New to cattle

[ROCK-N-W]

If someone is intent on doing something with cattle, they could get good freezer beef, save a few nickels, and get meat much better than what they can buy at shops. Top quality steak for a quarter of the cost.

If bent on production on just 3 acres, I would go the nurse cow route. I can't think of anything else that would be lucrative.

Amen

 

[blueridge]

Unless you are committed to cattle you may want to consider chickens. You would stand to make a decent profit if you market them correctly and the income would be spread out rather than at one time. If you have children it would be a good way to get them started as well. You can hold more than you think with three acres. The initial cost is much less as well. You can make almost everything you need yourself. If you do decide to do cattle though, try to find the calmest ones you can and don't rush into it.
Good Luck with whatever you decide!

 

[novatech]

If you had enough time you could buy poor heifers as singles. fatten them up. Build a uniform group and resell, hopefully at a profit. 3 acres would also hold more than a few head if you wanted to do some backgrounding, or custom feeding for individuals.
There are some shallow minds out there that just need to be ignored. There are a lot of very successful people that started with a lot less.

 

[Brute 23]

Some people have one track minds. :roll:

If you want to do it bad enough you will find a way.

What is the chance of you gettting two 3 acre tracks right next to each other? ;-)

 

[ROCK-N-W]

If you had enough time you could buy poor heifers as singles. fatten them up. Build a uniform group and resell, hopefully at a profit. 3 acres would also hold more than a few head if you wanted to do some backgrounding, or custom feeding for individuals.
There are some shallow minds out there that just need to be ignored. There are a lot of very successful people that started with a lot less.

I would love to see you submit the cost of a functional business plan to support that operation.
First off you could never even get a agricultural exemption on the property, this is Florida local goverment is going after all the little guys and medium operations, taxes are now the big business here. Not farms it is a shame but truthfully not practical in this unfreindly Ag enviornment. Make sure you add in the 100Gs for property taxes on that 3 acre operation.
Maybe 3 acres of Good Clover seed harvested twice a year would put the property to better use. Have you checked the price on that lately

 

[MikeC]

What is the chance of you gettting two 3 acre tracks right next to each other?

YES! That way they could DOUBLE the capacity! :lol:

 

[backhoeboogie]

gjl2791,

Your climate, land costs, grasses are not something I have any familiarity with. Rock'N is from your proximity. I'd be listening to what he's telling you.

FlaBoy aint all idiot either :shock: , he just cuts up a little.

 

[ROCK-N-W]

:idea: I see lots of commercials for Opakas (spell check)
With property going well over 75 thou a acre in some areas bad bad climate for small farms. Let me give you some facts personal knowledge. I purchased a vacant lot for 5 grand five years ago. I am being taxed for 77 thousand plus on this lot. Total of $2,360.00 this year, yet most lots are not selling over 30 thousand. If I hold this property another ten years I will never make a dime on it if I resale it. I have a 75 acre lease for cattle grazing. The Agricultural property tax in 2004 was 580.00 dollers for the year. Now the local tax man wants 150,000 + a year for the same property that has had nothing but cows on it since the 1930's. Go ahead and tell me you can make a liven off of a three acre cattle operation in Sometimes sunny south Florida. Show me how I'll Kiss yer Grits

 

[novatech]

If you had enough time you could buy poor heifers as singles. fatten them up. Build a uniform group and resell, hopefully at a profit. 3 acres would also hold more than a few head if you wanted to do some backgrounding, or custom feeding for individuals.
There are some shallow minds out there that just need to be ignored. There are a lot of very successful people that started with a lot less.

I would love to see you submit the cost of a functional business plan to support that operation.
First off you could never even get a agricultural exemption on the property, this is Florida local goverment is going after all the little guys and medium operations, taxes are now the big business here. Not farms it is a shame but truthfully not practical in this unfreindly Ag enviornment. Make sure you add in the 100Gs for property taxes on that 3 acre operation.
Maybe 3 acres of Good Clover seed harvested twice a year would put the property to better use. Have you checked the price on that lately

He may not get an ag exemption on 3 acres but if he already owns it he is still paying taxes. There is still a write off on IRS taxes if he runs it like a business and looses money.
Now if you can make money on backgrounding or custom feeding 500 head that would indicate that you made money on each individual head. I don,t think he could make a living on three acres but makeing a profit is possible. I pass a place on the hiway that does this. Looked like 30 or 40 head on about the same amount of property. The man has been doing it for the 26 years I have been here. He recently past away and one of his sons has taken over. Probably at a loss and just likes to throw away money. :roll: If you would like to see it I will PM the location to you.

 

[Brandonm2]

:idea: I see lots of commercials for Opakas (spell check)
With property going well over 75 thou a acre in some areas bad bad climate for small farms. Let me give you some facts personal knowledge. I purchased a vacant lot for 5 grand five years ago. I am being taxed for 77 thousand plus on this lot. Total of $2,360.00 this year, yet most lots are not selling over 30 thousand. If I hold this property another ten years I will never make a dime on it if I resale it. I have a 75 acre lease for cattle grazing. The Agricultural property tax in 2004 was 580.00 dollers for the year. Now the local tax man wants 150,000 + a year for the same property that has had nothing but cows on it since the 1930's. Go ahead and tell me you can make a liven off of a three acre cattle operation in Sometimes sunny south Florida. Show me how I'll Kiss yer Grits

We inherited a half acre lot in a subdivision about 25 miles from Fort Meyers from my great Aunt. Her and my Great Grandmother bought it to retire too in the 1950s. They never did. The property taxes on that vacant lot were much more than I paid in taxes on 456 acres of Alabama timber/pasture land and from what I can see in my research the value of our Alabama future ranch is 30 times what that lot (surrounded by hundreds of other lots....most of whom were never built on) is worth. I don't know how much the homestead and ag exemption would change the situation down there; but owning property in Florida has become awfully expensive.

 

[ROCK-N-W]

Looked like 30 or 40 head on about the same amount of property

Man thats a lot of cow pies in such a small space they must be standing piggy back. Foe Real.


Brandonm2
Wanna send me some land brochures? It's time to exit Fl
Maybe Fl boy could turn them three acres over for 30 in Al and have something.

 

[novatech]

I don,t beleive there is a lot of land left that one could buy and have a cattle opperation pay for it. Most of the land bought today is treated as an investment and considered a seperate issue from the ag. use. At least in this part of Texas.

 

[dieselbeef]

What is the chance of you gettting two 3 acre tracks right next to each other?

YES! That way they could DOUBLE the capacity! :lol:

good idea...you could get 4 cows then and really go big time!! woo hoo!

 

[dieselbeef]

BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA! SOMETIME THIS BOARD KILLS ME. I MEAN REALLY. 3 ACRES AINT NO CATTLE FARM(RANCH) FARM(RANCH) FARM(WHATEVER......AVIARY..... :banana:

Diesel, I wasn't meaning to offend you "by telling what they wanted to hear". Hopefully I didn't.

With 3 acres, I wouldn't consider anything personally other than Freezer beef - maybe a chicken house. But still, there are people who do well on small acreage with hobby farming.

There are some who get more production out of 50 acres than others do with 200. It is simply a management thing. Plus it is cheaper to put optimum fencing up when it only takes a little bit. Less mowing, less weed control effort etc. Think about it. You wouldn't be working hundreds of cows or putting out huge loads of hay in the winter. You have more time to do other things.

If someone is intent on doing something with cattle, they could get good freezer beef, save a few nickels, and get meat much better than what they can buy at shops. Top quality steak for a quarter of the cost.

If bent on production on just 3 acres, I would go the nurse cow route. I can't think of anything else that would be lucrative.

naw man were on the same page...just 3 acres though comon man..be realistic

 

[hgfarmer]

I have about 3 to 3 1/2 down the road from the farm that I keep 4 nurse cows on, they each raise 10 calves a year so all together they raise on average 40 calves a year.....so i guess thats what three acres can do for you if you use it to your advantage. Ive also heard people telling you your not going to make a living with a three acre "farm"......... If I read correctly I thought you were only doing it as a hobby.....40 calves a year off of 4 cow is a pretty good hobby, i guess.

 

[ROCK-N-W]

If I read correctly I thought you were only doing it as a hobby.....40 calves a year off of 4 cow is a pretty good hobby, i guess

.

You failed to mention that to raise forty calves on 4 cows if you don't have a bigger operation somewhere down the road to supply those calves ya had to buy um and you gotta feed um because 4 cows with calves with less than a acre a piece means putting out some hay, feed, meds. One cow raising 10 calves a year? how long 2 months each or three on the cow at a time?
Must a have a dairy backing you up.
I have raised a few calves on cow in a year but ten I don't know bout that. Thats gotta be some Jersey moma

 

[hgfarmer]

If I read correctly I thought you were only doing it as a hobby.....40 calves a year off of 4 cow is a pretty good hobby, i guess

.

You failed to mention that to raise forty calves on 4 cows if you don't have a bigger operation somewhere down the road to supply those calves ya had to buy um and you gotta feed um because 4 cows with calves with less than a acre a piece means putting out some hay, feed, meds. One cow raising 10 calves a year? how long 2 months each or three on the cow at a time?
Must a have a dairy backing you up.
I have raised a few calves on cow in a year but ten I don't know bout that. Thats gotta be some Jersey moma

Yea....I guess it would be harder if I didnt have the farm right up the road. And yes those are some Jersey mommas....cant beat em'......In all reality she wont be able to raise that many calves but she could get a couple nurse cows and run to the sale barn and get some babies for them.....but that still cant be considered a "farm"......just a hobby

 

[backhoeboogie]

One cow raising 10 calves a year? how long 2 months each or three on the cow at a time?

Mine will take 4 at a time. I go three months or 3 1/2 depending on timing. Only do it twice tho (8 per year). 3 cannot nurse her out. It takes 4. Once they are older three could do it probably but if you are weaning them at 3 months, you are fine.

If I had the time, I'd like to go with a dozen nurse cows myself. Maybe when I retire. It would probably be tougher to pick up that many splits from the sale barn tho since I pick up young beef calves split off of cutters/canners.