how to make a living raising a beef farm

[Duffster]

Not sure why you would say such a thing, but it's not true. Anyone can have a cow, or 5 , butchered. In most freezer beef sales, the live animal is sold, then butchered and the customer picks up the meat. It's very common.
The "grass fed" stuff is just another sales gimmick preying on unsuspecting folks. All beef cows are grass fed, every single one of them. There are a few, very few, farmers that grass finish animals. But, the vast majority claiming "grass fed" are just pulling animals of pasture (too early) and slaughtering, then charging higher prices for it. It's in no way healthier or better tasting than grain finished. In fact, some of it's downright poor. There is a reason the USDA grading system is based on fat content, it's the taste the most people prefer.
BTW, I did look up Polyface Farms. Just as I suspected, using scare tactics and degrading remarks towards other farmers, some not true, to gain sales. If the product was that good, those methods shouldn't be necessary. Tells me something about their charator as well.

Excellent points.

 

[Duffster]

There isn't money in cows.....there is money in people that think there is money in cows.

Cattle farming has never been better.

It great to see many younger farmers doing very well in the cattle business right now.

 

[bigbull338]

im a fulltime cattlemen an have been all my life.so i pretty much know what im talking about.people are on a health kick now days wanting organic food.we arnt cert organic but about as close to it as you can get.we dont use meds of any kind unless we have to.our cattle are sold at the local sale barn.you have to grain your steers some to marble the meat an get some fat in it.as the fat is what puts the taste into the meat.you can raise cattle on grass an hay an very little feed as we do.but you have tobe in a state that you can pretty much graze cattle 8 or 9 months a year.as for selling freezer beef you have to advertise when you have calves ready to butcher an sale them in whole halves quarters.the best way to sell meat is have some samples they can take home cook an try before they buy.but thats me an it can get costly doing so.but it can also get you so business.but you need to know the regs before you get into selling beef like that.

 

[brin]

When I was in the cattle business I made money every year...Once the calves were on grass I would put an ad in our States framers & consumers bulletin, the ad was free, and I would sell the calves to gentlemen farmers...city folks with some land, at premium prices, each buyer would buy 2 or more calves and they would arrange to have them picked up and delivered to their place. I never did have to take any to the sale barn. Good Luck - just find a niche and go for it.

 

[two_bit_score]

There is an abundance of real sold research out there on small cattle farming operations. Most of them are small.

>Cow-calf operations are located throughout the United States, typically on land not suited or needed for crop production. These operations are dependent upon range and pasture forage conditions, which are in turn dependent upon variations in the average level of rainfall and temperature for the area. Beef cows harvest forage from grasslands to maintain themselves and raise a calf with very little, if any, grain input. The cow is maintained on pasture year round, as is the calf until it is weaned. If additional forage is available at weaning, some calves may be retained for additional grazing and growth until the following spring when they are sold. The average beef cow herd is 40 head, but operations with 100 or more beef cows comprise 9 percent of all beef operations and 51 percent of the beef cow inventory. Operations with 40 or fewer head are largely part of multi-enterprises, or are supplemental to off-farm employment.

ERS/USDA Briefing Room - Cattle: Background



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[two_bit_score]

If all else fails- get some longhorns.

Longhorn Information

 

[MWRR]

A few years ago while preparing my taxes it finally dawned on me that I was making NO profit raising corn/soybeans. By the time I paid for the seed, fertilizer, chemicals, taxes, fuel and custom harvesting fees (and fed all the wildlife) there was little or no money left for me.
The next year I converted all my tillable ground to pasture/hay. I lease the whole farm out in the fall to hunters from out of state. Last fall I sold my 750 - 900 lb grass fed calves to my neighbor. I averaged $900 per calf sold (sold one bull calf at a slight premium). I have made more "profit" from my cattle and hunting rights than I ever made on corn/soybeans. Since I am able to produce more hay than I need I also sold about 2000 bales of good alfalfa/orchard grass hay to horse people at a premium price.
I feed NO grain or protein during the winter, just good quality hay. Mineral/salt and wormer is the only thing I buy, except for fertilizer where I take hay off and a few fence supplies.
I tried finishing out some calves on corn a couple of years ago but for me there was no profit there.
My goal is to have between 25 and 35 brood cows. That's about all my ground will sustain. That is a nice supplement to my retirement. If I were younger I would probably expand more.
Of course one must consider that I have purchased several pieces of equipment; new tractor, new disc mower and upgaded to newer round baler.
So tax wise I am still losing my tail, but it sure is a lot more comfortable in that new tractor, lol.
In my area, a person could never pay for a piece of ground raising cattle (or corn/soybeans), but if you already have some marginal ground, cattle can fetch a nice profit.
To answer the OP question; If you have to buy the ground I don't think it will pencil out. If you already have ground or access to cheap rented acreage you can make some money in cattle right now. Someone else posted it would take 100 head to support a family and I think that is pretty close.
Another mentioned the show cattle business. Around here there are numerous farmers doing that currently. What I see is they are spending a lot of money on bull semen, embryos, new dually trucks, new aluminum trailers and hauling cattle around to cattle shows, spending $4 per gallon for fuel. I bet their bottom line is in the red.
Just my opinion.

 

[foreman Etexas]

A few years ago while preparing my taxes it finally dawned on me that I was making NO profit raising corn/soybeans. By the time I paid for the seed, fertilizer, chemicals, taxes, fuel and custom harvesting fees (and fed all the wildlife) there was little or no money left for me.
The next year I converted all my tillable ground to pasture/hay. I lease the whole farm out in the fall to hunters from out of state. Last fall I sold my 750 - 900 lb grass fed calves to my neighbor. I averaged $900 per calf sold (sold one bull calf at a slight premium). I have made more "profit" from my cattle and hunting rights than I ever made on corn/soybeans. Since I am able to produce more hay than I need I also sold about 2000 bales of good alfalfa/orchard grass hay to horse people at a premium price.
I feed NO grain or protein during the winter, just good quality hay. Mineral/salt and wormer is the only thing I buy, except for fertilizer where I take hay off and a few fence supplies.
I tried finishing out some calves on corn a couple of years ago but for me there was no profit there.
My goal is to have between 25 and 35 brood cows. That's about all my ground will sustain. That is a nice supplement to my retirement. If I were younger I would probably expand more.
Of course one must consider that I have purchased several pieces of equipment; new tractor, new disc mower and upgaded to newer round baler.
So tax wise I am still losing my tail, but it sure is a lot more comfortable in that new tractor, lol.
In my area, a person could never pay for a piece of ground raising cattle (or corn/soybeans), but if you already have some marginal ground, cattle can fetch a nice profit.
To answer the OP question; If you have to buy the ground I don't think it will pencil out. If you already have ground or access to cheap rented acreage you can make some money in cattle right now. Someone else posted it would take 100 head to support a family and I think that is pretty close.
Another mentioned the show cattle business. Around here there are numerous farmers doing that currently. What I see is they are spending a lot of money on bull semen, embryos, new dually trucks, new aluminum trailers and hauling cattle around to cattle shows, spending $4 per gallon for fuel. I bet their bottom line is in the red.
Just my opinion.

A friend of mine runs 29 reg.Charolais and makes a good profit selling for show cattle. All he does is put them on web.site and they come pick them up,but you gotta have good cattle. I run 40 black angus/cross cows and aslong as you got grass its fine but if you gotta feed,it sure can set you back,profit wise. I have 2 reg.Charolais now,slowly building another herd,I mean slowly you know what cattle prices are these days,your gonna have to have some money to get in it right now,heck a good set of pairs going for 2,600 cross-bred cows at that.

 

[NorTracNY]

You need to get to know your customer and set yourself apart from them. I'm also in favor of 100% grass fed. The difference in the end product is amazing! I avoid the grain fed beef as much as I can. Of course the industry can say what they want.

 

[creekbend]

If you are so aware of the facts, why post something as misleading as suggesting that intra-state sales avoid Federal oversight?

This was the exert from my previous post that I posted-word for word-quote verbatim. "If you cross State lines when selling your processed product this will enter the Federal arena".Why do you regard this as misleading or that I was suggesting that intra-state sales avoid Federal oversight? There is most certainly nothing in my statement as being closely indicative in regards to your accusation. Where do you see any implication that I stated that "intra-state sales" avoid "Federal oversight"?