First generation

[Firstgen06]

You would need to be careful, I mean REALLY careful. In line breeding the bad traits can be magnified. Larry Leonhardt did this, bred a son to his mother, I think he called that bull Echo. But he REALLY understood Angus genetics, probably better than anyone, so it was successful for him. I wouldn't try it, but good luck if you do.

I'll do some more research on it and compare mt options thanks

 

[Firstgen06]

You would need to be careful, I mean REALLY careful. In line breeding the bad traits can be magnified. Larry Leonhardt did this, bred a son to his mother, I think he called that bull Echo. But he REALLY understood Angus genetics, probably better than anyone, so it was successful for him. I wouldn't try it, but good luck if you do.

i think leasing land will do for now

 

[Richardd]

You would need to be careful, I mean REALLY careful. In line breeding the bad traits can be magnified. Larry Leonhardt did this, bred a son to his mother, I think he called that bull Echo. But he REALLY understood Angus genetics, probably better than anyone, so it was successful for him. I wouldn't try it, but good luck if you do.

Breeding father to daughter or son to mother or brother to sister, if it turns our good it is called line breeding, if it turns out bad it is in breeding.

 

[Faster horses]

Breeding father to daughter or son to mother or brother to sister, if it turns our good it is called line breeding, if it turns out bad it is in breeding.

YEP. And it has a good chance of turning out bad.

 

[Firstgen06]

Well we completed step one of owning a ranch today I bought a tractor

 

[webfoot]

A better tractor than I started with.

 

[Faster horses]

Congratulations!!

 

[Evans]

When I first re

Hi guys this is my first thread and I wanted to start by telling you a little bit about my self, Hi my name is Isaac McCaffrey I am 14 years old and I currently live in South Dakota. When I told my friends and family that I wanted to be a rancher I was laughed at and made fun of and told it wasn't possible so I am on a mission to prove them wrong so I got me a hand me down 1977 chevy Cheyenne and a atv and that brings me to were I am now I need help on how much land I need and what I need I am currently in the process of saving up for a tractor and combine.

Haha Learn how to fix fence,pick rocks and work at old junk. Seriously though on one of your other posts you mentioned learning mechanics and fabrication. A mobile mechanic,diesel mechanic,welder,fabricater, engineer that was also a machinist that can make parts would be extremely wanted by everybody I know. That person would be extremely important on most places. It would give you options.

 

[Mountain Cowgirl]

Cattle and fences, that is the basis for cattle ranching. Equipment, horses, dogs, etc., can come later. Learn to build a chute and corrals, learn to dig a ditch with a sharpshooter shovel. Learn to use both a 5 tong manure folk and a 3 tong hayfork. Learn to use fence pliers on all fences and posts. Use a manual posthole digger, post tamping, rock jacks, etc. Learn how to stack hay bales. Find a vet that will take you on for weekends to observe calving, even if it is dairy cows.

Lots of great advice here from working successful ranchers. Equipment doesn't make one a cattle rancher. Equipment is necessary for making a living on a ranch, but being a cattle rancher requires a lot of grueling manual labor and long hours.

Congratulations on the tractor. That is a nice tool just don't let it give you a false sense of what cattle ranching is about. Starting from scratch and making a full-time living on a cattle ranch, is almost impossible especially out west. Many have another source of income. The price of land is unbelievable. Then you have taxes, upkeep, cost of cattle, and the list goes on. The interest on the land loan alone might exceed your income.

I think the advice to get a job on a ranch out west is the best. I would suggest Texas, Idaho, or Montana because many of our western states have politicians that are trying to destroy the cattle ranch life. You may find being an equipment operator and metal fabricator and having a small cattle ranch is a better way to go than trying to make a full-time living off the cattle alone. This is hard these days even if the ranch was inherited. Taxes, zonings, wildlife issues, land use, bad years, rattlesnakes both on the ranch and at your state capitol, etc. are things to consider.

As the saying goes, don't put all your eggs in one basket unless your hens lay golden eggs continually.