Getting into cattle farming in North Carolina

[Moo]

Hello all, this is my first post and I'm sure my question is the 3 millionth time it's been asked, especially out of a first poster.

My wife and I will be moving to the middle to west area of North Carolina in about a year or so. We will be getting some land, but will probably start small with just about 10-20 acres. We've discussed working for ourselves and we both enjoy the outdoors, animals, and physical work doesnt scare us. We have horses now on 5 acres and have had a cow on property for the last few years to have for our own meat. My wife is an animal control officer so we've gotten them through connections for inexpensive.

So long story longer, in your opinion, what is the best way for someone to start out? Should we just get a bull and a cow and start from there or is it necessary to really have a lot of money up front and buy quite a few for it to work well. We would definitely be getting a cow for our own meat again but wasnt sure if starting a farm is even feasible for us to do, depending on the up front costs.

I did look throught the posts before posting this but I didnt see anything more specific about the initial move.
Thank you in advance.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

If it was me I would evaluate what the carrying capacity of the land was and then look for about half that number of young bred cows from somebody local. See how that goes, lease a bull - see how that goes and if all is good buy a good young bull when I had enough cows to justify the purchase.

edit to add: this is assuming you already have the water, pens and other facilities to handle large animals. If not absolutely do that stuff FIRST!

Good luck, and enjoy!

 

[rattler]

Moo now ain't a real good time to get into the cattle bis in N.C.IMO due to drought a lot of folk's have been forced to sell out due to no water hay shortage.i would guess in our area right now that it would take 5 acer's per pair.So i would wait till the drought is over before i even thought about cattle.Hope this help's a bit best of luck with whatever you decide.

rattler

 

[dyates]

Moo now ain't a real good time to get into the cattle bis in N.C.IMO due to drought a lot of folk's have been forced to sell out due to no water hay shortage.i would guess in our area right now that it would take 5 acer's per pair.So i would wait till the drought is over before i even thought about cattle.Hope this help's a bit best of luck with whatever you decide.

rattler

If you are lucky enough to have hay and water, now is an excellent time to get into the cattle business. Buy 8-10 open heifers of your choosing and get them bred by whatever means available (AI or natural cover). Sell them in the Spring for a huge profit. This scheme doesn't work well every year, but will this year. Too many herds have been dispersed or reduced because of the drought. I think any halfway decent looking bred cow will bring a premium next spring.

 

[Beef11]

I myself am a believer in buy low sell high so when the market is depressed i say buy buy buy. When it is high sell sell sell. This means retaining more heifers on poor years and less in good years. The problem with steers is you can only keep them so long and make money.

 

[OhioRiver]

how long is it that you would keep steers?
how much does it cost to castrate them and when is the right time??

I myself am a believer in buy low sell high so when the market is depressed i say buy buy buy. When it is high sell sell sell. This means retaining more heifers on poor years and less in good years. The problem with steers is you can only keep them so long and make money.

 

[IluvABbeef]

how long is it that you would keep steers?
how much does it cost to castrate them and when is the right time??

I myself am a believer in buy low sell high so when the market is depressed i say buy buy buy. When it is high sell sell sell. This means retaining more heifers on poor years and less in good years. The problem with steers is you can only keep them so long and make money.

Depends. Some folks keep them for a few months until they're 600 lbs or 800 lbs, or still others keep them for the whole year until they're long yearlings at around 900-1000 lbs.

Steers are already castrated. :roll: But there are possibility of coming across a bull calf or two that need to be cut. Cut 'em or band 'em yourself, or with a vet, costs us about (don't quote me on this 'cause i can't quite remember) somewhere around $30-$40/animal depending on the vet. Best time to cut is when you get them (6 months old, 500 lbs).

My two cents, asked for or not.

 

[Hitch]

As others have suggested, first make sure you have enough quality pasture and water right now. The drought is hurting some good people that otherwise would probably be doing pretty well. Keep a mid to long range sense of business vision at all times. Figure out what breed sells best in your area. Excellent fencing, obviously before the first cow arrives, is a very high priority so do it right the firs time around. AI may be your best bet as compared to buying or running a bull on a small operation. You can buy superior genes through a good AI program and the costs are reasonable all things considered. Do not run more cattle/acre than the pasture can cope with during the late summer grazing season. Ask your extension agent for an opinion after you figure out which breed you are going to run. Buy/budget for of quality grass/legume mix hay required for proper supplemental late summer and winter feeding. You can raise good beef on grass alone but do not count on it. Think about what the specific costs of grain/concentrate supplement would add to your operation. What is good hay selling for? How much hay do you need to buy? Can you even find good hay? Factor in vaccination costs. Although beef cattle needs are modest, what are your plans for shelter from wind and cold rain? Exactly what kind of market is there for small operators in your area? Start small, manage start up costs, do not try to start too big or grow too fast. Partner up so-to-speak with someone that has been successful for a while. Do not look for quick cash returns even if you are doing everything seemingly right. Try to keep your operation grass based. Think about Dexters, Low Line Angus, or miniature Herefords for small operations. The smaller breeds stress the land less, produce good beef, have good dispositions, handle well, and may cost less for feed and upkeep. Also, you can have "more" cows on the same pasture as each animal eats less than their full sized cousins. Good luck, work and study hard, and have some fun.