When To Cut Your Losses..........

[gltrap54]

I'm recently retired & have always wanted to try my hand at raising a couple of cows...... Have raised lots of animals on my 6A over the past 35 years (never any cattle) and grew up in a rural setting working for a few of the local farmers......

The last couple of years I've grained a couple of 950 pound heifers (bought at the sale barn). I'm buying all the creep feed and some hay. It's costing me about $1200 (to put 300 pounds on them) for feed & transportation (don't own a stock trailer). I keep half a side & sell the rest. This is proving to be cost prohibitive (it's costing me $600 for the beef I'm keeping!) Is there a more cost effective approach to this? I've got $5K tied up in new fence & equipment, so I hate to see it sit idle.

 

[jhm47]

Don't know your location, but with adequate grain and 6A of pasture you shouldn't need much hay. A 950 lb heifer or steer shouldn't need creep feed at all. Corn would be my grain of choice, and it shouldn't cost you more than $7/bu. I'd feed each animal around 20 lbs per day. That would cost you approximately $2.50 per head per day. With that hot of a ration, they should gain 3 lbs a day. That means that in 100 days, they should each eat about $250 worth of corn. Add in some minerals, salt, and you could add another $25. $25 in protein pellets would be another expense, so for about $300 you should be able to get them to slaughter weight. Of course, if you're buying stunted, or poorly bred animals, you won't have gains that good.

I do realize that there are areas where corn is not readily available, so that might be part of your problem. Here in SD, we have a plentiful supply, and also access to lots of ethanol byproducts and hay, so our cost of gain is quite reasonable compared to many other locations.

 

[gltrap54]

Don't know your location, but with adequate grain and 6A of pasture you shouldn't need much hay. A 950 lb heifer or steer shouldn't need creep feed at all. Corn would be my grain of choice, and it shouldn't cost you more than $7/bu. I'd feed each animal around 20 lbs per day. That would cost you approximately $2.50 per head per day. With that hot of a ration, they should gain 3 lbs a day. That means that in 100 days, they should each eat about $250 worth of corn. Add in some minerals, salt, and you could add another $25. $25 in protein pellets would be another expense, so for about $300 you should be able to get them to slaughter weight. Of course, if you're buying stunted, or poorly bred animals, you won't have gains that good.

I do realize that there are areas where corn is not readily available, so that might be part of your problem. Here in SD, we have a plentiful supply, and also access to lots of ethanol byproducts and hay, so our cost of gain is quite reasonable compared to many other locations.

Thanks jhm47! I should have noted that I only have two acres fenced, but I keep it (brome/fescue) fertilized & weed free..... I live along the Kansas River in NE Kansas, so there's plenty of corn! I use salt blocks & a mineral feeder, & feed range cubes, so ground corn ($7.95/50Lb) would be a little cheaper than creep ($8.95). At full feed I'm feeding about 25 Lb/head/day. My weight gain has suffered a bit with the torrid summers we've had....... The farmer that hauls my cows also works at the sale barn where I buy them, so I'm assured of getting some really nice Angus heifers off grass..... but it's taking 110-120 days to get them to weight. Don't know if I can find corn cheaper than the farm supply I buy from. They have their own mill, so they're fairly competetive......

 

[jhm47]

Try going to a farm auction and getting an old used grain wagon of come type. Most elevators will have cracked corn that they will deliver for a nominal fee, and you can save a lot of $$$. You can also have them mix protein pellets or other supplements that you might want to add. You can buy an old "flair box" wagon with a running gear around here for $100 or less. They would work well for a small feeder like you.

 

[gltrap54]

Try going to a farm auction and getting an old used grain wagon of come type. Most elevators will have cracked corn that they will deliver for a nominal fee, and you can save a lot of $$$. You can also have them mix protein pellets or other supplements that you might want to add. You can buy an old "flair box" wagon with a running gear around here for $100 or less. They would work well for a small feeder like you.

I'm on it jhm47! Thanks!