annmariemz23
Well-known member
We are looking to lease ground for 6 months for our cattle in Northern California. Wondering what full care is going for now?
Full Care Leases
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RDFF
Well-known member
I'm an experienced custom grazer in Minnesota, full care outside of calving. In summer, I get $1.50/C/c pair per day. All new fence, water at the field, corral and handling facility, newly renovated field to regenerative grazing, daily moves. Here's one of them kicking up their heels they were so happy to be out there!
Full Cow/calf care in my area of Tx is $28-35 a month depending on facilities. This usually includes mineral. Most guys want a 3 yr contract. I am noticing less people willing to pay this as the market has become shakey. More guys are running yearlings for people though. Everyone has a different game plan I guess.
How does it work with yearlings? Do they pay per head or paid for gain, or how does that work?
Also, how does the cow/calf thing work. What does full care entail?
Do people do this during the winter also? Hay feeding season...
Ive wondered if this would work in my area.
Also, how does the cow/calf thing work. What does full care entail?
Do people do this during the winter also? Hay feeding season...
Ive wondered if this would work in my area.
Around here the cow/calf deal is year round. You generally get one free working a year and care for any sick cows, you are responsible for meds though. The guys I know sell hay to the people they are running cows for so the hay business helps out too.
Yearlings can be done by the month or on the gain. If I was paying I'd lean towards paying on the gain.
Yearlings can be done by the month or on the gain. If I was paying I'd lean towards paying on the gain.
RDFF
Well-known member
I think it can work in any area. Your "contract" (a written contract spelling out expectations/obligations of each party is very important) can have anything and everything in it that you can imagine... and will vary for each individual custom grazer. You're offering a "service", and the more "benefits" you can offer, the more appealing will be your services vs. your competition (which can also include the cattle owners OWN facilities/pasture). Good fences and maintenance? Water with the cattle? Daily moves? Pasture maintained at optimum? Weed control? Handling facilities? Quality of handling facilities? Health monitoring? Treatment of animals as needed? Year round? Calving included? COMMUNICATION WITH THE ANIMAL OWNER? Everything you can add to the list adds to your operation's appeal, AND VALUE.
Yearlings can be same as C/c, with just a set fee per day, OR, it can be done on gain. If you're a good manager of your pastures, you can potentially benefit from "pay on gain", and the cattle owner then can too. If you're not as good a manager of the pasture/animals, you probably have less "risk" on a $/day fee schedule. However, all cattle are not created equal, and some will "gain" more easily than others, so getting paid on "gain" could come back to bite you too.
I chose not to carry my "custom grazed cow herd" this winter, mostly because I don't have "winter water" out in the pasture yet for them. That'll be fixed this next year, and then I'll be keeping them all year long. So yes, some custom grazers DO do it all year long, through hay feeding season too. My animal owner will purchase some hay from me, and bring in some hay beyond what I don't have available for feeding.
Do some research, find out what the market might be in your area, figure out what you will need to be successful, and put your operation out there. Remember though that you don't have a custom grazing business, if you don't have a happy animal owner. You're creating a partnership, where you BOTH need each other, and you BOTH have to be successful for it to work. You can't take all the money out of it for your cattle owner, and he can't take it all out of it for you either. This has to be a partnership where you BOTH have respect for each other, and are looking out for each other, or it won't work.
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Very well put. And thank you.
I see us without breeding stock by 2023. Im seeing no benefit this far.
We kept our calves from 2020 and are taking to finish. But I'm thinking it'd be better money buying 8 to 10 weights and taking to finish. just won't know the animals.
I'd like to buy from local producers.
If I get rid of cows, I'll have 60 acres of pasture and 40 acres of hay to do something with. Been thinking hard on options for a year. Havent looked into the custom grazing thing much. But its starting to sound like a decent option. Lots of cows around here.
RDFF
Well-known member
If you develop a good relationship with the RIGHT C/c operator, you may be able to buy his calves right off the cows at weaning in the fall. We agreed to use the calf weights off the squeeze chute, and used a price just shy of the top of the market at the two local sales barns. We ran them all through a few weeks ahead of our target date for taking the cows out to another place, and did all the shots and cutting then. Calves went back out with the cows, and I paid him for the calves. Few weeks later, we ran the cows through the lane and into the trailers, and calves went through and off to my other place with the rest of my own herd. Simple, no bawling, for either of them. That's what I'm doing, and it works great... and then you DO know the animals, and they're used to your system, never leave the farm, minimal stress, no influx of new bugs, etc. Very nice arrangement... but you have to have a C/c operator where that matches HIS goals as well. Be discriminating about who you choose to work with to get a "good fit". Do your best to do a great job for him, and he'll do a great job for you too.
You probably already know a good number of C/c operations in your area, know who has "the right genetics" for your place, and have a rapport with them. Send out some feelers to those you respect most, and feel you might be able to work with best. Have an honest discussion with them about your plans. The ability to discuss honestly and openly with whoever you might work with is probably the MOST important thing needed. Mutual respect is critical. You HAVE to be able to state what YOU need to make it work, and he should be interested in hearing that... and the inverse has to be just as true. You have to be able to trust each other.
In most cases, you're going to want to work with someone that can "fill your pasture" to the stocking rates that you need to maximize your acres. If you have alot of experience with grazing, you MIGHT have a handle on that, or you might not............. it's always a moving target, and how you manage that "flex" is something that you have to have a plan for. Most guys shoot too optimistic on their numbers, and end up having to supplement. That's not the end of the world, as long as you still ALWAYS manage your pasture for maximum grazing capability... but that then means that you're aggressively willing to limit cattle access to it if you've overstocked...... grazing only half days maybe, and feeding hay somewhere else the other half, or grazing a few days a week, and then taking them off to a sacrifice hay feeding pasture for the rest of the week, etc. How you do it is up to you.... but you HAVE to communicate with your C/c guy what your plans are, and how you will deal with the $$$ impacts/responsibilities of that then. I personally prefer to be conservative on my stocking rates, until I'm confident with "pasture yield".
Obviously, it takes ANNUAL stocking density/ac to make some money... but too much density will kill you!
BTW, I might suggest considering NOT having that 40 acres of hay, and turning that into pasture too. It's alot more efficient to use the animals to do the harvesting. God gave cows legs! Let 'em use 'em! In particular, figure out how to grow the best quality winter stockpiled forages you can, and as much as you can, and utilize that advantage to your benefit.
You probably already know a good number of C/c operations in your area, know who has "the right genetics" for your place, and have a rapport with them. Send out some feelers to those you respect most, and feel you might be able to work with best. Have an honest discussion with them about your plans. The ability to discuss honestly and openly with whoever you might work with is probably the MOST important thing needed. Mutual respect is critical. You HAVE to be able to state what YOU need to make it work, and he should be interested in hearing that... and the inverse has to be just as true. You have to be able to trust each other.
In most cases, you're going to want to work with someone that can "fill your pasture" to the stocking rates that you need to maximize your acres. If you have alot of experience with grazing, you MIGHT have a handle on that, or you might not............. it's always a moving target, and how you manage that "flex" is something that you have to have a plan for. Most guys shoot too optimistic on their numbers, and end up having to supplement. That's not the end of the world, as long as you still ALWAYS manage your pasture for maximum grazing capability... but that then means that you're aggressively willing to limit cattle access to it if you've overstocked...... grazing only half days maybe, and feeding hay somewhere else the other half, or grazing a few days a week, and then taking them off to a sacrifice hay feeding pasture for the rest of the week, etc. How you do it is up to you.... but you HAVE to communicate with your C/c guy what your plans are, and how you will deal with the $$$ impacts/responsibilities of that then. I personally prefer to be conservative on my stocking rates, until I'm confident with "pasture yield".
Obviously, it takes ANNUAL stocking density/ac to make some money... but too much density will kill you!
BTW, I might suggest considering NOT having that 40 acres of hay, and turning that into pasture too. It's alot more efficient to use the animals to do the harvesting. God gave cows legs! Let 'em use 'em! In particular, figure out how to grow the best quality winter stockpiled forages you can, and as much as you can, and utilize that advantage to your benefit.
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