Sold my small herd in North Texas

[Hamiam]

The drought is kicking my butt. I finally gave up & sold my small cow/calf herd of commercial black angus & baldies. Prices were pretty good in Decatur last Monday. My cows were 5-7 years old. I only had them preg checked because my neighbors young bull jumped the fence at one point. The calves were weaned 35 days.
I'll give my 30 acres a much needed rest. I'll buy a few feeder steers in spring 2026, keep them on grass thru the summer then sell. We will see how that works.

 

[kenny thomas]

Looks like you got a good sale. Hate to see anyone have to sell out.

 

[Hamiam]

Looks like you got a good sale. Hate to see anyone have to sell out.

It's hard to break even with a small herd on small acreage. I started my cow/calf herd in 2017. I've never owned a bull, just lease every year. I've raised some nice calves over the years & have been very fortunate with no un-livestock. My husband works a full time job with a long commute & I handle the small ranch. This spring, I over seeded our main coastal pastures, kept the cattle off for almost 4 months (feeding hay). It started out looking good with our rainfall but now it's burning up. It was time to sell.
I think I've proven to myself that a cow/calf operation isn't right for this place. I also plan to apply for the Wise County Wildlife Management Exemption in 2025. If approved, my stocking rates will no longer be dictated by the tax appraiser. Here is a pic of one of our pastures June 2024. It doesn't look like that now.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Sorry to hear you had to sell out. Not sure I understood the comment about the bull. The Sale sheet reports cows OPEN. Were all your cows OPEN? Good year to sell them!

 

[Hamiam]

Sorry to hear you had to sell out. Not sure I understood the comment about the bull. The Sale sheet reports cows OPEN. Were all your cows OPEN? Good year to sell them!

I was just explaining how I ran my herd. Instead of AI or owning a bull, I would lease a bull for 3 months or so every year. This year, I was holding off on leasing because of feeding hay. O was waiting until I could put the herd back on grass (wanted to give at least 3 months for seeds to get established. The extension ofcr recommended no grazing this growing season.)
Because a neighbor's young bull got in our pastures at least 2 times this spring, I suspected one or more of my cows were bred, however it appears he is shooting blanks.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

@Hamiam, I see that you are/have been working with extension. Do you or have you worked with the NRCS as well?

 

[Hamiam]

@Hamiam, I see that you are/have been working with extension. Do you or have you worked with the NRCS as well?

No.

 

[J+ Cattle]

You're fortunate that cattle prices are as good as they are, normally when people are forced to sell their cattle due to drought the prices are in the dirt because everyone else is also selling and there's a limited number of buyers.

 

[4hfarms]

You're fortunate that cattle prices are as good as they are, normally when people are forced to sell their cattle due to drought the prices are in the dirt because everyone else is also selling and there's a limited number of buyers.

Murphy is up here in TN. The rest of you should be safe for now. LoL!

 

[Brute 23]

It's tough to make that choice but like others mentioned, if there ever was a good time for it, this is it.

The silver lining is now you have a blank canvas. What would you like to do new or different next time?

Does you county have head per acre requirements? In a lot of places hay production counts, also.

 

[Hamiam]

It's tough to make that choice but like others mentioned, if there ever was a good time for it, this is it.

The silver lining is now you have a blank canvas. What would you like to do new or different next time?

Does you county have head per acre requirements? In a lot of places hay production counts, also.

Unfortunately our larger pastures have terraces that prevent erosion & make it impossible to bale hay. We do have minimum head per acre requirements unless you are approved for wildlife management. I'm still researching that. We are allowed 2 years idle out of 7. As far as I know, there have been cattle on here every year since early 1980's. Before that I think they ran goats. We have some fences to work on, pastures to improve & an old goat barn to take down or modify.
Stocker calves sound good to me. Feed them grass for 7 months & then sale. No more having to buy hay. I paid on average $140 a round last summer. This year it's around $70 so far. Without rain, I'm sure it will keep going higher.

 

[Texas G@l]

Unfortunately our larger pastures have terraces that prevent erosion & make it impossible to bale hay. We do have minimum head per acre requirements unless you are approved for wildlife management. I'm still researching that. We are allowed 2 years idle out of 7. As far as I know, there have been cattle on here every year since early 1980's. Before that I think they ran goats. We have some fences to work on, pastures to improve & an old goat barn to take down or modify.
Stocker calves sound good to me. Feed them grass for 7 months & then sale. No more having to buy hay. I paid on average $140 a round last summer. This year it's around $70 so far. Without rain, I'm sure it will keep going higher.

You might check into honey bees for your ag exemption...it's for real here in Texas. I don't have any experience with it but some folks who use it for their ag exemption.

 

[Hamiam]

You might check into honey bees for your ag exemption...it's for real here in Texas. I don't have any experience with it but some folks who use it for their ag exemption.

I have a good friend with 16 acres who raises bees. I'm not sure it's for me but she loves it.

 

[Travlr]

I have a good friend with 16 acres who raises bees. I'm not sure it's for me but she loves it.

I've known a few people that kept bees, some as a living. It's getting harder to find good places for hives without any pesticides being used close by. But the people I've known that do it well make a good living.

 

[Texas G@l]

I have a good friend with 16 acres who raises bees. I'm not sure it's for me but she loves it.

I hear you ! She could put hives on your place... that way you don't have to fool with them. I saw an ad for renting bees ,https://tenboxbeesupply.com/products/honey-bee-leasing-program-ag-exemption .

 

[Hamiam]

I hear you ! She could put hives on your place... that way you don't have to fool with them. I saw an ad for renting bees ,https://tenboxbeesupply.com/products/honey-bee-leasing-program-ag-exemption .

I never thought of that. Thank you.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

@Hamiam, I asked you about the NRCS and you indicated you hadn't worked with them, although it kinda appears you might like to do that. You also like the idea of using your friend's bees. Add to that, you are going to apply for the Wise County Wildlife Management Exemption. Here's a thought. Go to the NRCS and inquire about a pollinator AND a monarch (big orange butterfly) planting that will dramatically help your friends bees as well as be a significant part/incentive to secure your Wise County Wildlife Management Exemption application. Add to all that the NRCS will very likely be able to assist you significantly with the cost of doing all this.

 

[4hfarms]

We had college students from Nashville run thier bees on our farms. We got half the harvest with none of the hassle. They provided the care. It was a great deal. We learned a little and now have our own hive as they have graduated and left the state two years ago.

 

[elkwc]

Have never ran cattle where the stocking rate was dictated by anyone. We understock even during the recent drought we made it through without a reduction in cow numbers. IMO only the land owner and cattle owner can determine the proper stocking rate for each pasture.

 

[Dave]

@Hamiam, I asked you about the NRCS and you indicated you hadn't worked with them, although it kinda appears you might like to do that. You also like the idea of using your friend's bees. Add to that, you are going to apply for the Wise County Wildlife Management Exemption. Here's a thought. Go to the NRCS and inquire about a pollinator AND a monarch (big orange butterfly) planting that will dramatically help your friends bees as well as be a significant part/incentive to secure your Wise County Wildlife Management Exemption application. Add to all that the NRCS will very likely be able to assist you significantly with the cost of doing all this.

After 23 years of working for a conservation district where I had to work with the NRCS became very cynical about them. This last week of issues with the fire and experience with federal employees raised that level once again. When you have to give people "free money" to get them to follow your advise how good was that advise to start with?