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| I'm looking for some information on starting a small cattle feeding setup from scratch. Some background on me; I didn't grow up on a farm but spent five or so years working on a couple dairy farms milking/herdsman/crop type work and owned up to 40 steers at a time. Spent a lot of time in the sale barn and have a decent idea of what good cattle look like vs. cattle that will be a headache. Got out of it to start a company that I later sold and currently have another company that can all be done out of my own shop with the three of us. I'd like to relocate (Probably ND near family) and buy some acreage and have the itch to get back into the cattle side of things. This would only be part time "hobby" that I don't need to support a family on but would still like a small return on my money.
Here are my questions:
How many head are needed to make it worth running a TMR down a fence line feeder every day? What are the pros and cons of running a ration that's a high percentage of silage? Silage seems to be the best return per acre for feeding cattle, at least in the dairy industry. I also would be fine buying distillers, beet pulp, etc. Although I'd like raise the majority of my feed to reduce risk. With that scenario in mind, how do I calculate how many days of feed/hd I can get off of each acre? Example: Year one all tillable is planted into corn, 60% combined, 40% chopped. Average yield is X, 800lb feeders have a daily intake of Y, days of feed per acre = Z. I understand ground and yields very significantly area to area. Just looking for a ballpark of say 150 bushel corn and I can adjust accordingly.
Is $500k total for land and equipment enough to give it a go? I'd like to 1031 some rentals into bare land anyway. Thank you for the help and wisdom, it's much appreciated!
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Small Feedlot from Scratch
