“So we can feed them more corn.” It’s a real comment that shows how out of touch even the players in the industry have become. Feeding cows corn only makes sense because of government subsidies and intensive industrial agriculture which is strip mining our soils. Corn being sold for less than its cost of production is throwing off the true price of food. The more corn you can shovel into the cows, chickens, hogs, soda, cheese product, etc the more money the food conglomerates make. End result the tax payers subsidize the meat packers and the “food” titans. The farmers lose their shirts and their land. Ahhh. Don’t get me started. I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one with a rant. Keep teaching the good news. Your message is much needed. Thanks.
It's great that someone notices corporate communism in the US. Remember that communism has one purpose: to expropriate all of everything. Corporations are such an ultramodern version of the Bolsheviks. Poland was occupied by Soviet communism, today it is occupied by corporate communism. We know it. The effect is always one, slavery.
@Mark OnTheBlueRidge So I have one steer a Holstein Angus, I have in my back yard in Concord California. I got him at eight weeks old, took him off calf replacer and bought 30 bales of oat hay. After the oat hay is gone what should I feed this steer and for how long, how big should I let him get?
No You are out of touch. Corn feeding is awesome, and those attacking successful production techniques are immoral hateful and destructive. Shame on you. Shame shame shame shame!
WOW!!! You said exactly what i have always been telling my fellow small hold farmers here in South-Africa who been chasing 1200KG bulls and 800KG cows on limited resources and communal lands, i raise Nguni cows mated by a Boran bull which gives exactly what you elaborating here. SO GLAD TO HEAR SOME ONE MAKING SENSE OF SUCH ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECOMOMICAL FRIENDLY CONCEPT!!!
I’d love to email you and ask about your farm operations. I’ve been looking for Africans to exchange technique with because I have a lot to offer as far as technique goes and would love to hear about your experience.
Great info Greg....just got our first southpole bull! We're really loving him...can't wait to start breeding down our sizes...all my neighbors think I'm crazy and I love it!
I like the way this guy thinks. The entire structure of agriculture has been hi-jacked in my lifetime. The way food is produced and sold in this country is as backwards as it can be and its designed that way to profit large corporations. Everyone is paying the price, higher cost for lower quality food, eating cheap processed garbage because its more affordable. And....all of that would be gone in 2-3 days if someone wanted it that way. Nobody stores food anymore, groceries rely on multiple shipments a week. If those trucks stop coming their shelves are empty in a couple of days. More and more I wish I had a little bit of land just run a small operation on if only enough to sustain myself and family.
totally agree. The government subsidies are ridiculous and basically mean the end of the true family farm. Sure there's huge farms that are "family farms" but not like in my grandparents or even parent's ages! There is no compassion for the animals because the system is so imbalanced now to only favor huge corporations and their contracts. Tons of chicken farms in arkansas are going under because tyson requires them follow their regulations because their methods are so disturbingly disgusting, and it gets expensive to be required by contract to "upgrade" equipment just so that Tyson gets their bottom line. People talk shit about farmers doing things wrong, but it's the corporations that impose unrealistic demands on the farmer that really kills all of us in the long run.
@@ryanjones5592 exactly. It's interesting how there's so many burger joints because everything on the menu at a burger place conforms almost too well to the industrialized model of agriculture, and the subsidies trickle down into profits for those business owners. I am not anti profit, but I am against manipulating government and stocks to create utter exploitation of the people and the products available to them. Americans would be much healthier if our industrialized form of AG would be decentralized away from these huge food distributors that hi-jack profits from the farmers.
Check out Grass Roots Co-op. Cody Hopkins does a great talk to Iowa farmers on RUclips. They are putting more money in the farmers pocket. They are also regenerative operations.
Had a class in college over 30 years ago. Professor had a program that figured long term payout costs/returns on a herd with the parameters you entered. He was big on those 1500 lb Limousin on Flint Hills of Eastern Kansas. I ran my herd parameters for 1000 lb Angus/Hereford cows in short/mixed grass pasture in central Kansas. My 'little' cows out performed his Limo's and humbled him. I work in a large packing house-don't believe those order buyers wanting bigger calves-some packers are actually moving towards smaller size for many reasons, ease of dressing for one, customer expectations, portion sizes...
Great talk Greg. I sat at the sale barn yesterday and pondered a few of the things you just covered. The price of maintaining that mama cow is one of the factors I often overlook. It's the calf that has to carry the mama's cost, so a 1500 pound cow eating a ton of hay every winter puts a real drain on the $700 price of the calf it produces in the Spring.
Shalom! Thank you so much Mr.Greg for the wealth of information you share with us all. I do appreciate you very much and I share your videos with my son and grandsons. Blessings to you and yours!
Your channel is really important. Not just to those interested in raising cattle in a sustainable way, but you are showing others who have no idea about any of this, and may never have seen a cow in person how cattle can benefit us and our planet, even if they are not meat eaters themselves. Great job!
As an Irish person I would recommend looking into Dexter cattle for those of you looking for smaller cattle. They are a native Irish breed about 1/2 the size of a conventional cow used by farmers on poorer land traditionally for there efficiency in converting grass to beef. They were once rare but now seeing increased popularity!
Real nice talk. My dad always said, you don't want those big cows eating all your grass, keep them small. He liked them about 1,200 pounds. He said a 1,200 pound cow will raise a calf just as big as as any other. I inherited some of his cows and their calves always brought top price at the sale barn. I bought some bigger cows a few years ago that I got a good price on, I can't wait to get rid of them. I never thought about the fact that big cows will tear up your grass more. That's something that really bothers me as we're in clay soil and it's pretty sensitive when wet. Thanks
Great video Greg, loved the part about starting to do what's best for us and the land and not do everything just for the packers. I'm striving to raise 950 to 1000 lb cows and I think it's the only way to go for many different reasons.
My first job out of high school was in a meat packing plant. One thing I learned is the first and only priority is more profit. The welfare of workers, the sustainability of the industry... they all take a back seat to more profit.
I heard you mention this in a speech you were giving here on RUclips. It really inspired me because I do old spot hogs and the foundation herd was massive, huge awesome docile creatures. The could not maintain their 2nd winter girth on my pastures. They sunk deep into my clay soils and were just too big for my 5 acres. So I started breeding down, chasing an old rusty ginger color that come from the old berkshire that was in the wood pile. It was a closed herd so it was easy to breed down. Today some 6 years later, I have a really good sized pastured hog. Same docile stock, but now more manageable. And just through selection rather than bringing in new genetics or breeds that bring their own problems. So thanks for this observation as it really helped for my homestead.
Put my first animal in freezer after 3 years. People ask my if it's worth it, or better to go to store, worth is in the eye of the beholder. I get to be out everyday in my pasture feeding or moving my future food. Is that sunset in pasture worth it? Is that blizzard in pasture worth it? Is buying grass worth it? Is food as medicine worth it? Is restoring soil worth it? Is digging up an earthworm worth it? Is bringing grandboy out to see Cows worth it? You all get what you worth for. En arche een ho logos..!
Great chat Greg, sounds like proof of what I've been hearing from Johann Zeitsman! Smaller frame cattle can make WAY more money per acre, and will keep better body condition in winter as well! Thanks for sharing!
the smaller breeds are more efficient on grazing and when selling beef direct to the consumer they don't care about live weight. they care about fresh well raised beef.
Happy thanksgiving Greg. I think it would be hugely helpful to a bulk of your audience to make a video explaining how to get off the ground starting with about 5 cows and working your way up from there as more pasture becomes available and solutions for remote watering. I know you have a grazing school so you may not want to go too much in depth.
Great video. I'm starting my own herd through my employer. He runs mostly herefords but runs black bulls with his replacement heifers. He and I both like that short round frame. My cows are F1 baldies weighing around that 1100 -1200lbs. I've always had the same mindset and I'm glad to see I'm not the only one. Thanks again for the video.
Loved that part of the second class citizens. Why do farmers have to take the hit in income when stores want to have a sale?? Or the brokers who dont raise a damn thing but earn more money per lbs than the farmer who raised the thing for a few years??
@9:15 "You shouldn't have to have a job in town." 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 EXACTLY RIGHT! I said as much in a comment to a commenter on a RUclips video when she said that her son was aspiring to purchase a dairy farm which for making a living. I begged and pleaded with her not to go let her son financially hang himself by dairy farming; the Jewel Foods store has been selling 2% gallons of milk "2-for-$4.00" for years now. I further told her if articles that I have read where younger people are not drinking milk in the quantities as my generation did and that wholesale prices are reflecting this fact. The mother commenter replied back: "Oh-it will be okay: he will still keep his job driving a milk truck to make ends meet .....🤦🤦🤦 This is called "buying a job". It is the reason I do not haul Intermodal containers any longer: there is no "business income" in the rates. In other words, what I would make in my truck after all expenses and accruals is not materially more than if I was driving someone else's truck! Why beat my truck up for $400/day when I can gross $325)day driving someone else's truck..??!! MADNESS!
Just stumbled across your video. So glad I did. I just subscribed. Looking forward to learning much more about your operation. Best wishes from Amqui Quebec!
It also depends on where you live. In my country (Holland) as a farmer you need to buy production rights to raise cattle and these go per head, not per pound, Same goes for dairy cows and pigs. Combine that with very low margins and farmers are pretty much forced to raise big animals.
Your honest opinion and straight forward answers just got you another subscriber! Looking forward to seeing more videos. I never searched for this video, it’s funny how I was just thinking about the open grass land my mother has just a few days ago and bam! Here’s your video!! Lol Thank you
I get what you are saying on cow size but where I live , when a guy brings 500calves to town every year and he has 400lb calves everyone wants to buy them the first year for grass cattle in the spring. When they take them to the finishing lot and they are fat at 1000lbs and the packer won't bid pretty soon the buyers make sure they don't buy your calves because there is no way they will get to market weight when they are 18months.
You hit the nail on the head. I really wanted to get on the small cow band wagon but let’s consider this on an extreme side: how efficient is a miniature angus? If I had little grass and needed efficient animals, I’d raise miniature angus for all the same reasons he mentions in this video. But, on a commercial basis, you have nailed it exactly - if you are selling these dinks as feeders or 4/5 weights, you’ll fool the buyers the 1st or 2nd year but if they bought big numbers - they will absolutely avoid these guys the next year. I have found that unless you have some type of ninche operation, buyers want leaner, framey calves that they can put some weight on. Pay attention to marbling epds and other carcass merit numbers and those calves will sustain themselves all the way through. I’ve also found some of my biggest cows keep their flesh even in the harshest conditions. I have both 5 frame and 6 frame cows that will shrink to bones when grass is thin - this is not specific to size at all and I have a few 6 frame belly draggers to prove it
@@thawk321 if your making a good full time living with your cow herd then you should not change a single thing. Keep doing what your doing. If a person is struggling to make a profit with his herd then you need to look at changing something. It may be cow size, grazing practices, poor soil, genetics, marketing and the list goes on. Bottom line is don't keep doing the same thing every year and expect a different result.
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher I do run cattle full time (Registered Angus) on roughly 1600 acres of owned and leased pasture. We raise registered herd bulls and production cattle utilyzing AI and ET heavily. Smaller vs bigger cow sizes make a good argument but selecting for smaller animals year over year, especially smaller bull sizes (thus leading to smaller sizes with the terminal animals that end up in the feedlot) will not work across the other facets of that animals life (ie, feedlot & packer) after you sell and make your profit as the producer. The AAA has recently added another Value to their EPD's to help with this dilemma which is $C. I think this value will be leveraged heavily in marketing animals, especially bulls as it balances $B and $M which are representative of our very argument ($B typically = bigger animals but selecting for this year after year leads to increased size to a detriment. $M = efficient cows but selecting here can decrease size over the coarse of a few years thereby creating a dilemma for the the last few entities to impact a calfs life before harvest (which are the feedlot & packer because they can't get the needed growth from that smaller animal) I hope $C brings what it should to the table - one more balancing tool to keep us from trying to single trait select year over year. Anyway - I'm more relating my experience to your video. More-so for people just entering the business. There are a lot of views to consider before jumping into an investment as the cattle. Our business swallows new investors whole if their game plan isn't well thought out (from conception to plate)
@@thawk321 thanks for sharing your views Chris. One point that I want to add is that if you base your cattle marketing on selling to feedlots or packers there is not much money left for the cow/calf producer. To excel with your grass, you need to have control of what you sell your animals for. According to Drovers magazine, the average return on a cow/calf operation in 2019 was $67 per head. I want no part of that crowd. How is a cattleman supposed to make a full time living receiving $67 a head profit? This is exactly why I am fed up with the status quo, we can do much better with 100% forage raised animals that are in the more moderate weight class. Monster cattle takes most of your profit raising the calf.
Grew up on a 40acre field farm, not for profit but just to self sustain, lots of hard work and spring shoveling out the barn. We had red Herford cattle, My father disliked horns on his cattle after one popped his walled out of his pants pocket and knocked him a few feet !! Lol , I still remember that moment !! Of coarse I was ran over by a cow or two but it happens. Hurt my pride more than anything . Keep up the great work and your cows look great, very healthy and happy !
In the 70's belt buckle cattle we're the rage. People wanted huge steaks and ranchers quickly bred cattle so big you could stand next to a finished steer and your belt buckle could be seen from the other side. They might take three years to grow but the steaks we're huge!
This heavily depends on each farms specific feeding situation. More animals at smaller weights means more animals to deal with. More vaccinations, more calving, higher vet bill. A lot more complicated than just ‘’light weight equals higher dollar per pound’’.
Thank you for the advice! I got a nice red Angus x highlander bull that fits description. Picked 2 low line black Angus cows. Glad you confirmed I'm on the right path
I wish I could have talked with my Grandpa about this. He was a rancher for 60 years… old school Colorado cowboy. “Bigger was better”… but I think he would have immediately understood the value in this thinking and grazing this way. We just didn’t know……
Where I was raised, most of the ranchers raised Herefords. One of my friends raised Short Horns, because they might get a few cents less per pound at market, but they would weigh about 400 to 500 pounds more. I guess the argument comes from both sides. He also had a Black Angus bull, that was just a pure mass monster -- probably about 2000 pounds. I remember that bull scratching his shoulder against a telephone pole, and the telephone pole was shaking like a willow sapling.
Greg, what did the migrating bison do for minerals? No lick-blocks manufactured back 1000 years... or did mother nature have something strategically place along the rout? Been watching you about 6 months, now subscribed. Be joking the ranks of Cattleman soon. My word for what I'm planning is Francher (farmer rancher). Keep the videos coming.
Back in the Buffalo migration days, there was 20% plus organic matter in the soil. The plants were loaded with balanced minerals. That same land today has less than 1% organic matter in it, plants are severely mineral deficient.
Mikey Johnston where do you live sir? Where I’m at, its a cow/calf pair needs no less than 30-35 acres in a decent moisture year and that still means feeding hay in winter!! I am looking at moving, please let me know where you are!
Kurt Osborn middle Tennessee we usual stocking rate here is cow calf pair for 2 acres but I run 10 1000lb cows and a bull on 14.5 acres usually just use 10 acres but I use the other 4.5 for spring pasture and fall pasture but I also plant 4 acres of Sudan grass and the winter crop it in wheat.
thank yaGREG ya shore can tell when a farmer is proud hisn cows,, they love love ta talk bout them an its no jist cows its all live stock.. thank ya fer nother great peek at yer beautiful ladies,, thank ya fer the video
You make a lot of sense, the processes are only speaking in their own interests by what they prefer to deal with in their business. They do what they gotta do, and you do what you gotta do. Pretty simple.
That's what Allan Savory described in "Holidtic Resource Management almost 40 years ago as a "paradigm". The quickest way to go broke is to allow others to build your paradigm, period!
Greg your also right no farmer needs a town job!! Smaller cows is the way!!! You should be called Greg the cattle Profit!!! Yes the pun intended money PROFIT it’s not a dirty word!!! I like the red cows yes they take heat better even the white and red cattle. I think there is taste difference on the cattle raised on Grass vs corn lot cows!!! I wished all the cattlemen & cattlewomen would get the cows smaller and take the black out!! It’s the heat that’s coming with global warming it’s only right that you cattlemen get ahead of that curve!!! Enjoy your channel both you farms or on the stage talking about the Greg way!!!!
Respectfully disagree with the size discussion. Our average cow is over 1800 pounds, registered Angus, and many are over 10 years old and still producing, some are over 16 years old and still producing. We use mostly Schaff Angus Valley bulls, and we rarely pull a calf from the big mommas, and they can calve in the worst of conditions, raise a big calf, and breed back within 60-75 days and continue raising the calf at their side to 230-240 days without sacrificing condition. The market is rewarding cattle that grade over how many a producer can load on the trailer of questionable carcass merit. Quality will always trump quantity in my book. One of the most successful cattle operations in the world is Schaff Angus Valley, and if you look at the weaning weights of their calves, they are almost the size of the mature cow you are describing. Take a look at Argentina, they value size as well. Again, I am a fan of your techniques, but I have to disagree with the 1000 pound cow. As far as the ideal weight to sell steers, I think that 800-850 pounds steers that will perform on a feedlot (high Marb, $F, $G, and $B scores) is what the market looking for. With COOL kicked to the curb by our politicians, producers that are ignoring carcass and just going for numbers, well, they are basically competing against Brazil, a country that can produce those type of cattle vastly cheaper than any American producer could ever dream of. Just my two cents for what it's worth.
Glad the big cattle are working for you. We would be out of business with those cattle here. Our pastures would look like mud feedlots. I see it every winter on my neighbors farms that have the big cows. After they feed hay for 6 months to those big cows because they can't graze, then they are stuck with mountains of manure. The pastures they do graze need a disc on them in the spring to get rid of all the ruts and pugging. As long as your having fun and making a good living with the cows, then keep on!
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher On another note, my hats off to you, I learn a whole lot by watching your videos and enjoy them a great deal. I also wrote an article on Medium that discusses your views on cattle. Keep up the good work. Here is the story. bit.ly/33wcAvw
I’m curious how angus went from frame score 4 in 1970 to 9 in1990? Do you know of any genetic disorders that were previously restricted in Holsteins that are now found in “black angus” ? So you’re wracking frame 10 cattle? What “consumer preference” do you refer? Gawd, the checkoff studies contradict the hell outta that. I love a 16 oz steak, but consumers prefer smaller (less cost) package. If one compares 300,000# of producing frame score 4 cows to 300,000# of producing frame score 9 or (heaven help us) 10 producing cows, (300 small cows vs 150 bigguns), I’d sure as hell want the 300 cows. Gregg is right all day long. Now the industry has some real problems with cattle harvest,but I’m guessing Gregg is guessing around the jbs,Tyson, national gauntlet.
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher You are welcome my friend. We may disagree on cow size, but I'm 100% a believer in your mission, and that is to promote the bovine and it's importance in this world. Thank you for all the good work you do, keep it up!
Very interesting information. Not many people today understand how different the breeds are and how suited they are to a particular situation. I myself never appreciated that domestication brings with it the same sorts of niches as arise from nature.
I'd disagree with the idea that more cows = more profitability. Each animal burns a lot of its caloric energy in energy, heat and waste. If you can have a single animal that converts more of its feed to growth than two animals with lower conversion rates you're gonna have a higher net profit
When someone can graze three 1000 lb cows on the exact same amount of forage that is required for two 1500 lb cows, there is no comparison. The three calves from the the 1000 lb cows versus two calves from the 1500 lb cows will always leave more profit in the producers bottom line. You simply have more calves to sell at a higher price per pound with the 1000 lb cows. I custom grazed monster 1500 lb cows for 8 years. That was 11 years ago and I can still show the total destruction these monster 1500 lb cows caused on one particular farm during a rain event. They compacted and pugged the soil so badly that it grows a great crop of weeds today. I just hate seeing people go broke trying to graze elephant size cows that will not breed back on grass without pouring the grain to them. At the end of the day, if you like big cows, the best of luck to you!
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher That's fair and I'm glad its working for you. I just think that size doesnt necessarily equal a superior feed conversion ratio and if you can get more per cow out of the same feed its going to be a cleaner profit
Isn't it more labor intensive for the processor, if there are three steers to butcher instead of 2? Also, why would having more time on the feedlot be attractive? Isn't every day on corn costly, reducing their profits? Are those Devon cattle? My family kept a Milking Devon back in the day. None of this is a criticism, I really want to grasp your economic model.
Yes sir. I run an angus bull and a charolais bull together on my cows, learned along time ago not to keep replacements from the smokies I kept that bred back to the charolais. They get to big. Now I dont even keep many of the smokies as replacements.
I burnt myself out working in salebarns and feedlots for 10 years! Those bigger cattle are rough on hands. Hands dont make enough to get that beat up. I think the growing homesteading g movement and interest in mini/ smaller cattle will be progress but will take time to transition back to that style of farming.
As far as little bulls on big cows. When we got our first bull after quitting AI he was a young shorthorn. The first night I went out to the pasture after dark to check on him. He was standing beside a massive holstien X limousin old cow. By the date she calved he bred the biggest cow on the place that first night.
Hey there. We run Aberdeen /lowline which is the smaller breed for angus. Also we did a video showing your method (giving you credit of course) for pastures. Hope we did you justice
I found out the hard way that this also works for grazing dairy cattle. Those big long legged show animals are prone to lots more problems. My breeding program now consists of bringing beef genetics into the milking herd so that I can get some shorter stockier and therefore hardier heifers for our harsher WI winters. Those tall cows are fun to look at, but I put up far less feed than my neighbors for the same number of head even while out-wintering.
Thanks Greg for all the great info! Can you do a video sometime on marketing, and what the best avenue is for selling grass-fed cows....sale barn vs direct marketing ? Thank you
The majority of cost for raising cattle is in feed. In traditional methods most people barely break even or make maybe $50-$100 profit per cow sometimes more but not by a lot. That’s because they feed hay bales for 4-6 months of the year or have to buy a lot of corn. Watching Greg this year, I think he fed hay for a total of 2 or 3 weeks for the entire winter. The rest was grass that he didn’t have to go and buy. Good grass management and good cattle management means bigger profits. If you’re looking for an actual dollar amount, that depends on how much you sell them for. But less money in the animal means a higher margin of profit. If you have 2 cows exactly the same and they sell for $1000, but farmer “A” had to pay $900 to raise it, that farmer only made $100. But farmer “B” put in only $400, he made $600.
I knew a guy had a bull that everyone would take their cows to for breeding. You drop your cows off for the day and he would tell you that if your cows were on the high ground the following morning, then the insemination was successful. If the cows were on the low ground, you bring your cows back for another try. My neighbor took his cows to get bred and he was told the same story...the cows should be on the high ground tomorrow. The next morning, he asks his wife to look out the window to see if the cows were on the high ground. She said No. So he loaded up the cows and took them back to be breeder. The breeder scratched his head and that his bull never failed. Again he said, Check to see if they are on the high ground tomorrow. The next morning, the farmer asks his wife to look out the window to see if the cows are on the high ground. She says No. He asks, Are they on the low ground? She says No...they're in the pickup...and they're blowing the horn.
The next year two bulls we're standing on a hill overlooking a herd of cows and heifers in a valley below. The young bull says to the old bull "look!, Let's run down there and breed them all!". The old bull replies " let's walk down there and breed them all, one at a time."
I've slightly slimmer cows by appearance and they are built for mountainous areas and hills without getting hurt or injured. Perfectly adapted in 🇬🇪 landscape
It depends if your breeding broodstock or meat stock. You have a $100 kill fee and 75 cents hanging weight. Owed to the butcher. Then $2.50 hanging weight to the farmer. You need a 4-500 pound hanging weight per half. It might cost you $6 a pound on a bigger steer. But it's going to cost you $7 for a smaller animal. But it'seat versus broodstock
Happy Thanksgiving Greg, I love your views on grass feeding, and soil management. Have you experimented with composting, liquid compost and/or bioChar?
There is a change happening, Dairies are crossing holstiens with Angus on a large scale. Wouldn't it be better to just keep buying them and manage the pasture only trough head count, more in the high growing season and less trough the winter. Dairies can have a very consistent streem of young animals. Might need better fencing.
think # per acre, NOT # per calf. have you ever considered the size of the native bison? cows avg 1100#, bulls avg 2000# I was taught to consider that cattle are a harvesting machine; I produce grass.
Right there with you Greg - I've been preaching this same message to a friend...a friend with 1400 lb cows. You're a great forward thinker, as we're entering a time with less available (overly expensive) land, lower premiums for the 600 lb calf and the "city folks" wanting to save an environment they know nothing about. Please keep doing what you're doing while inspiring/teaching. Thank you
I like this guy. He’s right people. Farmers feed us all. If they stopped selling their products we would all starve and they would be the “millionaires.”
Valid, contingent on where your herd is. 1000 lbs isn't small, it's a mid-size (LOL) How far into the Winter can you keep stuff on pasture? The cost will be different to wean a 600 lb calf from one locality to another. If somebody can wean a big calf on grass and not have to feed mama a pile of hay in the Winter, do it. You look like you're in the mid-Atlantic somewhere; you've hit the sweet spot I think for your area. Great point about feeding all that grain, they have rumens for a reason.
Harder to market those short calves. Good buyers know the difference between a 5 month old calf that weighs 400 pounds and a 10 month old calf that weighs 400 lbs. The feedyard doesn't want short calves and the packer doesn't want them. You have to direct market them somehow.
You should not be in the business of being a price taker, but your goal is being a price setter. This comes from you working on direct marketing your animals. Also at the end of the year it is not how much profit you make per calf but how much profit you make per acre. Big calves=high maintenance cows and high feed bulls.
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher you couldn't even get enough kill dates around here to do more than a few head. Then customers will ask you questions for 30 minutes and finally buy 2 pounds of hamburger.
I remember that time that you told Justin Rhodes that you could have three 1000 pound cows instead of two 1500 pound cows and you would end up with 3 calves instead of 2. You’re a very smart man, Mr. Judy!
over time there is even a bigger seperation in calves sold as the bigger breeds can have fertility problems, especially in rough country or areas where getting good forage is considered.
“So we can feed them more corn.” It’s a real comment that shows how out of touch even the players in the industry have become. Feeding cows corn only makes sense because of government subsidies and intensive industrial agriculture which is strip mining our soils. Corn being sold for less than its cost of production is throwing off the true price of food. The more corn you can shovel into the cows, chickens, hogs, soda, cheese product, etc the more money the food conglomerates make. End result the tax payers subsidize the meat packers and the “food” titans. The farmers lose their shirts and their land. Ahhh. Don’t get me started.
I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one with a rant. Keep teaching the good news. Your message is much needed. Thanks.
and to top it off Americans less healthy. go figure. $$$$ in politics is destroying our country.
It's great that someone notices corporate communism in the US. Remember that communism has one purpose: to expropriate all of everything. Corporations are such an ultramodern version of the Bolsheviks. Poland was occupied by Soviet communism, today it is occupied by corporate communism. We know it. The effect is always one, slavery.
@Purebred Shekelberg Cornfed STEERS, you mean? Not all Cattle are "cows".
@Mark OnTheBlueRidge So I have one steer a Holstein Angus, I have in my back yard in Concord California. I got him at eight weeks old, took him off calf replacer and bought 30 bales of oat hay. After the oat hay is gone what should I feed this steer and for how long, how big should I let him get?
No You are out of touch. Corn feeding is awesome, and those attacking successful production techniques are immoral hateful and destructive. Shame on you. Shame shame shame shame!
I'm 35 year old and found this all out the hard way.. This man is spot on!!
I love how heated you got there at the end!! It’s refreshing to hear such truth, especially right now.
WOW!!! You said exactly what i have always been telling my fellow small hold farmers here in South-Africa who been chasing 1200KG bulls and 800KG cows on limited resources and communal lands, i raise Nguni cows mated by a Boran bull which gives exactly what you elaborating here. SO GLAD TO HEAR SOME ONE MAKING SENSE OF SUCH ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECOMOMICAL FRIENDLY CONCEPT!!!
Do the breeds you now use tolerate that hot climate OK?
I’d love to email you and ask about your farm operations. I’ve been looking for Africans to exchange technique with because I have a lot to offer as far as technique goes and would love to hear about your experience.
Great info Greg....just got our first southpole bull! We're really loving him...can't wait to start breeding down our sizes...all my neighbors think I'm crazy and I love it!
If your neighbors think your crazy, your on the right path. It’s when they start approving of what your doing that you may be in trouble!!
Three things that don't hang themselfs; Aging Beef, PolyBraid, and Jeffrey Epstein
mobyhunr 😂😂
Now thats funny .... i dont care who you are
That the channel owner liked this post has made me subscribe to his channel.
😂😂😂
🤣🤣🤣
I like the way this guy thinks. The entire structure of agriculture has been hi-jacked in my lifetime. The way food is produced and sold in this country is as backwards as it can be and its designed that way to profit large corporations. Everyone is paying the price, higher cost for lower quality food, eating cheap processed garbage because its more affordable. And....all of that would be gone in 2-3 days if someone wanted it that way. Nobody stores food anymore, groceries rely on multiple shipments a week. If those trucks stop coming their shelves are empty in a couple of days. More and more I wish I had a little bit of land just run a small operation on if only enough to sustain myself and family.
totally agree. The government subsidies are ridiculous and basically mean the end of the true family farm. Sure there's huge farms that are "family farms" but not like in my grandparents or even parent's ages! There is no compassion for the animals because the system is so imbalanced now to only favor huge corporations and their contracts. Tons of chicken farms in arkansas are going under because tyson requires them follow their regulations because their methods are so disturbingly disgusting, and it gets expensive to be required by contract to "upgrade" equipment just so that Tyson gets their bottom line. People talk shit about farmers doing things wrong, but it's the corporations that impose unrealistic demands on the farmer that really kills all of us in the long run.
@theprophetswhisper its all by design
@@ryanjones5592 exactly. It's interesting how there's so many burger joints because everything on the menu at a burger place conforms almost too well to the industrialized model of agriculture, and the subsidies trickle down into profits for those business owners. I am not anti profit, but I am against manipulating government and stocks to create utter exploitation of the people and the products available to them. Americans would be much healthier if our industrialized form of AG would be decentralized away from these huge food distributors that hi-jack profits from the farmers.
Check out Grass Roots Co-op. Cody Hopkins does a great talk to Iowa farmers on RUclips. They are putting more money in the farmers pocket. They are also regenerative operations.
Katbryn Gagne Thank you! I will look that up.
Amen! People used to laugh and my short stocky cows. Up until the drought.
Had a class in college over 30 years ago. Professor had a program that figured long term payout costs/returns on a herd with the parameters you entered. He was big on those 1500 lb Limousin on Flint Hills of Eastern Kansas. I ran my herd parameters for 1000 lb Angus/Hereford cows in short/mixed grass pasture in central Kansas. My 'little' cows out performed his Limo's and humbled him. I work in a large packing house-don't believe those order buyers wanting bigger calves-some packers are actually moving towards smaller size for many reasons, ease of dressing for one, customer expectations, portion sizes...
That's my home area. I believe I've handled your cattle at some point or another.
Where at in Kansas? I’m by Salina
Fun fact: you never searched for this video.
That's for sure, but interesting video..
Yet here I am learning how to raise cattle
AI sent it to you, specifically...
@@modernhustle11 not a bad thing!
Courtney Shoemaker I’m not complaining haha
Great talk Greg. I sat at the sale barn yesterday and pondered a few of the things you just covered. The price of maintaining that mama cow is one of the factors I often overlook. It's the calf that has to carry the mama's cost, so a 1500 pound cow eating a ton of hay every winter puts a real drain on the $700 price of the calf it produces in the Spring.
Smaller cows also reach maturity sooner so replacement heifers and bulls have a higher chance of breeding early as well.
You nailed it!
Your passion for farming and your truth telling is inspiring.
Shalom! Thank you so much Mr.Greg for the wealth of information you share with us all. I do appreciate you very much and I share your videos with my son and grandsons. Blessings to you and yours!
Your channel is really important. Not just to those interested in raising cattle in a sustainable way, but you are showing others who have no idea about any of this, and may never have seen a cow in person how cattle can benefit us and our planet, even if they are not meat eaters themselves. Great job!
Thanks, Greg, for another business model tip that we can take to the bank.
I like the little rant at the end. It may not be long until you can name your price for food.
As an Irish person I would recommend looking into Dexter cattle for those of you looking for smaller cattle. They are a native Irish breed about 1/2 the size of a conventional cow used by farmers on poorer land traditionally for there efficiency in converting grass to beef. They were once rare but now seeing increased popularity!
Can they be wintered out?
Real nice talk. My dad always said, you don't want those big cows eating all your grass, keep them small. He liked them about 1,200 pounds. He said a 1,200 pound cow will raise a calf just as big as as any other. I inherited some of his cows and their calves always brought top price at the sale barn. I bought some bigger cows a few years ago that I got a good price on, I can't wait to get rid of them.
I never thought about the fact that big cows will tear up your grass more. That's something that really bothers me as we're in clay soil and it's pretty sensitive when wet. Thanks
Great video Greg, loved the part about starting to do what's best for us and the land and not do everything just for the packers. I'm striving to raise 950 to 1000 lb cows and I think it's the only way to go for many different reasons.
My first job out of high school was in a meat packing plant. One thing I learned is the first and only priority is more profit. The welfare of workers, the sustainability of the industry... they all take a back seat to more profit.
I heard you mention this in a speech you were giving here on RUclips. It really inspired me because I do old spot hogs and the foundation herd was massive, huge awesome docile creatures. The could not maintain their 2nd winter girth on my pastures. They sunk deep into my clay soils and were just too big for my 5 acres. So I started breeding down, chasing an old rusty ginger color that come from the old berkshire that was in the wood pile. It was a closed herd so it was easy to breed down. Today some 6 years later, I have a really good sized pastured hog. Same docile stock, but now more manageable. And just through selection rather than bringing in new genetics or breeds that bring their own problems. So thanks for this observation as it really helped for my homestead.
Beautiful animals Greg. Love how you explain the process.
Put my first animal in freezer after 3 years.
People ask my if it's worth it, or better to go to store, worth is in the eye of the beholder.
I get to be out everyday in my pasture feeding or moving my future food. Is that sunset in pasture worth it? Is that blizzard in pasture worth it? Is buying grass worth it? Is food as medicine worth it? Is restoring soil worth it? Is digging up an earthworm worth it? Is bringing grandboy out to see Cows worth it?
You all get what you worth for.
En arche een ho logos..!
Great chat Greg, sounds like proof of what I've been hearing from Johann Zeitsman! Smaller frame cattle can make WAY more money per acre, and will keep better body condition in winter as well!
Thanks for sharing!
the smaller breeds are more efficient on grazing and when selling beef direct to the consumer they don't care about live weight. they care about fresh well raised beef.
Happy thanksgiving Greg. I think it would be hugely helpful to a bulk of your audience to make a video explaining how to get off the ground starting with about 5 cows and working your way up from there as more pasture becomes available and solutions for remote watering. I know you have a grazing school so you may not want to go too much in depth.
Wow, awesome speech. In some countries the brokers are the ones that make the money, and the farmers are the ones that make the hard work.
Great video. I'm starting my own herd through my employer. He runs mostly herefords but runs black bulls with his replacement heifers. He and I both like that short round frame. My cows are F1 baldies weighing around that 1100 -1200lbs. I've always had the same mindset and I'm glad to see I'm not the only one. Thanks again for the video.
Loved that part of the second class citizens. Why do farmers have to take the hit in income when stores want to have a sale?? Or the brokers who dont raise a damn thing but earn more money per lbs than the farmer who raised the thing for a few years??
let's hope we can educate the public
@9:15
"You shouldn't have to have a job in town."
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
EXACTLY RIGHT!
I said as much in a comment to a commenter on a RUclips video when she said that her son was aspiring to purchase a dairy farm which for making a living. I begged and pleaded with her not to go let her son financially hang himself by dairy farming; the Jewel Foods store has been selling 2% gallons of milk "2-for-$4.00" for years now. I further told her if articles that I have read where younger people are not drinking milk in the quantities as my generation did and that wholesale prices are reflecting this fact.
The mother commenter replied back: "Oh-it will be okay: he will still keep his job driving a milk truck to make ends meet .....🤦🤦🤦
This is called "buying a job". It is the reason I do not haul Intermodal containers any longer: there is no "business income" in the rates. In other words, what I would make in my truck after all expenses and accruals is not materially more than if I was driving someone else's truck! Why beat my truck up for $400/day when I can gross $325)day driving someone else's truck..??!!
MADNESS!
Thank you mr judy your rotational grazing talks have motivated me to keep my goats moving out on my pastures thank you
Just stumbled across your video. So glad I did. I just subscribed. Looking forward to learning much more about your operation. Best wishes from Amqui Quebec!
It also depends on where you live. In my country (Holland) as a farmer you need to buy production rights to raise cattle and these go per head, not per pound, Same goes for dairy cows and pigs. Combine that with very low margins and farmers are pretty much forced to raise big animals.
Do you think the farmer protests over there will change things?
I'm learning about raising cows.
I live in the city. I have no intention of ever owning a farm or cows. It's still interested though! Thanks RUclips
I guess youtube wants me to get into the cattle business.
You know deep down you wanted to all along, but weren't conscious of the need...
Ironically, your RUclips name is (Running off instinct).
Your honest opinion and straight forward answers just got you another subscriber! Looking forward to seeing more videos. I never searched for this video, it’s funny how I was just thinking about the open grass land my mother has just a few days ago and bam! Here’s your video!! Lol Thank you
Please Greg...never shut up! Lol. Bless you and thank you to you and your team for all you do.
I get what you are saying on cow size but where I live , when a guy brings 500calves to town every year and he has 400lb calves everyone wants to buy them the first year for grass cattle in the spring. When they take them to the finishing lot and they are fat at 1000lbs and the packer won't bid pretty soon the buyers make sure they don't buy your calves because there is no way they will get to market weight when they are 18months.
Sell them direct as grassfinished beeves or to other grass finished beef outfits. The packers can go bully someone else.
You hit the nail on the head. I really wanted to get on the small cow band wagon but let’s consider this on an extreme side: how efficient is a miniature angus? If I had little grass and needed efficient animals, I’d raise miniature angus for all the same reasons he mentions in this video. But, on a commercial basis, you have nailed it exactly - if you are selling these dinks as feeders or 4/5 weights, you’ll fool the buyers the 1st or 2nd year but if they bought big numbers - they will absolutely avoid these guys the next year. I have found that unless you have some type of ninche operation, buyers want leaner, framey calves that they can put some weight on. Pay attention to marbling epds and other carcass merit numbers and those calves will sustain themselves all the way through. I’ve also found some of my biggest cows keep their flesh even in the harshest conditions. I have both 5 frame and 6 frame cows that will shrink to bones when grass is thin - this is not specific to size at all and I have a few 6 frame belly draggers to prove it
@@thawk321 if your making a good full time living with your cow herd then you should not change a single thing. Keep doing what your doing. If a person is struggling to make a profit with his herd then you need to look at changing something. It may be cow size, grazing practices, poor soil, genetics, marketing and the list goes on. Bottom line is don't keep doing the same thing every year and expect a different result.
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher I do run cattle full time (Registered Angus) on roughly 1600 acres of owned and leased pasture. We raise registered herd bulls and production cattle utilyzing AI and ET heavily. Smaller vs bigger cow sizes make a good argument but selecting for smaller animals year over year, especially smaller bull sizes (thus leading to smaller sizes with the terminal animals that end up in the feedlot) will not work across the other facets of that animals life (ie, feedlot & packer) after you sell and make your profit as the producer. The AAA has recently added another Value to their EPD's to help with this dilemma which is $C. I think this value will be leveraged heavily in marketing animals, especially bulls as it balances $B and $M which are representative of our very argument ($B typically = bigger animals but selecting for this year after year leads to increased size to a detriment. $M = efficient cows but selecting here can decrease size over the coarse of a few years thereby creating a dilemma for the the last few entities to impact a calfs life before harvest (which are the feedlot & packer because they can't get the needed growth from that smaller animal) I hope $C brings what it should to the table - one more balancing tool to keep us from trying to single trait select year over year. Anyway - I'm more relating my experience to your video. More-so for people just entering the business. There are a lot of views to consider before jumping into an investment as the cattle. Our business swallows new investors whole if their game plan isn't well thought out (from conception to plate)
@@thawk321 thanks for sharing your views Chris. One point that I want to add is that if you base your cattle marketing on selling to feedlots or packers there is not much money left for the cow/calf producer. To excel with your grass, you need to have control of what you sell your animals for. According to Drovers magazine, the average return on a cow/calf operation in 2019 was $67 per head. I want no part of that crowd. How is a cattleman supposed to make a full time living receiving $67 a head profit? This is exactly why I am fed up with the status quo, we can do much better with 100% forage raised animals that are in the more moderate weight class. Monster cattle takes most of your profit raising the calf.
Grew up on a 40acre field farm, not for profit but just to self sustain, lots of hard work and spring shoveling out the barn. We had red Herford cattle, My father disliked horns on his cattle after one popped his walled out of his pants pocket and knocked him a few feet !! Lol , I still remember that moment !! Of coarse I was ran over by a cow or two but it happens. Hurt my pride more than anything . Keep up the great work and your cows look great, very healthy and happy !
This was a great video. I truly learned a lot. It doesn’t just make sense, it makes dollars! Thanks for these great videos.
Well, economics aside, that's a gorgeous herd and a very beautiful lay of land, just a really pretty setting.
Words of wisdom indeed !
I never fell for the push for those exotic breeds in the 1970's.
In the 70's belt buckle cattle we're the rage. People wanted huge steaks and ranchers quickly bred cattle so big you could stand next to a finished steer and your belt buckle could be seen from the other side. They might take three years to grow but the steaks we're huge!
This heavily depends on each farms specific feeding situation. More animals at smaller weights means more animals to deal with. More vaccinations, more calving, higher vet bill. A lot more complicated than just ‘’light weight equals higher dollar per pound’’.
Amen! Direct purchase and small reliable processing shops. ❤️🌱
Amen, brother.
Thank you for the advice! I got a nice red Angus x highlander bull that fits description. Picked 2 low line black Angus cows. Glad you confirmed I'm on the right path
I wish I could have talked with my Grandpa about this. He was a rancher for 60 years… old school Colorado cowboy. “Bigger was better”… but I think he would have immediately understood the value in this thinking and grazing this way. We just didn’t know……
Perfectly said at the end.. bravo & Thanks !!
Where I was raised, most of the ranchers raised Herefords. One of my friends raised Short Horns, because they might get a few cents less per pound at market, but they would weigh about 400 to 500 pounds more. I guess the argument comes from both sides. He also had a Black Angus bull, that was just a pure mass monster -- probably about 2000 pounds. I remember that bull scratching his shoulder against a telephone pole, and the telephone pole was shaking like a willow sapling.
Greg, what did the migrating bison do for minerals? No lick-blocks manufactured back 1000 years... or did mother nature have something strategically place along the rout?
Been watching you about 6 months, now subscribed. Be joking the ranks of Cattleman soon. My word for what I'm planning is Francher (farmer rancher).
Keep the videos coming.
Back in the Buffalo migration days, there was 20% plus organic matter in the soil. The plants were loaded with balanced minerals.
That same land today has less than 1% organic matter in it, plants are severely mineral deficient.
You can run a 1000lb cow on 1 acre per head where I’m at. That being said I’ve done soil test and got my ground in good shape
Mikey Johnston where do you live sir? Where I’m at, its a cow/calf pair needs no less than 30-35 acres in a decent moisture year and that still means feeding hay in winter!! I am looking at moving, please let me know where you are!
Kurt Osborn middle Tennessee we usual stocking rate here is cow calf pair for 2 acres but I run 10 1000lb cows and a bull on 14.5 acres usually just use 10 acres but I use the other 4.5 for spring pasture and fall pasture but I also plant 4 acres of Sudan grass and the winter crop it in wheat.
Mikey Johnston that’s impressive sir!
thank yaGREG ya shore can tell when a farmer is proud hisn cows,, they love love ta talk bout them an its no jist cows its all live stock.. thank ya fer nother great peek at yer beautiful ladies,, thank ya fer the video
You make a lot of sense, the processes are only speaking in their own interests by what they prefer to deal with in their business. They do what they gotta do, and you do what you gotta do. Pretty simple.
That's what Allan Savory described in "Holidtic Resource Management almost 40 years ago as a "paradigm".
The quickest way to go broke is to allow others to build your paradigm, period!
Greg your also right no farmer needs a town job!!
Smaller cows is the way!!!
You should be called Greg the cattle Profit!!! Yes the pun intended money PROFIT it’s not a dirty word!!!
I like the red cows yes they take heat better even the white and red cattle. I think there is taste difference on the cattle raised on Grass vs corn lot cows!!!
I wished all the cattlemen & cattlewomen would get the cows smaller and take the black out!!
It’s the heat that’s coming with global warming it’s only right that you cattlemen get ahead of that curve!!!
Enjoy your channel both you farms or on the stage talking about the Greg way!!!!
Respectfully disagree with the size discussion. Our average cow is over 1800 pounds, registered Angus, and many are over 10 years old and still producing, some are over 16 years old and still producing. We use mostly Schaff Angus Valley bulls, and we rarely pull a calf from the big mommas, and they can calve in the worst of conditions, raise a big calf, and breed back within 60-75 days and continue raising the calf at their side to 230-240 days without sacrificing condition. The market is rewarding cattle that grade over how many a producer can load on the trailer of questionable carcass merit. Quality will always trump quantity in my book. One of the most successful cattle operations in the world is Schaff Angus Valley, and if you look at the weaning weights of their calves, they are almost the size of the mature cow you are describing. Take a look at Argentina, they value size as well. Again, I am a fan of your techniques, but I have to disagree with the 1000 pound cow. As far as the ideal weight to sell steers, I think that 800-850 pounds steers that will perform on a feedlot (high Marb, $F, $G, and $B scores) is what the market looking for. With COOL kicked to the curb by our politicians, producers that are ignoring carcass and just going for numbers, well, they are basically competing against Brazil, a country that can produce those type of cattle vastly cheaper than any American producer could ever dream of. Just my two cents for what it's worth.
Glad the big cattle are working for you. We would be out of business with those cattle here. Our pastures would look like mud feedlots. I see it every winter on my neighbors farms that have the big cows. After they feed hay for 6 months to those big cows because they can't graze, then they are stuck with mountains of manure. The pastures they do graze need a disc on them in the spring to get rid of all the ruts and pugging. As long as your having fun and making a good living with the cows, then keep on!
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher On another note, my hats off to you, I learn a whole lot by watching your videos and enjoy them a great deal. I also wrote an article on Medium that discusses your views on cattle. Keep up the good work. Here is the story.
bit.ly/33wcAvw
I’m curious how angus went from frame score 4 in 1970 to 9 in1990? Do you know of any genetic disorders that were previously restricted in Holsteins that are now found in “black angus” ? So you’re wracking frame 10 cattle? What “consumer preference” do you refer? Gawd, the checkoff studies contradict the hell outta that. I love a 16 oz steak, but consumers prefer smaller (less cost) package. If one compares 300,000# of producing frame score 4 cows to 300,000# of producing frame score 9 or (heaven help us) 10 producing cows, (300 small cows vs 150 bigguns), I’d sure as hell want the 300 cows.
Gregg is right all day long. Now the industry has some real problems with cattle harvest,but I’m guessing Gregg is guessing around the jbs,Tyson, national gauntlet.
@@BrookhillAngus wow, that was a great article you wrote on Fake Meat! I shared it with all my friends. Great job man!! Thanks for sharing that.
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher You are welcome my friend. We may disagree on cow size, but I'm 100% a believer in your mission, and that is to promote the bovine and it's importance in this world. Thank you for all the good work you do, keep it up!
Very interesting information. Not many people today understand how different the breeds are and how suited they are to a particular situation. I myself never appreciated that domestication brings with it the same sorts of niches as arise from nature.
Very interesting perspective. And the light in the video is great as well
I'd disagree with the idea that more cows = more profitability. Each animal burns a lot of its caloric energy in energy, heat and waste. If you can have a single animal that converts more of its feed to growth than two animals with lower conversion rates you're gonna have a higher net profit
When someone can graze three 1000 lb cows on the exact same amount of forage that is required for two 1500 lb cows, there is no comparison.
The three calves from the the 1000 lb cows versus two calves from the 1500 lb cows will always leave more profit in the producers bottom line.
You simply have more calves to sell at a higher price per pound with the 1000 lb cows. I custom grazed monster 1500 lb cows for 8 years.
That was 11 years ago and I can still show the total destruction these monster 1500 lb cows caused on one particular farm during a rain event. They compacted and pugged the soil so badly that it grows a great crop of weeds today.
I just hate seeing people go broke trying to graze elephant size cows that will not breed back on grass without pouring the grain to them. At the end of the day, if you like big cows, the best of luck to you!
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher That's fair and I'm glad its working for you. I just think that size doesnt necessarily equal a superior feed conversion ratio and if you can get more per cow out of the same feed its going to be a cleaner profit
Isn't it more labor intensive for the processor, if there are three steers to butcher instead of 2? Also, why would having more time on the feedlot be attractive? Isn't every day on corn costly, reducing their profits? Are those Devon cattle? My family kept a Milking Devon back in the day.
None of this is a criticism, I really want to grasp your economic model.
Yes sir. I run an angus bull and a charolais bull together on my cows, learned along time ago not to keep replacements from the smokies I kept that bred back to the charolais. They get to big. Now I dont even keep many of the smokies as replacements.
You should be president, Greg! No kidding!
@Mark OnTheBlueRidge Because he is a good man. That is why.
Preach bro! I have to wonder how much this sort of wisdom permeates academia.
I burnt myself out working in salebarns and feedlots for 10 years! Those bigger cattle are rough on hands. Hands dont make enough to get that beat up. I think the growing homesteading g movement and interest in mini/ smaller cattle will be progress but will take time to transition back to that style of farming.
As far as little bulls on big cows. When we got our first bull after quitting AI he was a young shorthorn. The first night I went out to the pasture after dark to check on him. He was standing beside a massive holstien X limousin old cow. By the date she calved he bred the biggest cow on the place that first night.
The last minute of his speech - is the most telling. Nature will get it done for him too.
Hey there. We run Aberdeen /lowline which is the smaller breed for angus. Also we did a video showing your method (giving you credit of course) for pastures. Hope we did you justice
I found out the hard way that this also works for grazing dairy cattle. Those big long legged show animals are prone to lots more problems. My breeding program now consists of bringing beef genetics into the milking herd so that I can get some shorter stockier and therefore hardier heifers for our harsher WI winters. Those tall cows are fun to look at, but I put up far less feed than my neighbors for the same number of head even while out-wintering.
Thanks Greg for all the great info! Can you do a video sometime on marketing, and what the best avenue is for selling grass-fed cows....sale barn vs direct marketing ? Thank you
I love this! No, you shouldn't have to have a job in town. Farmers are the superheroes and we don't given them the respect or payment they deserve.
I really like what you had to say. First time viewer. I don't own any land or cows, but may soon. Subscribed. Thanks from Texas.
Anybody know whats a realistic return on investment raising cattle? Already have the land.
The majority of cost for raising cattle is in feed. In traditional methods most people barely break even or make maybe $50-$100 profit per cow sometimes more but not by a lot. That’s because they feed hay bales for 4-6 months of the year or have to buy a lot of corn. Watching Greg this year, I think he fed hay for a total of 2 or 3 weeks for the entire winter. The rest was grass that he didn’t have to go and buy. Good grass management and good cattle management means bigger profits. If you’re looking for an actual dollar amount, that depends on how much you sell them for. But less money in the animal means a higher margin of profit. If you have 2 cows exactly the same and they sell for $1000, but farmer “A” had to pay $900 to raise it, that farmer only made $100. But farmer “B” put in only $400, he made $600.
Thank you Greg ))) Makes sense and headed in that direction!
I knew a guy had a bull that everyone would take their cows to for breeding. You drop your cows off for the day and he would tell you that if your cows were on the high ground the following morning, then the insemination was successful. If the cows were on the low ground, you bring your cows back for another try. My neighbor took his cows to get bred and he was told the same story...the cows should be on the high ground tomorrow. The next morning, he asks his wife to look out the window to see if the cows were on the high ground. She said No. So he loaded up the cows and took them back to be breeder. The breeder scratched his head and that his bull never failed. Again he said, Check to see if they are on the high ground tomorrow. The next morning, the farmer asks his wife to look out the window to see if the cows are on the high ground. She says No. He asks, Are they on the low ground? She says No...they're in the pickup...and they're blowing the horn.
obsolete professor that’s funny!
The next year two bulls we're standing on a hill overlooking a herd of cows and heifers in a valley below. The young bull says to the old bull "look!, Let's run down there and breed them all!". The old bull replies " let's walk down there and breed them all, one at a time."
I don’t get it.
I've slightly slimmer cows by appearance and they are built for mountainous areas and hills without getting hurt or injured. Perfectly adapted in 🇬🇪 landscape
i learn so much from this channel
City OG saying “Thanks for good advice Greg”!
Your math is slightly off. You’d have 50% more cows than someone with 1500 lbs cows. So 50% more calves to sell or keep.
50% of 2 = 1 so 2+50%=3 but 1/3 of 3=1 so 3-1/3=2 ..... math confuses me
Thank you great advice. I will consider changing my size of my stock now.
It depends if your breeding broodstock or meat stock. You have a $100 kill fee and 75 cents hanging weight. Owed to the butcher. Then $2.50 hanging weight to the farmer. You need a 4-500 pound hanging weight per half. It might cost you $6 a pound on a bigger steer. But it's going to cost you $7 for a smaller animal. But it'seat versus broodstock
Happy Thanksgiving Greg, I love your views on grass feeding, and soil management. Have you experimented with composting, liquid compost and/or bioChar?
This guy knows what's up.
There is a change happening, Dairies are crossing holstiens with Angus on a large scale. Wouldn't it be better to just keep buying them and manage the pasture only trough head count, more in the high growing season and less trough the winter. Dairies can have a very consistent streem of young animals. Might need better fencing.
Excellent 👍
think # per acre, NOT # per calf. have you ever considered the size of the native bison? cows avg 1100#, bulls avg 2000# I was taught to consider that cattle are a harvesting machine; I produce grass.
Right there with you Greg - I've been preaching this same message to a friend...a friend with 1400 lb cows. You're a great forward thinker, as we're entering a time with less available (overly expensive) land, lower premiums for the 600 lb calf and the "city folks" wanting to save an environment they know nothing about. Please keep doing what you're doing while inspiring/teaching. Thank you
You do make an awful lot of sense at times Greg!
And with the state of the agricultural economy of recent, your banker appreciates those many extra cents.
I like this guy. He’s right people. Farmers feed us all. If they stopped selling their products we would all starve and they would be the “millionaires.”
Wow, so glad I came across this video thank you.
Do Southpoles do well in the north...Idaho/Montana?
Valid, contingent on where your herd is. 1000 lbs isn't small, it's a mid-size (LOL) How far into the Winter can you keep stuff on pasture? The cost will be different to wean a 600 lb calf from one locality to another. If somebody can wean a big calf on grass and not have to feed mama a pile of hay in the Winter, do it.
You look like you're in the mid-Atlantic somewhere; you've hit the sweet spot I think for your area. Great point about feeding all that grain, they have rumens for a reason.
I find it hilarious that people think a smaller bull cannot serve a larger cow. They must lead very sheltered lives.
I will never look at a cow eating grass the same again
I’m selling off some big cows. Killing our farm eating too much! Great video.
My friend has a mini jersey bull and he bred her Guernsey cow who is huge.
Harder to market those short calves. Good buyers know the difference between a 5 month old calf that weighs 400 pounds and a 10 month old calf that weighs 400 lbs. The feedyard doesn't want short calves and the packer doesn't want them. You have to direct market them somehow.
You should not be in the business of being a price taker, but your goal is being a price setter. This comes from you working on direct marketing your animals. Also at the end of the year it is not how much profit you make per calf but how much profit you make per acre. Big calves=high maintenance cows and high feed bulls.
Feed bills, not bulls!
Next to impossible to direct market that much beef, especially when most consumers don't want to buy more than 5 pounds at a time.
We stay sold out of steers, somebody is eating them.
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher you couldn't even get enough kill dates around here to do more than a few head. Then customers will ask you questions for 30 minutes and finally buy 2 pounds of hamburger.
Greg,
I can't say how many times i've watched this video. Can you do a video on how to judge/determine relative weight based on sight only?
Excellent video! Happy thanksgiving!
Not every formula works for every farmer/rancher.
Well said. That is the key. You find what works on your place and do that over and over.
Ha, I agree with EVERYTHING you said!
I remember that time that you told Justin Rhodes that you could have three 1000 pound cows instead of two 1500 pound cows and you would end up with 3 calves instead of 2. You’re a very smart man,
Mr. Judy!
over time there is even a bigger seperation in calves sold as the bigger breeds can have fertility problems, especially in rough country or areas where getting good forage is considered.