how to make a living raising a beef farm

[jdjdjd]

The cost model for a cattle operation is interesting...

You buy everything at retail and even pay shipping,
You sell everything at wholesale and pay shipping.:confused2:

What is wrong with this picture?

 

[meadowlarkponds]

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

Truer words were never spoken.

If it were not for tax advantages, I wouldn't own a single cow. The economics just don't work otherwise.

 

[pjbci]

Like I said, you make a lot of money for everybody but yourself.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

just curious on how to turn my hobby beef farm into a profitable business. Something i have always wanted to do. Open to all suggestions. Currently i have 14 black angus and all the hay equipment and facility. I have my own bull also.

Ted,

I'm going to go against the other guys.

Google Joel Salatin and Polyface farms.

I'm looking ot start a grass fed beef operations soon partnered with another TBN'r myself. I hope all the naysayers are wrong...

Best of luck sir!

David

 

[MMagis]

You will have a very difficult time in obtaining the services of your local butcher in slaughtering and processing your beef for sale. Sanitation procedures, animal welfare, waste disposal; etc are many of the various concerns that will impede the services of your local butcher. Research your State and local regulations. If you cross State lines when selling your processed product, this will enter the Federal arena. My Father had part interest in a Custom Packing plant - aka slaughter house. We even had a Federal inspector on hand. I worked in all the aspects of the operation - from the kill floor, to the hide room, to the gut room, to the processing, and to the wrapping.

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.

 

[IronHog]

I think thats true with most farming operations. I've planted over 20,000 acres in the last 25 yrs and had beef cows also. I made a tremondous amount of money for everybody except me. The tractor dealers, the parts house, the fuel suppliers, the chemical companys, seed suppliers, etc. Never did seem to have much leftover for me after everybody else got paid.

I hope you can make it work, but its not easy to make enough profit to live off of.

Cattle farming is several things:


Land intensive

Labor intensive

Knowledge intensive

Capitol intensive


Add it all up and it just isn't something most people are prepared to do......the hours are long and the margins are low. If you are doing any good most of your money is going into dirt or better grass.


You CAN build a great deal of net worth and the there are tax advantages........ if I was independently wealthy I'd have cows everywhere!

 

[IronHog]

Truer words were never spoken.

If it were not for tax advantages, I wouldn't own a single cow. The economics just don't work otherwise.

Good point.


Cattle farming around here is almost exclusively a sideline or tied in with a chicken operation.....

 

[bcp]

I've heard you can make a small fortune in small-scale cattle farming. You just need to start with a large fortune.

Bruce

 

[edlegault]

Don't sell packaged meat. Sell the whole critter to one or more folks and let them get in slaughtered, butchered and packaged. That's how my folks bought beef when we were not raising it. Went in with friends and/or relatives and bought it live on the hoof.

 

[two_bit_score]

just curious on how to turn my hobby beef farm into a profitable business. Something i have always wanted to do. Open to all suggestions. Currently i have 14 black angus and all the hay equipment and facility. I have my own bull also.

Well, I've scanned through the thread and saw all the negative comments. It embarrasses me. You came here with a legit issue and got mostly nothing but a lot of jokes and clown responses. Thanks Moss for helping! At least you gave him the consideration his inquiry deserved.

There is a grain of truth in all the jokes but then you already knew that.

In most cases cattle are raised in conjunction with other AG operations. And a good tule of thumb is about 100 mother cows will be needed to be a self sustaining cow calf operation.

Now, you might want yo look into other aspects. I know a guy who does pretty well selling show calves to students in 4H and AG programs.

You can probably do pretty well. Depending on how much you can put into it.

Good luck!