Woulda shoulda coulda..

[laek]

As someone starting to grow a beef herd, is there anything that you wish that you new before starting? Knowledge, hidden costs/expenses, appropriate operation for your situation, realistic goals?

I'm asking because I'm trying to find a realistic direction and meet my goals in a way that is profitable or at least won't bankrupt me in the beginning haha and efficient. I know profitability doesn't happen overnight.

Currently have a second calf mama w/heifer calf, mama is pb Hereford and her calf is an F1 char cross and three steers. Of course we need more moms to breed gonna go the ai route. We have a small pasture about 2acre that will be expanded to 12acres in the spring. A small barn and chute. We also access go more acreage about a half hour away.

If anyone has advice or knowledge they'd like to share that would be great!

 

[daneg]

 

[SBMF 2015]

Keep it simple and be diligent.
Develop a good relationship with your veterinarian.
A. I. is great, but starting out, I would talk to some neighbors or your vet and see if they know of a reputable place you could rent a bull.

Just hang in there and stay determined. If you're in the cattle business long enough you'll have a train wreck. You'll swear sometimes they look for ways to die.
You have to have a passion for it, the profit comes in time.

 

[TCRanch]

Not knowing where you're located, I would suggest a local mentor because they're familiar with the market, vaccines appropriate for your area, forages, minerals, etc. Is there a neighbor that would be willing to share some knowledge? Is there an extension office that can provide a wealth of information?

Another suggestion is to frequent the nearest sale barn. Watch what's going through the ring. Talk to the buyers and employees and ask a lot of questions.

Have you established a relationship with a vet? Or someone that can help you during calving, emergencies, other health issues? Because realistically, if you have cattle, at some point in time there will be a problem.

 

[Brute 23]

Learn to make money on 3 before you buy 5.

 

[blackladies]

Knowing when to bring an old worn out cow to the sale barn and get what you can out of her, instead of trying to squeeze one more calf out of her would be something that I needed to hear. Bought a bunch of $500 cows in their 3rd period and got live calves out of all of them, but they should have been one and done. Had a relative with a big operation with me at the sale barn and something like that is fine for someone that is experienced but didn't realize it was time for a couple of them to go when they started having trouble till it was to late.

 

[laek]

Not knowing where you're located, I would suggest a local mentor because they're familiar with the market, vaccines appropriate for your area, forages, minerals, etc. Is there a neighbor that would be willing to share some knowledge? Is there an extension office that can provide a wealth of information?

Another suggestion is to frequent the nearest sale barn. Watch what's going through the ring. Talk to the buyers and employees and ask a lot of questions.

Have you established a relationship with a vet? Or someone that can help you during calving, emergencies, other health issues? Because realistically, if you have cattle, at some point in time there will be a problem.

I live in south eastern Ontario. Ya I've got a couple local guys that I chat with about cattle not sure I'd call them mentors though. What do you mean by extension office?
You're right about frequenting the sale barn to see what's selling for sure and
yes we have a great vet that we've used in the past. I just had to call her in not long ago unfortunately.

 

[TCRanch]

I live in south eastern Ontario. Ya I've got a couple local guys that I chat with about cattle not sure I'd call them mentors though. What do you mean by extension office?
You're right about frequenting the sale barn to see what's selling for sure and
yes we have a great vet that we've used in the past. I just had to call her in not long ago unfortunately.

Ahhh, see, location is everything. Most of the universities in the US that offer Agricultural studies have Extension Offices. Where I live, Kansas State University has an extension office in my town, as well as other locations throughout the state. The Extension Office hosts Ag/Livestock classes, information on forages, testing your hay, calving classes, forums on vaccines, etc. It's a great resource.

 

[laek]

Ahhh, see, location is everything. Most of the universities in the US that offer Agricultural studies have Extension Offices. Where I live, Kansas State University has an extension office in my town, as well as other locations throughout the state. The Extension Office hosts Ag/Livestock classes, information on forages, testing your hay, calving classes, forums on vaccines, etc. It's a great resource.

Nice, that's a great for sure!

 

[Lee VanRoss]

In no particular order
Believe you can. (Make room for Divine assistance!)
It's ok to change your mind just remember your word is your bond.
Involve your family in the dream.
Goals and traditions have their place. Make room for both.
Your reputation will drag along behind you but you can be assured
notoriety will race ahead of you.
AND never talk with your hands in a sale barn!

 

[laek]

In no particular order
Believe you can. (Make room for Divine assistance!)
It's ok to change your mind just remember your word is your bond.
Involve your family in the dream.
Goals and traditions have their place. Make room for both.
Your reputation will drag along behind you but you can be assured
notoriety will race ahead of you.
AND never talk with your hands in a sale barn!

Awesome advice!!

 

[Little Joe]

To be honest, with no more acreage than you have to work with, I would probably look more at buying good healthy steers every year to run on grass and sell before the grass plays out. Or maybe take those steers all the way to finish and direct sell beef. I tried early on when I had smaller acreage to run cow/calf but just wasn't feasible. Good healthy steers are pretty easy to deal with, they are like teenage boys with no hormones. As long as they have plenty to eat they are content. Another option would be to buy a few quality, matching heifers, AI them to a good LBW bull and sell before calving as heavy breds, repeat again, finish out and direct sell beef from any that don't take. With a small acreage trying to do cow/calf made me very frustrated, one calf loss is huge if you only have 5 cows, having to cull one cow is also a big deal with only a few cows.

 

[ClinchValley86]

#1 Pigtail posts and polywire are your best friend, especially on limited acreage.

#2 A mentor is everything. I've been fortunate to have a handful of producers that really enjoy sharing that have steered me in what I consider the right direction.

#3**** Get into direct beef sales. With limited acreage, for me, the cow calf thing is costing us money, while beefs sales are carrying the cow calf herd and paying the farm bills. Find someone that produces the animals you're looking for and buy calves off them directly. Take them to finish. Can run a couple head of growing steers compared to 1 cow and her calf.

#4 Sale Barns... learn these animals as best you can. Gotta be able to rank them withing a couple seconds. The process in the barn is real fast. I'm not very good at it. I don't bid on the ones I should have while bidding on those that I shouldn't. An experience salebarner would be good to befriend. Best if you can avoid the sale barn altogether and buy directly off a nearby producer... you know exactly what you're getting.

 

[laek]

To be honest, with no more acreage than you have to work with, I would probably look more at buying good healthy steers every year to run on grass and sell before the grass plays out. Or maybe take those steers all the way to finish and direct sell beef. I tried early on when I had smaller acreage to run cow/calf but just wasn't feasible. Good healthy steers are pretty easy to deal with, they are like teenage boys with no hormones. As long as they have plenty to eat they are content. Another option would be to buy a few quality, matching heifers, AI them to a good LBW bull and sell before calving as heavy breds, repeat again, finish out and direct sell beef from any that don't take. With a small acreage trying to do cow/calf made me very frustrated, one calf loss is huge if you only have 5 cows, having to cull one cow is also a big deal with only a few cows.

So we've been talking which direction we're going. I think with our setup the plan is to keep it small but still go for a cow calf. Plant our 12 acres to grass in the spring shoot for about five to six mamas. We'd breed in may-June, get February-March calves. Ween in the winter, all calves can be weened and wintered in the barn on hay, steers can be finished in the summer to direct sell beef and heifers kept or sold or beef.
Using the barn to ween I figured would be smart because we don't much cover from the elements (and it'd be hard to get enough space between the moms and calves) where we live no windbreak or lean-to yet. So we'd use what is available to us at this point.

 

[Son of Butch]

Knowing when to bring an old worn out cow to the sale barn and get what you can out of her, instead of trying to squeeze one more calf out of her would be something that I needed to hear. Bought a bunch of $500 cows in their 3rd period and got live calves out of all of them, but they should have been one and done. Had a relative with a big operation with me at the sale barn and something like that is fine for someone that is experienced but didn't realize it was time for a couple of them to go when they started having trouble till it was to late.

Good judgment comes from experience and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
- Will Rogers-
Experience is one thing you can't get for free.

 

[Warren Allison]

So we've been talking which direction we're going. I think with our setup the plan is to keep it small but still go for a cow calf. Plant our 12 acres to grass in the spring shoot for about five to six mamas. We'd breed in may-June, get February-March calves. Ween in the winter, all calves can be weened and wintered in the barn on hay, steers can be finished in the summer to direct sell beef and heifers kept or sold or beef.
Using the barn to ween I figured would be smart because we don't much cover from the elements (and it'd be hard to get enough space between the moms and calves) where we live no windbreak or lean-to yet. So we'd use what is available to us at this point.

You won't be weaning in winter, you will be weaning in August-Sept.

 

[laek]

You won't be weaning in winter, you will be weaning in August-Sept.

I was thinking weaning at 6-8 months which I guess would be sept October. But is there any harm in keeping them on mom longer? The mom needs to be dried off a minimum of three before calving right?

 

[SBMF 2015]

I was thinking weaning at 6-8 months which I guess would be sept October. But is there any harm in keeping them on mom longer? The mom needs to be dried off a minimum of three before calving right?

It just takes more feed to get the cows back in condition to survive winter and remember from the time she gets bred as a heifer, a cow is never eating just for herself. She is either raising a calf, in gestation or both.

 

[Ouachita]

Soil test and subsequent soil nutrient management. It all starts there. I didn't have a clue. Took me a few years.

Foster a relationship with your local ag extension office. They have more resources than I could imagine, and held my hand through the beginning of my enlightenment.

 

[laek]

It just takes more feed to get the cows back in condition to survive winter and remember from the time she gets bred as a heifer, a cow is never eating just for herself. She is either raising a calf, in gestation or both.

Right yes that is a very good point, thank you. So a sixish month weaning date probably the way to go? I can adjust breeding dates accordingly. I was just thinking that the longer the calves are on their moms less feed I'm paying for, but you're right that's asking a lot out of the mamas.