how many are cow/calf producters?????

[uscangus]

how many cow/calf producers are in this board????? what kind of cattle? what are the set backs that you may give
advices from any newbie?????? what are the necessary things that you need besides land, secured fences, barn, and water???
i would appreciate your kind and sincere advises from board. i am opened for advises and criticisms. thank you.

my biggest mistake is that i did not have a chute for the calves to band them. also, i was not aggressive in banding them when they are within a day or two. since my cows calved in the pastures, i was not able to retrieve them. being a part-time, i did not expect
this problem. uscangus.

 

[rockridgecattle]

We are cow calf producers. AngusX cows with Angus bulls.

Couple of the big mistakes we made:
1. Not having a sharp pencil. Not realizing farming/ranching, even though it was and is a way of life, it is also a business, and hubby and i are the Co CEO's of this business we have been entrusted to. That pencil includes treating of animals, pasture maintenance, hay land production...everything needed to run a sucessful business....oh yeah and planning for the future...drought and flooding.
2. In the beginning, thinking cows were "pets".
3. Not being critical enough when keeping replacements. In the beginning we kept them cause we liked the momma. The momma was a "pet" or special. Yeah we looked at the momma's ability to mother, and milk, but we really did not look at comformation. And we had several different breeds of herd bulls. Due to that we were unable to sell bigger lots.
4. Getting on the herd health bandwagon early on. Realizing that what happens now effects the cow and calf in 18-20 months. Whether it be pre breeding, breeding or weaning....all affects the bottom line down the road.
5. Some capital costs are worth it. Thinking "oh we can make due with what we have", in some respects works. In other respects...just plain stupid. Reference....a good quality...not expensive, just good, maternity pen and squeeze chute. Life and limb and body parts, stress on humans and cows alike, just not worth "making due" with. Some things just make life easier and safer...and is part of the cost of being in business. Kind of like being a chef and not having a stove or sink....some things you just have to have.
6. I know there is one....just not seeing it right yet!

 

[Jogeephus]

Keep in mind they are cows and nothing more. They will eat all you can afford to feed them then some. A fat cow doesn't neccessarily mean a profitable cow. Come up with a plan on how you intend to market them. Understand your market and the potential buyers and raise what they want. This should give you a good idea of how and what you can do to raise them and remain profitable. Understand there is a difference between selling cattle and marketing cattle.

 

[hillrancher]

#1 you have to be a grass farmer first. #2 grow for the market that you are going to use. #3 select a breed that is climated to your area. #4 this I fail do not fall in love with a animal. #5 a good health or vet program. From here you can add more.

 

[bse]

I think first off you need a way to work them before you have your first cow. Then a good bull is real important because he makes up 50% of the calf crop by himself. Good cows, and the ones that dont cut it cull them i try to cull 10% a year that way i keep a young heard doesnt always work because some good producers are a little older so i dont cull on age but by production first. And it takes several years to figure it out and make it work for you.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Purebred Simmental cow/calf
These are EXCELLENT comments:
Understand there is a difference between selling cattle and marketing cattle.
you have to be a grass farmer first
Think about them.

facilities, health program.

 

[TnCharlie]

AMEN on being a grass farmer, along with health program , know your animals and keep an eye on them because you never know what your neighbor going to bring in.

 

[bigbull338]

we run 2 cow/calf herds.1 a reg beefmaster herd.2 crossbred cows bred to beefmaster bulls.i keep all reg heifers if they are good enough.an send the bull calves to the sale barn.same way with herd #2.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Another
Not all bulls are BULL quality. We castrate about 90%. Don't leave a bull in tact unless he is EXCEPTIONAL.

 

[bigbull338]

plus bulls are a big pain to raise an deal with.i wont raise another 1 unless he is 1 heck of a bull calf.

 

[arkcowman]

I am a cow/calf producer. Black angus is my choice.

Lessons learned :
1. leave calves alone... mommas know what they are doing with them
2. the quality of my cattle are a direct result of the quality of my pastures (invest in pastures)
3. don't make them pets... . you dont want an 1100 lb pet jumping into your lap
4. if there is a weakness in any fencing they will find it.... they always think things are better elsewhere
5. never trust a bull, he will never be predictable
6. walk slow within the herd, dont yell, no sudden or quick moves
7. cows dont care anything about you... they just want food, water
8. is easy and stupid and wasteful to over feed them (and not healthy)
9. hopefully i am still teachable and learning more daily

 

[melking]

What a great group of posts. You folks on here are the kindest, coolest forum people I have yet to meet.

 

[uscangus]

plus bulls are a big pain to raise an deal with.i wont raise another 1 unless he is 1 heck of a bull calf.

you are a hundred percent right about a bull. i had a half steer that the banding went wrong and he was 900lbs with great hormones.
he jumped over 5 string barb wires to my neighbors pastures with heifers and cows. boy, my neighbor was very upset and did not want any baby from him. i will never have a bull unless i have strong and high metal panels that would stand his hormones.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I have said this many times

First learn you are not a cowboy but a grass farmer producing grass to convert beef to cash.
Second buy Hereford type cattle they are cheaper and you have options as a cow/calf operator.
Run a homo black bull and you have black baldies.
Run a Char bull and you have yellow baldies,
Run a red bull and red baldies.
You can change your entire calf crop by just changing the bull.
It is cheaper to keep a good cow.
Cow's are employee's if they can not produce and raise a healthy calf every 12 months they are fired.
This is a business of buying retail and saleing wholesale you have to be tighter than a crabs butt and that is waterproof.
No welfare cattle feeding out of a sack is welfare they must be easy keepers on grass, hay and minerals only.

 

[cypressfarms]

Second buy Hereford type cattle they are cheaper and you have options as a cow/calf operator.

This is so on the money! Down south hereford's can be had for much cheaper than brangus or tigerstripes/brafords. They are much more docile as a breed, and with pinkeye vaccines you got it all. I'm partial to beefmasters, but herefords are some of the cheapest cows you can get down here. You can never go wrong with that red cow because as Caustic said, a new calf crop is only a bull away. How many breeds down south can say that their steers don't get docked for ear? I'd even go so far as to throw a Brangus bull on herefords to make some slick black baldies. That would ring the bell at replacement auctions.

 

[Cattle Rack Rancher]

If I was starting again, I would buy a good group of cows from a dispersal of somebody who is been in the business long term, is local and is retiring. Try and pick a breed that does well in the market in your area. Cow efficiency is important, the more pounds of calf that I can raise on my land using the least amount of inputs, the more money I'll make (or sometimes the less money I'll lose). Keep a close eye on the cows, especially during calving season, but don't help them unless they obviously really need help. Don't spend money on things that have no financial returns on them. Sometimes you're going to have some animals that die. Sometimes you may be the one that has to put them out of their misery. A few times I've ended up with a large vet bill and the animal died anyway. These days, if it looks hopeless, I'm not shy with the bullets. If you have the time, do what you can to market your calves privately. Most years, calving is more fun than Christmas. Good Luck!

 

[angus9259]

Calve with nature - not against it.

BSE your bull before you let him out.

Don't spend more on a vet bill than the animal is worth.

Buy cows, not heifers.

 

[dun]

Don't spend more on a vet bill than the animal is worth.

I've had a few cows trhat weren;t worth the cost of the bullet!

 

[uscangus]

If I was starting again, I would buy a good group of cows from a dispersal of somebody who is been in the business long term, is local and is retiring. Try and pick a breed that does well in the market in your area. Cow efficiency is important, the more pounds of calf that I can raise on my land using the least amount of inputs, the more money I'll make (or sometimes the less money I'll lose). Keep a close eye on the cows, especially during calving season, but don't help them unless they obviously really need help. Don't spend money on things that have no financial returns on them. Sometimes you're going to have some animals that die. Sometimes you may be the one that has to put them out of their misery. A few times I've ended up with a large vet bill and the animal died anyway. These days, if it looks hopeless, I'm not shy with the bullets. If you have the time, do what you can to market your calves privately. Most years, calving is more fun than Christmas. Good Luck!

your right, i tried to buy bred cows near fall or during winter where there are few pastures or grass in my area(northwest). some producers have to much cows or young cows. as a newbie, i lost a cow but she gave me a good bull calf that will pay for herself. i was disappointed that i lost a cow a about two months ago. probably, a viral respiratory.

you are correct that i tried to keep my cost low. i recently bought two black angus cows that are 5 and 3 year olds with a bull calf about 700 dollars for pairs and by next june i will bred them.

the only cost that i might end up having is buying a chute. in my area, there a lot of used chute that are reasonable price to band most of my bull calves with callicrate banders. beside that, i will end up giving their shot.

thank you board from your generous advises and helps.....................uscangus.

 

[Judge Sharpe]

Put together a good network of cattle people so you have some one to call on when you are dealing wth a breach presentation at 3:00 am, and invest in a good coffee pot.
Just my two cents.
Judge Sharpe