What is the best way to get started in cattle ranching?
My parents have a 350 acre ranch. They have only had it for 2 years and aren’t living there full time. My dad currently leases 23 head of cattle. I have thought about starting to help him work the land and with the cows. However I need to do something else to have income untill my dad starts doing this seriously. I have a business degree and am trying to figure out how that might help me find something. I want to try to find something ag/ranching related so I can start learning the basics.
Does the climate give the land more than 30 inches of rain a year? Consider a specialty crop for restaurants (Belgian endive or asparagus etc). Consider large commercial hen houses raising chicken for the commercial chicken business. If the business is cattle and only cattle, your family is going to need to sell 200 head of cattle a year in order to stay afloat — does your dad have the land for that? If not, he needs more land because what he has is a “hobby ranch” rather than a working ranch.
Does your degree allow you to teach at the school or work at the county courthouse? If not, strongly consider an urban job in the nearest big city and a chance to move to the hobby ranch when you are financially secure. If you “burn” your degree by doing ag work for years, you won’t be able to reclaim it for a business or teaching career.
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Beef cow leasing arrangements (MF / Cooperative Extension Service, Kansas State University) … |
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The economics of financial leasing of dairy cows (A.E. Res) … |
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Leasing beef cows for a profit (EC-1086) … |
