Don't know what your farm equipment dealer situation is down there, but a 2 row corn planter is pretty spendy with discs for soy beans and a few other crops. You might want to check the Dothan, AL farm equipment auction for a good used one. A two row new runs around $1700+ last time I saw one.
“I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I don't know the answer” ― Douglas Adams
http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=5802079 Start looking around for something like this. You can find them for less than this here and I think you could there too. If you could find a local farmer you could buy grain from at harvest it would be a way to start also. That first feed tag peanut hulls, 35% fiber. That's a lot of nothing there. Is this for growing calves or cow maintenance.
Here's my two cents. I don't know how many acres you have but your going to need 100 bushels of corn to finish each calf and 8-9 bushels of corn to finish out a hog. So then go and figure if you have enough acres to feed all these critters. Corn, soybean meal and distillers grains are all very cheap currently in the upper Midwest so if you paying $450/ton for the corn mix then you are getting screwed. Are you buying this from a feed mill or a farm supply store?
As for the cattle, to finish them out, all you need is cracked corn, a protein pellet and grass hay. These ingredients will produce a good fat cattle. As far as machinery, I would say a grinder/mixer would be a first good step. Get one that you can just mix or grind corn. You will need one with several different sized screens. Small screen for the hog feed and a larger screen for cattle feed.
If you want some more recommendations, I can easily email or pm you a few things instead clogging up this thread some more
Here's my two cents. I don't know how many acres you have but your going to need 100 bushels of corn to finish each calf and 8-9 bushels of corn to finish out a hog. So then go and figure if you have enough acres to feed all these critters. Corn, soybean meal and distillers grains are all very cheap currently in the upper Midwest so if you paying $450/ton for the corn mix then you are getting screwed. Are you buying this from a feed mill or a farm supply store?
As for the cattle, to finish them out, all you need is cracked corn, a protein pellet and grass hay. These ingredients will produce a good fat cattle. As far as machinery, I would say a grinder/mixer would be a first good step. Get one that you can just mix or grind corn. You will need one with several different sized screens. Small screen for the hog feed and a larger screen for cattle feed.
If you want some more recommendations, I can easily email or pm you a few things instead clogging up this thread some more
Ya know, we COULD drive to TN next Memorial Day and call it a "business trip"
I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn away from their ways and live. Eze 33:11
Are there no feed mills, or grain elevators around where you can get your grain bought in bulk? Sometimes the local Co-op will grind and mix feed for you.
Talk to your friends in North Alabama with the bins full of corn about production costs etc..
Unless you're able to grow quite a bit more than what you'll need to feed and convert to pounds of beef it's likely going to be a loosing proposition.
Besides all that with 5 weight calves bringing 1600$ or there abouts, feeding them out might be better left for high roller gambling types..
We have been buying grass fed beef for the past two years almost exclusively. I live in the city and so my direct knowledge of the beef I get is severely limited.
Having said that, we have found the grass fed beef to taste better. I wish I could tell you if it was Hereford or Brahman or Angus. In Florida we get a lot of Brahman cattle. When I moved here from Ohio in 1986 I noticed the beef was very different, I assumed this was because I was most likely eating Guernsey / Hereford / Angus beef in Ohio and Brahman beef in Florida. The grass fed beef consistently tastes like the beef I used to eat in Ohio. It has made the best burgers, roasts and steaks. If I had a big enough freezer and family, I would by a half.
D
"A patriot is mocked, scorned and hated; yet when his cause succeeds, all men will join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot." Mark Twain
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... now who's bringing the hot wings? :jester:
Buffco: My father's system was to sell to people for the on-the-hoof price of hamburger. Hamburger cost twice as much, because of processing loss, but steak cost the same. When he had a calf ready he would put a notice out to teachers. They would tell the packers what cuts they wanted and he would take the calf to the processor. In S Texas the processor would do the whole thing if they got to keep the head and the hide. He would grass feed and only supplement with grain the last month. The cattle were free range or natural beef before it was cool. Do enough row crop to cover your feed bill and you will do ok but not get rich. Like Orchidman says it is a good way to make a small fortune..... out of a large one.
Buffy, seriously check the farm equipment auctions in the GA/FL/AL area, and any of the farm equipment specific trader magazines for the hammer mill and the corn planter. Those two pieces of equipment bought new will wipe out your profit for a year easily. The purchase of both, new or used, can be amortized out over a period of years on taxes, but still, that's a big hunk of change on the front end.
Big Dan, the Brahman and Santa Gertrudis cross cattle with other breeds in FL is for heat and disease resistance. The Brahman and Santa Gertrudis crosses can take the FL climate a lot better than the purebred Angus and Herefords, and they put on weight faster than the purebreds. And the B and SG cattle can grow fat on groceries that the purebreds will pretty much starve on. And just between you and me, I've seen no graze for cattle down there that is anything like good vittles for cattle. The best I've seen has been a few places where they've put in the time and $$$$$ to get Bermuda grass pastures planted. The native grasses down there are pretty nutrient deficient.
“I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I don't know the answer” ― Douglas Adams
Grass fed beef in the grocery stores is coming from a couple of different places, most of it will be English breed cattle, mostly black hided. The other stuff such as Brahma, and the like is what you get at the hamburger joints and the like.
Grass fed beef is as good with the flavor as a grain finished beef, but the grass fed meat is generally a bit tougher due to the lack of marbling found on the grain finished beef.
On growing the corn, don't forget a cultivator and rotary hoe, and a sprayer to go after the root worms, corn borers etc, you'll also need a fuel storage tank to get the fuel you'll be burning delivered in bulk. Just plowing a 10 acre patch is going to take 10 or more gallons of fuel, then after you plow it, you'll need to disc it down, then plant,,, You won't get much done but farming for the better part of the spring...
I was working down near Liberal, KS a couple of years ago near a huge feed lot. In one part of the yard were hundreds of Holsteins. At lunch I got the opportunity to ask a guy who worked there what was up with that. Turns out they were all Holstein steers that are bought up by the fast food industry - McDonalds, etc..Makes sense...no dairy operation has any use for that many males...nut 'em and send them down the road as quickly as possible.
Most of the cattle around here are Black and Red Angus, Hereford, Black Baldies and Charolais. One guy down the road from us runs Shorthorns....
Sharps Model 1874 - "The rifle that made the west safe for Winchester"
When I sell the calves I always take them in as "all natural" . When you do that you get a stack of papers from various feeding operations to fill out and sign verifying the claim. One thing that every one of those, including the one from Tyson foods have in common, is the part that says "I hereby certify these cattle are not Brahman,or dairy and have no Brahman or dairy influence" Some forms list other breeds, but they all sort out those two as unacceptable for the "all natural" label.
I was working down near Liberal, KS a couple of years ago near a huge feed lot. In one part of the yard were hundreds of Holsteins. At lunch I got the opportunity to ask a guy who worked there what was up with that. Turns out they were all Holstein steers that are bought up by the fast food industry - McDonalds, etc..Makes sense...no dairy operation has any use for that many males...nut 'em and send them down the road as quickly as possible.
Most of the cattle around here are Black and Red Angus, Hereford, Black Baldies and Charolais. One guy down the road from us runs Shorthorns....
And you just hit upon one of the (previously) best kept secrets in the beef market. We bought Holstein bull calves for years and fed them out. It makes EXCELLENT beef, just less fat and marbling. No problem. Add a smidge of pork fat in with your hamburger, and I defy anyone to tell they're eating a dairy bull. True, the steaks are a little leaner, but I prefer leaner cuts of meat.
Anyway, the secret got out I guess, because the last Holsteins we bought was maybe 5 years ago, and they got hard to find. Daddy said screw it, and bought Herefords.
One other thing people don't know is that Black Angus Beef™ and Angus cows are two different things. Someone got smart and trademarked the Angus name. Who knows what cow it came from.
Thanks for the link Buffy. I sent it to my wife to read, she is stuck on stupid about Black Angus Beef. I have been telling her for years it just a marketing ploy.
I am afraid we forget sometime that the basic and simple things brings us the most pleasure.
Dad 5-31-13
We eat so little of it anymore that it is literally a treat. Last week I had beef twice. This week, I cannot remember, so when I eat beef, it's gooooood beef.
D
"A patriot is mocked, scorned and hated; yet when his cause succeeds, all men will join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot." Mark Twain
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... now who's bringing the hot wings? :jester:
Thanks for the link Buffy. I sent it to my wife to read, she is stuck on stupid about Black Angus Beef. I have been telling her for years it just a marketing ploy.
Welcome. I didn't know about it until Daddy told me a few years back.
So, regional differences aside, what cattle make the best steaks?
D
"A patriot is mocked, scorned and hated; yet when his cause succeeds, all men will join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot." Mark Twain
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... now who's bringing the hot wings? :jester:
Replies
― Douglas Adams
As for the cattle, to finish them out, all you need is cracked corn, a protein pellet and grass hay. These ingredients will produce a good fat cattle. As far as machinery, I would say a grinder/mixer would be a first good step. Get one that you can just mix or grind corn. You will need one with several different sized screens. Small screen for the hog feed and a larger screen for cattle feed.
If you want some more recommendations, I can easily email or pm you a few things instead clogging up this thread some more
I can't speak for others but I find this thread interesting.....so by all means carry on...
-96 lbs
Ya know, we COULD drive to TN next Memorial Day and call it a "business trip"
Works for me!!
Maybe if you buy a coupe of ton of bags of mineral from me!!
Please. Anything you got.
House calls come at a premium;).
You run that past your boss and I will run it past mine:beer:
Feeding out to butcher weight.
What is that piece of equipment? A mixer? Hammer mill?
That ain't got no 3 point hitch....
He's a quack, I've shared a few beers with him over the years but not sure I want him cracking my back yet!!
Give me a day or two and I will get you some stuff
It's both
1000 miles in the truck with me will improve your attitude;).
Talk to your friends in North Alabama with the bins full of corn about production costs etc..
Unless you're able to grow quite a bit more than what you'll need to feed and convert to pounds of beef it's likely going to be a loosing proposition.
Besides all that with 5 weight calves bringing 1600$ or there abouts, feeding them out might be better left for high roller gambling types..
We have been buying grass fed beef for the past two years almost exclusively. I live in the city and so my direct knowledge of the beef I get is severely limited.
Having said that, we have found the grass fed beef to taste better. I wish I could tell you if it was Hereford or Brahman or Angus. In Florida we get a lot of Brahman cattle. When I moved here from Ohio in 1986 I noticed the beef was very different, I assumed this was because I was most likely eating Guernsey / Hereford / Angus beef in Ohio and Brahman beef in Florida. The grass fed beef consistently tastes like the beef I used to eat in Ohio. It has made the best burgers, roasts and steaks. If I had a big enough freezer and family, I would by a half.
D
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... now who's bringing the hot wings? :jester:
Big Dan, the Brahman and Santa Gertrudis cross cattle with other breeds in FL is for heat and disease resistance. The Brahman and Santa Gertrudis crosses can take the FL climate a lot better than the purebred Angus and Herefords, and they put on weight faster than the purebreds. And the B and SG cattle can grow fat on groceries that the purebreds will pretty much starve on. And just between you and me, I've seen no graze for cattle down there that is anything like good vittles for cattle. The best I've seen has been a few places where they've put in the time and $$$$$ to get Bermuda grass pastures planted. The native grasses down there are pretty nutrient deficient.
― Douglas Adams
Grass fed beef is as good with the flavor as a grain finished beef, but the grass fed meat is generally a bit tougher due to the lack of marbling found on the grain finished beef.
On growing the corn, don't forget a cultivator and rotary hoe, and a sprayer to go after the root worms, corn borers etc, you'll also need a fuel storage tank to get the fuel you'll be burning delivered in bulk. Just plowing a 10 acre patch is going to take 10 or more gallons of fuel, then after you plow it, you'll need to disc it down, then plant,,, You won't get much done but farming for the better part of the spring...
Most of the cattle around here are Black and Red Angus, Hereford, Black Baldies and Charolais. One guy down the road from us runs Shorthorns....
And you just hit upon one of the (previously) best kept secrets in the beef market. We bought Holstein bull calves for years and fed them out. It makes EXCELLENT beef, just less fat and marbling. No problem. Add a smidge of pork fat in with your hamburger, and I defy anyone to tell they're eating a dairy bull. True, the steaks are a little leaner, but I prefer leaner cuts of meat.
Anyway, the secret got out I guess, because the last Holsteins we bought was maybe 5 years ago, and they got hard to find. Daddy said screw it, and bought Herefords.
Enjoy that high priced beef, Dan. :tooth:
Edit: Found it. They don't own cattle. They own a trademark, and to meet the criteria, only 51% of the hide must be black. http://burgerconquest.com/2014/08/16/what-is-certified-angus-beef/
Dad 5-31-13
We eat so little of it anymore that it is literally a treat. Last week I had beef twice. This week, I cannot remember, so when I eat beef, it's gooooood beef.
D
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... now who's bringing the hot wings? :jester:
D
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... now who's bringing the hot wings? :jester: