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$Cost to run a cow in your area....?

Hoop

Well-known member
I am curious as to the true cost per cow for your area? With all the numbers shot around in various threads I just wondered if there is a great diference in the actual cost per cow. In our area of Michigan it takes about 3-4 ac per cow for a full year. Pasture rent can be had for $15/pair usally June1 thru Nov 1 but large pastures(100-200ac) are not easy to come by. We end up with 20 in one spot 30 in another etc. Anyway I was just curious? look forward to hereing input..
 

Horseless

Well-known member
In my area it takes 30-35 acres to run one cow/calf pair for 7 months. Need to be prepared to feed hay 5 months of the year. The demand for grass is high and so is the rent. Probably a low of $15 AUM to a high of $25. Which is absolutly nuts!! I am not sure how great that $25 grazing is but it might include some irrigated. Then I don't know what the stocking rate would be either.
 

burnt

Well-known member
Here in Mid-Western Ontario, 2 acres of crop land puts up more than enough feed for a pair in our area. Some rough ground with lots of gravel hills takes more.

Land rent in our area runs from $175 - $250/ac. for cropping. To buy it you better be ready to shell out $6500+/ workable acre for tiled ground. Things have gone kinda crazy in the past couple of years.

So it all depends on how much your debt load is and for sure no one is going to go out and buy land to run cows!

Cows haven't been working too well around here lately.

Hoop, I don't see how you have time to look after cattle - I just noticed that your post counter shows that you win the prize for most posts!!!! :wink:

Hoop
Rancher
Rancher


Joined: 23 Jan 2006
Posts: 16777215
Location: Northern Michigan
 

Trinity man

Well-known member
burnt said:
Here in Mid-Western Ontario, 2 acres of crop land puts up more than enough feed for a pair in our area. Some rough ground with lots of gravel hills takes more.

Land rent in our area runs from $175 - $250/ac. for cropping. To buy it you better be ready to shell out $6500+/ workable acre for tiled ground. Things have gone kinda crazy in the past couple of years.
So it all depends on how much your debt load is and for sure no one is going to go out and buy land to run cows!

Cows haven't been working too well around here lately.

Hoop, I don't see how you have time to look after cattle - I just noticed that your post counter shows that you win the prize for most posts!!!! :wink:

Hoop
Rancher
Rancher


Joined: 23 Jan 2006
Posts: 16777215
Location: Northern Michigan

Man I thought land was high around here. You can get 600 ac for 2,900 per ac or half for 2,500 per ac.
 

HAY MAKER

Well-known member
Trinity man said:
burnt said:
Here in Mid-Western Ontario, 2 acres of crop land puts up more than enough feed for a pair in our area. Some rough ground with lots of gravel hills takes more.

Land rent in our area runs from $175 - $250/ac. for cropping. To buy it you better be ready to shell out $6500+/ workable acre for tiled ground. Things have gone kinda crazy in the past couple of years.
So it all depends on how much your debt load is and for sure no one is going to go out and buy land to run cows!

Cows haven't been working too well around here lately.

Hoop, I don't see how you have time to look after cattle - I just noticed that your post counter shows that you win the prize for most posts!!!! :wink:

Hoop
Rancher
Rancher


Joined: 23 Jan 2006
Posts: 16777215
Location: Northern Michigan

Man I thought land was high around here. You can get 600 ac for 2,900 per ac or half for 2,500 per ac.

You think that's high,check out land prices in kendall county,just north of San Antonio,land prices are past "going crazy" and none of is worth much from an ag veiw point.............good luckhttp://www.landsoftexas.com/texas/l...&Price=10000000000&GetRes=Search+for+Property
 

HAY MAKER

Well-known member
Hoop said:
I am curious as to the true cost per cow for your area? With all the numbers shot around in various threads I just wondered if there is a great diference in the actual cost per cow. In our area of Michigan it takes about 3-4 ac per cow for a full year. Pasture rent can be had for $15/pair usally June1 thru Nov 1 but large pastures(100-200ac) are not easy to come by. We end up with 20 in one spot 30 in another etc. Anyway I was just curious? look forward to hereing input..

I have been asked this question before,and i always say the same thing ......cow costs per anum are highly dependent on weather conditions in south TX including lease and land costs,lots of deals still made on handshakes,by friends and or family members and some that will take an attorney...........I dont know if there is a true/fixed,cost per cow,too many varibles. Including the markets.
good luck
 

burnt

Well-known member
One thing I do know about the cost to run a cow - it has been way higher than what her calf has been worth for the past 5 years.
 

Horseless

Well-known member
burnt said:
One thing I do know about the cost to run a cow - it has been way higher than what her calf has been worth for the past 5 years.

I agree costs are high, but if you have not made money in cattle the last 5 years, than you might not ever make it in cattle. I don't know if I would have stuck it out with 5 years of losses. My memory is slipping a little, but there has been some outstanding marketing opportunities over the last 5 years, maybe even all 5 years. This year??
 

Grassfarmer

Well-known member
Horseless said:
burnt said:
One thing I do know about the cost to run a cow - it has been way higher than what her calf has been worth for the past 5 years.

I agree costs are high, but if you have not made money in cattle the last 5 years, than you might not ever make it in cattle. I don't know if I would have stuck it out with 5 years of losses. My memory is slipping a little, but there has been some outstanding marketing opportunities over the last 5 years, maybe even all 5 years. This year??

Ahh, location, location, location. Burnt is in Canada and we have suffered a very different last 5 years than you have in the US with regard to cattle prices. In part your good fortune has been responsible for some of our misfortune. Not wishing to start a cross border dispute or anything :D
 

HAY MAKER

Well-known member
Grassfarmer said:
Horseless said:
burnt said:
One thing I do know about the cost to run a cow - it has been way higher than what her calf has been worth for the past 5 years.

I agree costs are high, but if you have not made money in cattle the last 5 years, than you might not ever make it in cattle. I don't know if I would have stuck it out with 5 years of losses. My memory is slipping a little, but there has been some outstanding marketing opportunities over the last 5 years, maybe even all 5 years. This year??

Ahh, location, location, location. Burnt is in Canada and we have suffered a very different last 5 years than you have in the US with regard to cattle prices. In part your good fortune has been responsible for some of our misfortune. Not wishing to start a cross border dispute or anything :D

How has my so called good fortune,caused your misfortune,using your theory.............you are responsible for this drought I been fightin. :D
good luck
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Horseless said:
In my area it takes 30-35 acres to run one cow/calf pair for 7 months. Need to be prepared to feed hay 5 months of the year. The demand for grass is high and so is the rent. Probably a low of $15 AUM to a high of $25. Which is absolutly nuts!! I am not sure how great that $25 grazing is but it might include some irrigated. Then I don't know what the stocking rate would be either.

Horseless- Some of the tribe leases been being bid up to $25 AUM...I heard of a lease west of town that went for $33 AUM- but it has a couple of windmills/wells- and joins on to a chunk of the guy who leased its land- so I think he was bidding for the water more than anything...

I had a fellow the other day contact me that was taking his deeded pasture (1/2 section) land out of a tribal pasture- and wanted to lease it to me...It would be nice as it joins right with some of my pasture.....Wanted $20 an acre :shock:(comparison tribal pasture leases going for $4 an acre) - and I would have to put in a couple miles of fence (on the creek bottom) to close it off... I told him good luck...
 

Hoop

Well-known member
Burnt, I don't know how the post count got that high I don't think I've done more than 20-25 total. It went wacho about the time the server got changed over.
 

burnt

Well-known member
Hoop said:
Burnt, I don't know how the post count got that high I don't think I've done more than 20-25 total. It went wacho about the time the server got changed over.

I figured likely it was a mistake, but kind of a funny one!
 

Grassfarmer

Well-known member
HAY MAKER said:
Grassfarmer said:
Horseless said:
I agree costs are high, but if you have not made money in cattle the last 5 years, than you might not ever make it in cattle. I don't know if I would have stuck it out with 5 years of losses. My memory is slipping a little, but there has been some outstanding marketing opportunities over the last 5 years, maybe even all 5 years. This year??

Ahh, location, location, location. Burnt is in Canada and we have suffered a very different last 5 years than you have in the US with regard to cattle prices. In part your good fortune has been responsible for some of our misfortune. Not wishing to start a cross border dispute or anything :D

How has my so called good fortune,caused your misfortune,using your theory.............you are responsible for this drought I been fightin. :D
good luck

How do ya figure that Haymaker? :???: we never stopped the water crossing the border, you did stop the cattle crossing the border.
 

HAY MAKER

Well-known member
Grassfarmer said:
HAY MAKER said:
Grassfarmer said:
Ahh, location, location, location. Burnt is in Canada and we have suffered a very different last 5 years than you have in the US with regard to cattle prices. In part your good fortune has been responsible for some of our misfortune. Not wishing to start a cross border dispute or anything :D

How has my so called good fortune,caused your misfortune,using your theory.............you are responsible for this drought I been fightin. :D
good luck

How do ya figure that Haymaker? :???: we never stopped the water crossing the border, you did stop the cattle crossing the border.

Canadian water dont get this far south,neither does canadian beef.
good luck
 

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