To those with cattle

[BWSLT]

How in the world do you guys make profit? Seems to me that it's a ton of work in order to break even (for the average part-time operation). What am I missing? I have 70 acres of my property that is native pasture, and I was thinking about adding some cows until I saw some different ag extension data on profit per head.

 

[LHF2019]

Sell yourself and set your price. It also comes down to how you feed them and so much more. Your question indicates you may not be well versed in cattle. It is one of those you have to love doing it because there is no money.

 

[Snobdds]

The only profitable cattle people I'm observed have good land, and a lot of it. A mixture of both meadows and dry land.

It's an economies of scale proposition. Hobby ranchers don't make it.

 

[Rockbadchild]

The only profitable cattle people I'm observed have good land, and a lot of it. A mixture of both meadows and dry land.

It's an economies of scale proposition. Hobby ranchers don't make it.

dry land ? can you explain the difference between meadow vs dry land ?

 

[mo1]

How in the world do you guys make profit? Seems to me that it's a ton of work in order to break even (for the average part-time operation). What am I missing? I have 70 acres of my property that is native pasture, and I was thinking about adding some cows until I saw some different ag extension data on profit per head.

The ones who make money around here generally are ranchers who inherited thousands of acres of pasture ground which was already fenced, already had waterers, and already had buildings. They generally run cow-calf operations and try to keep input costs as low as possible. Some of them even go so far as to use stockpiled fescue over the winter so they don't make a single bale of hay. If they run out of hay, they try to buy hay, and if they can't buy hay, they sell off some cattle. Any equipment they do have is pretty well used, most of the tractors are from the late 1960s through about 1990.

 

[Snobdds]

dry land ? can you explain the difference between meadow vs dry land ?

Land that is not irrigated to allow cattle a place to summer over where they don't get in the way of producing hay for the winter. Meadows is an irrigated pasture where it needs the summer to grow good grass that can then be cut for the winter. Most time we don't do the final cutting and leave it long so the cattle can forage during the winter. In the spring we drag the meadows to break up the poop and let the grass grow again.

Some may call it summer range and winter range.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Land that is not irrigated to allow cattle a place to summer over where they don't get in the way of producing hay for the winter. Meadows is an irrigated pasture where it needs the summer to grow good grass that can then be cut for the winter. Most time we don't do the final cutting and leave it long so the cattle can forage during the winter. In the spring we drag the meadows to break up the poop and let the grass grow again.

Some may call it summer range and winter range.

thanks for the explanation ... and a irrigated pasture is one with sub terrane drainage ? or is a land that has been moldboard plow in such matter to irrigate itself via slope and ditches qualified as an irrigate pasture ?

 

[Snobdds]

thanks for the explanation ... and a irrigated pasture is one with sub terrane drainage ? or is a land that has been moldboard plow in such matter to irrigate itself via slope and ditches qualified as an irrigate pasture ?

We just use ditches that run on the high side of the meadow and let gravity do the hard work.

Meadow with irrigation



Meadow with no irrigation

 

[m1garand762]

I have found that rich people are willing to pay more for something local. I get really good money for cows pigs and turkeys and chickens having my wife spread the word at the hospital she works at. The doctors and top brass over pay compared to what I would be willing to pay for local meat.

 

[ddgood]

We run cattle (about 35-40 cow/calf pairs) on 300 acres of family land that 50/50 pasture and woods about 100 miles west of you. Main goal of our operation is to maintain property ag exemption/pay taxes and upkeep/ maintenance of the jointly owned land. A relative who lives next to the property looks after the place and cattle. He is given compensation for his daily efforts and the others pitch in when there is a lot of work (working cattle, building fence/corral, etc) to be done. Typical profit before compensation is between $25 - $40/acre on that 150 acres of pasture land. Better herd and grass management practices would increase those number quite a bit but we are happy with that considering the level of effort.

In Nacogdoches I would probably just get a timber management plan, plant pines and let the next generation deal with it.

Here are some of our Frenchy's, we had our RV up that weekend and the were intrigued to say the least by the generator.