Who's breaking even or better?

[gerardplauche]

OK, I'll get I'll be different then... :?

 

[backhoeboogie]

Still have hundreds of rolls of hay from '07 that didn't sell. Fertilizer production costs were the same as if they sold. My red and black pencils were sharpened so many times I am going to have to get new ones.

'07 was a whole wasn't a good year for me. But, I consider the hay to be money in the bank so to speak.

 

[cypressfarms]

Still have hundreds of rolls of hay from '07 that didn't sell. Fertilizer production costs were the same as if they sold. My red and black pencils were sharpened so many times I am going to have to get new ones.

'07 was a whole wasn't a good year for me. But, I consider the hay to be money in the bank so to speak.

Good job Backhoe - that hay is money in the bank. This past year I sold a good bit of the hay that we made with hopes of ryegrass carrying me through more than in the past. Although the money from the sold hay helped, I'm looking slim on hay going into the 2nd week of January.

 

[gerardplauche]

cypressfarms - With the winter we are having down here, spring grass may start growing next week!!! :lol2: :lol2:

 

[Caustic Burno]

cypressfarms - With the winter we are having down here, spring grass may start growing next week!!! :lol2: :lol2:

The way rye grass is jumping here I will be through haying in a couple of weeks.
Mildest winter here in a long time so far.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I think the amazing thing about the thread Mr.Billy started is the lack of responses.
Is it that people don't have a clue to what there atually inputs are?

Or are people starting to loose there shirts in this economy with cattle ?
With higher fuel,fertilizer,feed not to count a land note and with the price of beef down.

 

[dun]

I think the amazing thing about the thread Mr.Billy started is the lack of responses.
Is it that people don't have a clue to what there atually inputs are?

Or are people starting to loose there shirts in this economy with cattle ?
With higher fuel,fertilizer,feed not to count a land note and with the price of beef down.

Or is it that it's nobody's business. Then there are those that wait till the last dog is hung till they work on taxes.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I think the amazing thing about the thread Mr.Billy started is the lack of responses.
Is it that people don't have a clue to what there atually inputs are?

Or are people starting to loose there shirts in this economy with cattle ?
With higher fuel,fertilizer,feed not to count a land note and with the price of beef down.

Or is it that it's nobody's business. Then there are those that wait till the last dog is hung till they work on taxes.

I agree no one want's to say I am loosing my shirt, but there are some real advantages to knowing input cost in different regions. You are in a bad drought area say and you are able to hold your inputs 20 cents a head lower than than me in the same area. The things your doing could actually help someone hold on versus go under.

 

[dun]

I think the amazing thing about the thread Mr.Billy started is the lack of responses.
Is it that people don't have a clue to what there atually inputs are?

Or are people starting to loose there shirts in this economy with cattle ?
With higher fuel,fertilizer,feed not to count a land note and with the price of beef down.

Or is it that it's nobody's business. Then there are those that wait till the last dog is hung till they work on taxes.

I agree no one want's to say I am loosing my shirt, but there are some real advantages to knowing input cost in different regions. You are in a bad drought area say and you are able to hold your inputs 20 cents a head lower than than me in the same area. The things your doing could actually help someone hold on versus go under.

To me it;s the sme cateory as asking how much money I have in the bank or someone asking you how many head you have. I'll tell anyone that wants to know how many head we have but the bank balance and actual money figures is my business alone.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Dun I can see your point.
I agree it is no ones business if you have one cow or 1000.
Input cost are going to be all over the board from region to region, mine should be less than yours due to milder climate. If not I am doing something terribly wrong. But with that said I am also not going to be able to raise the pounds of beef you do in this sauna either.

 

[grannysoo]

Many more factors go into this other than "breaking even or better". If all things were seperated accordingly, I would be making money on the hay operation, loosing money on the cows, and definately loosing money by paying for the farm. Put them all together though, and I'm not coming out too badly.

Paying for the equipment and the farm are the only things that are making me not profitable. The equipment will be paid for this year but the farm goes on for several more. I could sell out today and more than triple my investment of less than 10 years ago.

Nothing that I would change about my situation....

 

[Caustic Burno]

Missing the whole point on input cost or I am totally screwing up what I am trying to get at.
If it takes me 205 days to produce a 500 pound calf at 1.20 a day upkeep on the cow a year and you can produce a 600 pound calf in 205 days at a cost of 1.30 per cow. If both calves for argument sake bring a dollar a pound through the ring.
You turned a profit of 125 dollars a head to my 62 dollars. I can produce the 600 pound calf with brammer influence but take a 10 cent a pound hit if there is to much ear or lap. This calf will net me a profit of 102 dollars 40 dollars over the straight bred.

 

[cypressfarms]

Dun I can see your point.
I agree it is no ones business if you have one cow or 1000.
Input cost are going to be all over the board from region to region, mine should be less than yours due to milder climate. If not I am doing something terribly wrong. But with that said I am also not going to be able to raise the pounds of beef you do in this sauna either.

Caustic, I think Dun has a point. For some reason people feel compelled posting about:

I just bought 100 bred heifers and the first one just had a calf, help! The moma and calf don't get along so it's staying inside with me tonight. What do I do!?

Obviously an exageration, but people don't seem to mind posting details about (what seems obvious) what they don't know except when it comes to the almighty dollar. Start talking about profit/loss and everyone gets quite quick. Perhaps it's the fact that the forum is a public one, and as such people would not want Mr. IRS looking over their shoulder. Money is taboo, in a sense, I guess. Ashamed too, nothing might hit home more than a basic Economics class. If one is not making a profit from cattle, you will eventually have to do something else. It's not like cattle is subsidized like corn or sugar. Whoops, did I just say that?

 

[Caustic Burno]

I guess I went about trying to help in the wrong way.
I was thinking if it cost me 1.20 a day and you 1.10 a day sixty miles away I need to talk with Cypress and start comparing apples to apples.
I fear the next few years are fixing to get real ugly.

 

[dun]

I fear the next few years are fixing to get real ugly.

We may not agree on much, but this I go along with 100%

 

[ND Angus]

I haven't really put the pencil to the paper yet for '07 but I do know we made money. '07 was way better than 06 . 06 no rain = little hay and pasture. In 07 our pastures and hay were outstanding ! and it showed in the calves. We were also able to retain most of our heifers and latched onto 600 more acres of pasture only a mile from the house . Even though the cattle prices were down a little, the calves weighed more and things are good here.

 

[kscowboy]

We have a small ranch cattle / horse property , 150 acres , investment ground , and have about 20 steers and a horse boarding operation. While we sell freezer beef and will make a bit of cash off these cattle I can't say were making what we should given the time investment necessary. If we were selling back at auction we'd probably lose our rear. We haven't done anything extravagant and watch costs closely but I would be scared as heck to depend on these for a living. The net benefit is that the animals pay the mortgage and costs as the ground accelerates in value without the costs coming out of pocket. My hats off to you folks who can make a living off it year to year. :tiphat:

 

[Bluestem]

We are doing ok. Spending this new year going over every little detail. Kind of like a tune-up. We've decided to expand the whole operation. More chickens, more vegetables etc. Trying to tie each operation together so they support one another. For instance, earthworm beds produce fertilizer and food for the chickens, vegetables produce food for the chickens and earthworms. Cattle produce compost for the worms. Of course we sell any extra direct to the consumer.We are trying to eliminate as many outside inputs as possible. In the past it was more economical to purchase these inputs, but with the cost of oil going up, we are finding that some inputs are cheaper produced at home.
The only thing not going up is the hours in a day.

 

[gerardplauche]

Good luck to you Bluestream. That is first time I heard someone say they were actively expanding in all areas. Usually people say they are cutting back in one area to expand in a more profitable one. Sounds like you have a plan to make it all work. Hope you are successful at it in 2008.

 

[backhoeboogie]

I can produce the 600 pound calf with brammer influence but take a 10 cent a pound hit if there is to much ear or lap. This calf will net me a profit of 102 dollars 40 dollars over the straight bred.

CB this is where it all gets confusing for me. No doubt you take a hit for steers, we have all watched it at the sale barn, but that is only half of the calf crop. The other half is heifers. Angus heifers and cows weren't bringing diddly squat at the sale barns around here last year - especially in the spring, right after the previous year's drought. Cows and heifers with ear were bringing a premium. Much more than a 10 cent a pound delta. Seems you'd be way ahead overall with ear. I admit I only sat through about 40 sales last year (I can do that with my grandson). But it was consistent locally.

Edit: BTW I am not confused about weight. Eared cattle can take the heat and nurse calves all through the summer. My mild climate cattle have to calve in the fall or else the calves are going to wean extremely light.