How did you get started

[Caustic Burno]

Both Grandpa's and several uncle's ran cattle. Dad was alway's messing with hog's and shrimping.
Ran a herd in the wood's,I learned to hate hog's. Bought my first cow at 14 and have been hooked ever since.
Used to work the uncle's ranch, my grandpa's old place and was happy to do it, as long as I didn't have to mess with hog's or cull shrimp. I hate little stingray's about the size of a baseball cap as well.

 

[hoyt79]

I just bought my first four cows about 2 months ago. My grandmother got tired of dealing with the leasing of her land (15 acres) so jokingly, I asked if I could use it and she said I could. I bought 3 steers and a beef heifer. I sold three of them to friends and they pay me extra to keep them on our pasture...an easy $1000 in my pocket right from the start. In about a month or so, I plan on buying a couple brangus heifers. I will AI them, keep the heifer calves and sell the bulls. My grandmother has an additional 20 acres of pasture I could use if my herd ever gets big enough. Cattle has become a hobby but if I can make a few $$ in the process, that's fine with me.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Hate it when you do out the whole long thing, hit "enter" and drop out. "Enter" doesn't do it.

Divorce/relocation/re-direction changed stuff for me. I'd always had a horse + one or two on the place and raised pygmy goats for a dozen years. Six years ago I was in the market to replace a 2-horse/slant trailer with a stock trailer, and found one back in the Boise area. That trailer thing was convenient, as my folks were there and I was picking up butchered beef from my Sis at Baker City. Between Boise and Baker City, it occurred to me that it was pretty stupid to be traveling to OR to buy butchered beef when my husband had 20 acres nothing was being done with. I picked up the meat and two 600 lb. BA steers from SIs. The next year, we bought a couple cows, started re-fencing and improving irrigation, sprayed out some crap stuff,and as time and materials allowed, kept fencing, re-habbed one of the big barns for hay storage and bad-weather shelter, bought a few more cows, developed a good customer base for butcher beef (and chicken eggs), AND had a tax write-off. No ag tax exemption had ever been taken on the ground before, but we'll be able to do that next year with the historical info on what we've done with it. This was probably not the best time in a life to start, as I was already being nagged by AARP, and hubby was already on SS, but it's been sort of a God-send, as it keeps him active, moving, on his feet and going vs. just old John Wayne movies. Had a bad wreck w/a young horse 3 year ago; gave that up.

 

[Taurus]

I got my first calf for 4-H. She was a Holstein x Angus cross out of my grandpa's farm. Then I started to raising Angus x Holstein steers for freezer and showing. My fourth steer was a blind calf but he isn't in the show. I finally got a fertile heifer after the fourth steer and she is a registered Belted Galloway which I used her for show. When my dad finally finished building new house, new barn and fences, we brought four heifers from my grandpa, included the calf from Belted Galloway heifer. That was 12 years ago and I still has two heifers from the original group. I eventually got my Belted Galloway cow back from my grandpa. The fifth steer was a Normande that was supposed to be a pet but he get too big that we ended up butchered him when he was 4 years old.

 

[HOSS]

I grew up on my grandfathers 500 acre farm. He raised Herefords and RWF cattle that I helped with some. My dad had a hog operation on one end of the farm so I spent more time on that than with the cattle. Like CB I hated hogs. After my grandfather retired and sold his herd my uncle started one on the farm. Mostly herf cows with an angus bull. I used to help him with tagging, fly control etc. Eventually I left for the military and swore I would never do any farming again. During the next several years my Dad had a couple of herds of herfs with angus bulls and I would help him a bit. After I moved back to Tennessee 14 years ago my dad was running a few red angus cows. I bought a couple of jersey bottle calves to keep my kids busy and to teach them responsibility. As I kept messing with the red angus and bottle calves the old bug hit me and I changed course 180 degrees from what I said I would do. We sold the house in the lakefront subdivision and bought a small farm. I started with 3 red angus heifers and a red angus bull. I only run about 30 head now and I still have 2 of the original 3 red angus cows I started with. I am in the process of switching over to registered Gelbvieh and Balancer cattle. I have about 10 head of registered stock at the moment.

 

[Craig Miller]

I bought 1 mama two years ago for 850 when the breds were bringing 1250 plus here. I thought she woupd die on the trailer before i got her home. :lol: she had a nice char x bull that brought good money and just had her second for me this week. Now i have 3 mamas and 2 heifers the calf and a freezer steer. And the bull i bought on halfs with dad. I probably wont get anymore till i buy some land.

 

[tnwalkingred]

When I was 10 years old my grandfather (who always ran a few cows) sold me a heifer for 100 dollars which I saved from collecting cans. First calf she raised I sold for 400 dollars. I raised a few calfs off of her and then sold her to buy a 4 wheeler. Sold the 4 wheeler a couple years later to buy a truck. I got hot and heavy into the horse business and made quite a bit of money in it before the bottom fell out. I bought 5 registered Black Herefords over a year ago when I decided to get back into the cattle business. I sold 3 of them to a neighbor and have since bought another Black Hereford bull and 4 registered Black Angus cows. I plan to buy 4 more registered mama cows and also keep anywhere from 10-30 feeder steers depending on how much land I can lease. Been fencing all the pasture I can find on my grandfather's farm and am looking for someone to log so I can clear more of it off. I'm 31 and work full time so I hope my cattle business will grow over the next 20-25 years so I can retire a little early and enjoy my golden years.

 

[M.Magis]

I grew up here on the family farm in Ohio where we raised a small group of Herefords in the 80s, usually no more than 20 pairs as a hobby for my dad and grandpa. Dad died suddenly when I was 18 and my grandpa and I made the life changing decision to sell off the cows and equipment. At the time it seemed liked the thing to do, but we later realized that we were at a point in time where we shouldn't have been making such a decision. It's been 19 years now, and I'm slowly working my way back. All of the fences were shot, so I started re-fencing pastures 5 years ago, and just now have maybe 20 acres done, most of them are long and narrow. Lots of fence for very little pasture. I'm slowly adding a little bit each year, but I now have two toddler boys at home that take priority. Four years ago I bought my first two angus heifers, and over the last few years have made quite a few mistakes as far as buying cattle that didn't pan out. I'm just now getting closer to where I want to be with 4 reasonable commercial angus cows, with 4 nice calves running around. I have plenty of hay fields, so this year I bought a haybine and rake, will have to borrow a baler. Next year I hope to buy a baler and a Hereford bull. I'll go through summer and fall with these cows, and see how the grass does once it dries up. If it looks like I have the grass, I plan to buy another bred cow or two. At this point I have to bale one pasture it's so far ahead of the cows, but after the drought last summer I'm not going to get ahead of myself. I don't expect to be able to carry more than 6-8 head for the next several years, but I enjoy the cattle and think it's good for my boys to grow up with them. Even though my 3 year old is petrified to be near them right now.

 

[dun]

When I was a kid my dad was heavily influenced by 5 acres and independence and the Have More Plan. We had Dairy Goats, rabbits, chickens, a worm farm, ducks and geese plus a several acre garden. When people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up I told them a farmer. Left home at 17 and discovered that girls really liked cowboys, so I diddled in a small time rodeo for a while and partnered with a guy that broke horses. To work the horses we got some cows and I was hooked. Every time I lived anywhere that I could I got some cows and built a herd, then sold when we moved and when I could I got more cows. Fast forward 50 years and we settled in MO and got some commercial cows then gradually got into registered Red Angus and that's where we are today

 

[backhoeboogie]

I don't remember all the specifics.

I do remember vowing to never own any type of bovine animal when I was around 17 years old or so.

 

[TexasBred]

I don't remember all the specifics.

I do remember vowing to never own any type of bovine animal when I was around 17 years old or so.

Probably started doing a little rustling. :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:

 

[cmf1]

Horses got to be not worth much. Sold most, and donated the last two to equine therapy and Christian riders.
Got tired of mowing and got a couple steers. Grew out a couple heifers, bought a couple of breds, bought a bull, bought some more heifers, grew out a couple more heifers, bought another bull..., man, this stuff gets to snowballin' on ya.

 

[Brute 23]

Was born in to it. Both sides of the family run cattle and one did a little farming. I can remember driving my dads truck at around 5 or so while he tried to throw out square bales. At 8 my parents hired my brother and I out to family and friends to work cattle or what ever. Before cell phones they use to just show up at the house... way to early in the morning. Hard to say no like that. My brother and I tried not answering the door one time so my mom told them where the key was. Its been all down hill from there... :kid:

 

[ohiosteve]

Grew up working with Dad, he was a dairy herdsman, after highschool I bought a herd of 90 holsteins and rented a dairy farm and did everything myself (bought a lot of my feed) did this for several years and decided there was more to life than milking so sold out at an opportune time and made enough for a healthy downpayment on my current place been here 12 yrs. always dabbling with cattle of some sort. It's more enjoyable when you don't depend on the income but I don't lose money on my cattle.

 

[backhoeboogie]

I don't remember all the specifics.

I do remember vowing to never own any type of bovine animal when I was around 17 years old or so.

Probably started doing a little rustling. :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:

Never been caught!

 

[Dave]

When I was in the second grade my Dad bought me a day old Holstein bull calf. Raised him up and sold halves of beef. Took the money and bought more. That was over 50 years ago. By the time I graduated from high school I had enough cattle that they paid for my first two years of college. I have owned at least some cattle ever since.

 

[Anonymous]

A lot of people paying their way through school with cattle. Good deal! Me, I'm in this right now to help with the kids college and long term in it a fun retirement. And/or main income if I get so lucky.

 

[j&lfarms]

I'm 17 and just getting started. I've worked around cattle all my life, but decided I wanted some of my own. I mentioned it one day and my girlfriend I had been dating for about 3 months at the time said she wanted some too. I only had enough money saved up for 1 so I was going to buy 1 and she was going to buy 1. When we talked to her Grandpa about it he decided that 2 was just not enough. He made his grandaughter buy 2 and loaned me $500 to buy a second calf. I still don't understand why he gave his grandaughters new boyfriend $500, but I'm glad he did. Now we're up to 3 heifers, a cow, a bull, and a calf that was born on June 5th. The rest are due to calve in December.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I'm 17 and just getting started. I've worked around cattle all my life, but decided I wanted some of my own. I mentioned it one day and my girlfriend I had been dating for about 3 months at the time said she wanted some too. I only had enough money saved up for 1 so I was going to buy 1 and she was going to buy 1. When we talked to her Grandpa about it he decided that 2 was just not enough. He made his grandaughter buy 2 and loaned me $500 to buy a second calf. I still don't understand why he gave his grandaughters new boyfriend $500, but I'm glad he did. Now we're up to 3 heifers, a cow, a bull, and a calf that was born on June 5th. The rest are due to calve in December.

What about that Hereford calf?

 

[herofan]

The 130 acres I live on currently was my granfather's. He had beef cattle until 1987 when he passed away. Being that everyone worked public work, and I was a mere teen then, we sold his cows. My dad bought a few shortly afterwards and kept them until around 2001 when he had knee problems and was also tiring of fooling with them.

As for me, my brother and i decided to try again and bought 17 heifers within a few months in late 2011 and early 2012, we borrowed a bull. We expect our first calves this September.