Benefits of Raising Beef Cattle

Growing up on a dairy farm, I have always enjoyed livestock. This past spring, I decided to use the benefit of having a few extra acres at our home to raise a few beef cattle. Not only to make a little bit of extra money, but to keep the grass cut down. Our property is a total of 4.7 acres. After subtracting what we have for a yard and driveway, we have about 3.5 acres available for cattle to graze. This year, we raised four 400-500 lb. steers.  It was nice having them around and I enjoyed watching them graze.  I remember my grandmother talk about how my grandfather would go out and feed his cattle and watch them graze for hours sometimes.  I found it relaxing as well.   However, we had to do a few things to prepare our property for cattle. If you are thinking of getting some livestock, here are some tips.

First, let's talk about the lot and pasture. Make sure you have the right kind of land for cattle to graze. If your lot is heavily wooded, it will produce less grass than an open area. In Virginia, grass really starts to grow strong in April and slows dramatically in September. My grandfather always said 1 head per acre is usually a good bet. While this can vary according to many factors such as grass type, rainfall, season, and so on, it is a fairly good measure. Therefore we purchased (4) 500 pound steers for our lot.

If they are keeping the grass trimmed down like a golf course, then your pasture is stressed and the grass will not grow well. You cattle will also not gain weight either because they are not getting enough grass. Make sure they have a good supply of grass if pasturing them. Water must also be present. We ended up running a line from our municipal water supply. Our water bill went up $10/month, not as bad as I thought. On a hot day, the 4 500 pound steers were drinking about 60 gallons total. On rainy days, they hardly drank 10 gallons.

Your fences should be strong.  While electric fence will work, I recommend using standard web wire fence with post spacing between 8 and 10 feet.

Once you have the land and water taken care of, you need to determine what you will use to supplement the animals diet. Check with your local feed store to see what they recommend. We used a feed mixture that contained corn gluten, ground corn, and oats. It had a few other things as well. I also gave them a small amount of minerals and gave them a little bit of salt weekly. I would put a small amount of salt on rocks for them to lick off. Just like you and I, cattle need salt to live.

If they need minerals or salt, you may see them licking strange things like dirt or rocks. They do strange things sometimes anyway, but after years of working with cattle, I have learned to better recognize these strange behaviors.

I read that 500 pound steers should gain between 1 and 3 pounds per day. My cattle gained 2.31 pounds per day, on average. I had two pastures I rotated them so they would have fresh and untrodden grass to eat.

Remember, that cattle prices go up and down. Like anything to make money, it is best to buy low and sell high. I paid $1/pound for my 450-550 pound steers. When I bought them, 750-850 pound steers were selling for $92/pound.

However, when I sold my four steers, the market had dropped. They only sold for around $82/pound. I still managed to walk away with a few hundred dollars and a trimmed pasture!

Check your local livestock market for buying cattle, or check with area farmers to see if they would be willing to sell you a few animals.  Don't forget that you have to transport the animals.  If you do not have a cattle trailer or cattle truck, you could always talk with a farmer and offer to pay them for hauling them for you.  Plus, it's always a good thing to network with someone who knows your region, and could give you some helpful advice.  After all, do you know how to treat pink-eye?  Do you know the livestock vets in your area?  I bet they do, and could offer some advice! 

Raising livestock can be a financially rewarding and overall enjoyable experience.