A question for a dairy farmer

[ultrarunner]

Niece was doing 4H with pigs and moved on to cows... also picked up a newborn lamb along the way.

The sheep and the cows became pets... brother was OK with sheep as it pretty much just grazed but with Covid and feed bills and knowing no one would eat a pet he made a deal with an organic farmer down the road on the cows... trimmed and packaged beef down the road.

The boys (Cows) were were very friendly and in your pocket kind of pets... not that way when they arrived but overtime...

One thing he noticed is a clean as he kept things the cows drew flies much more so than the horses... I have no idea why... the pig and sheep didn't have that problem...

The horse shoe guy said he had just come from the sheep farmer and there was a new born sheep rejected by the mother and would be put down... niece heard this and said dad we have to save it... tiny little thing that spent 3 months in a baby crib in the family room... never thought I see the day... but to this day will follow my brother anywhere... thinks it is a dog.

I asked why he didn't let the cows roam the back 40... it really is 40 acres... he showed me pictures of the mountain lions dining on the local herds... said two cows alone had bad odds... plus coyote and foxes abound for left overs...

 

[MossRoad]

When my wife was a Manager at one of the local hospitals, she had a friend that was also a Manager who was fed up with Obamacare, so she quite and opened up Waldo Way Dairy Farm. She and her husband already owned the farm, but it was more of a hobby, retirement project. When she quit working at the hospital, she went full bore on turning it into a profitable business. They are kind of out in the middle of nowhere, but over time, people drove there and bought their products. They now have a store just outside of Tyler and Lindale on a very busy road that is always packed when we've been there. I have no idea how much milk they are getting from their cows, but I found it interesting that in just a few years, that they where able to create a successful business from their dairy cows.

The Waldo Way Dairy Farm | 395 County Road 2482, Mineola, Texas 75773 The Waldo Way Dairy Farm & Artisan Bakery

One of our goals for our land is to be able to raise and grow as much of our own food as possible. Our gardens are doing very well and this has encouraged us to put more energy into raising meat to eat. From reading what people have posted on here over the years, I'm leaning towards getting two Holstein bulls/steers a year and slaughtering them when they turn 2. That will give us more meat then we need, so we should be able to trade some for other things. My current project on my land is to fence in the area for them. We are also expanding our goat and chicken numbers too, but that's another topic. Since dairy bulls have no use for dairy farmers, they sell them pretty cheap here.

Holstein calves - farm & garden - by owner - sale

That's about what a couple of my friends do. They both work at the same place, got married, and bought an old farm house with 12 acres. They had a few horses for their daughter in 4H, and they got a couple steer. Then some goats. Then some pigs. Daughter grew up and moved away and took the horses. Now they go to an auction every year and buy 2 steer calves. We buy some meat from them every year, as do others of our friends and families, as they have way more than they'll ever use. Do the same with the pigs. And they preserve a lot of their own foods. It's a nice way to live. I helped him with some hay last fall just to see how it's done. Good wholesome work. :thumbsup:

 

[ponytug]

If I were you, and I wanted good grass fed beef, I would stay as far away from Holsteins as I could. Ask your local agent what is recommended for your area; there are some new crosses that do well on grass and in the Texas heat. We raise belted galloways that do great in our heat, but it isn't Texas heat.

All the best,

Peter

 

[EddieWalker]

My reasoning for Holstein steers comes from a discussion on here about how good the meat tastes. I've never had it, so I'm hoping they are correct. I've read a few websites about the increase in demand for dairy cattle meat because of it's flavor. The other reason is that nobody wants them here, so they sell for next to nothing.

 

[Streetcar]

Eddie Holstein are good for eating, Angus bring more money if you are selling.
We owned farm and tenant milked when I was a kid.
Not sure how they do in Texas heat

 

[Carl_NH]

My reasoning for Holstein steers comes from a discussion on here about how good the meat tastes. I've never had it, so I'm hoping they are correct. I've read a few websites about the increase in demand for dairy cattle meat because of it's flavor. The other reason is that nobody wants them here, so they sell for next to nothing.

We had on average 60 Angus and Angus/Charolais cross on the farm and we butchered our own pigs, chicken, and beef. We also had a veal operation with Holstein calves (males) and this was in the 60's and 70's. We never had holstein butchered for beef so I cannot directly comment or compare between them.

This being said, Holstein steers require more high protein feed to produce the same volume of meat, they are bigger boned, thus not as efficient converting food to actual edible meat. Net-net Holsteins "dress out" fewer pounds and require more food per pound of meat in the freezer, but I doubt few will be able to tell the difference between a angus and a well fed Holstein steak.

 

[ultrarunner]

Veal was always a staple on the Dairy Farm... only a few calves retained for future milk production.

I went to the local grocery meat counter and asked for Veal... the butcher said we don't have Veal... I said when should I come back and he said we don't sell Veal as no one would pay the price...

I guess raising your own can spoil you... just like the crab fisherman in SF Bay or Lobster in Maine...

 

[LouNY]

A holstein steer will provide good quality beef.
They are a larger framed and slower growing animal.
I wouldn't be surprised to see them get to 30 months of age before ready for slaughter.
At that time they should yield about 50%, also many of your cuts will be much larger,
such as a T-bone or sirloin steak.
They will have more and many will say better flavor then beef slaughtered at 18-24 months of age.
They will also require more quality and quantity of protein, they will not fatten on grass pasture.
Many butcher shops do not like the Holsteins because of the frame size they have built their kill and
quartering tracks for smaller framed animals.
How are you planning on castrating the bulls? They will grow a bit faster while they are bulls,
but when they start getting size they can be a handfull.
I grew up on Holstein beef, but it was seldom a steer usually an old cull milk cow that hadn't breed back.
I don't know about your area but that could be a consideration, acquiring a 2-3 or even 4 year old cow that
doesn't breed back from a dairy and fatten her up for hamburger beef and stew beef.
You might get a few good roast and steaks if your meat cutter is good they can tell when cutting what to package as.

 

[Bearsixty7]

Meat from dairy cattle will never taste as good as meat from beef cattle at any age!

Now, if all you ever eat is meat from dairy cattle, then you won't know any better and your plan will work

 

[MossRoad]

Some interesting reading on the subject....

Dairy cattle - Wikipedia