New Beginning

[alabama2222us]

Hello all ,
I live in North Central Alabama and have just traded for 500 acres of cleared land thats in good grass and have plenty of water.All my neighbors tell me i should fence it and put cattle on it.I'm green as a gourd when it comes to the cattle business i have always row cropped and raised vegetables.
Id like to get some advice from people who do it everyday as to what would be a good breed of cattle to put on this land and how many i could run on it.
Any advice would be appreciated,
Henry

 

[Angus Cattle Shower]

Do you want cow/calf, or steers?

 

[Rookie]

Hello all ,
I live in North Central Alabama and have just traded for 500 acres of cleared land thats in good grass and have plenty of water.All my neighbors tell me i should fence it and put cattle on it.I'm green as a gourd when it comes to the cattle business i have always row cropped and raised vegetables.
Id like to get some advice from people who do it everyday as to what would be a good breed of cattle to put on this land and how many i could run on it.
Any advice would be appreciated,
Henry

Take it slow and easy would be my advice. The cattle business is chock-full of ways to lose alot of cash, and fast !

george

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Start small. Do some research...find others in your area that have cattle, and ask them about their experiences and what advise they have. See what types of cattle do well in your area. Figure out what your interest is. Is it to have cows that have calves? Or do you want to raise steers? Figure out how much time you have to give to this venture. Figure out how much money you can afford to spend. Read as much as you can.

 

[dun]

Find someone that is willing.able and compotent to serve (even unwittingly) as a mentor.

dun

 

[alabama2222us]

i think i would like to have cow/calves because i would like to start with a few head and build on a real heard

 

[alabama2222us]

I appreciate all the advice and i will take it and procede slow and check with more cattle men in my area and see what i can learn.thanks
Henry

 

[dun]

Unless you start with 3 in 1 packages or cows with calves or even bred cow/heifers, the turn around on your investment is a long way off.

dun

 

[Rookie]

Unless you start with 3 in 1 packages or cows with calves or even bred cow/heifers, the turn around on your investment is a long way off.

dun

Please heed dun's advice here. If you start with anything but bred or "with calf" cows, you may never see that turn around on your investment. Even starting the right way, nothing is guaranteed!

george

 

[houstoncutter]

I would stay out a few years, you are comimg in on the up side of the cattle cycle, best to let the prices start to slide, or bottom out and buy in then. Just my uneducated opinion, but I have seen this cattle cycle 4 times in my life. The first time I was to young to be in the biz. The second time I was green and lost money on it. The last two times have been very profitable.

 

[docgraybull]

I agree with HC regarding the cattle cycle (and this is all speculation ). It is on the upside and nearing its peak. But there is still probably 3 or 4 more years left before it takes a downturn. So, theoretically, you could buy some young "3 in 1's" or heavy bred heifers and still come out ahead, with "paid for" cows before the market takes a sharp downturn (once again, theoretically ). There is money to be made when cattle prices are high, and when cattle prices are low. It's been posted on these boards many times, but it bares repeating, "The best way to make a small fortune with cattle is to start with a big fortune". If that doesn't scare you off, then decide what you want to do, research it, and then get going!