What should I raise

I guess I avoided answering you but the stocking rate can vary a lot. My area , good grass carries around 1 cow/calf per 7 acres for the season from May 1 to Oct 31. edit:: Currently we are in a drought and the grass in not in good condition. My 480 acre pasture with a creek and some timber in it is only grazing 45 cows with spring calves

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* I'm supposed to respect my elders, but its getting harder and harder for me to find one. .*-

Can you view it using google earth?

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http://www.pinterest.com/sanza1/

A wise person speaks when they have something to say but a fool speaks just to say something

Most grain farmers here in the corn belt farm 400-700 acres of crop land, and have a real 9-5 job besides.

Grain farming is more profitable per acre than cattle grazing year in and year out...... So don't plan on making a million off that dry cattle ranch.

So very very much depends on if and how much grass grows per acre on your land. It is troubling that your grandpa left it idle.... Maybe it just doesn't grow much?

No one can answer those questions without seeing the land, what it can grow.

Sounds like you would need to invest $20,000 in fence and so on, $30,000 in breeding stock, and might make $15,000 a year average. So you start out in the hole for 4 years or so....

In the cattle game, there never is an average year. You make a killing one year, and break even or lose money 4-5 years. It is a cyclical business, and just how it is. Takes money to keep going to hit the one or two good years.

Paul

He's a young boy just going into college best he just lease it for the next 5 years and decide what to do then .Not many freshmen have any money to speak of and will need what they have for school so his question for now might be ,What do I charge as a lease payment for this land and post a picture .

I agree, tho there is that rare fella or gal that comes out guns ablazing and makes it work. Got a multi-state hog operation based near here, fella started with 2 sows from grandpa, that was only 35 years ago.

If we explain the business a little more to him, can decide where to go with it.

A very dry land ranch of that size is not a huge money maker, and takes a lot of bucks to build it up into something, in the hole for many years before cash starts coming in. Need to start small. Really depends what is there now, fencing, handling a d feeding yard, grass, what.

Renting it out for 5 years would certainly be by far the best way to go, but person has to be able to see that for themselves.....

Paul

then again i started my business when I was barely 18 and took nite classes for my degree and I retired at 48 so if I could do it I'm sure anyone can . all they have to do is want it bad enough . it's all give and take just have to figuire how much he wants to give ?