Instructions
Purchase Decisions
Decide what breed of cattle you will raise. There are many varieties of beef cattle raised in the United States. Each has different growth rates, temperaments, and genetic traits that determine sturdiness or hardiness in particular climates. In addition, there are incentives provided to the producer for raising some breeds of cattle for meat. Choose a breed that makes the most sense for the individual operation.
Purchase heifers at either weaning or breeding age. If they are of breeding age, then the next step would be to expose them to a bull. If the heifers are of weaning age, then they must be cared for until they are of breeding age. The advantage of buying young heifers is a cheaper purchase price. Buying breeding-age heifers is more expensive, but they are ready to breed immediately, which results in faster returns.
Buy an entire herd of cows from another producer. This option will provide babies to sell immediately or in the near future. Depending on the time of year, the cows could already be bred and ready to calve and start the next cycle. Buying a whole herd provides a quicker economic return and the value of buying proven, or "experienced," animals. If there are calves "on the ground," that is, already born, a producer can see what kind of calf the mother cow "throws" (gives birth to). This can be a more expensive alternative initially.
Purchase individual animals from a variety of herds. This choice allows for buying bred animals or "open" (not bred) animals. A producer is also able to select the cow or heifer that best fits the individual operation. If a producer wants to raise more than one breed or wants to cross-breed, then buying individual animals is necessary.
How to Start a Cow & Calf Herd
In the United States alone, approximately 27 billion pounds of beef are produced per year. Beef production starts at the cow-calf stage. The cycle from breeding to calving to slaughter takes about 2.5 years. A cow-calf operation breeds the females, calves them out and sells the offspring at weaning (the time to leave the mother cow) for someone else to finish raising them and then sell them for slaughter. If a heifer, or female, calf is born, she may be retained and put back into the breeding program or sold with the steers--castrated males--to another producer. There are many ways to start a cow-calf herd.