Raising Beef Cattle

Ron Zapcic · #1 09/04/12, 09:50 PM

Hi, RAZ here, have been reading all your cattle info. for some time, very impressive, all the information & help you have given, wow. Now we need some help. My wife & I are putting plans together to move to TN, Handcock Co, Clinch Valley area, our daughter & her husband own 150ac farm of Clinch mountain & valley & want us to move there permanent, take care of chickens, goats, horses & bees. My plan is to raise beef cattle, along with these other things. The 150ac is in timber & fields. Fields, after they are cleared of cedar trees & rocks will give about 50ac or 70ac. after seeded, been stripped pritty bad, cows been left to feed till bare. I can start off now with lower bottom, about 2ac to 4ac, with stream, fenced in, been used for hay, can turn into grazing, neighbors up & down the valley raise enough hay for everyone, lots of empty fields for use. I plan to get into this for the long haul, were do I start? Thanks, Ron

collegeboundgal · #2 09/04/12, 10:02 PM

start slow. how many cattle you need is how much can you afford. if it were me, I'd say buy hay now, then get the cows (bred) this winter when prices fall due to some running low on hay. I'd say starting with 5-10 cows is reasonable. then slowly build up your herd. it's easier to get your own bull (not till after cows calve, but be looking now!) if you dont want to mess with a bull and go the AI route, find somebody (ask your vet) that might can do CIDERs. that will synchronize the cows so u can get them all bred at the same time.

gwithrow · #3 09/05/12, 06:36 AM

see if you can find a copy of 'come back farms'....read it and there is a great description of how to use the cows to rejuvenate the land...after four years we have seen very good progress here on land much the same as you describe..oh and subscribe to 'The Stockman Grass Farmer'.....magazine type thing.....if you look at their website, they also sell that book....

bigbluegrass · #4 09/05/12, 08:18 AM

I agree - read the book "Comeback farms" - it will help. Also read through the rotational grazing thread above - agmantoo has some great advice about getting started. Visit some working farms and see how they have things set up.

The saying is - plant nothing but fence posts the first year. Get your fences up and facilities up and ready. You will need a good chute, head gate, etc. If there is nothing there, it is going to take a year to get it all set up and ready - and a lot of money and resources to make that happen. Depending on the type of operation you plan to run will determine how nice of facilities you need. But you will need at least something to work cows in.

Next you need to get some soil samples and figure out what you are lacking. Most extension offices (at least here) will do a soil test for free. You just have to collect the sample. They will tell you lime amounts and what you need. I would lime it right away if needed. I would use chicken litter if you can find it for fertilizer. It will take a year for the lime to work in and make an impact.

Once you have the facilities and fencing in place, pastures are limed and fertilized, you are ready for cows.

What kind of cows you get depends on how you plan to market them. Figure out your business model you want to follow. Cow/calf operation? Stockers? Market to sale barn? Market direct? Once you can answer those questions, you can start to pick the type of cows you want.

I am sure you will have more questions as time goes by. Good Luck!

tinknal · #5 09/05/12, 08:23 AM

Start with very good fences. Barbed wire, very tight, 5 strand for exterior and bulls, 4 strand for the rest, stout corners with double brace posts and good well hung gates.

You will never regret having good fences.

Gabriel · #6 09/05/12, 08:38 AM

Read Knowledge Rich Ranching and the Stockman Grass Farmer. Lime/soil amendments are not the first thing you need, knowledge is, followed by fences and animals. I'm in the second year of M.I.G. and holy cow, what a difference it makes! You can spend plenty (who ever needed to be taught how to spend?) but if you can't make the operation cash flow you're sunk. Look around for a mentor who does things the way you want to do them, i.e. is successful!