New from PA

Help Support CattleToday:

G-W

New member
Joined
Mar 10, 2023
Messages
4
Reaction score
7
Location
Central PA
Hello all
I've been reading and learning a ton here, and I finally decided to sign up.
I've been blessed to be able to get a small parcel that was previously a horse "farmette" and have been working on making it a beef operation. Not much room, and limited acreage. I currently have 8 baldies and learning the business. I'll never make any real money from it, but I enjoy the process. Just buying calves locally from good people, and taking all the advice I can get. You folks with real operations have my greatest respect. I know I'll never get to run a real operation at my age, but I'm loving every minute of what I have.
 
Thank you. I've been learning a lot. Feeding especially. I'm lucky to have several guys who sell me hay at a good price. Helped through the winter. Now I'm ready for the grass to green up. Planning on buying spring calves this fall
 
Hello all
I've been reading and learning a ton here, and I finally decided to sign up.
I've been blessed to be able to get a small parcel that was previously a horse "farmette" and have been working on making it a beef operation. Not much room, and limited acreage. I currently have 8 baldies and learning the business. I'll never make any real money from it, but I enjoy the process. Just buying calves locally from good people, and taking all the advice I can get. You folks with real operations have my greatest respect. I know I'll never get to run a real operation at my age, but I'm loving every minute of what I have.
Welcome!
 
Welcome! I'm 'next door' in Ohio. We can help you out. First, don't buy any more cows yet. You scared me already by saying '8 baldies' and 'not much room'. Each cow will require approximately 2.5 acres to graze appropriately. I'm talking full grown with a calf, so if you have youngsters, fewer approximate acres are required. So, I'm hoping you have about 20 acres, or more, for your 'limited acreage'. Let us know what you have to work with. Also, contact the USDA-NRCS United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service. There is a local office for every 1-2 counties across the state. They can help you plan and develop your operation.
 
Thanks for your reply.
Just to clarify, I'm not running cows and calves, just two yearlings and six feeders that are about 8 months old.(about 500 lb average when I bought them). I bought them in march with the intention of putting a little weight on them and sending them down the road. So far, the grass has been good and I rotate them regularly. I only plan on keeping 4-6 on a regular basis. I'm lucky to have many "mentors " who give plenty of advice, and have a close friend who gives me a very good deal on whatever hay I need. Also, I have Penn state right up the road, which has a great ag program.
 
Thanks for your reply.
Just to clarify, I'm not running cows and calves, just two yearlings and six feeders that are about 8 months old.(about 500 lb average when I bought them). I bought them in march with the intention of putting a little weight on them and sending them down the road. So far, the grass has been good and I rotate them regularly. I only plan on keeping 4-6 on a regular basis. I'm lucky to have many "mentors " who give plenty of advice, and have a close friend who gives me a very good deal on whatever hay I need. Also, I have Penn state right up the road, which has a great ag program.
Rotation is great, and that will boost the carrying capacity. How much depends on the intensity and how the rotation is done. 4-6 animals/feeders and a rotation would make me wager to guess you need 10-14 acres for enough forage to be produced without the need for an excessive amount of hay. The actual amount of forage can will vary greatly from year to year depending on weather and other factors. An estimated average forage production for the specific property can be calculated using soil types from the USDA WSS (Web Soil Survey) and known average forage productions for soil type. This is much more accurate than using an average of 2.5 acres per cow for the region. That's all probably too much science and math to dijest though. The main thing is you learn how to manage your grass using your livestock, and that is where your mentors come into play.

By the way, you have a real operation. The vast majority of livestock producers who have 'real operations' have 25 or fewer cow/calf pairs or animal units. I define a 'real operation' as an operation that takes an active role in the management of the pasture and livestock. There are outfits in existence that merely have a piece of property that turn livestock loose on them and gather the livestock 6 months to a year later. I don't consider those as 'real operations'. The total lack of management on these disqualifies them from me considering them as a 'real operation.'
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Top