Which Breed

[oldstyle244]

I've got a small place 11 acres total, about 8 sectioned off for cattle (outside Dallas). Last year was our first attempt at raising any and I think we did ok. I bought 2 Brangus heifers, feed them on grass and some cattle cubes; then finished off with deer corn. Bought them in July at around 600 pounds and took them to the butcher in Dec around 950 pounds. I'd like to get that weight up this year but don't want to put a lot more in feed if I dont have too, so I want to start over in April this year. I have the same connection for Brangus again, but I also have someone pushing Angus and another guy who think I should go Lowline Angus. I've tried to research but I am not sure I am coming up with anything definitive on which way would make the most sense. And maybe that's because there isn't?

Thoughts?

 

[kenny thomas]

Unless your going to get double the price avoid the lowline. Same amount of input and way less output.

 

[J+ Cattle]

I bought 2 Brangus heifers, feed them on grass and some cattle cubes; then finished off with deer corn. Bought them in July at around 600 pounds and took them to the butcher in Dec around 950 pounds. I'd like to get that weight up this year but don't want to put a lot more in feed if I don't have too, so I want to start over in April this year.

Will the starting weight in April still be 600 lbs or will it be less since it's earlier in the year?

If you don't want to feed them more but you want more weight, then you have to make up the difference with time or good grass. I emphasize "good" grass as in highly nutritious grass, fertilized grass without a bunch of weeds. There's no free ride, pay for feed, or pay for other inputs, or wait till they grow and mature on what natural resources you have.

A person could look at a feedlot as a time/value equation where feed and labor are substituted for forage and time. As cost of feed goes up it generally makes economic sense to delay placements in the feedlot until the starting weight is higher.

As far as breed I would also recommend staying away from Lowlines, if you were happy with the performance of the Brangus then I would stay with your current supplier.

 

[Little Joe]

If you are just butchering, I wouldn't worry about a purebred unless they're selling it to you for commercial price. If you can find a neighbor or someone with a commercial herd buy a couple from them. If you buy one now around 650-700lbs you should be able to get it to around 1200 by end of November or so not feeding it very heavy, depending on your grass. Then grain it heavy the last 60-90 days.

 

[TwoByrdsMG]

Why get heifers if you are going to butcher them? Pay a little more and get a couple steers.

For every 6 lbs of grain consumed I think they will gain 1 lb. More feed = more carcass on the end. You can grass feed them but they take a bit longer and grass fed beef does have an earthy flavor to it if you graze/feed it exclusively.

I agree- stay away from the lowline unless you just want smaller steaks.

Brangus or angus doesn't matter too much unless they crawl the fences. That's usually why steers are better- they aren't looking for love every 3 weeks.

 

[oldstyle244]

Last year was our first try and the person I was buying from only had heifers for sale at the time, so I bought them, I'll probably go with steer this year if he has them

 

[Hpacres440p]

I have half-lowline half Brangus steers, and I do like the slightly smaller steaks-ribeyes are still good sized and well marbled, just 8-10 oz instead of 14-16. Fullblood lowline is a bit small for the butcher market, but as a sire or even a halfblood cow, they work pretty well on small acreage. They have a good REA for overall frame size

 

[simme]

You mentioned "deer corn" as your feed. That makes me think there might be some opportunity to review your feed source and its cost. What kind of grass do you have in the pasture?

 

[kenny thomas]

You mentioned "deer corn" as your feed. That makes me think there might be some opportunity to review your feed source and its cost. What kind of grass do you have in the pasture?

I know a guy that planted deer corn on about 10 acres last year. Then raised a fuss when the Roundup killed it.

 

[simme]

I know a guy that planted deer corn on about 10 acres last year. Then raised a fuss when the Roundup killed it.

Probably won't happen this year since roundup is scarce and so expensive. I know of a couple of guys that got confused on some corn and beans - roundup or liberty or neither. And killed their crops. Think they were both embarrassed.

 

[kenny thomas]

Probably won't happen this year since roundup is scarce and so expensive. I know of a couple of guys that got confused on some corn and beans - roundup or liberty or neither. And killed their crops. Think they were both embarrassed.

This guy collected insurance on his. It was all crooked.

 

[kenny thomas]

I do know a guy that killed 2 acres of sweet corn with roundup. But he knew the second he finished that he had messed up.

 

[oldstyle244]

You mentioned "deer corn" as your feed. That makes me think there might be some opportunity to review your feed source and its cost. What kind of grass do you have in the pasture?

I have a mix of weeds and bermuda. I was finishing them off with bags of deer corn

 

[Rafter S]

If Brangus worked well for you last year I'd stick with it, unless you want lower finished weights, which I doubt you do.

I have a mix of weeds and bermuda. I was finishing them off with bags of deer corn

Go to the local feed store and tell them what you're doing. I expect they can recommend a feed that will work at least as well for less money.

 

[Muletrack]

I've got a small place 11 acres total, about 8 sectioned off for cattle (outside Dallas). Last year was our first attempt at raising any and I think we did ok. I bought 2 Brangus heifers, feed them on grass and some cattle cubes; then finished off with deer corn. Bought them in July at around 600 pounds and took them to the butcher in Dec around 950 pounds. I'd like to get that weight up this year but don't want to put a lot more in feed if I dont have too, so I want to start over in April this year. I have the same connection for Brangus again, but I also have someone pushing Angus and another guy who think I should go Lowline Angus. I've tried to research but I am not sure I am coming up with anything definitive on which way would make the most sense. And maybe that's because there isn't?

Thoughts?

Remember this -- you can feed three 1000 lb. cows for (approximately) what it costs to feed 2 cows that weigh 1500 lbs. Those three calves, even if you get less money for them, will make you more money than 2 bigger calves. We always need to consider pounds of beef produced per acre rather than pounds of beef produced per cow. Your pasture is limited on 11 acres. Try to stay away from big cows. Up here in North Dakota, we really like Angus and Red Angus cows. Buyers here prefer black calves. In Texas, with your heat, red cattle stay cooler. Consider your market always. Best for small operations is to sell directly to the consumer -- not through an auction barn. A quarter (split half) of beef is going to be over 100 lbs. Your customers might not want that much, so smaller may be a lot better for you. Freezer beef lean hamburger is selling for about $4/lb. here. Customers in your area will really go for that! All that to say, I wouldn't be afraid of lowline Angus at all. Dickinson State University of North Dakota has done a lot of work on the merits of the low-line cross. The goal is for your cow to wean off half her body weight in calf.

 

[Muletrack]

Remember this -- you can feed three 1000 lb. cows for (approximately) what it costs to feed 2 cows that weigh 1500 lbs. Those three calves, even if you get less money for them, will make you more money than 2 bigger calves. We always need to consider pounds of beef produced per acre rather than pounds of beef produced per cow. Your pasture is limited on 11 acres. Try to stay away from big cows. Up here in North Dakota, we really like Angus and Red Angus cows. Buyers here prefer black calves. In Texas, with your heat, red cattle stay cooler. Consider your market always. Best for small operations is to sell directly to the consumer -- not through an auction barn. A quarter (split half) of beef is going to be over 100 lbs. Your customers might not want that much, so smaller may be a lot better for you. Freezer beef lean hamburger is selling for about $4/lb. here. Customers in your area will really go for that! All that to say, I wouldn't be afraid of lowline Angus at all. Dickinson State University of North Dakota has done a lot of work on the merits of the low-line cross. The goal is for your cow to wean off half her body weight in calf.

Your biggest profit indicator is not how big your calves are, but how many live calves you wean.

 

[Rafter S]

Remember this -- you can feed three 1000 lb. cows for (approximately) what it costs to feed 2 cows that weigh 1500 lbs. Those three calves, even if you get less money for them, will make you more money than 2 bigger calves. We always need to consider pounds of beef produced per acre rather than pounds of beef produced per cow. Your pasture is limited on 11 acres. Try to stay away from big cows. Up here in North Dakota, we really like Angus and Red Angus cows. Buyers here prefer black calves. In Texas, with your heat, red cattle stay cooler. Consider your market always. Best for small operations is to sell directly to the consumer -- not through an auction barn. A quarter (split half) of beef is going to be over 100 lbs. Your customers might not want that much, so smaller may be a lot better for you. Freezer beef lean hamburger is selling for about $4/lb. here. Customers in your area will really go for that! All that to say, I wouldn't be afraid of lowline Angus at all. Dickinson State University of North Dakota has done a lot of work on the merits of the low-line cross. The goal is for your cow to wean off half her body weight in calf.

I won't argue with any of that, but @oldstyle244 is asking about calves to feed out to butcher, not what kind of mother cows he should get. I will stand by my answer above. If he (or she) had good luck with getting Brangus calves from a trusted source last year there's no reason to change.

 

[Warren Allison]

I have a mix of weeds and bermuda. I was finishing them off with bags of deer corn

Spray your field with 24D to get rid of the weeds in the Bermuda. Deer corn is just whole corn that has been extra cleaned so that is goes through the timed feeders better, and is more expensive than just buying whole corn

 

[Warren Allison]

I've got a small place 11 acres total, about 8 sectioned off for cattle (outside Dallas). Last year was our first attempt at raising any and I think we did ok. I bought 2 Brangus heifers, feed them on grass and some cattle cubes; then finished off with deer corn. Bought them in July at around 600 pounds and took them to the butcher in Dec around 950 pounds. I'd like to get that weight up this year but don't want to put a lot more in feed if I dont have too, so I want to start over in April this year. I have the same connection for Brangus again, but I also have someone pushing Angus and another guy who think I should go Lowline Angus. I've tried to research but I am not sure I am coming up with anything definitive on which way would make the most sense. And maybe that's because there isn't?

Thoughts?

Since you are raising them to eat and not to sell, then red Angus or Hereford or any other non-black commercial cattle will be cheaper to buy, and taste just as good. Don't knopw if there are many around you. but a lot of old-timers say there is no more tender beef than a Jeresy steer. They call them "sweet meat".

 

[Allenw]

Since you are raising them to eat and not to sell, then red Angus or Hereford or any other non-black commercial cattle will be cheaper to buy, and taste just as good. Don't knopw if there are many around you. but a lot of old-timers say there is no more tender beef than a Jeresy steer. They call them "sweet meat".

Peel the hide they all look the same.