True Grit Farms said:
JMJ Farms said:
$677 for a 530lb steer is $1.27/lb. takes a good one to do that here right now. Heifers are back another .20 cents. 3 weight steers in the $1.50s.
Been some big runs of cattle here the last few weeks.
That's terrible, but I see folks are fencing in places a putting out cows instead of replanting trees. We need to get together and send a load or two out west. Should of stuck with it the last time prices went to crap.
Well Vince I'm just gonna lay it out there like it is. I thoroughly enjoy my cows. I make a little money with them. BUT, in our part of the world, pine trees are a better investment than cows. It's long term. But it's way better. 10 years in CRP, then straw, then cut the wood.
The only reason I don't have pine trees is because of holding power. You've got to buy the land, pay the taxes, plant or grow the trees, etc and do most of the collecting years later. My dad has done real well and accumulated a fairly substantial amount of land doing this. But he had the money, from his "real job", to use which gave him the holding power that I don't have. He bought a tract in 2008 that he is clear cutting right now and it's gonna pay for the land, replanting, and also turn a profit. But my finances wouldn't have allowed me to service the purchase and holding costs without any income. Long gone, it seems, are the days where you could buy a tract of land and immediately cut the timber and pay for the land. If only I could take what I know now and jump back in time 20 years huh?
Those people, IN GEORGIA, that are cleaning up land, putting up fences, and buying cows are backing up from a ROI standpoint. But if a person has the money to do it, then it's that persons decision on how he/she wants to spend it. I've definitely been guilty of it myself. I tell folks that cows are a worse money pit than drug addiction. I don't lose any money. But they're more like a savings account than an investment. Again, IN MIDDLE GEORGIA.
As far as sending some out West.... I sure think it will work if done right. Buy em, get them on feed and vaccinated, do any necessary culling, and then send a pot load to OKC. Or somewhere similar. But I just never have been able to take that leap of faith. And I'd also have to do a little work on my facilities and what not to make the process a little smoother. But I haven't ruled it out. Sell me on the idea. I've thrown away money on way worse I'm sure!
