Starting fresh and needing advise

[casey k]

ok, so we just had to sell most of my cows cause of the drought here in missouri, but in many ways this was a good decision. but next year i will start to rebuild my stock. so im needing some advise on some things cause im kinda new at all this. which breed of cattle is best to raise in Missouri? we used to have Brahman and there wasn't really a demand for them here. which is the best hay to feed cattle? which is best to feed as a supplement and why? should range meal be fed in the summer or winter or both? i have seen farmers fed all different kinds of feed, just needing to get a better idea of what to use. like range meal, how often do u feed it? is protein tubs better than salt mix? i was told to wean calves when 7 months old? what kinda vaccinations should i give them and how often? how often should they be wormed? which is the best way to keep flies off cattle? if i use protein tubs should i put something else out for them? we used to put out summer salt mix for pink eye, is there something better out there that i can use thats cost less? what time of year is best for calving? should i do control breeding or just leave the bulls in there with them? what is the ratio for total of bulls for cows for breeding? so any advise you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

where did you sell your cows i was at ava today and there was a couple people selling out. as far as what kind to raise black angus and charolais and crosses of these with some hereford or good red cattle bred into them work and sell good. i never use one bull for more than 30 cows thats just what i do not saying that it is the only way to go.i think weaning at 7 months is good what i try to do is wean at 7 months feed 5 or 6 and sell. about any grass hay that is baled at the right time and didn't get rained on before it was bailed is fine some hay is better than some if you are having to buy hay you don't realy want the best you need something affordable.i try to worm the cows twice a year but i know alot of people that do it once or even less and get by. and worming is all i do to the cows and have never had any problems with that i asked my vet one time what else i should do and he said if what i was doing was working that there realy was not any need to change. hope this helps some i will try to help as much as i can sorry you had to sell

 

[dun]

There is no one best answer for any of your questions. Brahman influence cattle generally don;t do as well as cattle without ear around here. Around here being the salebarns @ Lebanon, Buffalo or Springfield.
Unless you are feeding wet cows during the winter they shouldn't require any kind of supplement unless your hay or stockpiled forages are really bad. During the summer (unless it's a drought) you shouldn;t need any supplements for even the wet cows either. Hay forage, water and a looae mineral formulated for this area is all that is generally required. We feed high mag mineral in the early spring (prevent grass tetany) and minerals with IGR during fly season. All year round we have CTC in the minerals but there is no way of knowing how much longer the CTTC will be allowed.
Destocking now as you have done gives you an opportunity to get your ingrastructure improvements done if needed and getting your pastures improved, i.e soil test and fertilize and/or lime, weed control, seeding legumes, etc.

 

[bird dog]

You might want to look into attending some cattle classes that you ag extension office put on. If you can't find one, Texas A & M has a beef cattle short course coming up in August that would be well worth you expense.

 

[casey k]

i was going to take them to Springfield, and when i called up there some rancher answered the phone and got to talking to him and he offered to come out and look at them cause he was interested in buying them, so he came out and looked at them and bought them, saved me time, fuel and trouble of hauling them in lol. i usually feed number 1 and 2 salt mix with meg in the winter and spring them switch them over to summer salt mix for the summer to help with pink eye, and i usually have protein tubs out as well, but thats the way my granddad usually does it but im wanting to change things around a little bit and maybe save some money. see he did not have this farm to make money, it was a hobby farm, which i know there is not much to be made in the cattle business unless you have a **** load of cattle but i dont have that kinda money lol but my granddad has always kept salt mix out for the cows at all times, well it seemed like the more he put out the more the cows was eating. another thing im wondering is if there is much a cost issue between buying damn good hay and not having to put out any supplements verses putting out crapy hay and having to put out supplements? another question i have is, when i worked on a farm up in south dakota we used to catch new borns and and give them a shot of penicillin and spray iodine on their navel, is that really worth doing? and is protein tubs better than a loose mineral?

 

[dun]

Protein tubs are fine if you need the extra protein, otherwise a good loose mineral from a reputable manufacturer is all that's needed. Some of the loose mineral calls for keeping salt available, some doesn't. Do whichever the mineral calls for.
If you calve on a clean pasture the navel spraying/dipping is just one more thing that isn;t really required. They don;t need any shots at birth other then possibly selenium if you are in a selenium deficint area. Depending on your health program a nasal or oral vaccine may be needed at birth. One year we had a bizarre disaster with scours that woldn;t respond to treatment very well. IVs twice a day and a mixture of stuff to fix their guts helped but it still took a couple of weeks to get them over it. The next year we gave calfgaurd (orally) at birth and didn;t have any scours. Haven;t had to give it since and still no scour issues. Discuss all of this stuff with your vet, he/she/it can best recomend what's needed in your particular area and possibly even know what would be best for your particular farm.

 

[salebarn junkie]

When the guy that picks up the phone in the office of the sell barn/rancher comes out and buys your cows you most likely just got taken to school. They most likely went straight to barn and were resold. I buy and sell at springfield some never had a problem but ive never gave them that chance

 

[denvermartinfarms]

at this point it realy doesent matter what you got if it is done and you got what you where asking but this could have happend. from now on i would find a salebarn that i was sure i liked and stick with it when you know them and they get to know you they will work harder for you. i buy at over 20 diffrent sales in this part of the country and sell at one and it is not springfield but they are ok as far as i know

 

[stocky]

First of all, I am real sorry about you having to sell your cows. Dun is right on with the advice on feeding in our area. Salesbarn Junkie is also right on about the sale of your cattle. No doubt, he bought them and then took them right to the sales barn and sold them for the money you should have gotten for them. "Some rancher" doesn't answer the phone at a sales barn. It was someone who works there and he saw a way to make some money by coming out and buying your cattle. Might have even been the same guy who came out and told my neighbor that he would give him 900 per pair for his black cows and calves and save him the trouble and expense of hauling them to Springfield and waiting all day for the check. The cattle were worth over 1200 per pair when this happened, so it was an expensive lesson he learned. Especially when he paid 1500 per springer to buy back in the next spring. Good luck as you get ready to get back in and hope you are able to sort through all the info provided and see which helps and which doesn't. Hope you get rain

 

[J&D Cattle]

i buy at over 20 diffrent sales in this part of the country and sell at one and it is not springfield but they are ok as far as i know

Do you sell at the one based on their reputation and the relationship you have built or is distance and shrink also a huge part of that scneario? I have a couple of barns close but always seem to stay in town as I'm worried about shrink. Thanks

 

[salebarn junkie]

I think one of the most important things in a barn is the number of buyers. Then its your relationship with the barn as in how fast they get your cows in ring, nothing worse than seeing cows sell first that came in after yours. Ive always heard that most of your shring comes in the first ten miles .

 

[denvermartinfarms]

i buy at over 20 diffrent sales in this part of the country and sell at one and it is not springfield but they are ok as far as i know

Do you sell at the one based on their reputation and the relationship you have built or is distance and shrink also a huge part of that scneario? I have a couple of barns close but always seem to stay in town as I'm worried about shrink. Thanks

i sell at one becuse of the the relationship i have with the people that own it if i went on reputation i don't think i could sell at any barn you can here plenty of bad storeys from a lot of people about any salebarn it seems like. also i live 45 curvy miles from the salebarn and if it was twice that i would still sell there. it does make alot of diffrence when they get them in to sell they alway get mine in at the best time but of course someones cattle always have to be first and some last.