Help with begging a cattle farm

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NoobRancher

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For as long as i can remember ive always wanted to start a farm and live away from the city problems but I've never had much experience with being in a farm or having much family in farming i only know what i saw my dad did with his feeder cows when he had them as a hobby in Mexico(9yrs ago), but since then i have had no further contact of experience with cattle. any tips for a beginner farmer in Arizona, (costs,feeding diets,breeds of cattle,etc)
 
Welcome Noob. My only knowledge of cows in Arizona comes from the cowboy movies I used to watch many years ago and they all seemed to be Longhorns. I am sure you will get better advise than what I have given.

Ken
 
welcome Noob, starting from scratch without much knowledge about farming and cattle will be a real challenge. Way more than what can be answered in a post on the CT forum, but most questions you have along the way will give you some generally very good advise. My advise would be to talk to the neighbors and ask how they do things and maybe see if you could spend time helping on their operation if they have a setup similar to what your vision is. You may also be able to hire a manager if that fits into your budget. good luck and like I said "Welcome"
 
In AZ I imagine it will depend greatly upon where you are located? High desert, low desert, Sky Islands, Rim country, irrigated pastures ?
 
Welcome! My best advice is to get yourself this book. I read it from front to back and still after owning cattle for a year and a half, will refer to this book when I have a question. The author does an excellent job of explaining pretty much anything you'd like to know about beef cattle.

I would also suggest that you consider what your end goal with your cattle is. Would you want to get into a small cow-calf operation? Dairy cattle? Beef cattle? Have purebred cattle, registered, or crossbred? And if so, what is your plan for selling your milk/meat? There are specific guidelines or laws that allow you to sell meat in a specific way. And there are so many options to starting a cattle operation.

In order to start your cattle operation, the first step is to have good fencing! It is so reassuring to have fencing that your cattle will not be breaking out of constantly. Start small with only a few head to see what it entails (it is a lot of work but most of us wouldn't change it). Also make a good relationship with a veterinarian on your area. Have them come and do a "herd evaluation" so if any questions arise you are able to contact your vet for help/advice.
 

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After fencing I would suggest that you build or buy a pen with a chute. You will need this to catch a sick animal or just to "work" your cattle. The old roped cow tied to a tree method is a good way to dissuade you from raising cows and to get hurt.
 

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