Beef farming 101...

kycountry · #1 05/28/14, 11:16 AM

First off, everything in this post is my opinions based off my experiences here in Kentucky. What works here may not be the case in any other part of the country!

This will be an ongoing project by me as I find time. I will be adding pics, and other things that pertain to raising beef calves and selling them as feeders..

Please feel free to post additions, discussions, or disagreements on this post..

What does it take to be a beef farmer??

You must be self motivated, there is no one going to be pressing you to get your job done.. but some days, I'm on the tractor as the sun comes up.. and I see some pretty sunsets from the cab too..

You will learn to love and hate the weather, all at the same time.. rain makes pastures grow, but if you have hay on the ground, there goes another day, countless gallons of fuel, and one bored farm boy driving circles fluffing hay... Again.

One must love to gamble! Cattle is no sure thing... at any given time, you can see your paycheck go up or down by hundreds, if not thousands over night. Every week you hold calves, you gamble the market will hold or go up.. anytime you sell, you gamble they will hold steady or go down and won't go up..

One must have a good cash flow. Wether it's cash in hand, good credit, or a mixture of both... It really takes money to make money!

One must learn to read all the markets that pertain to cattle, feed, fertilizer, fuel, and so on.. if you see the cattle markets shifting down, downsize until you see something that tells you it's hit bottom.. then start buying low and wait for the shifting markets to raise again..

More in a while, going to try to find a calf and I'll try to get some pics

kycountry · #2 05/28/14, 08:18 PM

I could add to the above all day long, but lets move on..

I have found 3 limiting factors to the amount of beef calves that can be raised. they are hay, pasture, and time..

we run a mid range sized farm here.. about 140 acres here and cut about that elsewhere for hay each year..

so, what does it look like here right now??
hay field pics..

more pics in a minute..

kycountry · #3 05/28/14, 08:27 PM

in order to make all this hay, lets talk equipment...

2950 john deere ($18,000 used) 85 horsepower

and the old deutz-fahr dx 3.90 ($10,500 used) 95 horsepower

twin new idea 5408 disc mowers ($4,000 each used)

the old tedder ($1,500 used)

v-rake ($2500 used)

and our newest addition.. 535 john deere roll baler ($7000 used)

more in a minute

kycountry · #8 05/29/14, 07:40 PM

Now, by the photos above you can tell, we're not picky when it comes to breeds.. lol

Too many people get hung up on what breed to buy! we buy what we can afford. It's a proven fact that black calves bring more.. usually $0.10 a pound more. So for a 400 lb calf, that 40 bucks. My point is that good black cows demand a higher price.. even if it's only $200 on a 5-6 year old cow, it's not really worth it. She would have the potential to give you 8-10 calves over the next 9-10 years. That's $300-$400 difference figured on today's market. Interest on that $200 eats any profit you would gain..

Now here is the real kicker.. With a black bull, some of the calves will already come black.. even out of herefords lol.. (refer to pics above)

I couldn't catch the old boy for his photo shoot today.. but got a few of the 2 year old here at the house..

Dixie Bee Acres · #9 05/29/14, 08:54 PM

You are living my dream

WildRoots · #10 05/29/14, 09:21 PM

Great looking cows and pasture. Look forward to more photos!

Bubbas Boys · #11 05/30/14, 07:34 AM

If we are wanting to raise a beef or 2 a year for family supply how much area would we have to fence off? We only have 10 acres. We also wanting a Jersey for dairy. Thanks

idigbeets · #12 05/31/14, 05:52 AM

Depends on the pasture you're putting them in BB. Here in PA/MD I figure an acre per cow per month. So with good management of paddocks, you should be able to keep one cow on 2 acres, letting 1 regrow for 30 days while you graze the other, and keep flipping back. 3 would be ideal because you could make hay off one acre, a few cuttings, and then fertilize that acre later in the year to stockpile fescue for fall/winter.

kycountry · #13 06/01/14, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bubbas Boys

If we are wanting to raise a beef or 2 a year for family supply how much area would we have to fence off? We only have 10 acres. We also wanting a Jersey for dairy. Thanks

Without knowing the type of upkeep, fertility, among other factors, one cannot answer this on a sure thing. Even in the same area, the stocking rate will differ. Our farm has 40+ head at all times counting cows, bulls, and 4 horses. We fertilize every spring, lime every 4-5 years, and Bush hog regularly to keep weeds and seed heads to a minimum to stimulate growth. We're at 1.5 acres per head for our stocking rate.. the farm beside us does none of the above and has a 4 acre per head stocking rate.

I'll post more info in a few.. been a busy weekend for sure

wberry85 · #14 06/02/14, 08:22 PM

Excellent thread kycountry. I will be following for sure.

kycountry · #15 06/02/14, 10:13 PM

So, we have the breed issue out of the way, lets talk about adding cows to the herd...

First thing we do is worm them, give a broad spectrum Antibiotic, and into the quarantine area they go. We watch them for a few weeks and if no bad health problems show up, into the field they go.. with BABY..

Now Baby is no ordinary beef cow, so don't get hung up on her too much..

I'm always having to push her around, I'm followed just like she is a puppy...

she watches my every move

takes my buckets all the time..

but, we usually kiss and make up.. lol..

Now, the reason the new ones go through Baby boot camp is to get them so we can call them to the barns, or to move them to other pastures without hunting them up and driving them through the gates... so after this, they are ready to move on into the big herd on the lower farm..

kycountry · #16 06/03/14, 08:23 PM

Today was different for sure.. which reminds me you can never plan ahead on a beef farm... only thing I can plan on is my plans will change lol.

Today a rare thing happened.. A set of twins arrived, healthy, alert, bellies full and bedded down so momma can rest..

My day started as usual, at daylight I was off to check the cows after a pot of coffee. Running yesterday's events through the old noggin trying to remember the cows that looked close to dropping their calves, which calves I had seen the day before, and remembering to check the hay that was cut Monday if it was ready to be flipped..

I drive the 100+ acres of forests, pastures, creek beds, rocky hills, and all.. and I can't find the one cow that I really needed to see. After an hour or so, I forgot all about my other chores and went back to the house to gather up help.. Rolling the kids out of bed, we go on an all out cow hunt.. about 3 hours later we find her and a set of twins..

I drove straight back to the house, gathering supplies as I went through the barn, garage, and storage shed because this is a touchy subject that needed a watchful eye and fast actions when and if the need arises.. Within 30 minutes the bottles were clean, milk was in the truck, and a stall was bedded.. After checking in at about 1 hour intervals all day, I felt comfortable enough to remember the camera and took the wife for a photo shoot

Now, we've had this happen before and everything was fine.. but I still remember when I wasn't as prepared and lost 2 calves.. but we're not out of the woods yet as today is only day one. Over the next few days, they will be watched CLOSELY ready to intervene at a moments notice. Any sign of weakness, distance between the calves, or other unknown signs I see that tells me the cow or either calf needs help, I will be ready.

It doesn't end there.. We will continue to monitor the cow and calves health throughout the next few months looking for signs of neglect from the cow or the two calves pulling her down to an unhealthy weight. If either happens, we will wean early or bottle feed.. which ever gives both the cow and the calves the best chance to survive and live a healthy and productive life.

DEKE01 · #17 06/03/14, 08:38 PM

Excellent thread and pix. Thanks KYcountry. Don't stop.

Filson · #18 06/04/14, 01:15 PM

KYcountry - thanks again for this amazing thread, and where it's heading! It's very cool seeing the twins, and I appreciate you taking the time to not only take some pictures but share the experience with us on here. When you get a little time (asking a lot, I know) would you mind snapping a few pictures of your "emergency supplies" that you hustled together for this experience? It'd be nice to see what sort of stuff you have on-hand! Thanks again!

kycountry · #19 06/04/14, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Filson

KYcountry - thanks again for this amazing thread, and where it's heading! It's very cool seeing the twins, and I appreciate you taking the time to not only take some pictures but share the experience with us on here. When you get a little time (asking a lot, I know) would you mind snapping a few pictures of your "emergency supplies" that you hustled together for this experience? It'd be nice to see what sort of stuff you have on-hand! Thanks again!

I got a few pics.. but I'll try to explain.

This for their cords.. also good for about any scrapes too..

This is a must when dealing with day old calves..

We keep a 25lb bag of Dumar brand Ultra milk based milk replacer on hand..
new bottles and nipples...
I get a towel, a blanket, 2 quart jars of hot water, banders, ear tags and pliers, rope, and 1 hickory handle from a set of post hole diggers..

The blue kote is for their cords. colostrum is for the calves in case they have trouble sucking at first. The towel is for drying calves or cleaning and drying hands. blanket is for warming wet calves and can be used by 2 people to carry a calf in rough country. banders and ear tagging equipment is self explanatory, The rope is to help with births, restrain a calf... the 2 quart jars of hot water is to mix milk or colostrum with in a bottle. if the water is too hot, set one jar in the creek to cool, use the other to adjust the temp.. if it's too cold, set one jar in the windshield facing the sun.. and the handle is for a walking stick and unruly mothers that get too excited while all this is going on..

we also have a bucket with a lid that has needles, meds, and another set of banders and ear tagging equipment in it that stays in the truck..

Also in the truck is a 12 gauge shotgun for varmints, dinner, or other critters that get too close to the garden. a 38 pistol for those close range encounters with bigger critters that's eating the garden. a 243 riffle for coyotes and other critters that I want to reach out and touch.. and all the fencing supplies, tools, and other needed equipment that keeps this farm running..

kycountry · #20 06/04/14, 09:11 PM

Today was sort of a bummer to start with.. I found #74 with the lighter colored calf out in the pasture... about 1/4 mile away from where she was last night.

Just so everyone knows, you have to really watch where you are driving when calves first hit the ground... when momma tells them to stay, they stay no matter what most of the time.. this pic was taken out my window from no more than 3 feet away.

and here is momma keeping a close eye on it..

So I go on the hunt for the other calf.. starting from where she was heading to where she was last night.. and the calf was laying 10 feet from where it was last night.. I watched most of the day, and she wasn't going back after the calf. So we chase it down, check it out to make sure there wasn't any visible defects that would cause her to abandon it, and head to the barn with it. We bed it down in a stall and leave it be for a few hours to settle in..

The wife volunteered to operate the bottle so I could operate the lighting and camera. Wish I had done as good of a job as her, but here is what we have.. remember, it's DARK in the barn lol

and the end result, in the video you can see that she has it figured out now!