www.dirtdoctor.com
https://www.dirtdoctor.com/efl/dirtDoctor/

What Price Hay?
https://www.dirtdoctor.com/efl/dirtDoctor/what-price-hay-t5691.html		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  tater [ Sun Feb 06, 2005 9:26 pm ]
Post subject:  What Price Hay?
I live near Buffalo Texas and I'm getting a couple of steers this spring (my first time to have livestock) and am thinking about the budget. I intend to raise them on grass and hay, with grain etc. for treats. They'll be confined to about one acre so I'm wondering what the price range is for hay. Also wondering if there is a preferred type of hay for this project. I'd appreciate any info/advice anybody could give me. Thanks.
Author:  RobertB [ Mon Feb 07, 2005 9:57 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What Price Hay?
tater wrote:
I live near Buffalo Texas and I'm getting a couple of steers this spring (my first time to have livestock) and am thinking about the budget. I intend to raise them on grass and hay, with grain etc. for treats. They'll be confined to about one acre so I'm wondering what the price range is for hay. Also wondering if there is a preferred type of hay for this project. I'd appreciate any info/advice anybody could give me. Thanks.

This month's "Dirt Doctor's Dirt" has an article on grass-fed cattle. It's a growing market, but many (if not most) cattle you're likely to buy are going to be bred for feedlot (factory) conditions -- bred to eat pellets and gain a lot of weight quickly. The article notes that these critters will do poorly on grass. I'd think your best bet there would be to buy your steers directly from an established grass-fed rancher.

I've heard that the best way to start with livestock is to start small. I think it was on this board or somewhere similar that someone suggested to start with chickens, move up to goats, and then cattle. Myself, I've got 7 horses keeping me busy enough that I haven't had time for much else.

Good luck!
Author:  tater [ Mon Feb 07, 2005 11:45 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What Price Hay?
RobertB wrote:
This month's "Dirt Doctor's Dirt" has an article on grass-fed cattle. It's a growing market, but many (if not most) cattle you're likely to buy are going to be bred for feedlot (factory) conditions -- bred to eat pellets and gain a lot of weight quickly. The article notes that these critters will do poorly on grass. I'd think your best bet there would be to buy your steers directly from an established grass-fed rancher.Good luck!


Thanks RobertB. I had already read the article, it was very interesting. I am raising the steers for my own personal consumption. I'm getting two because I have been told that two will thrive better than one raised by itself. I intend to slaughter one and sell the other at auction here in Buffalo. I'll be buying the livestock from my neighbor who grazes his herd year round. However, I'm not sure whether he feeds pellets or not, I suspect he at least supplements with pellets. I do have some very early experience with small stock (chickens, pigs) from my childhood, and of course have had pets which I don't really count as livestock experience.

Thanks again for your advice. I'll keep ya posted. I am just wondering if anyone has an idea of the cost of hay in this area of the state, and whether there is a preferred type of hay to use for feed.
Author:  Robert D Bard [ Tue Feb 08, 2005 9:02 am ]
Post subject:  price of hay
For the most part hay has been very cheap this
year due to all the rain 20 to 30 $ per round
bale + delivery.
How many toxic chemicals do you want with
your hay? You will be hard pressed to find
organic hay in your area. When you ask if the have good
hay they will tell "they will tell you they have
the best and that they really put the fertilizer
on it and used plenty of herbicides to make
it weed free" Yum Yum! How much do you want?
You will do better if you can find someone
that baled hay from a field that hasn't had and
thing put on it for at least a few years.
If you buy large mutant cows, they will not do
well on grass. Buy cows with the shortest legs
and stockiest bodies you can find.
If you want grass fed you will need more that
1 acre of grass. If you want grass fed with
Omega III's and CLA's you will need all grass
and even grain "treats" will deminish and
beneficial fatty acids to almost none. Our cows
have never had grain but they look like they
have been in a feed lot - organic hay and
organic grass with the genes to finish on grass.
Also stay away from cows with Brahman
blood - they just taste as good as "English"
breeds. Also the more out crosses the breeder
has the worse the meat will be.
I don't mean to pick on anyone but you don't
need experience with chuckens, pigs, etc to have
a good experience with cattle.
Why don't you go to seminar this weekend in
Crockett - it is not far from you. Walt Davis is
speaking and you will learn a lot about grass
fed organic beef, and meet people of like
mind. It is this Fri and Sat at the Masonic Lodge
in Crockett. It starts at 9 AM on Fri.
Robert D Bard
Author:  tater [ Tue Feb 08, 2005 9:26 am ]
Post subject: 
Thank you Robert for the specifics you have given me. I'm not sure what CLA's are, but they sound good if you mention them in the same breath as Omega 3s.

I am still in the considering stage at this point. I know it is devilish hard to find organic anything around here. At least so far that has been my experience. I have to travel 15 or 20 miles to Mexia to the nearest organic nursery, even though I live right across the road from my area's largest nursery. I went in there and asked about organic soil amendments, might have been blood meal or molasses, and they told me "We don't odor [sic] no organic stuff round here." Everywhere I look, people are dumping chemicals on their lawns, gardens, etc. Argh. :shock:

Anyway, I digress. Thanks again for the info and I'll try to make the get-together in Crockett this weekend. Should be very interesting.
Page 1 of 1 All times are UTC - 6 hours
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
https://www.phpbb.com/