never had cattle before

komot

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I bought 15 acres last year in central Minnesota about 8 is wooded and my friend keeps telling me i should look into getting a couple of cows in the spring and sell or butcher in the fall. He said to split off 3 sections and move them once a week. I guess what i would like to know first is how old and what weight does the cow have to be to be completly weened so all i have to do is turn it loose in one section.
 

herfrds

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If I understand you correctly you have 15 acres with 8 acres as wooded area. So that leaves 7 acres open.

I would not bother with cutting it into small sections. I would look at getting a couple of weaned steer calves from a good breeder.
If you plan on keeping them over the winter you will need some sort of shelter for them and winter hay supply.
 

komot

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I guess what i would like to know is how old, and what weight does the cow have to be to be completly weaned so I know what to look for at auctions. I do not plan to keep them past October. I have maybe 2-3 acres open field then light tree cover for about 1-2 more acres. I was thinking maybe 4 cows sell 3 and eat number 4. I would like to get enough to cover buying cost, feeding cost and prossesing cost for the 4th one. (so the cow i keep is free..) Not sure if i need more to make mine free or if selling 3 is about right.
 

jhm47

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There are so many variables in your plan that it's impossible to give good advice.

First of all, calves are weaned at many ages. Some dairy calves are weaned off milk at 8 weeks. Most beef calves are weaned around 6 - 8 months, and that can vary a lot too. Best advice is to buy from a local source, where you can ask questions. No matter which kind of calf you purchase, you would do well to plan to feed some grain, at least at first.

As to your pasture---what kinds of grasses grow there? That is very important to knowing what kind of growth you will get from your calves. Also, drought, flooding, grasshoppers, and many other outside influences can and will determine how well your calves will grow. And then, there is the possibility of disease, parasite infestations, and other unforseen things that might cause problems.

My best advice is to find someone who will mentor you from your particular area. This will give you input from someone who has experience, and might save you a lot of heartache and $$$ in the long run. No matter what, I wish you good luck!
 

ohiofarmgirl

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My best advice is to find someone who will mentor you from your particular area.
dont forget your local 4H club.. you dont have to join but you could talk to the leader for local info

and/or your local extension office

the thing in - depending on where you live and what kind of pasture you have the answers swing wildly.

keep researching for cattle info on in your local area, i'm sure you'll come up with a good plan

:)
 

ohne

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Contact your extension office or land grant university agricultural program. They will know far more than your local 4-H club most likely. The variables that you are talking about will require a knowledge not only of cattle but also of forage production. As others have expressed your forage production capacity, plant community and soils type will be one of your most limiting factors.

Soils are you the foundation of any pasture based grazing system. Your extension office will give you a better idea of what your properties site potential is. Also you can access a general overview of what is on your property by using the NRCS soils data base (soils type, plant community, water hold capacity, nutrient deficiencies, etc).

Here is another suggestion go for calves that are growthy not the cheep scrawny ones at the auction. This will pay off in the long run. Most successful beef producers that over winter calves keep their largest calves and sell of the smallest ones. This way you are taking advantage of a better growth rate. Also there are alot of interesting breeds out there, but if you are just going to get something and turn around and sell it go with something black. There is a national priemium on black cattle you are likely to get more for them.

Hopefully this isnt over kill. I got my degree in June in Rangeland Ecology with a minor in Soils Science and grew up in production agriculture (still working in it) so I might have a tendency to over analyze things.
 

WildRoseBeef

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ohne said:
Contact your extension office or land grant university agricultural program. They will know far more than your local 4-H club most likely. The variables that you are talking about will require a knowledge not only of cattle but also of forage production. As others have expressed your forage production capacity, plant community and soils type will be one of your most limiting factors.

Soils are you the foundation of any pasture based grazing system. Your extension office will give you a better idea of what your properties site potential is. Also you can access a general overview of what is on your property by using the NRCS soils data base (soils type, plant community, water hold capacity, nutrient deficiencies, etc).

Here is another suggestion go for calves that are growthy not the cheep scrawny ones at the auction. This will pay off in the long run. Most successful beef producers that over winter calves keep their largest calves and sell of the smallest ones. This way you are taking advantage of a better growth rate. Also there are alot of interesting breeds out there, but if you are just going to get something and turn around and sell it go with something black. There is a national priemium on black cattle you are likely to get more for them.

Hopefully this isnt over kill. I got my degree in June in Rangeland Ecology with a minor in Soils Science and grew up in production agriculture (still working in it) so I might have a tendency to over analyze things.
I disagree. :) That is the best information that any beginner should know and have to start with. :thumbsup
 

WildRoseBeef

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komot said:
I guess what i would like to know is how old, and what weight does the cow have to be to be completly weaned so I know what to look for at auctions. I do not plan to keep them past October. I have maybe 2-3 acres open field then light tree cover for about 1-2 more acres. I was thinking maybe 4 cows sell 3 and eat number 4. I would like to get enough to cover buying cost, feeding cost and prossesing cost for the 4th one. (so the cow i keep is free..) Not sure if i need more to make mine free or if selling 3 is about right.
First off, I don't mean to offend you, but around here, the term "cow" should be used carefully. Cows = mature female bovine that has had a calf. You are obviously looking for calves, more specifically steers (castrated male bovines) that you want to graze, since you are looking to raise them, as stockers, on your pastures.

As ohne and jhm mentioned (good posts, btw) you need to know more than just how many head per acre and their weights you need to stock in your pastures. You need to know vegetation type, soil type, soil health (as in fertility), forage density (in lb/acre or kg/hectare), how many animal units you can carry on your pastures currently per day or per month (being, generally, stocking rate, stocking density and carrying capacity) without having to feed supplements, and even topography. Knowing when you project to graze them helps do, though often the calculations done for your pasture will tell you how long you should graze your pastures without overgrazing or without feeding any supplements.

Most calves that are run through the sale barn are around 6 months old (they've already been weaned) and can average around 600 lbs, though this differs with breed and the previous owner's management schemes. You may find some black calves that have an average weight of 700 lbs, and others with only an average weaning weight of 500 lbs. If I were you, in order to be able to maximize grazing potential for as long as possible, I'd stay away from the heavier calves (those that are mostly of Continental breeding like Charolais, Simmental, etc.) and go for the lighter British-bred calves like Angus or Hereford or even those awesome little black baldy calves.

Make sure the calves you are getting, as was mentioned before, are strong, in good condition, healthy and vigorous. Stay away from the scrawny, sickly, weak-looking calves that will obviously be the cheapest selling in the ring.

Keep in mind that you may need supplementation too, if your pastures are poorer condition than you anticipated.


(ohne, I think I did more over-analyzing than you did. :p ;) )
 

ohne

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WildRoseBeef said:
If I were you, in order to be able to maximize grazing potential for as long as possible, I'd stay away from the heavier calves (those that are mostly of Continental breeding like Charolais, Simmental, etc.) and go for the lighter British-bred calves like Angus or Hereford or even those awesome little black baldy calves.
I have to agree with this. Aim for a British breed (Angus, Hereford, Shorthorn) they are on average the most effiecent at converting forage to pounds of gain. The Contiental breeds will need grain to finish effectivly. Also I would go for those black baldy calves, one they are black and two you can capitalize on hybred-vigor this way. This is what we breed for in my familys commercial beef herd as you will get a higher rate of gain.

Karin, your post was very good, I have to agree with everything that you said. I really try to rein myself in on my post or else i can get to long winded on soils :cool:

Dakota
 

chicks & ducks

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Komot I am in pretty much the same boat! (though I live in Wisconsin, not Minnesota.) A year ago we bought 12 acres(3 pastured/9 wooded). Our property taxes are sky high! We were told by a sincere friend(who also has beef cattle) to fence it off and stick 3 head on the back 9 acres and sell them in the fall. He said it'd get the tax down and make us a little bit of money as well.

He made it sound so easy! This post has given me a lot more to think about. Though saying that-he did walk through our land so maybe he was looking at it from a farmer's point of view anyway! Quite possible.

Anyway-good topic :D
 
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