A beef cattle ranch can be a viable option for people that own a small amount of land. With their rumen cows are able to make use of areas that are only suitable for forage production. However it does come with it’s own challenges as well.
One of those is how someone can get started with raising cattle. With the price of land ever increasing and the volatility of the market it can be extremely difficult to make any money doing it. Notice I said very difficult but not impossible.
It is possible to start from nothing and be able to develop your own herd that is making you money. Just imagine waking up in the morning and seeing cattle grazing on pastures that you own, seeing your kids and grandkids helping out on the ranch. But how would you be able to do that, well here are 4 points that you would need to consider.
What are your ranch goals?
When you are starting out with any type of enterprise like this it is best to have a plan in place with steps on where you want to go. Not developing one would be like driving down the road with no idea how you will get to your destination, sure you may eventually get there but not without a lot of wrong turns on the way.
One thing that you should figure out is what exactly are you wanting to accomplish with this. Do you want to be a cow/calf operation, maybe a stocker operation or a purebred breeder. Each choice will come with it’s own sets of challenges and advantages so you should make the choice of which one.
Another thing to look at is what are the available time that you will have to work on this ranch. Will this be a full-time or part-time type of thing? Working a ranch is a commitment so it would be a good idea for you to know how much time you will be able to invest in it. When deciding on this be realistic and do not over commit yourself.
Develop your plan for where you want to go and be sure to include a series of achievable steps that you will accomplish along the way. This will help you when things get a little difficult, and they will from time to time, to remind you of how far you have come and push you forward.
What resources are available at your ranch?
In order to save you a lot of time and effort do not try to reinvent the wheel. You should take a stock of what you already have on the property and build up from there.
Take a look at the condition of the forages that you have in the pastures. This will give you a good idea of the amount of cows that you will be able to have. You do not want to overgraze what you have because it would require a large investment in order to get it back to being viable.
You should also look at the conditions of the fences that are on the property (really you should do this step even before you actually buy the place). Having to replace all of the fence in order to keep all of the animals in can become a rather large payment you may not want to make.
Inspect the working facilities that you will be using to sort and doctor the cattle. They should be in a good and clean condition so as not to injure either the cows or you. This one may not turn out to cost you a lot of money because you can purchase things like squeeze chutes used. If you are curious about some of the considerations for how your cattle equipment should be I talk about that here.
What is your current knowledge level?
This is not the time to believe that you know everything that there is to know (because quite frankly you would be dead wrong). There are many resources and educational programs out there to help new producers. As with anything in life it is best to have the mindset of wanting to be a life-long learner.
Your local county extension office will have many publications available to provide you with the information that you may need. The NRCS department of the USDA is also a good place to go to if you are ever looking for ways to both help the environment and boost your ranch’s production. They also have certain grants and tax breaks available for qualifying new ranchers so that may be something else to look in to.
Another good source if you can is to visit with a more experienced producer that is in your area. They will have a wealth of knowledge on what would or wouldn’t work. It could help shorten your learning curve and possibly save you a lot of money in the long run.
When starting any ranching plan it is also a good idea to visit with your local veterinarian. They will have the knowledge of any diseases that occur in the area that you may need to plan for. The health of your animals is not something that you want to gamble with, I have known a few ranchers that have gone under because they had an outbreak and were quarantined.
Where do I buy cattle?
This is usually an area that people just starting out think that they can save money by cutting corners by buying cheaper cattle. I can tell you that this is not a wise strategy, the cheaper ones usually end up costing you the most.
Always buy cattle from a reputable breeder or professional cattle buyer. I talk about what to look for in a reputable breeder here.
If you are wanting to get into the cow/calf sector do not buy older cows. They are past their productive time, which is why they are probably being sold. You should look for 3 or 4 year old cows because they are really just starting their most productive time. Replacement heifers are also a good choice as long as they have been exposed to a bull and have been confirmed to be pregnant.
Remember this will be the foundation of your business so it is a good idea to do it right.
