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[Anonymous]

I'm looking at purchasing a cattle ranch and putting together a small business plan with financials and have been seraching for answers, but unable to find the following: 1. What is the average amount of grazing acreage needed per cow in the southwest? 2. How much of the cow is lost to bone weight/etc vs actual meat when slaughtered? 3. I purchased Stoney's guide to cattle ranching. is there other resources out there via the Interent that I can research? Thank you for your reply/



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[Anonymous]

> I'm looking at purchasing a cattle
> ranch and putting together a small
> business plan with financials and
> have been seraching for answers,
> but unable to find the following:
> 1. What is the average amount of
> grazing acreage needed per cow in
> the southwest? 2. How much of the
> cow is lost to bone weight/etc vs
> actual meat when slaughtered? 3. I
> purchased Stoney's guide to cattle
> ranching. is there other resources
> out there via the Interent that I
> can research? Thank you for your
> reply/

1. Will depend on your area (soil, type of grass,average rainfall, etc).Talk to your neighbors, and be a good neighbor.

2.Depends on the breed, some breeds have better carcass yields than others (Murray Grey's are excellent).

3.Do a search on the internet, all of the Agriculture Universities (Oklahoma State, Texas a&m, etc)have excellent sites with a wealth of information.

4.Get to know your potential neighbors,they can be a fountain of information also.

5.Be a good neighbor and you will have good neighbors(usually,at least in Arkansas) :>)

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[Anonymous]

Your state university departments of agriculture have a wealth of information, such as OSU, CSU, Tex A&M;, etc.

Given VERY GOOD pasture, could run one 1000# cattle unit on 1-1.5 acres. However, I wouldn't stock at more than 50% of capacity for pasture--that way, you can do rotational grazing to enable your idle pasture to recover and gain new growth.

If you mean "financial plan to a bank", then you definitely need to have your ducks in a row and halfway "prove" you can generate $$ to repay a loan. Don't expect to show any net profit for several years, even with quality management practices (true too for most new business start-ups). The banker will probably base any loan on your "other" income (such as a day job) for repayment purposes. It is very difficult to show a yearly profit in a livestock operation.

On the average, figure about $350 per year per 1000# head to graze, feed hay, supplements, minerals, vaccinations, etc. And, very generally, a cow that produces a calf every year (and you sell the calf) will probably be a break-even (or less) venture for any given cow...depends on one's operation, etc.

Plan to order and stock up on hay during spring, summer, and early fall for winter roughage supplement...prices are much better when you don't need hay. During winter, a 1000# animal can easily eat 1/2 small bale (50-80# size) of hay a day if pasture down and poor. Otherwise, 5-10# of hay/animal to provide additional roughage for rumen function. You may also want to feed the large round bales of hay--always use a hay ring around the bales, otherwise the cattle will waste and tromp up to 40-50% of the hay.

If you can do your own vaccinations (except vet reguired Brucellosis vaccination for heifers), you will save a heap of money. Same is true for your branding.

Select cattle breed with good record for un-assisted calving. A lost calf is one year production and $$ lost.

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