How to Start a Cow Calf Operation

A cow-calf operation is a livestock enterprise that consists of keeping a breeding herd of beef cattle and caring for cows and their offspring until the calves are weaned and can be sold. This stage in the beef production process is particularly suited to small farmers and homesteaders; in fact, according to ̶0;Agricultural Alternatives,̶1; a publication of Penn State̵7;s Small-scale and Part-time Farming Project, 97 percent of cow-calf operations in Pennsylvania alone have fewer than 50 cows. Successfully starting a cow-calf operation requires that you have adequate facilities and land, as well as a willingness to learn.

Instructions

    • 1

      Decide what kind of cattle you will have in your herd. According to the University of Minnesota Extension, purebred beef cattle are more expensive, but if you choose to sell the calves as registered breeding stock, you may be able to get a higher price. Most commercial herds raise crossbred cattle (crosses between two cattle breeds) and sell the offspring strictly for meat production.

    • 2

      Determine the size of your cow-calf operation. Unless you̵7;re going to lease land for grazing, the amount of land you own limits how many cattle you can raise in your herd. The number of cattle you can graze per acre varies depending upon how much grain and hay you provide in addition to pasture forage. Unless you̵7;re familiar with the nutrition and health requirements of cattle, it̵7;s usually a good idea to start small and gradually increase your number of breeding cows as you become more familiar with them.

    • 3

      Provide housing facilities. Minimally, your cows require a three-sided shed for shelter and protection from the wind and bad weather. Although beef cattle are typically hardy animals, consider providing maternity pens in a more sheltered area (such as a four-sided barn) for your cows to calve in, especially if you live in a particularly windy or wet climate.

    • 4

      Prepare handling facilities. According to Penn State̵7;s ̶0;Agricultural Alternatives̶1; publication, a corral and chute is one of the most essential handling requirements of a cow-calf operation. You will use these handling facilities for jobs such as administering vaccinations and checking your cows for pregnancy. Designs vary from a one-person system that uses crowding gates and an automatic head gate to elaborate structures for larger operations; looking at the handling setups at other cow-calf operations can help you get ideas for structuring your own handling facilities.

    • 5

      Get your animals. Choosing to purchase heifers (young cows) requires that you feed and care for them for months before they reach breeding age (about 15 months) and give birth after a 9-month gestation period, but it will give you valuable experience working with cattle before you have to deal with newborn calves. Other options include buying an entire herd of cows from one source or picking and choosing individual cows from different herds.