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Farm Advice

K

knightstead

Member
I have a 6 acre field that I"m thinking of putting some cattle on and would appreciate any input. The field has great fencing and a nice sized pond. I"ll be moving out to the farm for 4 months this summer and think it would be nice to have a few cows. I have very limited experience working cattle, but always love learning new things. I"m thinking of keeping them for 6 months or so, buy late spring and sell them in the fall. I currently live an hour away. Would checking them only on weekends for 2 months be out of the question? Would all calves be my best option? My dad grew up with cattle and thinks of crazy for wanting to try this. Also, I am a college student working with limited funds, I"d like to keep this under $2,000 if possible. Thanks for any help.
 
$2000.00 will only buy you about 6 lightweight calves (300 lbs approx). Doubt if you could find any old, pregnant cows for that price. Holstein steers or heifers might be a possibility. If you are there only 4 months out of the 6 months you want to keep them, are there any close neighbors that would keep an eye out for them, like letting you know if they get out of their pasture? If so, this might work out, otherwise, could be in for some headaches or could lose some money on this if they died or were stolen when you were not there.
 
Listen to your father,but make your own decicion.Draw on his vast knoledge and experience.2@00 isnt a lot of money.and you'll no doubt learn a lot!Find a good neighbor,and get the nane of the local vet.I wish I'd have started a cow heard when I was your age.Go for it
 
My aunts house backs up to the pasture so she would easily be able to look out her back window and check that they are all there. I have other relatives directly across that street, that i could ask to check on them a time or two a week. With 5 or 6 calves would I be able to turn much profit in six months? I'm not planning on getting rich farming, that's why I'm at college. But a little extra cash would be nice.
 
There's so many things that can go wrong when you're not around that it boggles the mind. Cattle have nothing but time on their hands (or hoofs),if they have a reason to keep pushing or testing a fence,even if you ARE there,once you walk away,they'll be right back trying it again.
Drunk drivers going through fences,predators getting them running,storms taking tree limbs down on fences,illness,what about feeding them if drought dries up the pasture?
Having cattle just doesn't make a good long distance relationship. I think you stand a real goos chance of p!ssing off some maybe otherwise good neighbors if they have to intervene too often.
 
Sounds to me that you just want to finish them.You should be able to get maybe 3 head at 700 lbs.depending on where you live.Do you have someone who can give them hay and grain everyday when you are not there?

Vito
 
many variables here,But first what kind of grass?you could hold@ two cows year round on six acres of REALLY good grass,BUT best bet for you,(in my opinion)and the way most folks get started,buy two "Old" cows 10+ or even older that have been bred back.let them fatten on good grass,have a calf and sell as a pair.Many reasons for doing this,,First is they need very little care.Second they wont have calving problems in most cases.Third they will take care of calves.And fourth they will generally stay in.(any cow will walk through the fence if they want to)Do not try to hold them over winter,you"ll likely get in a bind on feed,if you cant feed them every day,or at least check them during winter.Another thing is water,if you cant break ice on your pond,they will try to walk out on ice and break through.Unless you have one lay down and die on you,you can make a little money doing this..you could make even more though,like your dad says,by renting you place out to someone with horses!!!
 
6 acres is not much pasture. Depending on the pasture quality and your climate, you may have hard time supporting more than one brood cow, which is good because that's all $2000 could buy anyway :)

So yeah, calves are really your only option. As long as your fences are good and you don't let the pasture get too short, you should be OK. Make sure to vaccinate them, especially the 7-way blackleg nnalert.

Also, have a supply of hay lined up (and money to buy it) just in case of drought or if you overstock the pasture.

I would buy dairy calves because you'll have less invested.

Finally, you're going to have to figure out how to catch them. You might want to ask around to find someone who can haul them and who also has a portable corral (or a bunch of gates) they can set up.

PS don't plan turning a profit.
 
Im not sure that I can depend on anyone to feed them everyday unless my uncle and I go into this together. He has expressed some interest in splitting everything 50/50 and him checking and feeding during the week if necessary. And yes I am aware that many on here will warn me never to go into a partnership.
 
Grass is a mixture of fescue, red top, timothy, clover, and a little lespedeza. Field has been baled the last five years, producing 20-25 1000lb bales (total of two cuttings). That hay is worthless to me, since the neighbor that bales it keeps it. I have 20 more acres of hay fields, so providing hay wont be a problem. I also do have round pen pannels left here that I could use to round calves up and a friend willing to haul calves only for gas money.
 
Don"t buy them unless you know how you"re going to sell them. It"s good that you don"t want to make much money because you probably won"t make any. I buy two steers every year for four acres of pasture. No hay but a little grain to keep them coming to the barn. I break even but I don"t count my time. It"s a hobby that fills the freezer.
 
my advice,forget calves,too many variables.especially if neighbors have cattle.a couple of old cows will generally stay.rule of thumb the smaller the acerage is the harder cattle are to hold.Another idea,if you really wanted to work hard,bottle feed some calves in the four months your home.
 
Around here in cow country, you would not make much money. We have some of the larger operators who have purchased dairy calves to feed out. They say they have never lost so money so fast. If you are buying them to put in the freezer that may be the way to go, just remember a grass fed steer will not produce a good steak. You will have to put some grain into him to produce a premium piece of meat.
 
Doubtful. The more they weigh,the less they bring per pound. Just doesn't sound right does it?
 
You said, "I currently live an hour away. Would checking them only on weekends for 2 months be out of the question?"

A lot can go wrong in a week. A one hour drive is a two hour round trip, mebbe in the middle of the night, if an emergency comes up.

An arrangement with your uncle, if he's nearby, would be my recommendation.

I often worked a couple hours from home, and it's a hassle to get a call that someone has driven thru the fence or a tree blew down on it or a cow was down or ? ? ?

Luckily, my wife is a farm gal and there wasn't much she couldn't handle 'til I got home.

Good luck with your endeavor,
Paul
 
you could get 3 500 pounders and do a little cross fencing so they could have fresh pasture every couple of weeks.
Over the summer you can market your cattle as "grass fed" and thus worth 5 dollars a pound even as hamburger and make a few bucks if you butcher them late fall.

Or you could grass em for a while then pour the grain to em and hope the fat cattle market is still paying good...

If you aren't going to be there and you have no firm commitment that anyone else will be there calves are out
 
I might consider borrowing a few head from a neighbor the first year. Someone who drives by regularly to check on them.
 
knight,

At the risk of sounding like some wild-eyed PETA fanatic, I would say that it would be very wrong to turn animals into an enclosed area without someone checking on them regularly.

In addition to all of the economic reasons not to do that, I just think it would unconscionable to leave any animal unattended for weeks at a time. Water - feed - injuries - thefts - sickness and more are things that need attention.

Yah, yah, cows on range for months at a time, and all of that stuff --- it still seems wrong to me.

Light the flamethrowers.

Tom in TN
 
Why not go into it with your uncle? Sounds good to me, although I don't know your family relationship. There are very very few farmers not in partnership with family. You should do this for the experience and to possibly be more seriously involved in cattle farming after college. Money making shouldn't be the point, I understand you don't want to lose any though. This is a way to get involved on a small scale and learn.
 
Checking on the cattle doesn't mean looking out the window to see if they're still there. If you want to have cattle, or any other livestock, you have to be there full time. It doesn't mean you can't go to another job during day but you can't just leave them for days or month's on end and "hope" there will be no problems. If you have limited funds and limited experience with cattle, you should look for another way to earn some extra money. Listen to your dad! Dave
 
I'm not simply wanting to do this to make money. I'll be working as an apprentice lineman fulltime and want to have some cattle as a hobby and learning experience. I never said that I would be leaving them for weeks, or months. I would be there to check on them for three days a week for the two or so months I wont be living there. And yes I do realize that this is not ideal, but I stated that I have several relatives I can trust and also some great neighbors. I hope this doesn't come across as me being angry, thanks, dan.
 
Looks like I'm in the minority.........I see absolutely nothing wrong with what you're proposing; adequate feed/water/fencing (they'll also need vaccinations/salt/minerals/fly control), nearby relatives as an emergency backup. I was in the cattle business (not a hobby) for 47 years; saw them every day or every other day in the Winter when they were on feed, but for the rest of the year, almost never saw them more than once a week. You're not gonna get rich.........
 
You say you have limited funds. I dont see how you could come out ahead on this. 6 acres just isnt enough to run many cows or calves even just through the summer. Its hard for folks that are in the buisness full time to turn a profit. If you figure the cost of fuel that it is going to take to run back and forth then I dont see how this wont cost you money. Your Aunt can look out the window and check em but can she tell if one is sick? When one gets out during the week who is going to get it back in? Problems never happen at an opportune time when it comes to cattle.
I know where you are coming from and hate to be negative about it but your Dad is probably looking out for your best interest and right in this situation. Good luck whatever you decide.
 
I go with feeders, either steers or heifers. Heifers will have a lower gain but you have the opportunity to develop replacement females for someone.

I'm not going to be a nay sayer. You want cows, and its unlikely to cost you too much money for this experiecne. Even a total washout and you loose them all to shipping fever puts your total gamble at what you've invested plus the vet bills.

Just make sure you have liability insurance in place. The best fence in the word wont stop a spooked critter from getting out. If someone has an accident they can garnish anything you ever earn until its paid. That, to me, is your only open ended risk.

You might do quite well, and might not. Most likely, with these small numbers you will lose a little but not enought to break the bank. Over ten years, feeding 20 head, I was averaging making 11 bucks per head per year. Thats why I quit doing it, not enough profit potential for the aggervation.
 
You're going to spend a fortune on gas driving back and forth and you might be pretty tired from working full time. You don't come across angry. You come across like it's what you're going to do despite what anyone says to the contrary. I think you should worry more about your career and a hobby like having a few cows, should come later on if you still want to do it. I know some cattle farmers that looked after another guys cattle(about 10) for the winter. The other guy has three sons but none of them wanted to look after their own cattle. The people I knew finally got tired of looking after other cattle than their own and told the other guy to find someone else. You shouldn't rely on your relatives or the neighbors to look after your hobby. They might be busy with their own stuff. Dave
 
Be careful not to get wild cows. The ones that stand there in the far corner with their heads up aren't going to be very easy to keep in the pasture. And they won't be easy to get into the trailer when their pasture time is over.

What's it going to be like to corral them to get them in the trailer at the end of the summer? Is there a building somewhere that you can run them into for loading? Good well trained tame old bossies can be led just about anywhere with a pail of corn.Jim
 
As previously stated. Feed and water the cattle inside a combination corral/loading dock/chute. Put a fly oiler on the doorway so they learn to use it.
Have a radio playing so they get used to voices.
Personally I would wait a few years and accumulate some more $$$ before venturing in.
 
Looks like you're getting some good advice. I'll throw in my 2 cents with a question.
It doesn't matter how good the fences are they wil get out some time and if you're not there every day fooling with them they will be wary of you.
What you going to do when the call comes at 2:00 AM "Your cows are out and on the road."?
 
You can start producing a little income by selling that hay you are giving away. Your share should be about Six tons. About 350.00 worth.
Draw up a new contract with the guy who has been getting it free. Either he leave 40% there or he pays you so much per bale for 40%.
I don't think bred cows is a goos place to start. Calving and feeding calves is step 4.
Feeding about three 700 lb steers would be the least risk. And that's about your price range, about 2500 current prices. 1400 lb fat cattle going for about 1.10 now.
 
Yes I do have a building in the field that I could run them into for loading. I'm sure that loading would still be tricky though.
 
I do see many of your points and will have to agree that you are right on about me being hard headed. I am leaning towards waiting off on this ordeal after all the replies I've received. I'm just looking for some ways to turn the old farm into something that provides some income, besides the hay, no matter how small. I do have a 135 and share your enthusiasm for the tractor. Sure beats that TO30.
 
I guess I wasn't very clear about the hay arrangement we have, I dont give it all away. Neighbor does all the work and bales 400 squares for us to sell and he round bales and keeps the rest. Last year he ended up with 115 rounds off our place. I still feel like I'm getting the short end on this deal. I'd like to get my own equipment for baling, but I know that's not in the near future.
 
Had a friend who was a retired business owner who wanted some cows to look at from his front porch. He bought about 25 black angus cows and a nice bull. Bull went over woven wire and barbed wire fence after about a month into the neighbors pasture to be with his cows. Tore up his tool going over the fence. A little while later all got the pinkeye and bull went blind in one eye. Turned dry and had to feed winter hay early. Lasted two years and he sold everything. Rent out your field. DH
 
6 acres isn't a farm. Maybe you could till it up or have someone else till it and turn it into a market garden where people rent a plot to grow vegetables and stuff. They do all the work and pay you to rent the land. In the fall, you just till it up again. Dave
 
Don't mean to throw cold water on your plans, but with your present level of production you are producing only about two tons of hay per acre in two cuttings. Thats not a very high level of production, so you could support two maybe three cows at best.
Buying in the spring and selling in the fall, you will be buying when prices are normally at the top, and selling when they are the cheapest. Thats not the best way to make a profit.
I sold my cows last week after raising cattle for nearly fifty years, so I have had some experience in the business. Joe
 
I have 50 acres not 6, 6 is only one field and it"s the one with the best fence. I"m well aware that 50 is not alot, but its what I have. The place used to be over 1200 acres but has been downsizing since homesteaded by my great-great-great-grandfather in 1858. Sorry if it doensn"t meet peoples definition of a real "farm".
 
Yeah chill out. Why bash a young guy wanting cattle. "6 acres isn"t a farm" COOL response. He says in this same thread that he has 20+ acres of hay. You only live once go for it. By the way 50 acres is a lot more than I have and I run grain.
 
I didn't say there any wrong with 6 acres. I was making reference that it's hard to make much money with only 6 acres and that's why farmers need more land. Dave
 
You might think about renting your 6 acres of pasture to someone who needs a spot for a few head. That way you can get a feel for what's involved without much risk on your part. If it seems to work OK and you want to try it in another year you will have an idea what is involved. I also had a job that involved a lot of travel on very short notice. There's just no way to keep any kind of livestock when you never know when you're leaving or when you'll get home,so I never even considered it. Anytime you raise a crop or an animal with the idea of making a profit you are farming. If you are not doing it to make money, then it's a hobby. Acreage doesn't matter in my view. Just my opinion.
 
Put the money in shares.. you can't look after the animals satisactorily from afar.
Besides will the price be higher when you sell them?.Can you guarantee the feed will be always there.
 
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