Prospect of cattle raising

Answer 1

Cattle raising may get more corporate as small family farms disappear and the corporate farms increase in size. There is less money that can be made in cattle, so it has become mostly a hobby than a business, however a business can still be made in cattle, so long as you come prepared. Outside income has to come in in order to keep the farm going, as there just simply isn't enough in it to depend on raising cattle as a full-time job. If you want to make it a full time job, you gotta have at least 500 cows to look after. But that also means hiring someone to help you calve out, feed, spread manure, etc. And very, very few people will be wanting to stay on long-term to help with all that.

Cattle raising may become more low-cost especially since farmers and ranchers are trying to find ways to be more sustainable, more economical, and more profitable with more of a positive margin in raising cattle than in the past. This means making the cows work for you instead of you working your rear off for them. This also means lessening winter feeding time and keeping them out on pasture longer; integrating winter grazing techniques such as swath grazing and bale grazing as well as stockpiling. Being more economical and sustainable also means turning the tractor on much less than before, buying much less expensive feed and fertilizer, and as a result purchasing far less fuel. Manure hauling may become non-existant as cows are being made to put their body wastes out onto the field themselves instead of making their owners do it for them. Summer grazing practices will and are being implemented to make better use of our pastures and ranges, such as rotational grazing, seasonal grazing, strip grazing, mixed grazing (grazing cows with sheep or goats for instance), leader-follower grazing etc. Selling calves to the feedlot may not become necessary, as the niche market for grass-finished beef may grow with consumers demanding a healthier product than they are today. Feedlots may become non-existant with this sudden boom in grass-finished beef. Going back to the cows themselves, there will have to be more stricter culling practices in place to raise the kind of cows that will do well on a diet of grass-only and don't need extra feed. The breeds and compound breeds will stay the same, but finding those that have better forage convertability and do not need as much feed per acre will aid in the higher sustainability and economics of the farm.

Overall, if you want to raise cattle you gotta have a darn good plan. This includes some of the things I just listed above, as well as other things I didn't mention such as financial plans, market plans, marketing, etc.