Beef Cattle Question

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SoonerP226

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Interesting to read your comment and something I've never really thought about until reading it.. Living the middle of farming country, but also having cattle because of the farming capabilities if that makes sense. Very little ag on the east side of the state, yet considered cattle country. Almost all the land around here is ag but with the addition of cattle, a farmer can make a little to offset the losses usually associated with farming lol. Farming isn't always a loss or break even but it's pretty common. Farming doesn't always mean cattle, and cattle doesn't always mean you're a farmer if that makes sense. It's often joked around here that we grow wheat to feed the cattle all winter, then hope to harvest enough of the crop in June to break even from growing the crop, and any money made was from gains on the cattle lol.
There’s a lot of ag in the eastern half of the state, it’s just not big fields like out west due to a number of factors (like geography, forests, Indian lands, and so forth). Hell, a big chunk of SE Oklahoma is nothing but ag, it’s just forestry.
 

HFS

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...I’m sure farmers wouldn’t lie about their profits...
They're just like most other small businessmen.
Smoke a big cigar and tell their neighbors they're the next Warren Buffett.
Cry poverty and tell the IRS they have one foot in the poorhouse and the other on a banana peel.

I agree with the advice given to the OP.
Try it on a small scale first (couple of animals maybe) and see how it goes.
Don't get tied up with "partners" or anybody else when you're just starting out. Not all slickers live in the city.
 

Okie4570

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There’s a lot of ag in the eastern half of the state, it’s just not big fields like out west due to a number of factors (like geography, forests, Indian lands, and so forth). Hell, a big chunk of SE Oklahoma is nothing but ag, it’s just forestry.

It's not even comparable the number of ag acres eastern half to western half. Wheat is the only ag your going pasture cattle on, especially not pine trees lol. Grant County alone produces enough wheat for all of Oklahoma's needs plus some.
 

TerryMiller

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It's not even comparable the number of ag acres eastern half to western half. Wheat is the only ag your going pasture cattle on, especially not pine trees lol. Grant County alone produces enough wheat for all of Oklahoma's needs plus some.

Something not mentioned in other comments, other than the one that mentioned "pasture management." If one's property is strictly grassland, then one will have to rotate the cattle one has from one pasture to another. In some areas, and these numbers will vary depending on what is on the land, it sometimes takes a lot of acres to "feed a cow." Out in the Panhandle, it might be 30 acres per cow, downstate, it could be 15 acres.

When we were in the farm/ranch business, we summered the cattle mostly on grass (talking cow/calf pairs here). In the fall and winter, we bought steer and heifers and wintered them on growing wheat or milo or corn stubble, all of which required us to build temporary fencing all around the land to be grazed.

In other words, if you are limited in acres, you are limited in how many cow critters you can have.
 

Timmy59

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I have a question. Many know we'll be moving to OK in the next 7-8 months and at some point will be pruchasing a fair amount of land. Despite what many think of people from California, I'm fairly capable around a ranch/property type setting with respect to hard work, tools, equipment, maintenance and all the things not related to farm animals.

So, my question is: What is the best way to learn about buying, owning, raising and evenutally slaughtering beef cattle? Is there a "raising cattle for dummies" type of book or similar that is worth a chit? I have a good friend in the Cushing area that will guide me with much of this once i move but want to do a lot of research early before my relocation. Please point me in the right direction with websites, books or other info on this topic. Thanks for the help.
1 of the objectives is to have little maintenance cost in them.. Gotta have good grass, Pasture is extremely important..
Here's a YT, this fellow has it going on.. As far a butchering there's all kinds of meat cutting on yt as well..
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=greg+judy
 

Timmy59

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I'd agree with the popular opinion of not making money.. There are a chit ton of other avenues and still be a farmer.. Green house maybe, since your coming from the place of fruit and nuts you might think about growing them... lol..
 

John6185

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Study upon raising cattle and the price of both beef and the cost of feeding them. I know a widow who raises cattle and she appears to make out alright on the sale of beef we buy a half side every year. Her deceased husband told her I don't know if you can make anything but so far so good apparently. Maybe you need to talk to someone who will be both truthful and willing to talk of their experiences.
 

SoonerP226

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It's not even comparable the number of ag acres eastern half to western half.
Never said it was, but saying there's "very little ag on the east side of the state" isn't accurate, either. Seems to me that OSU has extension offices covering all 77 counties, not just the ones out west.
 

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