"Heifer IRA" ?

[Stocker Steve]

We had a speaker this winter who advocated more heifer retention. Basic idea was to retain more heifers and pay less income tax to increase net worth. An assumption was that better pasture management and hard cull'in would profitably absorb the herd increase without controlling more land. More cattle (density) = more grass = more gain per acre...

I realize that April 15th is a little late for last years heifer calf IRA, but I did ran some forage what ifs for future years. It looks like I could add up to 45 more pairs if I cut back on $3/bu grain production. :cboy: What do you think?

 

[ANAZAZI]

We had a speaker this winter who advocated more heifer retention. Basic idea was to retain more heifers and pay less income tax to increase net worth. An assumption was that better pasture management and hard cull'in would profitably absorb the herd increase without controlling more land. More cattle (density) = more grass = more gain per acre...

I realize that April 15th is a little late for last years heifer calf IRA, but I did ran some forage what ifs for future years. It looks like I could add up to 45 more pairs if I cut back on $3/bu grain production. :cboy: What do you think?

Sounds like a plan.

 

[AllForage]

Am I a little touched today? How does retaining heifers stop you from paying so much taxes???

Hard cullin is not a way to build a herd, proper breeding choices is imo.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Am I a little touched today? How does retaining heifers stop you from paying so much taxes???

Retention reduces taxable income short term, everyone pays long term.
Does proper breeding eliminate having 50% of your herd rated as below average?

 

[ANAZAZI]

Am I a little touched today? How does retaining heifers stop you from paying so much taxes???

Retention reduces taxable income short term, everyone pays long term.
Does proper breeding eliminate having 50% of your herd rated as below average?

Proper breeding changes the percentage that HAS to be culled. Bought in cattle always needs a lot of culling compared to ones own breeding, where most of the culling was done in earlier generations. (I stay out of your tax issues, where I live taxes has nothing to do with breeding decicions, we pay taxes when we earn some money and if we need to buy some things for the farm we deduct it)

 

[AllForage]

Am I a little touched today? How does retaining heifers stop you from paying so much taxes???

Retention reduces taxable income short term, everyone pays long term.
Does proper breeding eliminate having 50% of your herd rated as below average?

Ok gotcha on taxes


Steve you have posted about hard cullin here for years. Has anything changed for you? Are you culling less or is it built into your business model?

Average to what? Your neighbors? CT?

 

[Stocker Steve]

Steve you have posted about hard cullin here for years. Has anything changed for you? Are you culling less or is it built into your business model? Average to what? Your neighbors? CT?

Every herd has animals that are below the herd average. Even line bred herds. Yes, I like to cull, and culling is a continuous process if one of your goals is herd improvement. Sell buy math is a way to identify what and how many to market. It works on cows just like it works on feeders. Bud told me so. :nod:

The animals I cull keep getting better because I cull some of the below average animals from a herd that is improving overall. The things that have changed are now most of my culls are now sold as bred replacements to someone else, and I have more of them. I like breeding up too but it is a much slower process.

I don't have a great herd yet, and they are not all the same color, :shock: but I make money on most of my trades as I learn. I cull the hardest on 2 and 3 years olds because others will usually pay a premium for them. I seldom have an open cow. If they make it past 3 years old then they stay for a long time.

The numbers are evolving- - but I keep about half of the heifers calves and the rest go to the feed yard. I keep about half of the 2/3 year olds. A couple fat ones go to the locker plant for freezer beef, and a couple difficult or big breds go to auction.

 

[AllForage]

Steve,

You can drop the charged "line bred" thing every time you respond to me. I have the ability to relate and talk about other things. I am fully aware of the positives and negatives of it.

Who the h$ll is bud?? Don't bother I know who he is just did not know his words were gospel.

I can give a rats what anyone does but this is my take. When attempting to build a good cowherd, below average animals (which every herd has as you stated and I agree) are stepping stones. They can be brought up. Which is beneficial because they and progeny will be raised in your climate/management. At least they are a "known" instead of whatever can show up from a outside source. I still question the effort with all the buying/selling/driving/time/tires/wear and tear/fat @ass from sales barn seats and food but that is just me. I like to go kayaking and fishing so low input and turnover suits me.

I think one should just own what they do. If that's flipping cows and runnin' and gunnin' then so be it. Breeding a good cowherd takes more patience and time. At times accepting a below animal to improve her especially if all you can fault her for is a smaller calf. Hard to accomplish both all the while AI'ing to a cornucopia not even close to one's management. When one runs a real low input northern operation there are limits to performance. Our grasses swing wildly in nutrition with low dry matter. To me it's simple nutrition. I feed a little more than I used to and it makes a difference. Starving a profit out of a cow just ain't right I have found.

Just a few rambling thoughts