almost going to enter my 4th year of raising beef

[okfarmer]

I think I've done 3 of these posts like this....keeps me going.

Recap...I moved here in May of '07 with 2 brahma cows and 5 bucking bulls. In the fall of '09 I was just about to break the 100 head mark....half cows....half bulls.

I racked up a pile of debt, had to hay year around, had to buy too much hay, ran out of hay, terribly high expenses for me, no money coming in, got as low as 20 cents a pound at the sale barn for stuff...usually 30 to 50 cents....73 cents one time for a brangus looking calf and I thought that was great.... .

Starting selling out of that and got into raising beef in the spring of '10. Started with 36 cows....16 beefier cows from my bucking herd and 20 black cows.

Culled those down to 8 in '12. I knocked off the brahma stuff pretty quick and bought black cows I shouldn't of. ...but I have payed off all my bucking bull debt and have one year left on my cow loan. I just refinaced to a lower interest rate and put my land and house together, which lowed monthly payments $600....more than what my land payment was.

I have no equipment debt, pick-up payment, credit card debt or anything like that.

I'm going the slow route now.

I'm back to breeding 16 this year....and feel I will be able to get as big as I want if I slowly get to that 30 or 40 head mark and build up other things first.

Sounds like you came out on the good end of things. Current average cost of a education is around 26K in debt. :wink:

 

[R A]

I think I've done 3 of these posts like this....keeps me going.

Recap...I moved here in May of '07 with 2 brahma cows and 5 bucking bulls. In the fall of '09 I was just about to break the 100 head mark....half cows....half bulls.

I racked up a pile of debt, had to hay year around, had to buy too much hay, ran out of hay, terribly high expenses for me, no money coming in, got as low as 20 cents a pound at the sale barn for stuff...usually 30 to 50 cents....73 cents one time for a brangus looking calf and I thought that was great.... .

Starting selling out of that and got into raising beef in the spring of '10. Started with 36 cows....16 beefier cows from my bucking herd and 20 black cows.

Culled those down to 8 in '12. I knocked off the brahma stuff pretty quick and bought black cows I shouldn't of. ...but I have payed off all my bucking bull debt and have one year left on my cow loan. I just refinaced to a lower interest rate and put my land and house together, which lowed monthly payments $600....more than what my land payment was.

I have no equipment debt, pick-up payment, credit card debt or anything like that.

I'm going the slow route now.

I'm back to breeding 16 this year....and feel I will be able to get as big as I want if I slowly get to that 30 or 40 head mark and build up other things first.

Sounds like you came out on the good end of things. Current average cost of a education is around 26K in debt. :wink:

You bet, I really feel I'm ironed out and on the right path now! I have learned a lot and it has been an education....