HELP!

[Show Me The Money]

I have some questions about getting into the cattle business. I bought 300 acres of grass last spring and have been renting it out, but now I'm trying to find a way to make more money with it. Would I be ahead to just keep renting it or buy some cows of my own to put in it? I will have about $50,000 to work with next spring so I could buy a herd of cows. I just don't want to lose all my money. I've heard stories of guys losing all their money going into the cattle business. I had cattle when I was a kid and really like them.

Here's the big question. If I was to buy cows to put in the pasture, what breed should I go with??? Should I go with commercial cattle that you buy and sell at the sale barn or should I invest in high dollar registered stock? I hear stories of cows selling for $10,000 - $50,000 and some for even more. But what do you think I could make the most money with? I don't have the time to do this full-time, but could put a lot of time into it.

Sorry for so many questions. I'm just trying to see what would be best for me to do.

Thanks so much!

 

[IluvABbeef]

You'll get more money if you put it into hay and sell your hay crop.

That or you could go half and half: half hay half cattle... or 3/4 hay and 1/4 cattle...

 

[Show Me The Money]

Would I have to buy the stuff to cut the hay myself or could I hire it done and still make money?

 

[dun]

It sure helps if someone knows where you are located

 

[IluvABbeef]

You could buy the equipment to do it yourself, but you'd have to have a good amount of expertise of mechanics, when to cut, what kinda cutter to get, what kinda baler (one that makes large round or square bales), etc. OR, you could do the easiest method and have it hired.

Your choice.

Oh yeah, and where are you anyway??

 

[Show Me The Money]

Sorry, I'm in Kansas.

 

[IluvABbeef]

Okay, then you'll probably have more likely access to hire someone to make hay for ya. And, another question, do you have prior experience making hay at all? Because if you do that might help if you choose to do it yourself.

And, in your user control panel there's a profile thing that you can fill in and put your location in there so we can see it and don't have to ask all the time. the location'll be under your username when u joined, #posts, etc.

Edit: nevermind the usercontrol panel tihng.

 

[dun]

What kind of grass/grasses are the pasture made up of?

 

[Show Me The Money]

Okay, then you'll probably have more likely access to hire someone to make hay for ya. And, another question, do you have prior experience making hay at all? Because if you do that might help if you choose to do it yourself.

And, in your user control panel there's a profile thing that you can fill in and put your location in there so we can see it and don't have to ask all the time. the location'll be under your username when u joined, #posts, etc.

Edit: nevermind the usercontrol panel tihng.

I grew up working on a farm and around hay when I was young. I never did the hay myself, but I was around it. How much do you think it would cost to buy the hay machinery I would need? Also, is there a big market for selling hay?

 

[Show Me The Money]

What kind of grass/grasses are the pasture made up of?

Most of it is native and warm season grass (I think).

 

[ALACOWMAN]

I have some questions about getting into the cattle business. I bought 300 acres of grass last spring and have been renting it out, but now I'm trying to find a way to make more money with it. Would I be ahead to just keep renting it or buy some cows of my own to put in it? I will have about $50,000 to work with next spring so I could buy a herd of cows. I just don't want to lose all my money. I've heard stories of guys losing all their money going into the cattle business. I had cattle when I was a kid and really like them.

Here's the big question. If I was to buy cows to put in the pasture, what breed should I go with??? Should I go with commercial cattle that you buy and sell at the sale barn or should I invest in high dollar registered stock? I hear stories of cows selling for $10,000 - $50,000 and some for even more. But what do you think I could make the most money with? I don't have the time to do this full-time, but could put a lot of time into it.

Sorry for so many questions. I'm just trying to see what would be best for me to do.

Thanks so much!

spending that kind of money on a few head of cows will put you in the poor house quick..you can buy alot of good ol using cows with that type of cash..and for me if i were in kansas, it would be hereford cows raising black baldy calves.or strait herfs

 

[IluvABbeef]

Okay, then you'll probably have more likely access to hire someone to make hay for ya. And, another question, do you have prior experience making hay at all? Because if you do that might help if you choose to do it yourself.

And, in your user control panel there's a profile thing that you can fill in and put your location in there so we can see it and don't have to ask all the time. the location'll be under your username when u joined, #posts, etc.

Edit: nevermind the usercontrol panel tihng.

I grew up working on a farm and around hay when I was young. I never did the hay myself, but I was around it.

As was I.

How much do you think it would cost to buy the hay machinery I would need? Also, is there a big market for selling hay?

Lets see, if you were to buy brand new machinery, it'd cost you over 100 grand. Stuff that still works well, that you bought off the auction mart, total maybe 50 grand. IMHO, yes there is, look at the drought there's been around southern usa.

Edit: to say the prices I listed are probably real underestimates. A large tractor itself would cost a good 100 grand (the 7240 we bought USED cost that amount) Total for hay machinery brand new might be at least 500 grand.

 

[Show Me The Money]

I have some questions about getting into the cattle business. I bought 300 acres of grass last spring and have been renting it out, but now I'm trying to find a way to make more money with it. Would I be ahead to just keep renting it or buy some cows of my own to put in it? I will have about $50,000 to work with next spring so I could buy a herd of cows. I just don't want to lose all my money. I've heard stories of guys losing all their money going into the cattle business. I had cattle when I was a kid and really like them.

Here's the big question. If I was to buy cows to put in the pasture, what breed should I go with??? Should I go with commercial cattle that you buy and sell at the sale barn or should I invest in high dollar registered stock? I hear stories of cows selling for $10,000 - $50,000 and some for even more. But what do you think I could make the most money with? I don't have the time to do this full-time, but could put a lot of time into it.

Sorry for so many questions. I'm just trying to see what would be best for me to do.

Thanks so much!

spending that kind of money on a few head of cows will put you in the poor house quick..you can buy alot of good ol using cows with that type of cash..and for me if i were in kansas, it would be hereford cows raising black baldy calves.or strait herfs

Should I buy pairs, bred cows, bred heifers or steers? The guy that rented my pasture put 50 cows with calves in it. So I could put more if they were heifers I would think.

 

[IluvABbeef]

I have some questions about getting into the cattle business. I bought 300 acres of grass last spring and have been renting it out, but now I'm trying to find a way to make more money with it. Would I be ahead to just keep renting it or buy some cows of my own to put in it? I will have about $50,000 to work with next spring so I could buy a herd of cows. I just don't want to lose all my money. I've heard stories of guys losing all their money going into the cattle business. I had cattle when I was a kid and really like them.

Here's the big question. If I was to buy cows to put in the pasture, what breed should I go with??? Should I go with commercial cattle that you buy and sell at the sale barn or should I invest in high dollar registered stock? I hear stories of cows selling for $10,000 - $50,000 and some for even more. But what do you think I could make the most money with? I don't have the time to do this full-time, but could put a lot of time into it.

Sorry for so many questions. I'm just trying to see what would be best for me to do.

Thanks so much!

spending that kind of money on a few head of cows will put you in the poor house quick..you can buy alot of good ol using cows with that type of cash..and for me if i were in kansas, it would be hereford cows raising black baldy calves.or strait herfs

Should I buy pairs, bred cows, bred heifers or steers? The guy that rented my pasture put 50 cows with calves in it. So I could put more if they were heifers I would think.

Try and keep away from the heifers, get yourself some three-in-ones. Heifers'll be more fun to calve out than 3 or 4 or 5 year old cows. Even if you've had cattle experience before, the heifers'll just provide more work than what u need right now.

Black-baldies, be they just baldies (herf-angus X) or super baldies (simmi-angus X), are your best bet to get a GOOD calf. You'll get a better calf b/c of better milk production from them cows, and sell for more too. As I've heard it said before: no milk, no calf, or little milk little calf.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

never heard simm/angus called super baldy though it is a great cross. hay equipment you can spend about as much as you want.. i was able to buy my deceased neighbor's JD 530 baler mower/ rake and tedder for 9 grand. scrap metal to some,a shot in the arm for me ;-)

 

[dyates]

If you just want to make a return on your money, spend your 50 g's on more land and keep renting/leasing. Leave the farming to someone who knows what they're doing. If you jump right in and spend that kind of money with little or no experience, you're only asking to lose it. Spend a year or two doing some research before you decide to put both feet in.

 

[KMacGinley]

Were I You, I would buy 80 500lb preconditioned steers and graze them next summer and sell them next fall, hopefully weighing 800 lbs. You get to learn a little about cattle and should make $20,000 on the deal if you don't lose any. Good luck.

 

[Show Me The Money]

If you just want to make a return on your money, spend your 50 g's on more land and keep renting/leasing. Leave the farming to someone who knows what they're doing. If you jump right in and spend that kind of money with little or no experience, you're only asking to lose it. Spend a year or two doing some research before you decide to put both feet in.

I will do a lot of research in the next year or so before I jump right in. I know it depends on your location on how much you get out of your pasture land when you rent it, but is it better to charge so much per cow or so much an acre? Also, let's say in a year or so I buy 45 head of cows, what kind of profit can you make? Is it like $500 per cow a year or more? (I'm a numbers kind of guy).

 

[Show Me The Money]

Were I You, I would buy 80 500lb preconditioned steers and graze them next summer and sell them next fall, hopefully weighing 800 lbs. You get to learn a little about cattle and should make $20,000 on the deal if you don't lose any. Good luck.

Where could I buy the steers, at a sale barn or from a cattleman? Would I sell them at a sale barn or to a feedlot? I like that idea of buying them in the spring and selling them in the fall because I don't really want to feed them in the winter.

 

[IluvABbeef]

Wouldn't it be more feasible if you charged so much an acre if your renting? Charging so much per cow sounds like your paying the feed and vet bills if its someone else's cattle on your land. And you'd make a bit less than $500 per cow per year, if you pencil out feed expenses, diesil bills, vet bills, calf loss/year, etc. And that's net profits. I'll let someone else do the math on that.

Where you choose to buy is your choice....I would go with the salebarn because that's where we used to get our steers from. And once they get up to 800 to 1000 lbs sell em to a feedlot. You don't like the idea of feeding thru winter? You're winters are nothin compared to what we get up here. :nod: