Cattle Starter

Author: Jeremiah

  • No Risk Ranching – Custom Grazing on Leased Land

    Judy_NoRiskRanchingNo Risk Ranching – Custom Grazing on Leased Land
    Greg Judy
    Green Park Press, 2002

    We recently wrote a blog post on leasing grazing land.  The inspiration for our leasing endeavor came primarily from reading Greg Judy’s book.  It’s a book that has helped change the mindset of cattle farmers and ranchers across the country, and helped many achieve a greater level of profitability.  Read more below.

    While most of us desire it, land ownership is probably the greatest obstacle to profitability in the cattle business today.  In his 2002 book “No Risk Ranching”, Greg Judy tackles this issue head-on, and describes in detail how you can successfully start up a cattle operation without owning land, or even animals!

    Like many others, it had long been Greg’s dream to own a farm.  He bought a bunch of land in his home state of Missouri, put together some cattle, and struggled for years to make it all pencil out.  After coming dangerously close to losing it all, Judy met a friend that helped him see ranching in a totally new light.  He began reading the Stockman Grass Farmer publication and attending grazing schools where he realized the importance of Management Intensive Grazing, and looking at grass and cattle management in a whole new light.

    Greg realized quickly that his land mortgage and cattle ownership were sinking his operation.  He also began to discover the many parcels of unoccupied grazing land surrounding his farm.  Absentee landowners were looking for someone to manage their ground, and Greg was looking for land to put cattle on.  He also realized that many cattle owners are looking for someone to manage their animals and are willing to pay for that management on a per-pound of gain or per-day basis.  Greg began a headlong journey into land leasing and custom grazing that rocketed him to incredible success as a Missouri grass farmer.

    In “No Risk Ranching”, Judy describes how to find idle land to lease, contact landowners and put together a lease proposal.  He even provides a detailed example of a lease proposal.  He then provides details on custom grazing and how to work an arrangement that is profitable for both the cattle owner and grazier, while improving the quality of the leased land.

    Throughout the rest of the book, Judy walks the reader through the details of setting up a leased farm from scratch, including high tensile electric fencing, water development and overall grass and property improvement.  He describes stocker cattle management and the economics of ranching as well.  Greg writes this book from a very humble perspective of someone who’s learned a lot and wants to help others along as well.

    “No Risk Ranching” is one of my favorite cattle-related books because it planted in me a philosophy and mindset that I believe is essential to our success in the cattle business.  It also provides some excellent detailed, practical information I’ve used for setting up infrastructure on our farm and the expansion we have planned for the future.  It deserves a place on every livestock farmer’s bookshelf.

  • Snow as a Winter Cattle Water Source

    027It’s gotten to the point where I can almost predict the reaction from folks when I tell them we don’t water our cows in the winter time.

    “You what?”

    “No water – just snow?”

    “Really?”

    “Boy, you’re tough on your cows!”

    “How does that work?”

    It makes me smile every time, but I tell them that despite their concerns, studies have shown that non-lactating cows can get by just fine in wintertime without stockwater – as long as they have an abundant supply of snow.  Fortunately for us, snow is one thing northern Maine winters have no shortage of!

    The Cattle Water Problem

    We started using snow as a cattle water source by way of necessity.  After a couple weeks of dried up springs and freezing water troughs, we realized it wasn’t going to be feasible to provide consistent water for 10 cows on a daily basis when the temperatures don’t get above freezing for months at a time.  Hauling water was going to be a daunting chore, and keeping an electric heating element in the tank would be very costly – some estimates put the electricity costs at over $1,000/year to keep the water heated!

    Like many farming problems, this one could be solved by money, with a developed spring, frost-free nose pump, or a drilled well with pressurized underground piping to a waterer.  But we didn’t have the thousands of dollars for those solutions, so we researched and hoped for a better solution.

    Research on Snow as a Water Source

    Since Maine has abundant snow in the winter time, it made perfect sense to have the cows eat snow, but was it a feasible solution, and would it affect the health and performance of our cows?  We turned to scientific research for guidance.

    Here’s what we found:

    From Utah State University:

    Many wonder if cows can eat snow in the winter to supply all their water needs. The answer is yes. There are many situations where cattle can survive on snow without having any other water supply. Many ranches throughout the West and Midwest with cattle on large pastures and few or no water resources depend entirely on snow for winter grazing.

    Several studies have shown there is no reason to expect cattle performance to deteriorate when animals use snow for water. Researchers found cows using snow for water did not differ in live weight amount of body fat compared to cows receiving water.

    From Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development:

    Cattle do well when snow is their only water source, as long as there is adequate snow present, and it is not hard or crusted over. It is important to monitor cow and snow condition on a daily or second day basis. A lack of water reduces feed intake, and cows can lose condition fairly rapidly when water is deficient. Studies in Canada have shown some cows have gone 50 to 60 days with snow as the sole water source without any adverse effects.

    From Beef Magazine:

    South Dakota ranchers Reuben and Connee Quinn have relied on snow in winter pastures for more than 30 years. They say cattle do well with snow as their only water source if they know how to use it and have adequate snow that’s not crusted and hard.

    From Ontario Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs:

    ….beef cows eating snow as a water source experience no disadvantages compared to those drinking water.

    Here are some additional articles:

    073Replacing Water With Clean Snow for Ewes and Beef Cows

    Snow as a Water Source for Wintering Beef Cattle

    Utilizing Snow as a Water Source

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    The Results

    Overall, we were pleased to see the overwhelming support for the use of snow as a water source.  So we tried it.  And it worked!  All winter long, our cows ate snow and did well on it.  While we realize the importance of regular monitoring of cow condition, snow intake and snow quality, we are happy to take advantage of the abundant snow and look forward to another water-trough free winter!

     

     

     

     

     

  • Famous Farm Mom!

    DSCN5974bWe have a famous farm mom here at the Wood Farm!  Sara, Wyatt and the cows made Lancaster Farming news for their special Mother’s Day photo feature.  We’re very proud!

    See photos here

  • The Calving Bucket

    DSCN7587bc

    In any profession, having the right tools is critical to getting the job done, and the livestock business is no different.  During calving season on a cow-calf operation, the tools of the trade are commonly gathered into what’s referred to as a ‘calving bucket’.

    Each operation is unique and requires different treatment of calves at birth.  Some farmers and ranchers pay little attention to the calving process and let the cows and calves tough it out on their own.  Others keep close tabs on every aspect of the birthing process and run the calf through a whole series of procedures shortly after birth.  Most folks are somewhere in between.

    So let’s take a look at a typical (our) calving bucket used on a small operation in Maine.  If you’re a beginner, this might help you know what to prepare for during calving season.

    What’s in our calving bucket?

    1.  Tag gun and tags – We place individually numbered ear tags in each calf born.  Bulls and heifers get different colored tags so they can be sorted easily when the time comes.  Our numbering system uses a standard letter for birth year and unique number for each calf.  There are many different tag numbering systems you can use.  The important thing is that each animal is identified and can be tracked.

    2.  Iodine – The calf’s navel should be dipped in, or squirted with iodine to prevent infection that can cause serious health problems including death.

    DSCN7593c

    3. Bander and bands – We’ve made the decision to castrate our bull calves at birth whenever possible.  Traditional thinking has been that intact bulls perform better, so many ranchers wait to castrate bulls when they are older, say 3-6 months of age, or at weaning.  Current advice from veterinarians suggests that any gains that might be realized using this method are probably minimized by the added stress and associated weight loss and health issues that later castration puts on the calves.  I just figure it’s easier on both parties to get it done when they’re born. UPDATE: Please see our newest post, where we discuss our experiment with delayed calf processing and castration/banding!

    4.  Multimin, syringe and needles – We’re currently giving a shot of multi-min to the calves at birth.  Other cattlemen in our area have success using Mu-Se or Bo-Se.  These are vitamin/mineral injections that help overcome any deficiency the calf may have that will keep them from realizing their full potential and being happy and healthy critters.  Some producers give vaccinations at birth, but if a calf gets adequate colostrum from mom (who should be up to date on her vaccinations), they receive the antibodies they need to stay healthy.

    5.  Notebook – We get records down on paper and later enter them into CattleMax online.

    6.  Weighing system – We have a hanging scale and a makeshift cradle that hooks onto a birch pole to weigh the calves.  We also have a calf tape, which uses hoof diameter to estimate weight.  We’re still working out the kinks of weight estimates, but do believe that collecting birth weight is an important aspect of herd management.

    What else is in our bucket?  Not much else at the moment, but that’s sure to change as we continue to grow and learn.  The important part is thinking about having a kit ready for when calves hit the ground.  Proper management early on can make or break an operation’s bottom line.  What’s in your calving bucket?

  • Why Red Angus?

    JW_WW_cattleredangus_ranchertestedWe’re just getting into the cattle business, but have found ourselves owning a herd of mostly red cattle.  Why red?  I could spend a lot of time talking about Red Angus cattle and their genetics, but here’s just a brief overview.

    When first looking for cattle, I didn’t care much about breed or color.  As long as they produced good beef and met some basic requirements for our herd I was satisfied.  But after a few unsuccessful journeys looking at poor cattle, I realized that breed does make a difference.

    We made contact with a nearby farmer that raised mostly Red Angus cattle.  His interests and goals for the farm were just what we wanted in our herd.  He also turned out to be an incredible source of knowledge and information that helped us get started.

    We soon learned more about Red Angus and why they’ve become such a popular breed and are being used to rebuild the U.S. cattle herd.  Here’s why we like ’em.

    Red Angus have always been about the commercial cattleman.  When other breeds went the way of the show cattle business or super sizing their cows, the Red Angus breed continued to focus on efficiency and the bottom line.  The breed didn’t change with the fads, but kept improving on performance-based genetics slowly over time.

    Total herd reporting has also helped the breed make positive strides in genetic improvements.  Unlike other breeds, the Red Angus Association requires complete performance reporting for the entire herd of a registered Red Angus operation.

    The genetic and physical characteristics of cattle in each breed vary substantially.  As the saying goes, there’s more variation in animals within breeds than among breeds.  Still, as a general rule, Red Angus cattle tend to come from herds that demand smaller framed, easy fleshing, lower maintenance momma cows that wean a high percentage of their body weight and breed back year after year.  Those are performance traits we’re looking for in our herd, which means we tend to favor Red Angus in our herd a bit more than the other beef cattle breeds.

    For more on the Red Angus breed, here are a few resources:

    Red Angus Association of America

    Beckton Red Angus

    Iowa Red Angus

    Mushrush Red Angus