Question about breeding cattle

[CaliFarmsAR]

I plan to one day have 200 acres of land with 100-102 registered, show quality Hereford cattle (all polled), can one bull breed 49-50 heifers? I’d have two bulls with 49-50 cows, and have a spring calving cows and fall calving. Thank you for any help, it’s really appreciated

 

[Alaskan]

Can your land support that many cattle? Is it all in improved pasture?

My mind can't grasp cattle that close together.....

We would usually do about 20 cows for a bull, but we always ran young bulls since they are easier to handle and tend to be more respectful of fences.

I think an active bull in his prime could cover 50 cows... but that is pushing it.

You can always stay with one bull... have him cover one set of cows, and then move him to the next set.....

 

[farmerjan]

The pasture set up will be a big part of the answer. Keeping the cattle fairly concentrated, as in rotational grazing, will keep the bull in closer proximity to any/all that could be in heat.
A Mature bull of 4 or 5 could cover 40-50 cows. It also depends on how tight of a calving season you want.
We pretty much run a max of 40 cows with a mature bull. Most of our pastures will have 15 to 30 +/- cows with calves for a single bull to cover. We rotational graze most of our places to some degree.

I find it difficult to have 100 head on 200 acres all in one place. You would not be able to do much rotational grazing with those numbers and take good care of the land. We figure 1 cow/calf pair to 2 acres here in Va; with having adequate rainfall... and that is figuring at least 4 months of hay feeding.
Last year we ran one easy calving bull with 27 heifers. All but 2 were bred, both were diagnosed by the vet as problem breeders. Sold as beef. That pasture is divided into 3 sections for rotating (rented land) and it held up well... about 40+ acres... but they were not put on it until June and were pulled in Nov. We made hay on about 10 acres of part of one section, and then rotated them into that section about a month later, with good regrowth.
Arkansas is not known for exceptional rainfall... it is in the list of top states in drought conditions this year; .... You will be lucky to run 1 head per 5 acres.
Over grazing will do more damage to land in one year than you will be able to repair in 5 years.

So my answer is NO you will not be able to run 1 bull for 50 head of heifers. Not to get a good pregnancy rate. If you were to do AI work and then use a bull as a clean up for any that do not settle to the AI, then it would make sense.

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

Can your land support that many cattle? Is it all in improved pasture?

My mind can't grasp cattle that close together.....

We would usually do about 20 cows for a bull, but we always ran young bulls since they are easier to handle and tend to be more respectful of fences.

I think an active bull in his prime could cover 50 cows... but that is pushing it.

You can always stay with one bull... have him cover one set of cows, and then move him to the next set.....

I don’t have the land yet and won’t for a little bit but it would be able to support cattle and stuff.
I’m just thinking 200 acres to start, I’d add more. And I could do one bull, but I’d want to keep some of the offspring and breed them, that’s where I thought having two bulls would be good, but I only have a few cows now and I have an idea on running cattle (we have a friend who does and my grandpa runs cattle too), but I’ve never done it. I have helped separate calves, got to pregnancy check a cow, watch band bull calf’s, etc.

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

The pasture set up will be a big part of the answer. Keeping the cattle fairly concentrated, as in rotational grazing, will keep the bull in closer proximity to any/all that could be in heat.
A Mature bull of 4 or 5 could cover 40-50 cows. It also depends on how tight of a calving season you want.
We pretty much run a max of 40 cows with a mature bull. Most of our pastures will have 15 to 30 +/- cows with calves for a single bull to cover. We rotational graze most of our places to some degree.

I find it difficult to have 100 head on 200 acres all in one place. You would not be able to do much rotational grazing with those numbers and take good care of the land. We figure 1 cow/calf pair to 2 acres here in Va; with having adequate rainfall... and that is figuring at least 4 months of hay feeding.
Last year we ran one easy calving bull with 27 heifers. All but 2 were bred, both were diagnosed by the vet as problem breeders. Sold as beef. That pasture is divided into 3 sections for rotating (rented land) and it held up well... about 40+ acres... but they were not put on it until June and were pulled in Nov. We made hay on about 10 acres of part of one section, and then rotated them into that section about a month later, with good regrowth.
Arkansas is not known for exceptional rainfall... it is in the list of top states in drought conditions this year; .... You will be lucky to run 1 head per 5 acres.
Over grazing will do more damage to land in one year than you will be able to repair in 5 years.

So my answer is NO you will not be able to run 1 bull for 50 head of heifers. Not to get a good pregnancy rate. If you were to do AI work and then use a bull as a clean up for any that do not settle to the AI, then it would make sense.

Ok thank you, I may just start out smaller then. I don’t care for AI so I’d prefer to use live cover for my cows

 

[farmerjan]

What is considered the average carrying capacity of the grazing land there in your part of Arkansas? What type of hay ground will you have for making hay for winter feed? What is the average tonnage production of decent hay ground? How many cuttings of hay is average on NON-irrigated land?
Will you have the means to buy the land, then stock it with cattle? What about fences... watering facilities...handling facilities? Even if you don't do any AI, you will have to have some sort of catch pen and working chute for castrations, pregnancy checking, doctoring of any cattle that are injured or anything.

Reading what you have said, I gather you have some experiences working with cattle.

Will you have an outside source of income to help pay for the start up? I don't know what the land prices out there are. Here you are looking at $4,000 to $10,000 PER ACRE.... often with nothing on it....
There is NO WAY to buy land, and be able to run enough cattle to make the payments. Cattle prices will not pay for it. Even selling custom beef will not pay for it today.
Good registered cattle are not cheap. $2,000 a head is probably a low average..... $2,000 to 20,000 is what a good to exceptional bull costs.
I am not trying to discourage you. I started with some 1/2 dairy 1/2 beef animals... and have bred up from there. My son bought a few here and there, then bought 40 head of mixed age and type cattle; to get a better start.
We both worked full time jobs... I am slowing down to part-time/semi-retirement. He will continue to work his full time job until retirement.
He just bought a place we had been renting from the widow of a friend that passed away over 5 years ago. $650,000 for about 100 acres... it has a barn and working facilities. It was all fenced ...40 years ago.... the posts are starting to rot and many of the fences are in need of replacement. A roll of woven wire field fencing is 250 to 400 according to brand... fence posts are up to $5-$15 EACH... according to size. NO HOUSE... and the well is on the other piece of property with the house that the widow kept.... we will have to put in a well to the tune of $25,000 or so.
We run no more than about 50 head on this place. With about 30 acres in crop ground to grow hay and to also do some other crops to rotate. The rest is too hilly and rocky to do anything except pasture. We feed hay there for about 5 months of the year. In dry years we have had as few as 20 head there. It is more our "home place" to bring cattle in to use the barn and working chute.... sort and gather cattle to move out to other pastures, and get groups together from other places to sell feeders.

 

[Alaskan]

I could do one bull, but I’d want to keep some of the offspring and breed them, that’s where I thought having two bulls would be goo

There are many ways to set up breeding...

We would have one young bull, for 2 to 3 years, then sell him and get a new one....

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

Thank you all for the help