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Anyone here actually farm as well as ranch?

W

Whitewing

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 4, 2009
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5,855
Location
Venezuela
I consider myself a rancher but find that each year I do quite a bit of farming as well....this year it was planting grain sorghum but some years I've planted corn as well.

Having said that, my grain production is targeted for my animals, both cattle and hogs.

I'm about to get started doing some test plots of amaranth. This should be fun. :D
 
I guess I do but it's all harvested as forage for cows. I am looking at some more land and if I wheel a deal I'd plant corn to make it work.Selling some corn grain.
 
Denny said:
I guess I do but it's all harvested as forage for cows. I am looking at some more land and if I wheel a deal I'd plant corn to make it work.Selling some corn grain.
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The first year I planted, I more than doubled my money on corn (sold it to a nearby silo) and figured, "man, this is easy". The next two years were brutal. :o Drought! :evil:

This year I've done well on the sorghum (still have acreage to harvest) and am thinking of planting some corn under irrigation in December.

I also nurse quite a bit of bermuda, about half going to the animals and half being sold.
 
Man once told us "ya hafta be a grass farmer before ya can raise cows"





......never hurts tho if the good Lord lets it rain when it's needed :D Can't complain too much tho...we're goin into winter with more hay this year than we've ever had.....it's just dry dry dry right now. We've gotten a little rain. But not enough to really do much.
 
the_jersey_lilly_2000 said:
Man once told us "ya hafta be a grass farmer before ya can raise cows"

......never hurts tho if the good Lord lets it rain when it's needed :D Can't complain too much tho...we're goin into winter with more hay this year than we've ever had.....it's just dry dry dry right now. We've gotten a little rain. But not enough to really do much.
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It's drying up here too Lily....we're near the end of "winter". I've got sorghum that's about 2 1/2 inches high and wondering how it's going to survive. The bermuda still looks pretty good though it's time to crank up the irrigation system again.

As for being a grass farmer before raising cows, that's especially true down here. There's just not a lot of productive native pasture in my area so everyone told me from the start, "plant pasture and don't fool around with corn". :D
 
Well for what it cost us to plant rye grass for winter feed one year (and it didnt do a whole lot because it was dry like it is now) we planted a field of coastal last year got two cuttins off it, and 3 off it this year...and it's still not up to speed (it should get even thicker in years to come) So my opinion is...yes plant more grass that can be cut for hay instead of wasting money and time messin with winter grass.
 
We do both.
There were times when the price of cattle was down and grain up. Then grain would be down and cattle up.

Raise our own feed.
 
I do both. and I think you about have to cause it seems that every year one carries the other. it is a very rare year when you do very well in both the crops and the cattle.

this year as I filled the silo, I was happy with the whole idea...then as the price rose, I looked at the $5 corn in the pile and thought about the $$$$ I could have made.....oh well...did not want to retire this year anyway
 
the_jersey_lilly_2000 said:
Man once told us "ya hafta be a grass farmer before ya can raise cows"





......never hurts tho if the good Lord lets it rain when it's needed :D Can't complain too much tho...we're goin into winter with more hay this year than we've ever had.....it's just dry dry dry right now. We've gotten a little rain. But not enough to really do much.
Click to expand...

You got that right JL!! My bluestem seed never came up and even our annual ryegrass is having a hard time sprouting. A neighbor is now irrigating his. While hay production was high this year I'm afraid hay prices will stay high if we don't get some rain.
 
Yep, I do both as well. What Jigs said is right, if you are diversified in different crops you can usually live to see another year. :wink:

My farming is usually limited to raising alfalfa and then growing small grains in rotation of alfalfa fields. That's usually oat hay or sometimes malt barley or wheat for grain. Everything here is irrigated no dryland farming. Although come to think of it, I guess I am a dryland grass farmer with bovine harvesters. :lol:
 
Most of my cattle and outside Cowboy'n was in the other Valley's Swamps - I had some cattle at the home Ranch but also 10 acres of Walnuts and 10 acres of Hot Peppers.
I also managed several 100's of acres of Bell Peppers for a Gentleman Farmer and Ran a Bell Pepper Backing Shed and Sales for several years (I enjoyed that a lot) 20/7 for weeks (Season)
 
jigs said:
I do both. and I think you about have to cause it seems that every year one carries the other. it is a very rare year when you do very well in both the crops and the cattle.this year as I filled the silo, I was happy with the whole idea...then as the price rose, I looked at the $5 corn in the pile and thought about the $$$$ I could have made.....oh well...did not want to retire this year anyway
Click to expand...

that is about the way it works for us. this year, the first time for me, it looks like things are about 50/50.
 
the way this year went, I was happy to put it behind me. everything just plain went wrong. that is why it is best to spread yourself out over crops/cattle/ and a damned good banker!

got a few irons in the fire that should REALLY bring up the cash flow for next year, and just grow from there...
 

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