Dilemma

So I am 16 and I am planning on having a cattle ranch when I am older. I am starting to build up my herd and I have a few registered cows and a few crossbred cows. What direction do you think I should go? Should I go all registered or crossbred or both?

i'm 14, and somewhat have the same idea as you. i dont want to have a ranch so-to-speak. but in the future i'd like to get to where i can stop buying show cattle and breed my own. so i guess this is just an opinion from someone whose in the same boat
so far, i have a pure and cross... i like the way that's looking because i have options for the future.
if the purebreeds dont work out, i have my crosses as well to fall back on... i like the variety.

I am 16 and have got a small herd started.  I was meaning to have both cross and purebred, but my last commerical lost her calf and will be sold.  So for me I am only going to have purebred right now, but maybe after college I will find a nice commerical herd to buy.  So ya variety is good and selling the commerical calves every year will help with the show expenses.

Jamie

Hey, I am 24 and I was in the same boat a few years ago.  I decided to do both.  Next year when I am done with school, I am moving down to the family's old home stead and am going to start running cows.  I will have my registered heard in one pasture and my commercial heard in another.  Also I will use some of my commercial heard for recips.  That way I am not way into one side or the other. 

William said:

So I am 16 and I am planning on having a cattle ranch when I am older. I am starting to build up my herd and I have a few registered cows and a few crossbred cows. What direction do you think I should go? Should I go all registered or crossbred or both?

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William,
The best advice I am able to give you is that nobody can give you a straight answer. Not one person can tell you which way to go and be better off. There are positives and negatives to both sides of the industry. What you will need to figure out is what your goals are. What do you want to achieve? Who do you wish to market to? Once you figure out the answers to these questions you will be able to make things fall into place. Take it from someone who has "switched up" their operation several times. My goals have changed and so have my cattle and the way we run our operation. Find what you want and build from there. Make yourself a set of cows that you truly feel proud to wake up and look at in the morning. If you are proud enough of your cattle to consider them "front pasture" cows, you should be able to find a market for them. Good Luck!!! <party>

both, breed the cross breds to purebred maine bulls, and the purebreds to three way crosses (if you are showing them).

go to school, make your money other than the cattle business, then start doing it.

simtal said:

go to school, make your money other than the cattle business, then start doing it.

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Thats about the smartest advice, bit it aint no fun!! I would do both also, it gives you varitey and maybe one year one breed wont sell so well and maybe the others will pick up the slack

Thank you for all of the good advice! What if the only thing I want to do is be a cattle rancher? I am going to go to college but for what? Being around cattle is the only thing I can see myself doing in the future.

There are plenty of "business" type positions in the cattle industry...sales, marketing, reproduction, etc. Find the niche that really makes you happy and find a way to fall into it. If you like nutrition, go into selling feed or developing rations. Like reproduction...go into the marketing and sale of semen and embryos, or research for a company. So many options. Others may disagree, but the way I see it is that with the economy the way it is and all the land going to homes, there will be a great need for upcoming ideas on how to raise food on limited space and with alternative feed stuffs. JMO

How many successful small-time cattle ranching operations do you know of that don't have a wife working in town though.

My answer will be a combo of all the previous advice.  Be involved.  In anything and everything.  By being involved, you meet and get to know people.  Go to church, be in 4-H and FFA, join in your local junior cattle groups.  Get a good education.  If you cannot afford to go to a 4 year university, learn a trade.....one that pays well.

Only you can decide what will work for you.  What works for us is one good paying profession in town.  What has also worked for us is building a solid commercial cow herd.  One that has few calving or breeding issues.  Find ways to graze and winter feed them for the least amount of financial input.  This is the base that gives you the "bread and butter" check every year!  Then if you just have to have purebred cattle, get the best you can.  It's better to have one awesome reg. cow, than 12 second rate ones.  Dont be afraid to dream!  (But let common sense speak up, too!)

Good luck!

William,

The one piece of advice I would give you is to make sure you always buy good cattle as opposed to putting PB or Commercial at the top of your criteria list.  I realize that saying "buy good cattle" seems like a simple statement but I can't tell you how many times I have seen a PB Angus heifer that is average, at best, bring a premium just because she has a set of papers while people overlook a good commercial heifer just because she dosen't have a set of papers.  We have PB Angus and PB Simmentals but the majority are somewhere inbetween (percentage cattle) and no cow gets a pass because she has a set of papers.  Some of the best cows I ever owned was a group of cross bred black white faced cows, not show cattle type cows, that weighed about 1150 pounds and weaned calves that were about 50% of their body weight year end and year out.  Like ShowmanQ said as long as they are good there will always be a market forthem.

Thank you for everyones advice on my dilemma! It is still going to be hard for me to decide what way I really want to go but I will keep everyones thoughts and ideas with me.