land renting and keeping cattle

jag con

Hi all right i have been mad into farming since i was a kid but dont have any family with a farm and spent many a summer helping out my local farmers with cattle and sheep
I dont know much about it but would love to try it out on a small scale
so i was thinking of renting a couple of acres and putting a few weanlings onto it and fattening them up. my questions are

am i mad
what do i need to look out for and how do i go about doing this
what costs would i need to allow for per year
what breed of cattle should i look at

im really looking for some advice on how to go about doing this in a small way

Muckit

Yes you might be mad if it's a money making venture, but not if it's something that you REALLY want to do................. once your sure that it is, go for it!

What have you to lose? The secret, as you say, is small steps. Don't bite off more than you can chew or afford finanically. Keep it as a hobby and you can't go too far wrong. Listen to everyone's advice on things, but make up your own mind on things after.

The very best of luck to you with your new venture;)

Belongamick

There is only one way to get rid of an itch....

I am by no means an expert but suggest the following..
=Probably a little late in the year to start renting and stocking up for the
winter but if the right land comes up this may change.
=Assuming you are going to rent check rental prices in the area from a
local auctioneer or local press.
=When renting ask yourself is this 'good' ground that is not liable to flood
or get torn up with livestock, does it have a water source, does it have
cattle handling facilities, do you need to apply for a herd number, is it
fenced, is there roadside access or hastle with right-of-ways? No harm to
bring a second oponion along when viewing.
=When buying stock I tend to go for charolais cattle around 425Kg's - old
enough to get on with the job themselves, docile (by and large), and
usually attract a decent price when selling. Buy in spring/summer, gone in
november - no winter feeding. You are not going to be rich at this but
just to get the hang of keeping an eye on cattle, dealing with issues as
they occur. I would locate a person to do your cattle purchasing for you
- more sharks around a mart ring than any tropical island. This system will
not leave you rich but if things work out over a year or two develop a
system that suits your needs. There is a lot of knowledge to taking care
of cows and one missed problem can leave you well stung.

Good luck.

jag con

cheers for the responses i have a few things to think about

Con

k mac

Agree with the above posts, if you see it as a money making venture you won t but could be a nice hobby, if lucky you might break even.There is extra costs to consider dose, herd test etc. Its true try to ensure you have handling facilities and that the land is well fenced or you could be runnin! Charolais heifers would be a good option easier manage than bullocks.Best of luck

denis086

it might be a better idea to get friendly with a farmer wholl sell you some bullocks/heifers that way you know what sort of animals your getting and the herd they are coming from we have lads who come to us every year and buy a few limousine heifers because they are supposed to be nice and quiet and we treat them well because well know theyll be back but we dont lose money either so its a good arrangement

ravima

could you approach some neighbouring farmer, who might be getting on in years and might be interested in some form of profit sharing arrangement?

Her provides land, you provide cattle, you share labour and share profit at the end.

jag con

Cheers all for the replys right i have been doing a little thinking

so i would want to start off on a small scale lets say three bullocks at about 450-500kg mark in spring and put them out in grass and keep them until beginning of october and sell/kill them my questions are i see that there are 3 acres around near me for rent that have sheds etc but i dont know if there is a handling area

1 how many acres would you need for just 3`bullocks for 6-7 months
2 would i need to allow for nuts/meal for the last 6 weeks or so
3 what other costs would i need a factor in during the year
4 would i be realistic in thinking that these cattle might be about the 700kg mark in 6-7 months


Jag Con

Pharaoh1

Although I own some land and lease about the same amount I too was looking for a fairly simple summer graze system a few years ago.
Personally I don't see the point in buying heavy cattle as

(a) They are obviously more difficult to handle, ie if you had to put up a low cost pen/crush it would need to be stronger than if you were handling say a 250kg to 450kg animal.

(b) The bigger the animal the more money tied up per animal in case one dies (rare enough I know but if you go on to rented ground you don't really know what disease could occur)

(c) If you get really wet weather (and we do) more damage to a small piece of ground.

(d) I used to finish a few but the factories and their agents don't care about someone with small numbers and you will have no bargaining power.

I buy small weanling bullocks through an agent in the spring 280 - 320kgs and target to get more than 200kgs weight gain before sale in late Oct early Nov.
Last year I averaged 238kgs gain but that was on 80% reseeded ground with light meal feeding for six weeks or so and paddock grazing, good dosing etc.. and that was the best I ever achieved.
I buy bullocks mainly because my neighbours keep bulls and bullocks and heifers might cause problems and I try to get reasonable quality as plainer ones can be difficult to sell in the autumn.
Everyone's situation is different I know but this system works well for me.

Sam Kade

Pharaoh1 wrote: »

Although I own some land and lease about the same amount I too was looking for a fairly simple summer graze system a few years ago.
Personally I don't see the point in buying heavy cattle as

(a) They are obviously more difficult to handle, ie if you had to put up a low cost pen/crush it would need to be stronger than if you were handling say a 250kg to 450kg animal.

(b) The bigger the animal the more money tied up per animal in case one dies (rare enough I know but if you go on to rented ground you don't really know what disease could occur)

(c) If you get really wet weather (and we do) more damage to a small piece of ground.

(d) I used to finish a few but the factories and their agents don't care about someone with small numbers and you will have no bargaining power.

I buy small weanling bullocks through an agent in the spring 280 - 320kgs and target to get more than 200kgs weight gain before sale in late Oct early Nov.
Last year I averaged 238kgs gain but that was on 80% reseeded ground with light meal feeding for six weeks or so and paddock grazing, good dosing etc.. and that was the best I ever achieved.
I buy bullocks mainly because my neighbours keep bulls and bullocks and heifers might cause problems and I try to get reasonable quality as plainer ones can be difficult to sell in the autumn.
Everyone's situation is different I know but this system works well for me.

What breed of cattle do you buy? When buying the cattle how do you know that they weren't pushed hard during the winter with a lot of compensatory growth on them?

jag con

Cheers all for your replys just a couple of questions for you

1 how many acres would i need to graze 3 bullocks/heifers for 6-7 months

anybody in the kildare/west wicklow area interested in talking to me about possibly renting some land


Con

Pharaoh1

Sam Kade wrote: »

What breed of cattle do you buy? When buying the cattle how do you know that they weren't pushed hard during the winter with a lot of compensatory growth on them?

Sam, sorry for late reply, I was away for a few days.

My agent buys mostly Limousin and Charolais, I prefer the Charolais but its all about what you can get at reasonable value. I would also have a few Simmentals, Blues and the odd Angus or Montbeliarde.
They would all be suckler bred but I suppose they would be mostly a notch below the top quality weanling for the export trade. It's not always the best quality that gives the best return though. Last year for example my agent brought me six miserable looking Simmentals nearly a year old badly underfed weighing only 220kg. I didn't really want them as I thought they were badly stunted etc but mart price was 450 euro so I reluctantly took them. I kept them for 7 months and sold them for 745 euro which was a good return for summer grazing.
Picking the cattle with frame and potential is the key. I think you really need to go to the marts in the poorer land areas to get those type of hungry weanlings. With a good dosing regime these cattle will perform if they get good grass. Also getting them out to grass early is the key, the few I had out in early March are now way ahead of those that I bought six weeks later.

Sam Kade

Pharaoh1 wrote: »

Sam, sorry for late reply, I was away for a few days.

My agent buys mostly Limousin and Charolais, I prefer the Charolais but its all about what you can get at reasonable value. I would also have a few Simmentals, Blues and the odd Angus or Montbeliarde.
They would all be suckler bred but I suppose they would be mostly a notch below the top quality weanling for the export trade. It's not always the best quality that gives the best return though. Last year for example my agent brought me six miserable looking Simmentals nearly a year old badly underfed weighing only 220kg. I didn't really want them as I thought they were badly stunted etc but mart price was 450 euro so I reluctantly took them. I kept them for 7 months and sold them for 745 euro which was a good return for summer grazing.
Picking the cattle with frame and potential is the key. I think you really need to go to the marts in the poorer land areas to get those type of hungry weanlings. With a good dosing regime these cattle will perform if they get good grass. Also getting them out to grass early is the key, the few I had out in early March are now way ahead of those that I bought six weeks later.

Interesting, I buy cattle in Cork. It would be harder to find weanlings that weren't pushed during the winter.

Breffni

Hi Folks

Interesting reading above. Thanks for all the info. Just like one or two of the posters I too am researching the possibility of purchasing a few weanling heifers (as opposed to bullocks) next Spring for summer grazing with the intention of selling in October. Although I have been surrounded by farmers and reared in the country I know little or nothing about farming but am interested in starting a little project as have the use of approx 10acres of land lying idle. (The land was purchased by a family member to prevent houses being built in our back garden during the boom years)

My Questions are;

1. I understand weight is a key factor when selling bullocks, what is the key factor when selling heifers that a buyer looks for?
2. Apart from fencing (for strip grazing), drinkers, meal etc. what are the other costs I might be overlooking for summer grazing? i.e. Does dosing or testing of any kind need to be carried out during this time (Spring to Oct) of the livestock cycle?
3. What % commission or fee does a mart charge for the sale of cattle?

Note: I am aware of the need for a herd number to carry out this project.

jag con

Breffni wrote: »

Hi Folks

Interesting reading above. Thanks for all the info. Just like one or two of the posters I too am researching the possibility of purchasing a few weanling heifers (as opposed to bullocks) next Spring for summer grazing with the intention of selling in October. Although I have been surrounded by farmers and reared in the country I know little or nothing about farming but am interested in starting a little project as have the use of approx 10acres of land lying idle. (The land was purchased by a family member to prevent houses being built in our back garden during the boom years)

My Questions are;

1. I understand weight is a key factor when selling bullocks, what is the key factor when selling heifers that a buyer looks for?
2. Apart from fencing (for strip grazing), drinkers, meal etc. what are the other costs I might be overlooking for summer grazing? i.e. Does dosing or testing of any kind need to be carried out during this time (Spring to Oct) of the livestock cycle?
3. What % commission or fee does a mart charge for the sale of cattle?

Note: I am aware of the need for a herd number to carry out this project.

Hi Breffni as you already read im in the same boat as yourself and hope you get some responses of good advice here also

as regards mart commissions i think i heard they charge about 1 1/2 -2% commission on sales and about 8.50 per head when your buying

Jag con

Pharaoh1

Breffni wrote: »

Hi Folks

Interesting reading above. Thanks for all the info. Just like one or two of the posters I too am researching the possibility of purchasing a few weanling heifers (as opposed to bullocks) next Spring for summer grazing with the intention of selling in October. Although I have been surrounded by farmers and reared in the country I know little or nothing about farming but am interested in starting a little project as have the use of approx 10acres of land lying idle. (The land was purchased by a family member to prevent houses being built in our back garden during the boom years)

My Questions are;

1. I understand weight is a key factor when selling bullocks, what is the key factor when selling heifers that a buyer looks for?
2. Apart from fencing (for strip grazing), drinkers, meal etc. what are the other costs I might be overlooking for summer grazing? i.e. Does dosing or testing of any kind need to be carried out during this time (Spring to Oct) of the livestock cycle?
3. What % commission or fee does a mart charge for the sale of cattle?

Note: I am aware of the need for a herd number to carry out this project.

A few considerations I was thinking about.
1.If you are going to keep heifers (and I never have) as far as I know the testing requirements for mart sale are tighter than for male cattle. Also I have come across situations where someone has bought a bunch of heifers and after a couple of months found that one or two of them are in calf. This is a common enough occurrence with the number of bulls around and its a hassle you could do without. These factors also influenced my decision to keep bullocks.
2. For a decent summer grazing setup I think a mains electric fence and creating a few paddocks is a worthwhile investment. Water is a consideration of course but grazing one field all year is wasteful on grass and won't give good performance.
3. To control grass quality you would need to take out a paddock or two in the peak growing season for baled silage.
4. Having a grass topper and manure spreader (or access to these) is important again to control grass quality and to ensure grass supply in the spring and autumn. I get a contractor to spread some pig slurry which I find good especially in early spring.
5. I usually use a good quality invermectin dose at turnout with copper and clostridial vaccination and then repeat the fluke/worm dose in mid august. A herd test is also required each year and I usually schedule mine for about 4 weeks after turnout so that the vet can give them a good look over and advise, ie if one or two were not thriving or had any other problem. This might be particularly important if you dont have much experience.
6. My idea is to keep my cattle on the best possible grass until the end of October to keep them growing and gaining weight. Light meal feeding 1-2kg is only to substitute for declining grass quality in Sept/Oct and heavy feeding will only make them fat and put the buyer off. In any case there is no economic response (in my opinion) to feeding 4-5kg.

Hope this helps.

Sam Kade

Pharaoh1 do you have any problems with the agent that buys the cattle for you trying to buy them back off you when he thinks you are ready to sell them?

pakalasa

Pharaoh1 wrote: »

..... I usually use a good quality invermectin dose at turnout .......
Hope this helps.

There is no point in giving an Ivermectin injection at turnout. Cattle cant pick up worms if they are housed over the winter. They pick them up while grazing. 3 weeks after housing in the Autumn is the best time.
Thats the conventional wisdom anyway, from Teagasc, farmers journal etc..

Pharaoh1

Agree that if cattle are properly looked after there would be no need for dosing at turnout. However if you buy in cattle you have know idea of their previous history I think it is worthwhile. I would say that some of the cattle I have bought may never have been dosed for anything. Many will never have been in a shed and in fact I like to buy out wintered cattle as they rarely get chills etc.. in the early spring and tend to thrive more quickly.

Sam, I've never had that problem with my agent. Basically he buys them into my herd no. and I pay him his commission and that is the end of it. He knows too that if he messes me around there are plenty of others looking for the business.
I've had a few locals call to me asking me to sell cattle directly to them out of the field but I haven't done this. I know it would avoid mart commission and transport costs but
(a) you will definitely get paid by the mart.
(b) you will know your selling weight and therefore the avg weight gain achieved and you need this info if you are serious about improving.
(c) the mart is by and large a fair bidding contest (although I am well aware of the sort of unspoken "arrangements" that exist in some marts)

jag con

hi all again thanks for the replys a couple of questions have popped up

i am reading the herd no form and it says that you need a crush can they be made up of gates, and some fencing would this pass an inspection from the dvo office

i am looking at grazing 2-3 cattle starting off in spring and selling them in october the land im looking at grazing on is a stud farm

what im really asking is is it easy to get a herd no

the more i look into this project the harder it seems any advice would be great

Con

dar31

jag con wrote: »

hi all again thanks for the replys a couple of questions have popped up

i am reading the herd no form and it says that you need a crush can they be made up of gates, and some fencing would this pass an inspection from the dvo office

i am looking at grazing 2-3 cattle starting off in spring and selling them in october the land im looking at grazing on is a stud farm

what im really asking is is it easy to get a herd no

the more i look into this project the harder it seems any advice would be great

Con

a couple of gates and a bit of fencing wont pass,
need head gate and fixed steel / timber run, not sure how long crush should be, maybe one / two cows long.
not sure if a propper mobile cow crush would do, some one else may answer that, douth it would though

Fries-With-That

Belongamick wrote: »

............. - more sharks around a mart ring than any tropical island.............

Good luck.

I nominate the above for quote of the week

This is an interesting thread, I have a few acres of ground that I've being letting farmers use for the past few years. (rent free)

First farmer put up a fence to keep his cattle in and widened the access point. When he was finished with it he left fence he had put up to divide the field in two halves in situ.(which suited me too)

Second one cut about 90 round bales of silage and didn't bother to fertilize the ground afterwards. He cut it late and it took a long time for the grass to recover.

Last year a guy asked me could he use the land to fatten a few animals over the summer in exchange for a side of beef, I didn't get the beef and when he removed his cattle he removed a fence I had put up to protect a vegetable garden I had planted.

This year I have given the maps to a local farmer to increase his nitrates something or other, and he's now managing the land, fertilizer, topping weeds, fencing an area for me. I'm delighted as he is suggesting things to me that I really didn't know needed doing.

Anyway the point of this post is before you tie yourself up in a rental arrangement with anybody I suggest you put an advert in your local paper offering to manage land for someone in exchange for its use.

jag con

once again thanks all for the advice and replys

So i now have some land sorted with a crush on it its through a friend of mine i will provide the cattle [only buying 3 to start off with] i have a relation up the country who uses a agent to buy his cattle from so he will sort me out with a few Aberdeen Angus or Herefords bullocks. The friend supplies the land and if there is any profit we will split it down the middle.

now my next question is

Do i buy some weanling cattle at the end of September early October put them on grass until beginning of November and winter them outside on hay and turn them out in spring onto grass and sell them next Autumn

or

Buy some cattle in spring and graze them until November and then sell them [hopefully they will be fattened up at that stage]

what are the advantages and disavantages of both ideas.

also i have access to round bales of hay [ good tight baled from a new baler] but dont have a way of handling them roughly how many bales of small square bales are in a 4x4 round bale im thinking if i go down the route of feeding hay i might get some square bales for easier handling

Pharaoh1

I have outlined my summer graze system earlier in the thread so no surprise that I would advise that approach.
I used to out winter cattle and the main disadvantages are

- you will not really have grass for them until May.
- no matter how good the winter is you will get some poaching
- if you feed them with a round feeder you will destroy a sizeable are of ground.

If you were able to get cattle out on good grass in mid Feb the weight gain in the following six weeks would probably be greater than what you would get in Nov-Dec-Jan.
Having said this some people like to have cattle to look at all of the time and feel kind of lonely without them.

JohnBoy

I'd agree with pharoh1, baby steps, we're taking that concept to the extreme, sold silage this year, gonna make bales and sell them ourselves next year, and hopefully the year after get some yearlings in the spring and sell in the autumn.

We have all the facilities available to us, but getting into wintering cattle in year one seems like a big jump.

I'd say for at least the first year to sell the stock in the winter and buy again the following spring.

jag con

JohnBoy wrote: »

I'd agree with pharoh1, baby steps, we're taking that concept to the extreme, sold silage this year, gonna make bales and sell them ourselves next year, and hopefully the year after get some yearlings in the spring and sell in the autumn.

We have all the facilities available to us, but getting into wintering cattle in year one seems like a big jump.

I'd say for at least the first year to sell the stock in the winter and buy again the following spring.

Cheers all for the responses yeah i think i will follow the easier route buy in spring gone in oct/nov looking at a few at about 300-400 mark and try and get them finished only on grass. the land im using will have a couple of large fields with only a few horses on them so do you think it is possible that i could have them finished on grass over 7 months or so. i presume if they need a little help to finish them i could feed them 1-2 kg of nuts close to the end of sept or the middle of october if they need it

Pharaoh1

Again only my opinion but I would say forget about the idea of trying to "finish" cattle.
Cattle need to be finished by hitting their target slaughter weight and be properly fleshed.
This will not just happen at the end Oct/early Nov each year.

Better to just bring them to the mart and let someone else that has the facilities worry about the finishing phase.
I would say you could feed them 1-2 kg in the autumn just to keep them growing and to compensate for deteriorating grass quality.

Remember that in a cattle trading system you will be doing well to get much more than 1 euro for every kg of weight gained and 2kg of meal could cost as much as 50 cent if you are buying it in small bags.

jag con

Pharaoh1 wrote: »

Again only my opinion but I would say forget about the idea of trying to "finish" cattle.
Cattle need to be finished by hitting their target slaughter weight and be properly fleshed.
This will not just happen at the end Oct/early Nov each year.

Better to just bring them to the mart and let someone else that has the facilities worry about the finishing phase.
I would say you could feed them 1-2 kg in the autumn just to keep them growing and to compensate for deteriorating grass quality.

Remember that in a cattle trading system you will be doing well to get much more than 1 euro for every kg of weight gained and 2kg of meal could cost as much as 50 cent if you are buying it in small bags.

Right so thanks for all the replys on my thread. As i said in previous threads i am looking for a couple of bullocks to buy in the spring and i have my wifes cousin sorting me out with there agent in the spring.

So i have been doing a little research in a couple of cattle marts over the last 3 months looking at prices, different breeds etc and im heading up to the cousins mart soon to have a look around.
My question is the main breeds of cattle for sale are the continental breeds as opposed to the Aberdeen Angus and Herefords that were in every irish farms 20 years ago. I know the continental breeds are fetching a far greater price at the marts as opposed to the AA and Herefords but the buying price of these weanlings are dearer the AA or Herefords so really as a starting point should i start off with a few AA or Herefords [ im told they are easier to handle than the continentals] i know they will be cheaper to buy and will not get top dollar for them when selling.

Any advice

JC

ihatetractors

Maybe try a few AA's for a year or two?, you wont get anything hardier and when you get a system going change to the money makers. Hows the application for the herd no. ?, mate was on about one but seems it takes a good while

jag con

Hi all once again thanks for all the advice and answers. So now i was speaking to my mate with the land and its looking likely there will be plenty of grass from the first week of April. So the plan is to buy a few heifers/bulocks at about 280-320 KG and graze them until the start of November, and when the grass quality starts to deteriate maybe give them a little meal 1-2kg per day for a few weeks before selling them. So i have spent some time over the winter at the marts and keeping a eye on prices and they have really gone up this year so far.

Anyway my plan is to buy a few plainer ones to start off with for a year or two and see how it goes, Im trying to decide whether to buy heifers or bullocks. From what i hear heifers are easier to keep really what im asking is say if i buy a couple of heifers at about 10-12 months old and graze them to about 16-18 months old will they be easy to sell on for finishing.
From looking around the marts there is more of a supply of heifers at that weight than there are of bullocks. I will be dealing with my cousins cattle dealer when i want to purchase so he will be buying for me.

So any advice for me on the difference on keeping heifers.bullocks and selling them on in November.

JC

Tipp Man

jag con wrote: »

Hi all once again thanks for all the advice and answers. So now i was speaking to my mate with the land and its looking likely there will be plenty of grass from the first week of April. So the plan is to buy a few heifers/bulocks at about 280-320 KG and graze them until the start of November, and when the grass quality starts to deteriate maybe give them a little meal 1-2kg per day for a few weeks before selling them. So i have spent some time over the winter at the marts and keeping a eye on prices and they have really gone up this year so far.

Anyway my plan is to buy a few plainer ones to start off with for a year or two and see how it goes, Im trying to decide whether to buy heifers or bullocks. From what i hear heifers are easier to keep really what im asking is say if i buy a couple of heifers at about 10-12 months old and graze them to about 16-18 months old will they be easy to sell on for finishing.
From looking around the marts there is more of a supply of heifers at that weight than there are of bullocks. I will be dealing with my cousins cattle dealer when i want to purchase so he will be buying for me.

So any advice for me on the difference on keeping heifers.bullocks and selling them on in November.

JC

Personally I would go with bullocks - buy at 300kg sell at 500kg in mart in November. don't bother with the fattening bit - let somebody else worry about that

Question - why are you using a cattle dealer to buy your cattle? I know plenty of them and this is pure madness IMO. Don't know how people can justify such an unecessary expense (and you can be sure they ain't doing it for the good of their health)

Tipp Man

Out of curiousity how much to you plan on making per bullock/heifer

1. Before you have paid the land rental
2. After you have paid the land rental

jag con

Tipp Man wrote: »

Personally I would go with bullocks - buy at 300kg sell at 500kg in mart in November. don't bother with the fattening bit - let somebody else worry about that

Question - why are you using a cattle dealer to buy your cattle? I know plenty of them and this is pure madness IMO. Don't know how people can justify such an unecessary expense (and you can be sure they ain't doing it for the good of their health)

Cheers for the reply Tipp Man no im not planning on fattening them im planning on buying in spring and selling in Oct/Nov.

The reason why im using a dealer is i have no experience in buying cattle and the dealer is a family friend of my cousin he uses him to buy his cattle,i will be with him and my cousin at the marts looking at cattle

I know that he will charge a commission fee but as i said i dont have any experience at buying and from what i see at the marts the dealers have alot of say when there buying.

jag con

Tipp Man wrote: »

Out of curiousity how much to you plan on making per bullock/heifer

1. Before you have paid the land rental
2. After you have paid the land rental

Well the plan is im not paying for the land im only buying a couple to start off with a mate of mine has the land he supplies the land and we buy the cattle together and share the profit [ if there is any at all].

I know im not going to make money from this but its a hobby i want to give it a go.

Im thinking that if i buy them at about 300kg and they put on maybe 150kg [maybe 200 if im lucky] during the year and allowing for testing and dosing etc maybe come out with 200 per head, but i would be happy to break even as its a little hobby i want to give it a go

As i said in previous posts its a whole new venture for me and i have little experience in keeping a few cattle so any advice i can pick upmalong the way its greatly appreciated

JC

MfMan

jag con wrote: »

Well the plan is im not paying for the land im only buying a couple to start off with a mate of mine has the land he supplies the land and we buy the cattle together and share the profit [ if there is any at all].

I know im not going to make money from this but its a hobby i want to give it a go.

Im thinking that if i buy them at about 300kg and they put on maybe 150kg [maybe 200 if im lucky] during the year and allowing for testing and dosing etc maybe come out with 200 per head, but i would be happy to break even as its a little hobby i want to give it a go

As i said in previous posts its a whole new venture for me and i have little experience in keeping a few cattle so any advice i can pick upmalong the way its greatly appreciated

JC

If you intend only keeping them until Nov., then perhaps try to buy cattle that have been tested since then. Save yourself the hassle (and expense) of testing them if you can sell them on within their year of test. Do you have a herd number? The Dept. insists that you have an annual herd test but I think if you write in and say that you are de-stocked over the winter, it may be waived.

Have a go at buying them yourself, esp. if the auctioneer or clerk selling them knows you. Contrary to popular conception, not all dealers are in league with each other, and competition for buying stock is often as fierce from regular farmers.

jag con

MfMan wrote: »

If you intend only keeping them until Nov., then perhaps try to buy cattle that have been tested since then. Save yourself the hassle (and expense) of testing them if you can sell them on within their year of test. Do you have a herd number? The Dept. insists that you have an annual herd test but I think if you write in and say that you are de-stocked over the winter, it may be waived.

Have a go at buying them yourself, esp. if the auctioneer or clerk selling them knows you. Contrary to popular conception, not all dealers are in league with each other, and competition for buying stock is often as fierce from regular farmers.

Thanks MfMan yes i have a herd no sorted thats a good idea with regard to the test.

dealerman

[QUOTEQuestion - why are you using a cattle dealer to buy your cattle? I know plenty of them and this is pure madness IMO. Don't know how people can justify such an unecessary expense (and you can be sure they ain't doing it for the good of their health)[/QUOTE]
whats wrong with useing a cattle dealer maybe jag gon doesnt no the value of weanlings so how do u expect someone how doesnt no wether a bullock is worth 500 or 700 to buy cattle in the mart the fee of the dealer maybe good value;);)

jag con

Thanks for the advice lads on the dealer I'm visiting one or two marts a week and keeping a eye on prices but I would still be not confident enough yet to bid on a few.

I'm hoping to buy a few in late march early April so I hope the price drops a little.As I said on previous posts I'm going to keep it simple and dip the toe in the water.I'm really looking for advice on what to look out for when I'm checking them daily and what dozing regime is advised I've read a couple of books but any advice I get is really helpfull.

leg wax

jag con wrote: »

Thanks for the advice lads on the dealer I'm visiting one or two marts a week and keeping a eye on prices but I would still be not confident enough yet to bid on a few.

I'm hoping to buy a few in late march early April so I hope the price drops a little.As I said on previous posts I'm going to keep it simple and dip the toe in the water.I'm really looking for advice on what to look out for when I'm checking them daily and what dozing regime is advised I've read a couple of books but any advice I get is really helpfull.

if you think cattle are going to be cheaper in march-april think again because every other farmer like yourself will want cattle for the growing grass,i always call it the silly season for those couple of weeks,round up would be cheaper method of grass control.

jag con

Thanks again for the advice, so moving the thread on a bit what dozing do you do on your cattle during the year from turnout to selling on Oct/Nov.

I know about the annual herd test but am just wondering what else do you guys do during the year.

JC