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I suspect at the end of the day that finishing bulls for market would likely be more cost-effective and represent much less of a yearly work load than a cow/calf operation.

As always I'm trying to look a few years down the road and trying to make some decisions. Based on "normal" rainfall for about 6 months of the year, I think a finishing program would work well at my place. Drying the dry season I could take care of all the stuff we were too busy to do during the rainy season. Once the rains started, I could plant my sorghum and whatever additional pasture I needed to plant, start buying bulls (they don't do steers down here) and begin a pasture rotation program.

I'm thinking several groups of bulls bought over a 3 to 4 month timeframe would work well. The first group (the smallest) would start off feeding on the first grass available and whatever holdover feed I had from the previous year. Additional animals would be added as my pastures reached full potential. I'd eventually harvest my sorghum, do a swap of some of it for corn, and then finish off all the animals on grain.

Once they reach my target weight, out the door they go and I'm done until the following year.

Having said all that, I love the cow/calf part of ranching and am having a great time watching how these Charolais/mestizo crosses develop.

What are most of you guys doing?
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