How many Cattle per acre?

[Lee VanRoss]

To start out on we are buying 28 acres. 5 of that will be the house yard garage and what not probably (about thats just a guess ;-) ) That leaves 23 acres.

So What Id like to know is how many cows per acre?

Im looking into being a PBR bull contractor so they will be assorted bulls , and then also we are looking into contracting with Ohio Signature beef. I think they require black angus but Im not going to swear by it.

Any advice would be wonderful! Thanks!

TCG > Your math is backwards. First off it is acres per cow not cows per acre! Do not let anyone talk you into over capitalizing on inventory
before you get a handle on the production capacity of the land in question. Now when you say PBR bull contractor are you referring
to the BARNES type rodeo bulls? Those bulls are high dollar athletes and will require a modicum of expertise to handle.
If it is rodeo bulls (PBR) in all probability it will take some capital just to construct containment facilities and I cannot envision
production on 23 acres to maintain them which will require on sight storage for feed. Now if this is not about the 8 second ride
then forget what I said and go pet your cows! Good luck! LVR

 

[Katpau]

This discussion began back in 2005. It would be interesting to hear what ever happened on CowGirl's 28 acres. Most of us chuckle whenever a wide eyed newbie, buys a few acres, and asks the question "How many cows per acre". It is always so much more complicated then a simple number, and like several have pointed out, in most cases the question should have been "How many acres does it take to run a cow/steer, year around, in this area?"

I have a new neighbor that bought a 6 acre parcel next to my bull pasture last summer. Most of the 6 acres is very steep and covered in timber. There is about an acre of flat down below the house bordering his long driveway in. He asked me the "how many cows can I run on this piece" question. I cautioned him that even one would leave his beautiful mowed driveway a muddy mess in winter, and that he would most likely need to haul in feed almost year around. I also let him know that cattle are herd animals, so one would likely not hang around. He has decided to go with a couple goats instead. I thought that was a better idea, but I suppose they will be crawling through the fence to graze the bull pasture. At least goats don't eat a whole lot, and maybe they will keep the blackberries in check.