How to start a calf production farm

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

Calves are produced on a farm or rench where bulls and cows are mated together. Calves are often sold in the market to be reared for meat production. There are two calf productions: commercial production and livestock replacement production. The commercial one typically involves cross-bred cows that are raised for the production of calves which are primarily intended for beef production. Also, commercial production can take place with thoroughbred cows, but most of the time you don't have purebred cows. Livestock production, on the other hand, is where producers raise a preferred breed (sometimes more than one) to obtain calves that are raised and sold to other producers to replace livestock.

In general, most novice herdsmen should start with commercial production by experiencing calving cows, weaned calves, selling calves, selecting cows, bulls and heifers to replace and discarding the rest of the cattle, etc. before deciding whether to undertake a thoroughbred livestock replacement business.

Steps

Step 1. Plan ahead

Nowadays, planning is the best way to determine how, what and where you are going to do the things you want to do. Plan an activity, do your own analyzes and in-depth studies and create the calf production you want. Also take stock according to what you have to do and how you have to do it; in addition, it plans financial, commercial and objective initiatives to sell the calves and discard the rest of the cattle.

• Learn about the best breeds in the area you live in. Determine (using your own studies and analyzes) the breed you would like to have and / or the one you can manage best.

• Consult and read everything about these activities: fattening pens, pastures, calf production, weaning, mating, conformation, body conditions and forage psychology.

  • The internet is a good place to do research, but remember not to trust everything you read. Make sure the sites you consult are government approved, scientific research results, or college articles. Some of the best sites are: The Beef Magazine, The Cattle Site, Livestock Today, The Livestock Network, and even the articles on WikiHow are great for knowing what you need.
  • The best sources are books. Beef Making Guide, Beef Science, Beef Salad, Getting Started Guide to Beef or Dairy Cattle, The Livestock Health Manual, The Essential Guide to Calf Production, and / or any other book that has to do with livestock.

  

  Step 2. Buy / procure land

  Without land you cannot have livestock. To start raising your cows, you can buy the land or get it by making an agreement with your parents or grandparents to inherit it (if you have family members who have farms and want to retire), or you can rent the land or make a deal with another manufacturer.

  Learn about state and local laws and taxes to pay for buying / renting land or inheriting it. Also learn the advantages / disadvantages of the climate and land you are buying or inheriting so that you know how to manage livestock

  

  Step 3. Build / improve fences, vehicle management, facilities and water sources

  It is always important to do this. Fences are more important than structures and water sources are more important than fences. Since you need to keep your livestock closed for a few days for them to calm down and settle into their new home, it's important to have a solid enclosure for any time you buy new animals. This place is also good for managing the means to easily transport livestock when it needs to be sold or taken to slaughter.

  • Steel panels or solid wooden fences are great for placing "newcomers" for a few days, making sure they have water and food available. Use the pasture fence after moving them along with the rest of the cattle and still put the fence up before they arrive.
  • Structures can be built and / or repaired even after bringing the animals, especially if you have purchased weaned heifers that will not produce calves until their second year of age. Livestock must have shelter at any cost.

  • Sources of water are mandatory. It is recommended to install drinking troughs that automatically refresh themselves, after the livestock has drunk, through pipes connected to a tank or a well.

    Automatic drinkers are more reliable for quenching livestock thirst because a) you don't have to break the ice every two hours when the temperature is 0 degrees, b) often with these drinkers you install a heater and c) you won't find yourself outside in the dead of winter having to. to fill

  • Regular drinking troughs are good to use if the livestock is not very large and the local climate is mild, but when you are in the north of the US, filling the troughs is no fun at all.

  

  Step 4. (Optional) Purchase machinery to feed livestock

  If you want to become a low-cost manufacturer, machinery is optional. However, if you have enough funds to keep livestock closed all winter (or year round), machinery may be needed to feed them grain, hay, and to produce silage and hay in the summer.

  • Some owners use the machinery to cut, dry, rake and put together hay for the winter. Some procedures require tailor-made work.
  • You may need to have a tractor to move heavy panels that you can't move on your own! Make sure you have a tractor that is powerful enough to move hay bales (1 tonne) with ease without causing damage. At the same time, don't get too big a tractor, like the ones you sometimes see in front of dealerships like AgriTrac, John Deere, CAT or New Holland. Some low-cost producers don't need a tractor, but actually, a farm - and this literally means that a farm isn't a real farm without a good tractor. You never know when you might need it!

  

  Step 5. (Optional) Buy some livestock feed

  This only applies if you keep livestock in an area with little grass, or if you bought livestock at a time of year when grazing grass is scarce. Feed is also needed if you haven't set aside enough hay or silage for the winter. Bran is a good alternative if you don't have enough winter food. Some like to invest in wheat to keep cows tamed and manage them better; there's nothing wrong with that.

  

  Step 6. Go around the shops, ask for opinions and examine the animals you want to buy

  It is important to do this in order to have a good foundation to start with. It's always good to shop around and compare prices, just like if you should go shopping for clothes or shoes at the mall. Some producers sell their livestock dearly if they have a quality product such as thoroughbreds. As far as you can look around, no cow is alike. Do not be fooled by the images you see on the internet as often those images do not correspond to the actual pasture. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't use photos to show cows or heifers to customers. It is good to look at the photos and visit for yourself.

  • Most of the time while you are out with a cow for pasture, you notice how it behaves in your presence, its temperament, how it walks, the conformation, etc. Visiting a producer also gives you the opportunity to talk with him about his herd, the health problems that have been there, how he treats grazing cattle, and to see other cattle being raised. You can see the area in which it is located, the type of terrain, the means and other things that may interest you. Ask everything you want to know; the manufacturer will be happy to answer you. Often they too ask you what you want to do with the cattle. You may want to ask to take photos to examine them at home.
  • But when you buy at auction, things are different. You don't have a lot of time to go through them, because sales happen very fast. You will likely not meet the producer who sells the cattle - except for clearance sales - so it will be up to your intuition to buy quality cattle. You could go to the back of the place to examine the animals before they are auctioned, to see if it is worth buying some or not. Do not choose an animal just because it looks cute or beautiful, you have to be more demanding, examine the health conditions, the conformation and the body conditions. And follow your instinct. Don't be disappointed if you lose some heifers at auction or if you haven't found what you were looking for. There is always a next time, a next sale in which maybe you will find what you are looking for. If you have no experience and don't know how to determine the status of a good pet, find a friend who has more experience to help you choose well.

  

  Step 7. Buy cattle

  The price of livestock varies by weight or by breed. Pedigreed cows are more expensive than crossbreeds. Heifers are cheaper than cows; cows that are not pregnant are less expensive than those that are and those that are less expensive than those that will soon give birth to a calf (called 3-in-1). This applies to clearances, sales in general, and when buying from a private individual.

  • Since step 1, you must have planned which cows to buy, whether to buy 6 month old weaned heifers that will only bring in profits after 2 years when they give birth to the calves. Or whether to spend more money buying cows that are pregnant or about to give birth to make money in a few months.
  • Remember you have 5 cow choices: Heifers, weaned heifers, 3-in-1s, cows and pregnant cows. Evaluate well and decide what to buy.

  

  Step 8. Bring the cattle home

  Make sure you have a good fence before doing this. If you have a truck with a trailer, you can load up livestock and transport them safely. But if you don't have a trailer yet, you can rent it from a dealer or manufacturer (if you have a truck powerful enough to carry their trailer) or ask the manufacturer to ship them to you for the required amount. However, it is important to come with a trailer to sales.

  

  Step 9. Keep the animals inside a good enclosure before taking them out to pasture

  Cattle tend to be a little tense and stressed when placed in a new environment, thus trying to escape to return home. Weaned calves are the first to do this as they have been taken away from their mum and put up for sale, so they are very stressed. Older cows calm down earlier, especially if they are docile by nature. If you have purchased newly weaned calves, make sure you have a solid pen for a few days. The calves scream because they want to return to their mothers, so they call them. Eventually, they calm down and adjust to their new environment and their new routine.

  

  Step 10. Continue with your project by raising the cattle you bought

  But if you need to make any changes, write them in your project and apply them. You have to be flexible but determined at the same time, expecting the unexpected. You may realize after a few years that raising livestock is not for you. So be it. On the contrary, you may also realize that the livestock you have purchased is not what you actually wanted and therefore you would like to change it to the desired one based on your needs. So be it. We all learn from our mistakes and those of others. You will never stop learning new things about raising livestock, even after doing it for years already!

  Advice

  • Expect the unexpected and keep learning new things!
  • Always remember Murhpy's law: If something can happen, it will happen. For both good and bad; most of the time the law refers to negative things. So you are waiting without getting too tired and listen to your body if you feel tired or awkward. If you feel tired and angry, take a break, have a coffee or take a nap before going back to dealing with the unexpected again. Most accidents occur when you are tired or angry and not focused enough on what to do, behaving carelessly.
  • Start small. This is crucial, starting with 100 cows can be difficult, especially if you are a beginner.
  • Go slowly. Don't get overwhelmed by the things you need to do before you take the beasts home. Write a list, prioritize and hire someone if you have to.
  • Think before you rush. It is very important to plan things before doing them, so as not to get tangled up in your business.
  • Ask for people's options, do some research, and if you have any doubts follow the advice.
  • Buy quality cows / heifers. Scarce livestock will compromise your earnings / expenses.