Beef Farming Less Than 5 Head Buy Hay or Makes Hay

By: Richard V. Machen and Robert K. Lyons

Rural areas in Texas are being speedily developed and urbanized, peculiarly in the cardinal and southwest parts of the state. Many urban dwellers desire to escape to the country to live a quiet, peaceful life or savor recreational opportunities on their own land. As a result, large tracts in rural areas are being divided into properties of 5 to 100 acres; many are fewer than 20 acres.

New rural landowners virtually ever want to maintain or obtain an ad valorem taxation exemption, which is near often granted for agricultural use of the land. They oft determine to get-go livestock enterprises to meet taxation exemption requirements. Notwithstanding, most taxing government require one to demonstrate that such an enterprise is economically viable. In other words, owning one animal as a family unit pet volition not qualify property for the tax exemption. This publication identifies the three livestock enterprises best suited to small acreages and nigh probable to exist profitable.

These three enterprises require:

minimal facilities (both in construction, expense and space required);
minimal labor (both fourth dimension and physical try); and
minimal animal husbandry expertise.

They also have readily accessible markets for excess product or unwanted animals.

The near important concern of whatsoever landowner, big or pocket-size, is good stewardship of the land. The three livestock enterprises discussed here are the most environmentally compatible with small acreages. Livestock enterprises almost always depend, at least to some degree, on having provender for the animals to eat. As a livestock producer, forage is your master product. No livestock enterprise can exist economically viable for long if grazing destroys the forage growing on the land.

Determining Stocking Rate

Because livestock enterprises depend upon forage, the most disquisitional decision you may brand is the appropriate stocking rate for your land. Stocking rate is the number of animals per unit area of land. It is typically expressed as acres per animal unit. An animal unit of measurement consumes 26 pounds of forage daily.

For an instance, look at the listings in Table 1. 1 80-pound ewe of a hair sheep breed equals .12 animal unit equivalent. Then, eight ewes are one fauna unit of measurement (meaning that viii ewes consume about 26 pounds of forage daily). If y'all own twenty acres, but simply ten acres produce forage for grazing, you would need to decide how many pounds of forage those x acres were producing to know how many ewes y'all could graze on the land. Small acreage landowners commonly overestimate the carrying capacity (sustainable stocking rate) of their belongings.

Landowners who graze likewise many animals for a long period of fourth dimension will destroy the productivity of their land. Overgrazing has these consequences:

Desirable, nutritious plants disappear and undesirable plants multiply, and then animals practice not perform well without plush supplemental feed.
With the loss of native range plants, rainfall can not percolate into the footing easily and tends to run off. Run-off causes soil erosion and pollutes surface water. The regeneration of just 1 inch of topsoil will crave several lifetimes.

Each property is unique, with different soil types, topography and plants. Therefore, general recommendations for appropriate stocking rates or carrying capacities are not included here. You will need help to determine your stocking rate accurately. Contact your county Extension agent or a representative of the Natural Resource Conservation Service. These professionals take guides to the fodder product capacity of every county in Texas, and can assist y'all decide the corporeality of forage your land is likely to produce. They will advise you about the number of acres of your land that will exist required to support an animal unit with minimal supplemental feed.

Enterprise #1. Stocker Calves

For this discussion, stocker calves are either one) weaned calves of suitable age and torso condition for a grazing program, or two) heifers with brood moo-cow potential, grazed from weaning (at least 4 months erstwhile) to yearling age (12 to xiv months old). Feeder calves, in dissimilarity to stockers, are weaned calves jump for a feedyard considering of their weight, age, body status and/or the market place conditions. (An case of a feeder dogie would be a fat steer weighing more than than 650 pounds.)

Cattle adopt grass rather than browse (trees and shrubs) or forbs (weeds). If your acreage has mostly grass, cattle should do well. Nonetheless, if y'all don't take enough forage to support at least eight to x stockers for at least 4 months, you shouldn't choose this enterprise.

In a stocker calf enterprise, your primary product is the forage (grass) and you sell that production by marketing calves y'all ain and have grazed, or by allowing others to graze their animals on your state. A stocker dogie enterprise offers these benefits:

Flexibility. Landowners do not have to own the cattle. When grass is available, grazing can be leased to someone who is willing to pay to graze their stockers on your holding. Selling grass normally incurs less run a risk than buying cattle.
Minimal facility requirements. Stockers can be grazed without an investment in big facilities and treatment equipment, unlike a perennial cow/calf operation. The minimum requirement is a modest pen or corral from which calves tin can be loaded into a trailer. Portable cattle panels can exist used instead of permanent facilities.

The holding should have a permanent perimeter fence constructed with at least 5 barbed wires, with the top wire at least fifty inches to a higher place the ground. Vii barbed wires or 48-inch net wire with 2 barbed wires above information technology would be preferred. Barbed wires in a higher place the net wire should be either close together (less than two inches apart) or far apart (at least 6 inches autonomously) so they will not catch the leg of a jumping deer. Electrical fencing is suitable for internal partition fences just not for a perimeter argue.

The health of incoming calves is of paramount importance to whatever stocker operator, only particularly to the small acreage landowner. A lack of handling facilities combined with inexperienced caretakers could result in a disaster. Ideally, a group of calves would come direct from the ranch where they were born, preferably from within the county or from an next county. Calves from several sources, or from a committee company, are more likely to incur wellness problems.

Heifer development is a very feasible enterprise for small acreages. Many central Texas cow/calf producers have a 1-one-ane operation—1 herd, i bull, all in i pasture. Equally a result, it is hard for them to develop replacement heifers. The small acreage owner could establish a cooperative agreement with such a producer to pasture weaned heifers for 6 to 8 months and then return them to their owner. An attractive role of this arrangement is the well defined grazing flow.

How to brainstorm

Earlier looking for stocker calves to pasture, the landowner should decide on an appropriate, yet negotiable, price for the pasture and management services provided. The simplest arrangement is to sell the grazing rights and allow the owner of the cattle be responsible for their management. Grazing tin can be priced several ways, including i) cents per pound of weight gain, 2) dollars per head per month, or 3) dollars per hundredweight of initial weight. The simplest programme is a stock-still rate per head per month. With this arrangement no scales are required and the profit or expense can be calculated easily by all parties involved. In general, the monthly pasture charge for calves ranges from $5 to $15 per head. If you include management services such as monitoring h2o supply, distributing salt, or putting out mineral supplements, supplemental feed or hay, you would accuse more. The time required to perform these services depends upon the equipment you have, the size and organisation of your pastures, and the number of stocker calves involved.

When you are set to brainstorm, you will need to make contact with cattle producers who demand pasture. Paper ads and notices posted at feed stores and livestock committee companies can assist. Big animal veterinarians and county Extension agents might likewise help put you in bear on with cattle producers.

Why not cows?

Some might wonder why a typical moo-cow/calf operation would not piece of work on minor acreage. There are several reasons.

An 1100-pound cow will swallow 22 to 33 pounds of forage or ane/2 a square bale of grass hay each day. If a typical stocking charge per unit for native range is 25 acres per animal unit, then 100 acres might back up only iv animal units, assuming all 100 acres produce grass and are grazable.
It is not economically feasible to own a bull for fewer than x to 15 cows. Bulls crave even more feed than cows and are hard on facilities and fences.
A cow/calf enterprise is non flexible. When drought reduces available forage, producers must either purchase expensive feed or sell some cows to prevent overgrazing. This is the fourth dimension when cattle prices are everyman. Then, afterwards rains have come and grass has grown, producers buy more cows when prices are highest. With a sell low/buy high strategy, an operation can not be economically feasible.
Facilities for managing big animals are expensive and reduce the acreage available for grazing.
A cow/calf operation requires considerable animal husbandry skill. A beef cow represents a $400 to $1000 investment. Naturally, the possessor is economically and humanely compelled to intendance for the animals, but illnesses, injuries, birthing complications and preventive health programs often intimidate the inexperienced producer. Veterinary services tin can be expensive. Animals must exist transported to a veterinary clinic in a trailer (another investment) or the producer must detect a veterinarian willing to brand "house calls."

Enterprise #two. Meat Goats

Because of their relatively small size, goats are even better suited to modest acreage operations than cattle. Goats eat more scan plants than other domestic livestock practice. Therefore, they are the best species for managing or sculpting woody plant habitats. Unfortunately, plants such as juniper or mesquite are very low on a goat'south list of preferred plants, so exercise not count on goats to manage these "undesirable" plants. Do non expect caprine animal browsing to eliminate juniper more than than iv anxiety alpine.

Breeds for meat goat product include:

Boer. This breed was originally adult in Due south Africa and imported in 1993. Animals have mostly white bodies with dark crimson heads and white blazes on their faces. Boer goats are docile and easy to handle. Both sexes are horned.

Spanish. The breed characteristics of Spanish goats are not well defined. Their color ranges from black to white and their mature weight ranges from 60 to 130 pounds for does and from ninety to 250 pounds for bucks. As a breed, Castilian goats are hardy and adjust well to rough terrain. Of the breeds mentioned hither, they are the least docile.

Dairy. Dairy breeds such equally Nubian, Saanen, Tall and LaMancha tin can be raised for meat. Even so, because they were bred for milk production, some individuals take an udder conformation that is not conducive to pasture weather condition and nursing kids. This makes dairy blazon goats less suitable for a meat goat operation. Dairy goats are docile. If not disbudded, many dairy goats will have horns.

Pygmy. This is the smallest of the caprine animal breeds. Most pygmy goats are less than 30 inches tall at the shoulder and weigh less than 80 pounds. Bred primarily every bit a novelty and for exhibition, their small size, docility and low nutrient requirements make these goats well suited to small acreages. They are marketed as pets or convenance animals, or for meat.

Enterprise #iii. Hair Sheep

Pilus sheep breeds are also produced for meat. They are generally smaller than wool sheep breeds, which makes them more than suitable for small acreages. They are also more than tolerant of internal parasites. Most wool sheep must be shorn at least once a year. Hiring an experienced shearing coiffure and marketing minor quantities of wool can exist difficult chores for the small producer.

Sheep prefer forbs (weeds) and grass. Some weeds, such equally ragweed, nightshades, thistles, broomweed and prairie coneflower, are not palatable and will not be controlled by grazing. Some plants are toxic (for instance, johnsongrass after a frost and silverleaf nightshade) and can kill an animate being if eaten in large quantities.

Breeds of pilus sheep include:

Barbado. This breed was developed in Texas and is the most popular breed in the state. It was developed past crossing the Barbados Blackbelly with the Rambouillet and mouflon. These sheep take tan or brown bodies with black bellies and legs. They are very prolific. Males are horned and females are polled.

Barbados Blackbelly. This breed is similar to the Barbado. Both sexes are polled.

Dorper. A cross between the Blackheaded Farsi and the Dorset Horn breeds, Dorper sheep are either solid white or white with black heads. They are very docile. Both sexes are polled.

St. Croix. Also known as the Virgin Island White, these sheep are white, docile, and accept a strong flocking instinct.

Katahdin. This is a cross of the "African Hair Sheep" with domestic U.S. sheep, primarily the downward breeds. They are white to low-cal tan, very docile, and accept a moderate flocking instinct.

Goat and Sheep Direction

Facilities

Predators are the biggest trouble in sheep and goat product. As rural areas are developed, predation from bobcats and foxes probably will decrease, but coyotes, unconfined dogs, and feral hogs will be an increasing threat.

Barbed wire alone is not suitable for goat or sheep fencing. Perimeter fencing should exist 39- to 48-inch net wire, with vertical stays of the cyberspace wire spaced 12 inches autonomously to prevent horned animals from getting caught in the contend. Where there is a meaning predator problem, vertical stays 6 inches autonomously will grade a amend bulwark, but animals with horns will get caught if they put their heads through the wire. Smooth or barbed wire can be stretched in a higher place the internet. These wires should be either less than two inches apart or at least 6 inches apart so they volition not catch the leg of a jumping deer. Placing a barbed wire near the footing on the outside of the fence will deter some predators from digging under the fence.

To manage goats or sheep you volition need a small pen or corral (encounter figure). Fences in handling or working pens should be at least 48 inches loftier. For the condom of people and livestock, barbed wire should non exist used in working facilities. One pen large enough to hold the unabridged herd or flock is required. A smaller oversupply pen and alley side by side to the large holding pen will allow yous to handle animals individually. Sides of the crowd pen, aisle and the gate entering the crowd pen should exist opaque and at least 48 inches high. The aisle should be 3 to iv feet broad; wider alleys permit animals to turn effectually and move past the handler. By adding a gate opening to the outside on the small end of the alley, the alley can also be used as a loading chute when transporting animals.

The to the lowest degree expensive fashion to transport goats or sheep is to use a cage that slides into the dorsum of a pickup. Such a cage tin can hold eight to ten young animals or five to six grown females at one time. If a loading ramp is not available, animals must exist lifted into the pickup bed. If you are unable to elevator heavy objects, a trailer is the best choice.

A 12- to 16-human foot bumper pull stock trailer can be pulled with a 1/2-ton (or larger) pickup. When loading a trailer, make sure minor animals do not get under the trailer and escape. A trailer is relatively expensive, and you might non use it ofttimes, so you might consider partnering with a neighbor to buy i.

The but other facility needed for goats or sheep is shelter from bad atmospheric condition. Dense stands of brush, peculiarly juniper, provide acceptable protection. If you must construct a shelter, all that is needed is a simple construction with a iv- to seven-foot-high roof and solid walls on the north and w sides. Let x to 12 square feet of sheltered expanse per mature animal in the herd. Consider building portable shelter. Shelters congenital on skids can be moved where needed or transported to another location. Information technology is a expert exercise to move a shelter to a make clean location periodically, and allow sunlight to disinfect the previous site.

Purchasing Breeding Stock

Novice buyers oftentimes pay too much for livestock, purchase poor quality stock, or both. Do some research alee of time. Subscribe to and read industry publications. Detect people you can trust. Talk to trained professionals. Visit with breeders. They can be valuable sources of information. When you purchase from a breeder, you can see and evaluate the parent animals, determine the pedigree, and learn about the environmental, handling, health and nutritional conditions in which the animals accept been raised.

Young animals (weaning to 1 year onetime) are ordinarily less expensive than mature, producing animals. The merchandise-off is the delay earlier you take a marketable production. If mature, bred females were purchased, kids/lambs could be of marketable size in as piddling every bit four months. If weaned females 4 to 6 months old were purchased, it would be at least 10 to 12 months before offspring were marketable.

Health Care

After predators, internal parasites are the next biggest threat to a goat or sheep enterprise. The primary gastrointestinal parasite is Haemonchus contortus, commonly called the tummy worm. There are only a few oral medications that control this pest, and H. contortus has become resistant to some of them.

Another health problem related to parasites is coccidiosis. Microscopic coccidia are present in the intestines of almost all goats and sheep. When animals are stressed by sudden weather changes, weaning, precipitous changes in diet, etc., the parasites tin can explode in numbers. Coccidiosis is seldom a trouble in mature animals or animals grazing pasture. Loftier risk animals can be given a coccidiosis preventative such as decoquinate or monensin mixed with commercially prepared feed.

Like coccidia, the bacteria Clostridium perfringens type C&D are always present in the intestines of sheep and goats. When animals are under stress, the leaner tin cause enterotoxemia (also known equally overeating). A toxin produced by the bacteria causes illness and often kills the animal. Young animals should be vaccinated as before long as they brainstorm to eat solid feed. Most vaccines should exist followed by a booster 14 to 21 days later.

Consult your veterinary for help in setting up a program to manage parasites and other health problems.

Breeding

The gestation flow for goats and sheep is 150 days, so information technology is possible to accept two kid/lamb crops each year. With a continuous mating system information technology is likely that in that location will be three crops in a 24-month period. Reproduction is affected past day length—as day length gets shorter, convenance activity increases. The menstruum of greatest activity is from September through December.

The estrous wheel for does and ewes is 21 days. Therefore, the convenance flavor should be at least 45 days. The ratio of males to females is important. Mature males can hands breed 50 females in a flavor, just more than that is not recommended. Young males (less than xviii months old) should not be exposed to more than than eight to ten females at a time or more than 25 to 30 females over a 60-day breeding season.

Kidding/lambing time requires intensive labor to ensure maximum survival of the offspring. Bred females should exist observed both forenoon and evening. They occasionally demand help during the birthing procedure. The observant producer is available to give this help and to provide special care for weak newborns.

Nutrition

Equally previously mentioned, the stocking rate and the availability of forage largely determine the nutritional status of grazing animals. If the corporeality of forage you lot have is balanced with the number of animals y'all are grazing, there may be little need for supplemental feed. Sometimes, though, forage quality is poor, especially during the wintertime or during a drought. Then supplemental feeding may be required. A mature fauna is usually given 1/2 to 2 pounds of supplemental feed per day, depending on the nutrient deficiency and the type of feed used.

Some small acreage producers cull to have more animals than the pasture could perhaps back up. In such cases, the first priority should be to provide hay as a substitute for fodder. If the hay is fair to poor quality, other supplemental feed may be needed as well.

Marketing and Economics

Mature commercial meat goats and hair sheep price from $50 to $500 per head, depending on quality. The price of maintaining the breeding herd or flock (including feed, hay and health care costs) can vary widely. Profitability largely depends on the animals' reproductive performance. Table 2 shows the importance of "percent child/lamb crop." If each female weans one offspring per breeding, you have a 100 percent kid/lamb crop for each convenance flavor. If your herd has two breeding cycles per year, your kid/lamb crop would exist 200 percent per year. The higher your production toll, the more than kids/lambs you must produce for your enterprise to be assisting.

Production expenses are those expenditures direct associated with the livestock enterprise, such as feed, hay, health supplies and veterinary services. Capital expenses such as facilities, fences, equipment, h2o arrangement maintenance, utilities and hired labor are important, but non included in the production expense figures in the table.

Kids and lambs are usually weaned at four to 6 months of historic period (45 to 70 pounds). Animals non kept for breeding are typically marketed at this time. Note that the profit/loss predictions in the table are based on a fifty-pound market weight and a lxx¢-perpound alive weight market toll. Mostly, heavier animals sell for less per pound, but of course command more dollars per head. Since 1990, the market price for kids and lambs has ranged from $0.50 to $ane.xx per pound live weight. Prices are cyclical within the year, influenced by religious and ethnic holidays and the price and availability of imported lamb and goat meats. Prices unremarkably are everyman from July ane through mid-November, meliorate from mid-November through the offset of the year, and reach their annual loftier but earlier Easter.

Kids and lambs can be sold through commission companies, at flea markets or route-side stands, or directly from the farm or ranch.

Decision

While it is not likely that yous will enjoy huge profits from livestock production on a small acreage, these enterprises, if managed properly, should authorize your land for the agronomical exemption from ad valorem taxes. Remember, though, that state ownership is a privilege that requires the states to accept good intendance of our precious natural resources. The Texas Agricultural Extension Service has the following resources to help you:

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Source: https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/library/ranching/livestock-for-small-acreage-landowners/