Just a thought...

[Hemisal]

I am as new to this as they come...my questions will be very basic for this reason...aside from money matters, how many acres do you need per head of cattle? Breed is probably of some consideration...so assume black angus. And do paired cows count for 1, 2 ,or 1.5 for your herd count? heheh, sorry all, but i'm that new. any other considerations would be greatly appreciated, such as how many bales needed/month during the winter months, etc.

 

[Beefy]

i'm going to let some canadians answer this one since the answer is so dependent on location.

but welcome.

 

[Hemisal]

so basically, the hotter and drier the climate, the slower the grass grows, and thus less head/acre?

 

[msscamp]

I am as new to this as they come...my questions will be very basic for this reason...aside from money matters, how many acres do you need per head of cattle? Breed is probably of some consideration...so assume black angus. And do paired cows count for 1, 2 ,or 1.5 for your herd count? heheh, sorry all, but i'm that new. any other considerations would be greatly appreciated, such as how many bales needed/month during the winter months, etc.

Acres/head is going to depend on your location. In the US, we have County Extention Offices who can answer this question for various regions - you need to find the equivalant for Canada. The breed you choose is going to depend on personal preference, as well as what sells well in your area - to answer this question you need to visit the local salebarns, talk to as many people as possible, follow sale trends via online sale postings, etc. The number of bales needed during the winter months is going to depend on the number of cattle, the severity of the winter, and what, if any, other supplementation is provided.

 

[Beefy]

so basically, the hotter and drier the climate, the slower the grass grows, and thus less head/acre?

well like in my area (south georgia) it is supposedly pretty humid and hot and around here we can run a pair per acre or two. whereas out in some parts of texas they may need 35 acres for one pair. i just dont know what the stocking rate is up there since i'm not from there. also you would feed a lot more hay than i would b/c winters will be longer and colder. so many variables in the cattle business.

 

[dun]

so basically, the hotter and drier the climate, the slower the grass grows, and thus less head/acre?

That depends on the type of grass/forage.

 

[randiliana]

so basically, the hotter and drier the climate, the slower the grass grows, and thus less head/acre?

That depends on the type of grass/forage.

It also depends on climate, moisture, heat and of course winter.

In an average year, here in Saskatchewan where we live it takes anywhere from 6 to 16 acres/cow. The 6 acres is tame forage (crested wheat, usually) and the 16 acres is on native pasture. We run cows/quarter section, not cows per acre. Depending on where in Alberta you live, you may have a similar situation to us, or it may be totally different.

As well, this is only for the summer. We feed bales for the winter.

 

[Jogeephus]

so basically, the hotter and drier the climate, the slower the grass grows, and thus less head/acre?

As a rule, Georgia is normally fairly wet with the the Gulf and the Atlantic both contributing moisture to our systems. However, this year was an exception. For some - including myself, having no cows would have been the ideal stocking level. But as a rule, anywhere from 1-3 acres per pair is a good rule of thumb.

 

[rockridgecattle]

Summer we allow 10-16 acres per pair.
Winter we allow 10 bales from an 850 baler per cow and bull. This is allows a little extra incase the winter is harsh like last year and we used almost 10 per cow. This also includes bedding. We rarely feed grain, on years where the protien is low in the hay we feed grain, but otherwise we maintain on hay. So the amount of hay depends also on your other feed.
We also have to allow for our feeders that we keep plus a little extra just incase.
But go to you local ag office and there they would help you.

Before you buy animals check with your vet about vaccinations, protocals on injecting them, when is a good time to do it, etc.

If you are going to buy now is the time. So many are getting out due to the crappy prices. I asked our auctioneer about the prices...oh my..then asked about selling off the cows...we are at the 40 mark in age and this was not a consideration yet...the auctioneeer said he could have a bred cow sale now and sell 10000 cows....if there were buyers.
good luck.

 

[ALX.]

i'm going to let some canadians answer this one since the answer is so dependent on location.

but welcome.

I know there is no way we ever could be as big as the U.S. but we are still a fair chunk of property as a country my Beefy buddy. :lol: :lol:

Where I am in Ontario a pair per acre, 30 miles north closer to Shield area a hundred may not support 10 pair.

Generally - and correct me if my generality is inaccurate - 1 average Ontario acre equals 4 - 5 Alberta range acres?

You have a lot of work to do to know what a chunk of ground will support, and it will vary from year to year.

 

[IluvABbeef]

I am as new to this as they come...my questions will be very basic for this reason...aside from money matters, how many acres do you need per head of cattle? Breed is probably of some consideration...so assume black angus. And do paired cows count for 1, 2 ,or 1.5 for your herd count? heheh, sorry all, but i'm that new. any other considerations would be greatly appreciated, such as how many bales needed/month during the winter months, etc.

Hi Hemisal

Like everyone else says, it all depends on location, climate, precipitation, forage production, topography, and (most importantly) the condition your pastures are in.

So for instance if you live down in southern Alberta in the needle-and-thread, blue grama native grass area, your stocking rate is 4.2 AUM/acre (in good/late-seral condition). On the other hand, if your up in central Alberta in the Rough Fescue native range, your stocking rate is averaging out to be 1.7 AUM/acre (in good/late-seral condition). Now, toss in the condition your pasture is in (stocking rates for tame pasture is different than range pasture, mind you), whether it's in good condition or poor condition, and you can judge/calculate you stocking rates for a cow-calf pair easily. A 1000 lb cow with a calf counts for 1 AU (animal unit).

(Animal unit is considered to be one mature 450 kg (1000 lb) or the equivalent based upon average daily forage consumption of 11.8 kg (26 lb) of DM per day; Animal unit month (AUM) is the amount of feed or forage required by an animal unit for one month)

So, for instance, if you live in the parkland area, and your pasture is in good condition (0.5 acre/AUM), and you want to know how many cow-calf pairs you want to graze on a 50 acre pasture, then 50/0.5 = 100 AUMs (animal unit month). Now if your planning on grazing the pasture for 2 months, then that gives you 50 AU (or 50 Angus cow-calf pairs) to put on the pasture, at the most.

Now for number of bales per month in the winter...a 1000lb cow typically eats 26 lbs of dry matter (DM) per day. So if you got 50 head of cows, for instance, then you got a total of 1300 lbs of DM consumed per day. Now, for a whole month, that's 39000 lbs of DM consumed. With that, I'd say you need at least 40+ bales per month for that many cattle, and since the winter is as long as 6 months, that's a total of 240-250 bales. (If you got 1/5th of that herd size, then you only need 1/5th of the bales needed per month for 50 cow-calf pairs).

Sorry for the long post, but I hope that helps.

 

[hillsdown]

I am as new to this as they come...my questions will be very basic for this reason...aside from money matters, how many acres do you need per head of cattle? Breed is probably of some consideration...so assume black angus. And do paired cows count for 1, 2 ,or 1.5 for your herd count? heheh, sorry all, but i'm that new. any other considerations would be greatly appreciated, such as how many bales needed/month during the winter months, etc.

FWIW we run 1 cow/calf pair per every 1 1/2 - 2 acres (that is when we don't have a drought).Hay depends on how early our winter starts and ends.Sometimes you are feeding already in September and they don't go out to pasture until the middle June.

Here is something else to think of.Don't buy in Alberta unless you have the capital at hand and are using it as an investment.If that is the case cattle is cheap right now and getting cheaper.I would start small and go from there.

Welcome to the forum. Where in Alberta are you located Southerner, Central ,Northern ?

 

[ALX.]

[FWIW we run 1 cow/calf pair per every 1 1/2 - 2 acres (that is when we don't have a drought).

Pretty small plot for Alberta.

 

[hillsdown]

Great post Karin.

ALX we only have 320 acres.We didn't inherit anything and with land in our area going for $3000-$5000 an acre with no amenities that is all we can afford at this time.

We would love to purchase at least another 1/2 section of just hay land but no one around here sells very often.All of our neighbors are at least 2nd or 3rd generation on their "townships". ;-)

 

[Hemisal]

Thank you all very much for the information. Actually, that is somewhat was I was thinking (to use capital as an investment), although the more I hear people talking about, the harder and riskier it all seems. Nonetheless, I'm still just learning a great deal about the basics, and am so far at the front of this idea, that all of the posts actually help tremendously.

Btw, I live in Medicine Hat, but I can't find any land for sale around here anyhow.

 

[randiliana]

Btw, I live in Medicine Hat, but I can't find any land for sale around here anyhow.

Well, your area is a lot like ours, in climate and rainfall. Medicine Hat, might get a few more chinooks than us in the winter though.

 

[rockridgecattle]

manitoba and saskachewan have good land deals. We just bought 4Q for 60,000. Not all cleared, mostly native but cleared Q are going for close to 40G.

 

[hillsdown]

manitoba and saskachewan have good land deals. We just bought 4Q for 60,000. Not all cleared, mostly native but cleared Q are going for close to 40G.

Wow that sure sounds like a bargain.
You did good.
I am sure the native land are still really good pasture. Great investment RR.There is only so much land in the world so buy what you can.

 

[rockridgecattle]

we bought from an old fella whom my husband helped alot and there are no livable buildings on the land. but there is several farms for sale around here. There have actually been families who sold out in AB bought a way larger farm here for cash and had money to spare. the native hay and pature is good but we are looking to improve. but where we are land is cheaper and that is good.
I think land will get cheaper, people are selling out and no one wants to buy in this market right now.

 

[sidney411]

How many acres does a "Q" equate to? I've never heard of land being referred to as anything other then acres.

I couldn't imagine allowing 10 bales per cow! Wow! We feed on average 2-3 bales per cow/calf pair during the winter. We plant oats and rye grass though, I think that makes a big difference, well that and we don't have snow :lol: .