Most Profitable Cattle Region

[shaz]

45 day hay feeding season here.

My neighbors feed 120 days at least.

 

[Bigfoot]

Many years here I end up feeding hay 6 months out of the year. Everything lines up just right, and its three. The growth of fescue is almost non existant in late July and August. All in all, I would not call Kentucky a cattleman's paradise.

I know you are south and west of here so may be a significant difference. Most people here start hay around Christmas and end about the third week of March. I have heard stories of cattle producers getting caught in a bad place when there is a severe drought but for the most part pasture is good here to carry a well managed herd. Bigfoot, do you do any pasture renovation and if you do, are you putting in ladino or red clover? I know it slows growth also in the dry months. Can't go by me because I have only been back here 3 years now but I have heard Dad say he rarely fed cattle more than 3 months. He never put too many cows on his farm. He is 90 now and enjoys telling me what I should do. He likes to get out to my farm and every time he does, I hear the same warning not to get too many cows. I got a feeling I will not be hearing that many more times.

With a low enough stocking rate, you could probably only feed hay during the occasional snow. Used to be a guy visited here think his name was agmanto or something. He was north of us, and did heavily managed intensive grazing. He had fescue stockpiled all winter with several head on a few acres. I rotate. Not exactly heavily managed intensive grazing. My pen and calculator tell me to go with higher stocking rates, and feed 2 or 3 more rolls. Now I'm back on my warm season grass kick. If I could find a warm season grass that would pull , me through that slump, I could stockpile enough fescue to make it to Christmas.

As far as the probability goes my guess it is an area where warm season grasses flourish, and rye and oats will pull you along way through the winter. Neither of those apply here. Plus land is up $6000 to $8000 an acre.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

His name was agmantoo, Bigfoot you are correct. He is in western North Carolina and most likely at a higher elevation than you are in your area. I miss his posts because he had quite a lot to offer.

 

[Caustic Burno]

We have plenty of rain to go with the heat and humidity.
Grass out the ass as long as you like Bahia and you had better learn to like Brimmer's.
There is no perfect place no matter where you live it is about grass management and controlling input's.

 

[orton]

It's kah-lee-forn-ya! Happy cows=big profits! cheers

 

[hoss_ross]

I'll say that NC is pretty good. We have the opportunity to grow good grass 11 months out of the year in certain parts, and can have pastures in piedmont area of both warm and cool season grasses to mitigate fescue dropping off in the summer, turning around and stockpiling it when the bermuda goes down in the winter. We have so much urban encroachment and development that it keeps our farms small, which I think is why we don't have larger numbers of cattle. East of 95 you can find tremendous acreages, but they're mostly grain farms.

I used to work in the #2 cattle producing county in the state and the average farm size was 99 acres or less. Just food for thought.