Learning about raising beef cattle

[Tiagodk]

Hi, My parents have 13 cows and some cattle that they raise to sell beef. Right now i'am studying and i help them on holidays and such, however i don't know much about all that they do. I just walk the cows to the place where they can eat and when at end of day i go back and bring them home and help with the cattle whike they drink milk.

I would like to go a bit deeper and know more about the whole thing. A good start would be showing more interest than i showed previoulty in this respect and then my parents can explain how it all works. But i also would like to start learning from other sources to get the whole picture and that also why i joined this forum.
Do you know of good websites with infomration about this and also some good books? I found some books in a search but i don't know how complete or useful are they.

I would really like to dive deeper in this and maybe later live from this? Situation is bad that even finishing studies job is not guaranted and i must confess i like the idea of living in a rural area instead of all the confusion in the city.
Just to have an idea if i were to start and should i go about it? Can you gain decent money raising beef cattle?
Another alternative would be make use the tractor. What can i do with it that is profitable?

 

[dun]

Knowing wjhere you are located might help to get responses that are approriate for your area

 

[Tiagodk]

I'am in Spain. Most of my parents cows are from this breed:

They grow calf and then sell for meat after a few months.

 

[dun]

I'll start off with, I know nothing about spanish cattle or the industry. Searching around the only white cattle I could find in spain are Blanca cacereña, but they are supposedly rare so not sure that's what yours are. Other then charolais I don;t know of any white cattle without black noses. In the US we usually recommend reading Storey's Guide to Raising Beef Cattle by Heather Smith Thomas. Not sure if that would be any use to you in Spain. Maybe the department of agriculture or whatever it's called there might be able to help.

 

[Black and Good]

I'm with dun. sure looks like a Charolais to me. B&G

 

[Tiagodk]

Sorry for not mentioning that. They are indeed Charolais.
Storey's Guide to Raising Beef Cattle is one of the books i came across in a search, i will buy it then.

Is there money in this? If i were to start how much would i have to invest and where?

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Pretty calf.

 

[dieselbeef]

its likely here nobody can tell you as much as the people doing it...yer folks....tell them you want to carry on the family business and they will tell you..the stuff you want to hear and the stuff you dont

 

[Tiagodk]

Yeah i know. In terms of books to expand my knowledgle in addition to Storey's Guide to Raising Beef Cattle is there any other books you guys recommend? I came across some other too like Raising Beef Cattle For Dummies and Grass-Fed Cattle: How to Produce and Market Natural Beef. Are they good too?