Beef Cattle Question

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emapples

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I have a question. Many know we'll be moving to OK in the next 7-8 months and at some point will be pruchasing a fair amount of land. Despite what many think of people from California, I'm fairly capable around a ranch/property type setting with respect to hard work, tools, equipment, maintenance and all the things not related to farm animals.

So, my question is: What is the best way to learn about buying, owning, raising and evenutally slaughtering beef cattle? Is there a "raising cattle for dummies" type of book or similar that is worth a chit? I have a good friend in the Cushing area that will guide me with much of this once i move but want to do a lot of research early before my relocation. Please point me in the right direction with websites, books or other info on this topic. Thanks for the help.
Talk with @Cowcatcher ....but be sure to talk slow :laugh6:
 

SoonerP226

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Look up Just a Few Acres Farm on YouTube. He goes through a lot of info about small farms, including livestock, equipment, and the business aspects of running a small farm. He raises Dexter cattle, but a lot of what he’s saying is pretty universal.

Here’s a link to his YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/channel/UCkOTo20XS1LL95g2p6CcE3A
 

hunter966

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I don’t know where you're located but call and visit with the folks at the Nobel Research Foundation, they’ve got a lot of knowledge and info.

If you’re going to farm the 1st thing you're going to need is a high paying job to finance your farming.

If you’re gonna raise cattle and you become like a lot of the old timers where you’re want to keep that cow to raise just one more calf when she’s 16 years old is a deep ditch to throw the dead ones in.

Get a good set of commercial cows or if you’ve got the itch, get some good registered ones. Notice I said “good”. It’s just as easy to raise good cattle as it is crappy ones.

Just my 2 cents worth, ymmv.
 

Okie4570

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O/T but I dont see how anybody could try to get into farming from scratch nowadays. Cost of land and equipment is astronomical. I know people still do...but most everybody I know who is a farmer has basically taken over previous generations operations and kept it going. Even still not all of them make it.
Props to the farmers, I'm glad they do it and I'm glad I don't have to!

Interesting to read your comment and something I've never really thought about until reading it.. Living the middle of farming country, but also having cattle because of the farming capabilities if that makes sense. Very little ag on the east side of the state, yet considered cattle country. Almost all the land around here is ag but with the addition of cattle, a farmer can make a little to offset the losses usually associated with farming lol. Farming isn't always a loss or break even but it's pretty common. Farming doesn't always mean cattle, and cattle doesn't always mean you're a farmer if that makes sense. It's often joked around here that we grow wheat to feed the cattle all winter, then hope to harvest enough of the crop in June to break even from growing the crop, and any money made was from gains on the cattle lol.
 

CHenry

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I had few head for a while. Didn't work out too well.
The thing that really surprised me was how much water cattle consume, especially when it's hot.
Yep I had 3 heifers and a 100 gal water trough would be down about 40 gal it looked like on some days. Water added every night. Pain in the butt in winter.
I actually was told they drink more in cold weather to help them stay warm but I dont know.
 

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