How did you get into Ranching

[Brandi2005]

This is a question of the people who got into Ranching on their own. (Not the people who got into from family inheritence) I am just curious as to
how you decided you wanted to start ranching
how long it took you to find a ranch and buy it
how long it took you to make a profit
if you would change one thing about it-what would it be?

thanks!

 

[1848]

Dream...

 

[mack081]

To Prove to Grandparent that the farm is worth willing to the next couple of generations. No inheritance yet. But trying to keep the land & buildings going up for rent when the inevitable happens. By starting my own herd & a lot of luck I hope this works out.

 

[MissouriExile]

My wife and I kind of fell into the cattle business when my day job relocated me from Wisconsin to Missouri. We bought some land and tried different things (goats, etc) and finally found we liked working with cattle. We have been slowly building up pastures and herd ever since.

Profit? Our first calf was born on Thanksgiving morning, more on the way. We have yet to see cash flowing (except outbound). First order is learning about and improving pasture, Second is building facilities, third is learning to keep animals healthy and safe. Profit is coming in a couple of years..... yes, I can see it now !!!

Change? Nothing, One day we looked around and realized we were happy.

Jon

 

[backhoeboogie]

Ranch? How does someone acquire that much acreage without inheriting it? On second thought, there is the lotto.

BTW What is your definition of a ranch? In Boston a ranch house is just an old plain jane one floor house. Around here a ranch house is generally three or four floors.

 

[Brandonm2]

Ranch? How does someone acquire that much acreage without inheriting it? On second thought, there is the lotto.

BTW What is your definition of a ranch? In Boston a ranch house is just an old plain jane one floor house. Around here a ranch house is generally three or four floors.

Used to be around here if you had less than a section (640 acres) you were a "farm" even if you had 200++ mama cows. IF you had a secton++ and ranched you were a "ranch". If you had a section plus and actually owned combines and truly farmed then you had a "plantation". Now there are ranchs that call themselves plantations. Plantations that call themselves farms and people with 4 acres a horse and 3 goats who call themselves any of the above.

 

[Angus In Texas]

The price of land has definitely been the limiting factor in our operation. Where we are good cleared pasture will run you $5,000 an acre and you can run a pair to every two to three acres depending on how much rain you get.

I am only 24 and yes the initial startup cost is very very frustrating. My family has farmed and ranched since they came to America in 1907 but there are so many descendants that I will never inherit anything.

That lottery thing that backhoe speaks of sounds like the best way.....someone know of a way to fix it let me know ;-) :lol:

 

[backhoeboogie]

Brandom, This engineer I worked with told me he bought "an old ranch house" near Boston. First thing that came to mind was, "There are ranches near Boston?". Then I saw his house on a trip up there once. It was in the middle of a subdivision, on a hill, split level house. Up there, they call those ranch houses. The real estate folks use any ploy they can. Around here they have 5 acre "ranchettes" now.

Go figure.

To purchase what I call a ranch takes well into 7 figures. Don't think I will ever own one, even tho I did okay on inheritance, several years after I started my own thing.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Ranch? How does someone acquire that much acreage without inheriting it? On second thought, there is the lotto.

BTW What is your definition of a ranch? In Boston a ranch house is just an old plain jane one floor house. Around here a ranch house is generally three or four floors.

Used to be around here if you had less than a section (640 acres) you were a "farm" even if you had 200++ mama cows. IF you had a secton++ and ranched you were a "ranch". If you had a section plus and actually owned combines and truly farmed then you had a "plantation". Now there are ranchs that call themselves plantations. Plantations that call themselves farms and people with 4 acres a horse and 3 goats who call themselves any of the above.

yeah... there's a transplant down the road from here that has about 30+ goats 2 horses and around 8 to 10 head of cattle on 5 acres... he is going through hay like theres no tomorrow and buying every roll of it. the ground looks like a parking lot

 

[MissouriExile]

When folks started out (someone mentioned 1907) they may have had land but chances are they were short on everything else. Need a well? Here's a shovel... get er done. Need a fence? That's where all these 70 year old hedge posts came from, cut a branch, dig a hole, insert, repeat until done.

Short of winning the lottery the only answer is to start out small, take the long view, slowly build up a quality herd, and take the long (very long ) view. Even at 60 years old and just starting (small) I am planning for the future. Wondering if I can ever swing an extra 40 acres. Perhaps I will have something special to leave behind. Call it farm, ranch, or plantation, it doesn't matter.

Anyone here got something better to do?

Jon

 

[Texas Ranch Man]

Took a leap of Faith, prayed on it, asked for it, cashed out the wife's and mine 401Ks, 403Bs, Roth IRAs, and paid cash for 114 acres with House, Barn, water, electric, Fenced and Cross Fenced. If I had it to over again, I would do it just the same. Best move we ever made. Added 42 more acres next door the next year "cash purchase". I dont believe in Debt. But at the same time remember I gave up my nest egg, and that can be scary. Now I will be honest...Folks you are never going to win the Lottery, and very few will ever inherit. If you have the money saved...DO IT! I sure do enjoy the Ranch more than those stupid quarterly statements I used to recieve from the Investment Firms. Life is short, no one has a guarantee of tomarrow. The worst thing in my opinion, would be to end up very old and broke down in a rocking chair with a big bag of money and not be able to enjoy it. Most people dont regret what they have done, but regret the things they did not do. Just my own personal experience. TRM

 

[Jogeephus]

Most people dont regret what they have done, but regret the things they did not do. Just my own personal experience. TRM

I second those words of wisdom.

TRM, Here is a quote from Bob Dylan, thought you might apprecitate it

What's money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do. Bob Dylan

 

[KenB]

Most people dont regret what they have done, but regret the things they did not do. Just my own personal experience. TRM

I second those words of wisdom.

TRM, Here is a quote from Bob Dylan, thought you might apprecitate it

What's money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do. Bob Dylan

i'll second both of these words of wisdom.

 

[Brute 23]

Grew up doing it... dad grew up doing it... grand-dad grew up doing it.... so on and so on...... ;-)

 

[Brandi2005]

Took a leap of Faith, prayed on it, asked for it, cashed out the wife's and mine 401Ks, 403Bs, Roth IRAs, and paid cash for 114 acres with House, Barn, water, electric, Fenced and Cross Fenced. If I had it to over again, I would do it just the same. Best move we ever made. Added 42 more acres next door the next year "cash purchase". I dont believe in Debt. But at the same time remember I gave up my nest egg, and that can be scary. Now I will be honest...Folks you are never going to win the Lottery, and very few will ever inherit. If you have the money saved...DO IT! I sure do enjoy the Ranch more than those stupid quarterly statements I used to recieve from the Investment Firms. Life is short, no one has a guarantee of tomarrow. The worst thing in my opinion, would be to end up very old and broke down in a rocking chair with a big bag of money and not be able to enjoy it. Most people dont regret what they have done, but regret the things they did not do. Just my own personal experience. TRM

Sounds like a plan to me. Where in Texas are you? Lubbock here

 

[TREY-L]

This is a question of the people who got into Ranching on their own. (Not the people who got into from family inheritence) I am just curious as to
how you decided you wanted to start ranching
how long it took you to find a ranch and buy it
how long it took you to make a profit
if you would change one thing about it-what would it be?

thanks!

Brandi, It's funny you should ask such a question. I never wanted a thing in the world to do with any type of livestock, I didn't want to be tied down (married) to a bunch of cows, as a matter of fact I was so set on this that I turned down my father in law when he wanted me to take over his operation, around 90 brood cows. I helped my father in law alot for the first 5 years after I got married, and he just got to the point where he couldn't keep up with them, and as previously stated I didn't want a thing in the world to do with them. He made a deal with a local "broker" and the broker hauled them to the sale a few days later.

I received a phone call at work the day of the sale, when I picked up the phone my young wife was on the other end crying horribly, so upset she could barely talk. I pleaded with her to calm down and tell me what was wrong, she had just found out that her daddy had sold all of his cows, and she explained to me that this herd was started by her grandfather in the 50's, one of the first all Charolais herds in this area of the country, and she felt as though a piece of their family history had been lost.

I felt so bad that I called my brother in law and pleaded with him to go to the sale and buy four heifers, from their dads herd, back for me. Sure enough, when I got home, there they were.
I never was the type to have an animal and not care for it, so I spent alot of time with these first four heifers, and I noticed a change taking place, the more time I spent with them, the more time I wanted to spend with them, I was actually looking forward to "messing with my cows". They have a way of growing on you. The next thing you know it's time to buy a bull, and when those first calves were born I was so proud. This was my herd and I fell in love with each and every one of them.

I have purchased some good brood stock along the way and 5 years later we have grown to 35 brood cows, and I couldn't be happeir. I bought an additional 40 acres that adjoins the 43 that my wife and I started with, and I almost have it payed off now, with a little help from my "real" job.

It has been alot of hard work, and whole lot of expense, but i'm finally starting to see some returns, money wise.
The real return is late in the evening on those hot summer days, when the sky is red all around, walking and talking to the cows and watching the stark white little calves jumping and playing, and smelling the heavy evening mist settling all around you, this is the time when it all makes sense, why you love it, why you have sweated and sacrificed for it, this time is priceless.

BTW, I wouldn't change a thing.

Trey

 

[Texas Ranch Man]

Well said.

 

[Brute 23]

Took a leap of Faith, prayed on it, asked for it, cashed out the wife's and mine 401Ks, 403Bs, Roth IRAs, and paid cash for 114 acres with House, Barn, water, electric, Fenced and Cross Fenced. If I had it to over again, I would do it just the same. Best move we ever made. Added 42 more acres next door the next year "cash purchase". I dont believe in Debt. But at the same time remember I gave up my nest egg, and that can be scary. Now I will be honest...Folks you are never going to win the Lottery, and very few will ever inherit. If you have the money saved...DO IT! I sure do enjoy the Ranch more than those stupid quarterly statements I used to recieve from the Investment Firms. Life is short, no one has a guarantee of tomarrow. The worst thing in my opinion, would be to end up very old and broke down in a rocking chair with a big bag of money and not be able to enjoy it. Most people dont regret what they have done, but regret the things they did not do. Just my own personal experience. TRM

That is a good deal and its hard to argue with being bebt free....
BUT if your loan is for 8% and you were making 13% on the money. YOu could have had the ranch, money in the bank, and still be making 5%. :lol:

 

[Rookie]

I wanted ta work a bit with cattle and for my sins the opportunity was given ta me :roll: ;-) :roll:

 

[msscamp]

Most people dont regret what they have done, but regret the things they did not do. Just my own personal experience. TRM

I do not believe truer words were ever typed.