Ranching as a Hobby?

[Stepper]

new,

I am not tring to discourage you in your pursuit to a small farming operation. But i would really recommend you getting with someone who has a working farm and get some hands on experience. Reading about things and doing them are two different things.

You said that you are going to be teaching and coaching. I would think that in itself would take allot of your time to do. And i am by no means a big farmer myself. I only have 10 head of cattle and a few horse's/mules. And you might not think it. But they require allot of time to take care of. Cattle and horse's are not like taking care of small pet's which i know you already know that. But what i mean by that is you might not have a real good understanding just how much work/cost goes into taking care of just one horse or cow.

I know you have already said money really is not what you are getting into it for. Which is good. Because with just 4 or 5 cows and a couple of horse's you are not going to make any money the way i see it. Actually it is going to be a big exspense. Which will be worth it if you enjoy it. My wife love's to barrel race and rodeo. She has 4 barrel horse's and loose's 10 times more money than she will ever win. But she enjoy's it. Now with that being said she rid's her horse's and takes very good care of them. So both her and the animal's are happy.

I see way to many people who think they want to own a horse to only wind up putting it in a pasture and soon negelecting it. Not worming it, keeping its hoofs trimmed etc...., same way with cattle. These are big animal's that need constant care. When you get ready to go out of town for a week or few day's. They are not like a dog or cat where you put out a little extra feed in their bowl. They are more like a kid. They have got to have constant care and by someone who know's how to look after them. Even if it is for just a little while.

So i would highly reccomend getting a little hands on experience for a year or so to just see if that is really what you want to do.

 

[Susie David]

New...glad to see that you jumped in with both feet.
Guess that I'm a full time-part timer...semi retired small time beef farmer, manage to push enough head through the place to file a schedule F and keep the bride from talking about me getting a town job.
Alot of the folks that post here ranch for a living, others ranch full time and work a part time job to buy groceries between ranch pay days...some ranchers only get one or two pay days a year....most farmers only one season.
Good to listen to all the opinions and ideas...some folks didn't have their overalls filled with used dairy hay (another long
story) when they were kids and are just experiencing the rural or farm life for the first time. Always wear Birkenstocks to visit the dairy for the whole natural experience.
Anyway, I've lost my train of thought and it's time for bed...have to work more fence tomorrow...since the son-in-law has a job at a Safeway (meat dept.) this farm work is making a old timer out of me.
Dmc

 

[msscamp]

Hey everyone,

I am currently a teaching major and after school plan on teaching and coaching. But one of the interest that I have is ranching. My school doesnt offer an Agriculture classes, and with school, work and training I am always busy. After school I would love to buy a house out in the country were my neighbors are about 1/2 mile away and I would also like to have 4-5 cattle (actually I would love to have mini cattle) and maybe 2 horses. Now of course I need a lot of money to do this, but is it possible to just do ranching as a hobby like this and if it is how can I learn to do this properly. Thanks for any help and guidance.

new

It is not my intent to discourage you in your endeavors, but it sounds like your looking to do this alone - at least for a while. If you're hoping to find that special someone to help you, be very, very careful in your selection, as it takes a certain kind of woman to handle the ranch life. ;-) If I'm reading your post right and that is the case I see a couple of problems as this is not an easy undertaking for 2 people (let alone one) a lot of times, depending on the type of operation you're looking to get into. The first problem being that, between practice and games/meets or possibly both, coaching (depending on what sport or sports) tends to require a considerable amount of time - I have an older brother who teaches/coaches so I'm well aware of the time contraints it places on a person. Depending on the type of operation you opt for and the set-up you can afford to buy, who is going to be feeding, checking, and/or taking care of your cattle while you are otherwise occupied on these nights? What if they get out? Who is going to get them back in? Are you prepared to settle the damage if someone hits them on the highway? Are you going to have enough time to spend with your animals that you can tell when one is coming down sick and be able to take appropriate steps to head it off to avoid illness? If not, are you going to have the time required to doctor that animal - maybe over the course of several days - and get him back to health? Do you know what to feed them to keep them healthy and growing? Regardless of how well one plans a cow/calf operation, there is always the potential for a calving cow to run into problems that require human intervention - that potential increases when one is buying bred cattle because there is no way of knowing what they were bred to. The potential for calving problems pretty much doubles when 2 year olds are added into the mix. Are you prepared to do what it takes to get your cattle properly calved out in order to insure a maximum calf crop and that the mothers remain healthy? Bottle calves also require a significant time commitment due to feedings. Are you ready to commit to that? Do you know what the signs of scours are and how to recognize the different types? How about effective treatments? Are you prepared to give up trips and vacations when things don't work out and there is no one to look after your cattle? That's a part of ranching, too, even on a hobby level. Can your significant other accept that and deal with it? It sounds very easy, but the reality is much different. When one gets into cattle, one has to be able to deal with hot temperatures, moody and uncooperative cattle, protective momma's that are absolutely certain that your only intent is to murder their calf, snow, rain, cold, dust, cow crap, bulls kicking the gate back into your face, knee-deep muck that will suck your boots off if you're not careful, knowing how to fix a malpresentation in a calving heifer/cow, bottling dummy calves, dealing with scours, stripping down on the porch because you're covered in calf scours after doctoring them or just plain old cowcrap after working them, catching the little buggars and stuffing pills down their throats, fixing fence, rounding up cattle that have gone through fences on a whim, broken water lines, no water because something went wrong and knowing how to fix it, hauling hay (unless one is very, very lucky), bad attitudes (and not just on the part of the cattle), busted fences, calves that get crowded through the feed bunk and have to be put back in, and a whole multitude of other things as well. Are you ready for that? Stepper has a very good idea - find a local rancher and volunteer to help him so you have a realistic idea of what is involved with raising cattle, in terms of time, money, and knowledge required - and to gain some hands-on experience under the guidance of someone who is more knowledgeable than you are, and go from there. Yes, it is a wonderful lifestyle, very rewarding and fulfilling, but it does come with a price - the biggest one being that your life now revolves around these animals that you have chosen to be responsible for and that are dependent on you. As I said, I'm not trying to discourage you, but you did ask for feedback, opinions, and input. Just my thoughts.

 

[Central Fl Cracker]

I would buy some pet bulls and some of them long necked chickens. They lay huge eggs I hear.
From the Cubicle Cowboy :lol:

 

[txfbc]

As a teacher/coach I can tell you that work will take up a lot of your time, especially during your main season (football for me). I am taking care of my grandmother's cattle. We have 17 total, plus two horses. The animals don't care what you have been doing or what you have going on. You will have fences to repair, hay/feed to put out, sick animals to tend to, and who knows what else. You will spend a lot of time out there when you were hoping to just come home and rest. Plan out exactly what you want to accomplish, how you plan to accomplish this, and talk to others who have cattle near you. Seek out help from your neighbors. I struggle with time during football season, but there are things that have to be done with the cows. My wife doesn't always like it, but she understands. Summers are nice. I get to catch up on a lot of things that I have had to put off, like starting new fences. I enjoy doing both teaching and cattle. Good luck to you in your endeavors.

 

[norriscathy]

You might want to pm caustic burno this is his area of expertise. he can get you started on his right foot...i i i i mean your right foot just kidding good luck ;-)

I see the can of worms opening for sure.

This might get interesting!!!!! :clap:

Norris

 

[Beever]

New,
I am a retired school teacher too. I am on 80 acres in central Texas. I leased grazing rights to my neighbor a couple years ago to keep my Ag exemption. He runs exotics on it.

One Palamino stallion, a couple of buffalo, three emus, seven llamas, several black buck antelope, a beefalo calf, and now my longhorns. The neighbor does not care for his animals ( a former banker) so by default, and my too soft heart, I supplement feed most of them.
I chose longhorns because I wanted cattle that need minimal care. I am alone and need to learn from the cattlemen here what I can expect and how to best care for the cattle. Having so many species presents special problems at feeding times but so far so good.

The rewards include never knowing what will walk by the porch at any given time. Such pastoral scenes backed by views of mesas, canyons, and deep draws!

I believe I might have great genetics in the longhorn heifer and yearling bull. That is another topic for the longhorn breeders here to advise me about.

Yes, it seems as though you can be sucessful if your goals are not to make money but to enjoy such a life style change. Someone on this thread warned that the care of the animals limit your ability be away from the farm/ranch. That is true, but soon enough, you might decide that there is no other place you would prefer to be.

An unexpected reward is having met so many characters around these parts, who like the cattlemen on this site, are a real hoot and have great stories to share with their advice. I say go for it! You are off to a good start - do your homework and you should be fine. Message me if you want the perspective of another like yourself, trying on another life-style with the years left to us.

Appreciate the 'attitude' of those who meet the challanges of a d*mn tough way to make a living. One old (84 yrs) rancher whose company I really enjoy fussed at me when we met, " You 'flatlanders' are stupid fools, we worked for 4 generations improving cattle for market and you raise longhorns and take us back to square one". I laughed hardily and agreed he sure makes a good case for his opinions and I love anyone who would call me a stupid fool to my face rather than behind my back. He is now my best local resource.

I hope some other newbies around here read this and leave their urban P.C. sensibilites in the city they left.

 

[norriscathy]

Thanks for all of the replies, and no this is not a joke post. I am very serious about this when I get out of school (whenever the be nice that will be). I just want to be prepared and it is an interest of mine so I like to read about this and gain an understanding. Thanks again

In the first place; NEVER admit you are a "hobby" farmer! In order to take tax deductions for your farm expenses you must have "a reasonable expectation of making a profit at some point in the future"! Calling your farm a "hobby" is like shooting yourself in the foot; no deductions allowed!


Norris

 

[ALACOWMAN]

take heart beever im a hobby rancher my self thanks in part to two ex wives. i was hoping too be going full force in the business by now. she didnt pan out like i planned but im still going at it ;-)

 

[Bucky]

Don't let people discourage you, but find out if you are actually in love with it -not just the idea of it.....

Do you know how to vaccinate, worm and brand?
Are you ready to get up at all hours of the night to check on sick or pregnant animals?
Do you know how tohandle a dead livestock body,- ugh
Can you fix a hole in the fence?
Do you know what good hay looks like and when the pasture is ready to graze?
What deficiencies are in your soil that effect your animals?
Are you ready to battle for your water rights when the guy up the ditch steals your water?

I am sure you can learn to do it all but you need to get your hands in it, it isn't as easy as it looks and every agricultural area has different qwirks. I totally support small agriculture, I hate to see the big corporate guys taking over everything. So go for it, but get a taste of it first. Since you are a teaching major go work on a farm for the summer, or get a job with a livestock vet, heck - get involved with the local 4-H clubs in some capacity. There are lots of things you can do witout taking ag classes.

My opinion only! ;-)