Any cattlemen on the board?
- Thread starter BKCBully
- Start date
There are numerous facets when you want to be a cattleman.
I was raised on a farm with roughly 50-75 adult cows. Year-to-year, it can be a wonderful year...next year, the market will be 1/3 the money from last year. A drought in the west can make those cattlemen flood the market, which drives down the market where you are.
Get good animals... the right breed, brood cows, and buy a very good bull.
Don't forget the land you buy, it does make a difference. Don't ignore the grass.
I'm stopping with this... My father always said, "If it has four legs and it eats, you'll have trouble." ... Oh, most people don't know, if a bovine lies down with it's legs uphill, it will die right there. They can't turn over.
I was raised on a farm with roughly 50-75 adult cows. Year-to-year, it can be a wonderful year...next year, the market will be 1/3 the money from last year. A drought in the west can make those cattlemen flood the market, which drives down the market where you are.
Get good animals... the right breed, brood cows, and buy a very good bull.
Don't forget the land you buy, it does make a difference. Don't ignore the grass.
I'm stopping with this... My father always said, "If it has four legs and it eats, you'll have trouble." ... Oh, most people don't know, if a bovine lies down with it's legs uphill, it will die right there. They can't turn over.
Minimum 100 to 200 and 500 plus acres of land. Know how to do your own minor veterinary work or you will pay out all your profit. Buy the best bull you can afford as that is half your genetics. Pray everyday. Agriculture is now almost exclusively done by corporations and not mom and pop. In 1970, there were over 1200 dairies in the state. Now less than 100. Outside of raising crops, mom and pop operations are dying.
Having said that, follow your dream. No one ever looked back and said I'm glad I didnt try.
Having said that, follow your dream. No one ever looked back and said I'm glad I didnt try.
One of my grandads always ran a few cows. He made money at it but it was never his primary source of income, not even close. He just enjoyed it. It cost me 3-4-5 Saturdays a summer hauling square bale hay growing up. He always paid us, even the grandkids, but that was just miserable, lol. Good times. I'd love to go back.
Would take approx 150 head with approx 250-300 acres of forage land.
Always remember you grow grass/forage and use cattle as a means to harvest the forage. You must devote most of you energy on maintaining forage.
Cows are a necessary evil.
I had approx 75 head until an accident took me out of commission for a year plus. (Yes injury occurred 17'ing with the cattle). Sold every head (no choice) and then could not figure out when I had I had made the time to maintain that large a heard...have regular hours with an occupation.
But I will probably return to losing money with cows when I retire....until I can't afford them.
If you start out small and grow you will learn all the ups and downs.
Always remember you grow grass/forage and use cattle as a means to harvest the forage. You must devote most of you energy on maintaining forage.
Cows are a necessary evil.
I had approx 75 head until an accident took me out of commission for a year plus. (Yes injury occurred 17'ing with the cattle). Sold every head (no choice) and then could not figure out when I had I had made the time to maintain that large a heard...have regular hours with an occupation.
But I will probably return to losing money with cows when I retire....until I can't afford them.
If you start out small and grow you will learn all the ups and downs.
This is true. BUT- more and more people are starting to buy locally grown beef. I’m one of them. I was raised on a farm and we never purchased any pork nor beef from the store. Years later everything I bought came from the store once I graduated college and I started my career (family had all died off and no one went into farming). Just in the last three months, I’ve resorted to buying local beef again. I split it with another person and it feeds my family for the year. More people are going to this, even those that never did it before. so there is a small resurgence so to speak. It’s catching on with people Who have never even considered buying beef from anywhere but a store. I know just from me sharing this myself, I can name six people that have started doing the same thing just in the last few months. And most likely I’ll do it again I’ll buy from the same cattle farmer when I do.
Some do but some hire out a butcher. I have a friend who did it himself for a little while but it’s a lot of work so he has someone come in and butcher for him.
It’s hired out. He said he’d suggest one or I could use my own. We Just happened to have the same one in mind. It’s the same one my family used when I was a kid. He Just delivers the cow and then his part is done.
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My dad had cattle. There was a running joke he and his friends used to tell about an old man who had cattle and oil was found on his land. Everyone asked him what he was going to do with his newly found wealth. The old rancher replied, "well, I guess I'll just keep raisin" cows 'til the money runs out".
I've raised cattle all my life. I wouldn't ever say my family and I could have made a living just off of cattle, but it's a good tax write off, and you can make a little money off of them once you have a good established herd. We've always had about 30 head.
So many people are doing this
The processors/butchers are getting backed up. I know of one outside of Memphis and one near Corinth that I’ve been told have a several month wait list. Cattle is selling for the record lows while beef is at record highs in the grocery store. This is why a lot of ranchers are looking for other outlets to sell and buyers are trying to bypass the grocery.
The processors/butchers are getting backed up. I know of one outside of Memphis and one near Corinth that I’ve been told have a several month wait list. Cattle is selling for the record lows while beef is at record highs in the grocery store. This is why a lot of ranchers are looking for other outlets to sell and buyers are trying to bypass the grocery.
I’ve always thought about doing this in retirement. I doubt I will, but it interests me. I’ve enjoyed learning about regenerative ag, intensive grazing the last few years.
All I know is you're going to need some donkeys too.
Corrected mules to donkeys as stated below.
Corrected mules to donkeys as stated below.
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Donkeys. They keep the coyotes away and they aren’t afraid of them and they kick the **** out of them.
Hinds community college in Raymond will butcher a cow for free. They have college courses on butchering and need actual cows for hands on training.
To paraphrase a farming joke: A cattleman goes to see his banker. The banker says “How’d it go this year?” The cattleman says “I’ve got good news and bad news.”
The banker asks for the bad news, and the cattleman tells him that he lost everything.
The banker asks for the good news and the cattleman says “I’ve decided to stick with you one more year!”
Find a good banker.
The banker asks for the bad news, and the cattleman tells him that he lost everything.
The banker asks for the good news and the cattleman says “I’ve decided to stick with you one more year!”
Find a good banker.