8 Tips to start cattle farming business

The cattle farming industry has many opportunities. If you want to start a cattle farming business, you can definitely jump into it. All you need is a business plan, large land, and money to invest. If you are ready with all the inputs, then you can earn a profit by selling dairy, beef, and calves in local fairs.

Turning cattle farming start-up into profitable business will take time and dedication. Getting completely involved in your cattle farming business will definitely give you profit, but it depends on how you get involved in the business to maximize the profit.

Just getting cattle on the farm is not enough, you also need to know how to take proper care of cattle. To run a cattle farming business smoothly you need a few tips. So here are tips that you need to consider to get more return from your cattle farming business.

Tips To Start Cattle Farming Business

1. Start With Small Farm

Cow Rearing

It’s always better to start small than investing big. You can start your business with two to five cows at first. Starting your business with a large herd of cattle many not turn out good when you are not experienced, and raising the cows without earning a profit can be a problem. Focus on purchasing a few healthy cows then try gaining profit from them.

Expanding your business can be the option when you began earning profit. You can add herd to your farm but ensure that the barn and pasture space is ready.

2. Pasture Space

Each cow at least needs 2 acres of pasture space to graze. This space provides enough roughage for a year. So if you are starting your cattle farming business with five cows, you will need about 10 acres of pasture space. Gradually you can increase the size of pasture space depending upon the number of cows you add on your farm.

But, make sure that you don’t leave all of your cows in the pasture, as they can eat all the grass. To prevent the pasture space, you can rotate the cows to a different field.

3. Build Barn With All The Facilities

When the cows are not gazing, you will need a barn to keep them; when building a barn, ensure that it is big enough to fit all the cows. And most importantly, you should keep the barn clean. Hygiene of the barn is important to keep your cows healthy. When your cows are healthy, they are less likely to get infected with diseases, and this can help you prevent money from leaking from the business.

If you have a calf, you will need a calf barn with calving facilities. Along with this, you’ll also need a milking parlor with stanchions. Ensure you have all facility for cattle.

4. Install Water Line

Cows need plenty of water to keep them hydrated. So, you need to install a water line in your barn that supplies clean water. Depending upon how you start your business, you will have to install plumbing or irrigation system to supply water to the barn. As the cows need a lot of water, refilling is also important, so keep checking the barn.

Instead of installing water supply to the barn, you can build a pond or reservation in your property. This can help you when you are in a shortage of water.

5. Surround The Farm With Fences

Fences

Fences are very important in cattle farming. When you have fences around your farm, you don’t need to worry about losing your cows. Fencing the farm is the right way to protect your cows. And it also restricts the cows from entering pastures space, preventing from overgrazing. Overgrazing doesn’t just destroy pastures space, but it also harms cows’ health.

When building fences, it needs to be 42cm apart and should be connected with an electrified and high tensile wire.

6. Contact Veterinarian

A veterinarian is necessary to maintain your cows’ health. A good veterinarian keeps your cows healthy. It’s always good to regularly check the health of your cows to prevent them from the disease. Your cows will produce quality products only when they eat healthily, so you need a veterinarian to suggest the diet that they need. When your cow weight accurate, this indicates that they are healthy.

If you have calves on your farm, they will need regular vaccination right after their birth. So it is important to have a number of your veterinarian. If necessary vet can visit your farm for a check-up.  Find a vet near your farm so s/he can visit in an emergency.

7. Raise Calves To Fulfill Local Needs

Cow Calves

Raising the calves to a certain age to sell them or to involve them in dairy farming depends upon you. If you have enough healthy cows to support your business, and you have calves, then it’s better to sell them. A healthy calf makes good money when sold. Selling calves to other farmers saves money on buying milking equipment and calving barn.

Though calves are quick to profit, could you not sell them all? You will need a few claves on your farm to sustain the cattle farming business.

8. Make Plan For Cow Manure

Cow manure adds nutrients back into your pastures. You are going to have plenty of cow manure on the farm, so it always better to utilize it for something beneficial. To use manual correctly in pastures, you need to shovel it in a box to keep it warm and moist, mix it for several months until it turns into potent fertilizer.  When you use manure to pasture, it will improve the growth of the grass. Moreover, it also adds nutrients in the grass, which improves the cows’ health when they graze in pastures.

And if you don’t want to make compost, you must find a better place to dispose of it.

Conclusion

If you are starting a cattle farming business, you have a big responsibility towards your cattle. You need to take very good care of them. You need to give them a proper diet, clean water, hygienic barn, regular checkups, and vaccination. Additionally, you also need to keep financial records so that you can know how much money you are spending on what type of facility. Tracking the flow of your money is important to analyze your business performance.

Your cattle farming business generates profit only when your cattle are healthy. So always take care of your cattle.