How much acreage you need per animal is totally dependent on how well your pasture will grow over the season.
Western ranchers can need from 100 acres to over 300 acres per cow/calf unit, to get the calf ready for late season weaning.
Here in the eastern side of the Midwest, we have plenty of grass because of the abundant rain over summer. Might get a
few weeks of drought in the heat of summer, but seldom more than 4weeks. If you keep your pastures here in good condition,
not too many animals for the size acreage, the cattle will still have plenty to eat in the dry times and way into fall.
Other areas in the Midwest or in the USA might not get the same rain, so you do need more acreage for each animal, to prevent
having to buy hay in the dry times.
We have always done grass fed, with small amounts of grain supplements to keep them friendly when handled. They had
excellent carcass quality, and we processed by weight, not age. None went much over 2 years, about 1000 pounds live. However we
are not commercial raisers, only do 1-2 animals at a time. The animal does get a good size feeding of grain mix daily, with his
pasture grass for the last six weeks before processing. With being on pasture getting exercised, the grain spreads fat thru the
meat for good marbling, so they would certainly rate Prime as carcasses if sold. All the cuts were fork tender, didn't really need a
knife for anything.
I would suggest you not hold out for a pond on any property. Cattle will really tear up the edges, foul the water with urine and poop,
get stuck in the mud or ice in winter. People on here have lost calves when cows dropped them beside the pond edges. It truly is
easier to keep cattle watered out of a tank, year around. Ponds also will be mosquito hatcheries, so you are much more exposed to diseases they
carry, and the animals are more chewed up by the bugs. Ponds with no fresh water like a spring will dry up in heat, exposing more mud
to get stuck in, get stinky, and breed nasty stuff in the depths.
Even having a pond on-site, doesn't mean the Fire Department will use the dirty water if you should have a fire. Scum can wreck the
EXPENSIVE pumps and contaminate the hoses of Fire vehicles. They only pull water from previously approved sites, and it takes work
to get that water location approved, kept approved over time. Learned that at a Farm Safety clinic and was quite surprised. All water
is NOT equal when Fire Truck needs water refills.
So if the choices you can afford are between pond w/small acres, and big acreage w/no pond, go for the big acreage. You will ALWAYS
find a way to use that extra space. Maybe you could dig a pond on it later!!
Western ranchers can need from 100 acres to over 300 acres per cow/calf unit, to get the calf ready for late season weaning.
Here in the eastern side of the Midwest, we have plenty of grass because of the abundant rain over summer. Might get a
few weeks of drought in the heat of summer, but seldom more than 4weeks. If you keep your pastures here in good condition,
not too many animals for the size acreage, the cattle will still have plenty to eat in the dry times and way into fall.
Other areas in the Midwest or in the USA might not get the same rain, so you do need more acreage for each animal, to prevent
having to buy hay in the dry times.
We have always done grass fed, with small amounts of grain supplements to keep them friendly when handled. They had
excellent carcass quality, and we processed by weight, not age. None went much over 2 years, about 1000 pounds live. However we
are not commercial raisers, only do 1-2 animals at a time. The animal does get a good size feeding of grain mix daily, with his
pasture grass for the last six weeks before processing. With being on pasture getting exercised, the grain spreads fat thru the
meat for good marbling, so they would certainly rate Prime as carcasses if sold. All the cuts were fork tender, didn't really need a
knife for anything.
I would suggest you not hold out for a pond on any property. Cattle will really tear up the edges, foul the water with urine and poop,
get stuck in the mud or ice in winter. People on here have lost calves when cows dropped them beside the pond edges. It truly is
easier to keep cattle watered out of a tank, year around. Ponds also will be mosquito hatcheries, so you are much more exposed to diseases they
carry, and the animals are more chewed up by the bugs. Ponds with no fresh water like a spring will dry up in heat, exposing more mud
to get stuck in, get stinky, and breed nasty stuff in the depths.
Even having a pond on-site, doesn't mean the Fire Department will use the dirty water if you should have a fire. Scum can wreck the
EXPENSIVE pumps and contaminate the hoses of Fire vehicles. They only pull water from previously approved sites, and it takes work
to get that water location approved, kept approved over time. Learned that at a Farm Safety clinic and was quite surprised. All water
is NOT equal when Fire Truck needs water refills.
So if the choices you can afford are between pond w/small acres, and big acreage w/no pond, go for the big acreage. You will ALWAYS
find a way to use that extra space. Maybe you could dig a pond on it later!!
Norma - for a spammer I'll give you credit for persistence 
