Beginner Tips for Raising Grassfed Beef
Вставка
- Опубліковано 2 чер 2019
- Learn more in the Pastured Profits Course - freedomfarmers.com/courses/
Farmer Darby Simpson shares some tips and advice for anyone looking to start raising grassfed cattle on a small farm. Get exclusive WEEKLY farming lessons and tips by becoming an Insider at www.grassfedlife.co/insider
This is the video I’ve been looking for. All the other videos don’t explain anything or get to the point. This video gets right to the point and explains everything perfectly. Thank you so much!
I totally agree. And I love his attitude of just doing it. No strict rules and math equations. Just try, fail, learn, try again.
Finally some answers thanks
This was so practical and helpful. Thank you!!!
Priceless information, Thank you.
Great information - easy to understand!
Absolutely amazing video thanks so much, alot of questions answered. Especially the numbers part.
Fantastic interview. Thank you 🙏🏼
I really like the numbers, this is a great video.
Great video! Answered almost every question I had about starting to raise cattle! Thank you!
Great video and content!
great video. good content man!
Awesome video! A lot of great information. Thanks!
Amazing video!
Thank you so much for the information
Great video. A lot of good information.
Lots of practical gems here, thanks very much, very informative!
Thanks for this one bro
great tips it was great watching your video im all the way from south africa ,i am in a process of starting the cow growing business . than you.
Look up Ian Mitchell innes
Thanks!!!
I raise meat sheep (hair sheep) and all the cattlemen in my area are coming to me wanting me to help sell them a starter herd and teach them how to raise them. This is primarily because lamb prices are for the most part stable and beef prices fluctuate too wildly. You get less profit per sheep but you can also graze a lot more of them on the same acre than a single cow. It's also very beneficial to graze sheep and cows together because they both consume and kill the parasites that harm the other species.
I understand there's some kind of mineral that can kill sheep that cattle need is that true how do you keep them together with the proper nutrition?
Great to know. We only have a few goats and sheep (and one calf for ourselves), but this info is really helpful. Thanks.
Hi, I am planning to raise goats, for milk once I purchase a piece of land ( 10 acres) in Texas, and do farming as hobby and be partially self sufficient. I am gathering information on my future project of farming, so, wanted to ask you , if two goats are enough to produce half a gallon milk everyday , just for personal consumption ? ( i saw in one video that one has to keep at least two goats since one goat can get lonely ) . Thank you.
@@kumara5492 Hi, Kumar. Yes, a single goat will often get lonely. Some goat breeds, like Nubian (we have one), are gentle and can produce a 1/2 gallon a day.
I hope it works out for you.
Bless up 🇯🇲👊🏿
Very helpful thoughts. Thanks - much appreciated…
SELECTIVE versus NON-SELECTIVE grazing.
• There is confusion between SEVERE grazing and OVERgrazing.
Overgrazing is related to the time a plant is allowed to recover after severe grazing.
Continuous SELECTIVE overgrazing at low animal impact is the problem with conventional management that has to be addressed.
• There is absolutely no doubt about the fact that non-selective grazing results in a lower level of nutrition and poorer body condition.
There is also no doubt about the fact that improved grass utilisation occurs (higher stocking rate) and that plant species composition changes in favour of more productive (higher stocking rate) and more nutritious plants (alleviates poor condition).
• Most protagonists of intensive grazing advocate “grazing the top third of plants” to allow animals an improved nutrient intake.
What is the chance of my cattle only eating the top 1/3 of ALL grass species and leaving 2/3s behind?..ZERO
Notice that even under UHDG they leave most of the very unpalatable Palens grass and graze the rest of the species almost 💯 pct...
There is no way that grazing the top third of all plants in a diverse community of plants can be achieved, unless animals are trained or bred to do so.
Any animal will graze selectively if given the choice. Therefore, instead of grazing the top third they will selectively graze a third of the material on offer - some individual plants will be grazed to a varying degree and some will be left ungrazed.
The ultimate result is better body condition at the expense of stocking rate and species composition.
• A far better option is to address body condition via genotype (high relative intake), rumen supplementation (minerals, protein, urea and probiotic), synchronising production with natural nutrition (calve, breed and wean during the period of best nutrition) and shorter grass recovery (higher nutrient concentration) at critical times.
In regard to a shorter recovery period this applies more to low octane grazing. Deliberately shortening the recovery periods must be done with the provisos of grazing “non-selectively” and alternating these intensively grazed areas with long recovery in the long term.
Non-selective “overgrazing” in combination with high animal impact and alternate longer recovery results in good species composition and maximum profit / unit of land.
There is a serious disconnect in the Holistic Management group between cattle and grass.
References: Johann Zietsman and Jaime Elizondo
ua-cam.com/video/jeuRyDLnPsw/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/HJinY9-FBic/v-deo.html
profitableranching.com/Profitable_Ranching/THE_Book.html
much of what u say is true from what im seeing from farmers/grass managers from around the world, Greg Judy does a bang up job and he mob grazed and huge success. have a look at his stuff and see if all u are saying matches what he actually does.
New sub here. We have 10 acres and looking to get cows soon.
Good luck. 😃
Where do you get 3.50 /# LV?
If you can stockpile (save) some forage for winter, you can eliminate hay feeding and save a buncha money
Yes, we have talked about that in a few podcasts. Possible, but not always as simple as it sounds.
I hav a stockpile pasture and I'm afraid to rely on it. I have a round bale with slow feed net just in case. But it does make the hay last longer when they have extra grass on the ground.
How did he get the pasture that lush? That's the question I'm trying to get answered.
I've got another question, what do I do if I can get my hands on land that has been under monoculture crop production? Put seed down or let grow what wants to grow?
Either. Depends on how quick you need a return.
Seeds should sprout if right time of year do ur research on that!
Then add fert at right time of year( when it warm and wet but not to wet and your off! Well ur grass is!
I have 3/4 of an acer....i want to have a cow, a pig, and a lamb. How should i go about doing it?
Where do u find grass seed at 150 per acre?
Thank you soo much. Great info. Im new and trying to understand the math here. You are saying that you can get 10,000 lbs of cattle per acre. That’s twenty 500 pound cows on a paddock rotated each day? 20 cows get an acre each day?
It depends... listen to this podcast to get a lot more detail - player.fm/series/grassfed-life-2390553/micro-beef-raising-grassfed-beef-on-less-land-than-you-thought-possible-gfl69
Seems like a roller-crimper behind a small tractor would be a good idea. In fact just that for a year or three before cows might be a good way to get pasture going
Or chicken tractors moved daily.
I had an area in my lawn that could barely grow grass. I constructed an 8' x 8' chicken pen, and moved it over that area daily, giving the grass a 1 or 2 week rest between. At first, the chickens reduced it to dirt. But over the summer, something incredible happened. The manure fed the grass roots, which helped it recover better than before. Each pass over the spot improved the grass. At first, there were more broad leaves than grass. But by the end of the summer, the higher nitrogen conditions had changed it to a thick stand of mainly grass with a good bit of clover.
What was the worst area ended up the best spot in the entire yard.
Mary Ellen
I could do that but for two challenges: 1. Uneven ground, how to keep them in? and two, my dog eats and rolls in bird crap 😳 Ideas?
@@downbntout Hmm... I don't have a dog. Don't particularly care for them, unless they belong to someone else, and I can leave them when I go home. Don't care for cats either, too much, except as barn insurance against rodents. I'm a chicken and cow person. They're nurturing, motherly creatures.
You could perhaps consider putting your dog on a cable run.
As for the uneven ground... that's a huge challenge. You might be better off building a moveable chicken house. Set it in the middle of a large space you can turn into a pasture for them. Divide that yard into 8 sections; two on each side of the building. You can put one little door on each wall, right in the middle. Make a little flap of fencing to direct the chickens to one side or the other. Then let them range in each space for no more than 2 days at a time. Just rotate pastures by circling round the hen house.
When that area has been well-renovated, move the whole shebang to another area.
I am looking at 5 acres in California every day and want to raise animals for personal consumption. What is some advise you would give me for managing what pasture I have when I only get rain 3 months a year?
Chickens and irrigation.
Chickens in a mobile Salatin tractor or 'eggmobile'
3.50/lb has to be selling beef shares
How many acres should you have per cow…
how many cows on 40 acres if you also give hay
When pasture.....no need for hay. If hay is needed..........remove them from pasture. Cattle will damage if not destroy an existing pasture if cattle are fed extra hay. Remove them !
I was thinking of grass finishing some beef but I have some questions number one how do you keep the weeds under control when you're doing organic and not spraying for weeds and number two if you don't I understand the weeds make the beef taste like crap. Do cattle just not eat weeds if they have enough nice grass to eat? I have yet to find an organic solution that will completely eliminate weeds. I have a lot of dry land ground. I once was given a grass-finished roast that tastes like pure knapweed, it was the most disgusting thing I'd ever eaten.
If pastured correctly....... weeds are gone ! But....once weed appear..... takes time to regenerate. Seed grasses .......maybe clover late in the year. They may dominate the following year. Remove cattle if no good pasture !!!!!!
Not sure how you come up with your numbers. I have 60 acres and fertilize between 400-600 lbs an acre. I do this to have the best quality grass I can for my cattle. And I bail 35 acres at the cost around 90 dollars a bail all said and done. I run approximately 25 head. I don’t have to feed year round like most that over graze the grass with to many head. The cost to raise cattle varies depending on weather conditions and the market. Don’t let anyone tell you your going to make a lot of money raising cattle on small acreage not going to happen. Can’t
In our particular area this is not accurate at all. Number 1 not much demand at all for grass fed beef. In our area people want grass fed and grain finished beef. Also by having a grain finished all you will get is 3.50 a Lb hanging weight. So using same numbers. $1000 for the animal, $400 for keeping the animal. Now the animal is 1000 lb hanging weight at best 60% is 600 lb. 600x3.5 is $2,100 for a profit of around $700 per animal. Time is shorter though looking at 8-12 months.
Right. Do what matches your market and your individual context. :)
Diego Footer I definitely wish this was our market though!
Just wondering what your location is knipp?
Matthew Cater I’m in Ky.
Cow calf........wrong. Ive ran cow calves using only one strand of wire for years. If placed high enough......leave the calves run...they will return ! No need to "go look " for them !
GMO yummy
Is it pointless starting with cows on 4.5 acres ?
Raise one or two. Keep some meat, and sell the rest to pay for yours. With that much land you it won't be a big business but you can offset your own food cost.
@@DiegoFooter We have about that much land and been doing pigs and a pair of cows.
So you know the market. And the price of hay. What about the drought years where you pay over $125.00 dollars a bail. What about the cost of wormer and vacationing your cattle. The cost for fertilizer and weed killer. The cost of a tractor to put your hay out. The cost of a barn or some type of shelter and pen to work your cattle. Can’t tell people they will make money on such a small lot of land not going to happen unless you have plenty of time and money to buy registered cattle then you have to find a buyer. Not saying don’t raise cattle just don’t think your going to make money. Juts drive around cattle country. Go to a sale barn talk to the old timers.
you know there's a lot of ranchers that do very well without any of the things you talk about here.
@@bruble14 I’m sure some may. But you still have to factor in all I mentioned. So do you put out hay year round. Do you fertilize and weed kill.
@@bubbaperry1024 no, I don't do any of those things. I don't have a farm. I've spent the last couple years learning about all types of livestock through UA-cam. I've landed on Greg Judy's model and am planning on going that route. I'm looking for idle and neglected land now. I'm currently stocking up on the actual infrastructure of the portable grazing system. I don't have a tractor and don't see a need for one. My next move before I even try to secure a land lease is to take a stockmanship course. Most of this video doesn't apply to my planned method. I'm aware that things will not go as I plan. However, you seem to not be aware that many people make a good living raising livestock in a healthy and sustainable way without tons of inputs onto the farm.
@@bruble14 Chuck I’m sure your a really good man. And I assure you I’m not putting you down. You hav a right to your opinion. But I’ve been doing this quite awhile. Even if you section off your property at 10 acre plots and rotate your cattle. By the time you get finished with your third plot the first plot hasn’t had time to recover. Your cattle is only as good as the grass they eat. Over grazing takes a lot out of your pasture. I really do wish you the best in your adventure. But I still recommend you actually talk to some ranchers have been doing this their whole life. Hopefully I will learn something from you.
@@bubbaperry1024 I suppose without any context we both could go back and forth about things. However, my input would just be hypothetical. I would like to think that getting more information from you I would be able to pull upon what I've learned about how to deal with drought, or if you are moving the cattle too fast and how to slow things up. If you truly screw things up and overgrazed you most likely had too many head for what your land can handle. Either way, I will not try and act like I know more than you. I appreciate this discussion.
I guess maybe I’m alone but it is very irritating to me that people call all cattle “cows”. This guy presents himself as knowledgeable but then starts talking about stocker “cows”. Cows are mature female cattle that have had a calf. Heifers are female cattle that have not had a calf. Bulls are male cattle with testicles. Steers are male cattle without testicles. It’s not that complicated and yes, it does matter. Stocker cows would be a really bad business since the goal of stocker cattle is to put weight on them before selling them or taking them to market.
Finally......some one with a brain ! Thanks ! This video is very misleading ! Cow calves are no problem using electric fence. If wire is placed high enough calves just walk under...and will return to mom !
You don’t plant grass you let the cows graze it
Not a fit for EVERY context.
Great explanation on how to manage the captivity of these sentient animals before we can plan their death at a slaughter house.
$100 per month per cow! Geez, that doesnt even seem worth it on a small scale.
Well, you're starting a business. If it made big bucks right away, everyone'd be doing it, and there'd be no one left to work as an employee. This is the same as any other business: you start out small, mostly to gain experience and lay a foundation rather than for money, and then, over time, you scale up and make more money.
On the other hand, if you don't intend to scale up (don't have the land for it, for instance), then it's like the guy said: it all depends on what else are you are stacking on your land. You can run a lot of layers and broilers behind a few head of cattle. You can also run sheep with them. You can also have a market garden, it takes up very little space. If some of your land isn't good for cattle (too much brush, not enough grass), you can put some pigs on it for a while, to help clear it out and kickstart the biology. All these things complement each other, in terms of infrastructure (you can use the same water, fencing, etc. for all or almost all of them), ecology and marketing (you can market the beef retail, to the clients who are buying all your other products, at higher prices than a large scale operation).
That's about the same you get for boarding horses on pasture with a whole lot less owner drama! I was pasture boarding until I ran into a psycho horse owner lady never again cattle getting loose and bashing up everything is less hassle.
Didn't he saw he spent 15minutes a day looking after them..not a bad hourly return
dairy bull calves are cheap