers. Hey there is an advantage to him being my dad! I even got a call asking me if I was going to keep buying all of his heifers- I told them no, because I don't want to de-value what my dad has established. This scenario is a little harder because you really have to be able to pick out good heifers. I swear some of the one's he starts with look horrible, but they all wind up looking uniform and great. He does cull, but winds up with 20 to 30 every other year or so. He also has a high demand for his "replacements" locally, because most of the cattlemen around here are cow/calf producers.
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
ctlbaron":nz62tsm2 said:
Boy thats the truth on the bank. I loved the one about the farmer because he standin by a 40,000 dollar truck and makin money. Bank owns lots of cattle, farms, trucks and tractors etc they let people rent.
jersey lilly
Well-known member
I made the lady sales person at the Ford dealership mad when I went in lookin for a good used truck a few years ago, she spent about 5 minutes lookin over their used stuff, and "she" didnt see anything we'd want. Then proceeded to drag me over to the middle of the lot to show me the F350 that was fully decked out, leather, electric, all the bells n whistles, with a 47,000 price tag on it. I simply looked at her and said, "look lady, I made myself a promise a long time ago, I"m not ever gonna drive somethin that cost more than my house!!!" the look on her face was priceless, then I turned and walked back to my truck. She was sayin, "wait, we might have somethin out back you'd be interested in" I said......."nope, ya don't" and left.
Ryder
Well-known member
Good for you.jersey lilly":3lf91s29 said:
Secret to buying is know what you want, know what you will pay, and most important, be prepared to turn around and walk off.
badroute
Well-known member
The easiest money I ever made was off of short term cows. About 4 or 5 years ago I bought some short termers for $450 in December. I calved them out in March and pulled the calves off of them in the spring. I sold the calves for $250 and the cows I pounded them out for the same money as I bought them for. I got real lucky I don't think it will ever happen again, not payin $700-$800 for a short termer.
J
Well-known member
I agree with SF. There is nothing more discouraging than the type of answers you got for your question. If you go into anything with the attitude that you are going to fail then chances are you will, I agree theres not a sure fire easy way to "get rich" with cattle, if there was more would be doing it.
To my knowledge theres not many real easy ways to just get filthy rich by doing nothing. If you want to make money no matter what the enterprise is, you have to WORK at it and be smart, study, and most of all be willing to take chances. Don't fall into the premise that you have to go borrow a tub full of money and be married to a bank for the rest of your days, thats where the smarts come in. You start and live within your means.
Keep asking questions whenever you get the chance and don't let people tell you it can't be done. Sure a lot of money has been lost in the business but if so much debt is aquired by owning cattle how can so many keep doing it?
I thinnk it was on these boards that someone said something to the effect: Plan you work, then work your plan. Good Luck.
To my knowledge theres not many real easy ways to just get filthy rich by doing nothing. If you want to make money no matter what the enterprise is, you have to WORK at it and be smart, study, and most of all be willing to take chances. Don't fall into the premise that you have to go borrow a tub full of money and be married to a bank for the rest of your days, thats where the smarts come in. You start and live within your means.
Keep asking questions whenever you get the chance and don't let people tell you it can't be done. Sure a lot of money has been lost in the business but if so much debt is aquired by owning cattle how can so many keep doing it?
I thinnk it was on these boards that someone said something to the effect: Plan you work, then work your plan. Good Luck.
Susie David
Well-known member
There's a long strech betwen what the business plan looks like and what the bank statement looks like. The schedule F looks goos...so why doesn't the check book?
I thought that you grew cattle because you liked the smell of sweet manure before breakfast...
I thought that you grew cattle because you liked the smell of sweet manure before breakfast...
J
Well-known member
Susie David":2qnbw4hf said:
If thats the case how many years do you predict till Susie David's Cattle Company LLC, closes the gate and finds another hobby?
