Cattle auctions coming again!!

[asparkie]

So, my wife keeps telling me i cant make any profit from cattle (even though I hAVE). I don't want to be rich just turn any profit from cattle. What I want to know is a couple things...

1)What breed cattle is the most profitable and why? (I think angus)
2)how many to start with? I cant afford all I'll need so is there an amount that would turn a profit?
3)I think buying angus at an auction either as paired or as a bred Hiefer is the best way to get a deal at an auction? Right? Wrong?
3)Has anyone been able to secure a goverment grant or 0% loan from USDA or other.
4) lastly is operation costs. I always hear it's 10acres per head. That sounds good at low numbers but with 20+ head it sounds like a lot. Is it? or is that right?

I appreaciate any input and anything you can say to help.

[Gabriel]

Originally Posted by asparkie

1)What breed cattle is the most profitable and why? (I think angus)

Depends on how you're going to market them.

Originally Posted by asparkie

2)how many to start with? I cant afford all I'll need so is there an amount that would turn a profit?

Even one will turn a profit, if you do it right. More will save on fixed costs, like transportation and infrastructure.

Originally Posted by asparkie

3)I think buying angus at an auction either as paired or as a bred Hiefer is the best way to get a deal at an auction? Right? Wrong?

In my limited experience, bred cows that are just a few years old are the best buy, when you consider the time it takes to get your money back. Calves will make you more in the long run, but take a lot longer to do it. You may not need to buy cattle at all, you can board them for other people with very little cash out of pocket and have a guaranteed cash flow.

Originally Posted by asparkie

4) lastly is operation costs. I always hear it's 10acres per head. That sounds good at low numbers but with 20+ head it sounds like a lot. Is it? or is that right?

That's two different, although related, subjects. If you keep your costs low, you can make money whether the prices are high or low. As to the acres per cow needed, that depends on your area. Here in middle TN, most people require 2.5 acres per cow, depending on their management style.

I highly recommend you read the rotational grazing sticky at the top of this forum. Nothing else that I've found comes close to saving more money than implementing that when raising cattle.

[bruce2288]

AS far as breed. Look around and see what others in your area are raising, there is probably a reason.
Start with what you can handle. Pasture, experience and feed.
Bred heifers can need birthing assistance, sometimes do not want to claim calves, breed back is lower than mature cows. If you do not have experience, I would shy away from this option.
Loan or grant? For what that is a big catagory.
Carrying capacity of pastures will vary with climate, soil and quality of pasture. You need local advice, not from people in Nebraska or Georgia.

[randiliana]

Originally Posted by asparkie

So, my wife keeps telling me i cant make any profit from cattle (even though I hAVE). I don't want to be rich just turn any profit from cattle. What I want to know is a couple things...

1)What breed cattle is the most profitable and why? (I think angus)

Quality really is more important than breed, and the best way to maximize that is to CROSSBREED. Heterosis enables a crossbred to do better than a purebred. Generally it is a good idea to look around the area you live in and see what others are using, but when you buy look for quality animals not just (black) ones...

2)how many to start with? I cant afford all I'll need so is there an amount that would turn a profit?

Being profitable is more about how you do it, than how many you do it with. Again, buying quality animals will help you here too, you will likely pay more for quality, but quality pays for itself in the long run, by better weight gains, health and such.

3)I think buying angus at an auction either as paired or as a bred Hiefer is the best way to get a deal at an auction? Right? Wrong?

Yes and no. Heifers and young pairs may or may not be the way to go. There is nothing wrong with buying calves, growing them out and selling them at a heavier weight. You will have to pencil it out. OTOH, buying older breds or pairs can be a cheaper way to do it too, if they are in decent condition.

3)Has anyone been able to secure a goverment grant or 0% loan from USDA or other.
can't help you here...

4) lastly is operation costs. I always hear it's 10acres per head. That sounds good at low numbers but with 20+ head it sounds like a lot. Is it? or is that right?

how much land you need will depend on where you live, the kind of pasture (native/tame/alfalfa) and how you utilize it, and the type(age and size) of cattle you are grazing, pairs need more than 500 lb yearlings for example. In our area you can find pasture where you need 20+ acres/pair(native) right on down to about 6 acres/pair(good tame grass), and possibly even less than that if you use alfalfa pasture(but you have to know what you are doing if you are grazing alfalfa). Also, by rotationally grazing you can reduce the amount of acres you need as well.

I appreaciate any input and anything you can say to help.

Hope this helps.

[Ken Scharabok]

Basically you run cattle looking to profit off of them. They allow you to offset some of your otherwise expenses, such as depreciation on equipment, farm taxes, farm insurance, operating cost for vehicles which are predominately farm related.

Locally they like a white-faced calf (Angus father, Hereford mother) and cows with a bit of white on the bag. But everything finds a market.

At the moment weaned calves are selling quite high. Thus, bred cows are also going to go up in price. As will killer cows as the supply should drop as more older cows are kept for an additional calf or two.

Livestock auction prices of used bulls remains fairly steady.