Beginner’s Guide to Growing Cattle

With so many cattle breeds today, choosing which one to grow on your ranch can become quite difficult. Each breed has a wide variety of characteristics that make it unique—some breeds are better suited to certain environments than others, and some are easier to manage. Despite the variety, one particular breed will surely fit your goals, so you should look into each breed to find the one that will suit your interest, resources, environment, and growing capacity.

Cattle breeds differ in size, color and markings, carcass traits, weather tolerance, etc., and are categorized either as horned, scurred (cattle selected to be polled but are historically known to be horned), or polled (cattle that have absolutely no horns). Some horned breeds have been infused with Angus genes in recent years, so the offspring are now polled. Popular European breeds such as Gelbvieh, Limousin, Salers, and Simmental now come in polled versions, if you wish.

Beef breeds are leaner and stockier than dairy breeds, because the former are meant for beef production rather than milking. Many beef breeds were originally bred for size and strength—so they can be used to pull carts, plows, and wagons—as well as for beef. When farm machinery and trucks became widespread, the muscled beef breeds ceased to be used for basic labor and started to be selectively bred solely for beef production.

Read More

Tips for Farming Success: Avoid Debt

The world needs food and smart people to grow it, so if you’re seriously considering farming as a career, one thing you should avoid like the plague is debt. Why? In the last fifty years, debt has caused more farms to close than drought, pestilence, and any other acts of nature combined. If there’s one thing the recent global economic meltdown can teach you, it’s that debt can be utterly debilitating. Farmers in large numbers have abandoned their ranches simply because they didn’t have the money to pay the bank when it came a-calling.

This is not saying that debt is wrong. In fact, it offers plenty of advantages. For one thing, it allows people to reach their goals quickly. However, while borrowed money may get you that tractor or new barn your farm will eventually need, experience—the most valuable asset of all—cannot be purchased. Farming is fraught with challenges and uncertainties at every corner, and without any experience in debt, you could be financially handcuffing yourself right from the start.

Debt offers plenty of opportunities for growing a business. The trick is to know when to use it. As your farming experience grows, these opportunities will become much clearer. In the meantime, however, it is imperative that you avoid debt as much as possible.

Read More

Four Tips for Successful Planting

You’re about to purchase your very own ranch and you’re busy thinking of what to plant for a lush bounty of good eats this summer. However, before you decide WHAT you’re going to plant, decide first WHEN you’re going to plant. For novice and seasoned farmers alike, here are a few good tips for starting your garden:

Understand the climate.

Local weather affects the outcome of your crops significantly, so do some research about what the climate is in your area before planting. Visit a local farmer’s market and talk to someone who knows the optimal climate for the flora you plan to grow.

Know the germination period.

Germination periods vary from plant to plant. Seeds that take a while to germinate may require more time in a greenhouse before they’re transferred outside. Germination info is often found on the package of the seeds, but if you can’t find it, the kind folks at the local garden shop may be able to help you.

Water the plants regularly.

Plants need water at least once every day. During hot spells, plants may need to be watered twice or thrice to keep them hydrated. Keep the soil moist. Make sure the moisture is not too little and not too much.

Consult a professional.

It is important to consult a horticulturist or other garden professionals when disease or pests appear. The horticulturist will also be a great source of tips and tricks that will help you flesh out your planting tactics.

Read More

The First Step in Starting a Chicken Farm Business

It’s one thing to start a chicken farm, but to make a business out of it—especially one that thrives—is something else entirely. You won’t only be playing the role of a chicken farmer, but of a businessperson as well. So before you purchase a ranch for your plans, you need to identify the chicken market you want to target and the area of the chicken industry you want to tap.

There are two main sectors in the industry: layers and broilers. Layers are chickens that are raised specifically to produce eggs, while broilers are chickens that are raised and bred for slaughter. Whichever type of chicken you choose to grow, know that you have plenty of financial and managerial decisions to make to ensure your chicken farm business becomes a profitable one.

As it is with any type of business, the first step in starting a chicken farm business is to formulate a business plan. Doing so will help you set goals you want to achieve with your chicken farm and how to achieve them. Creating a business plan will also teach you how to operate your farm not only from a producer’s perspective, but from a banker’s, a broker’s, a lawyer’s, an accountant’s and possibly an employee’s points of view as well. That said, don’t hesitate to enlist the help of professionals in poultry farming and ranch enterprises for a more informed business decision.

Read More

Tips on Starting a Grass-Fed Beef Ranch

Starting a grass-fed beef operation after buying a ranch for sale in Wyoming is a great business venture. With so many people becoming conscious of what they eat, grass-fed beef is becoming a popular choice at dining establishments around the United States. In addition, many countries that import US beef are beginning to prefer grass-fed beef as opposed to beef from cattle fed with enhanced feeds.

Those who are interested in starting a grass-fed beef ranch should consider a few important factors when going into such a venture. These include:

Wild Growth

Be sure to survey the types of plants that are growing on your land before introducing your cattle. Take care to remove poisonous plants, such as the bracken fern, locoweed, and water hemlock.

Rotation Feeding

Carefully divide your pasture land into segments and create a rotation schedule for grazing. This will allow the land to recover efficiently and naturally.

Cattle Breeds

When selecting a breed of cattle, be sure to pay attention to the breed’s efficiency, or grazing to bodyweight ratio. Doing so will ensure that you are getting the most out of your entire operation. You may also want to look into using high-efficiency breeds such as Angus and Hereford.

Read More

Dude Ranches to Admire and Emulate

There are many ways people can develop a ranch they have just purchased in Wyoming. One of their options is to start a dude ranch. Dude ranches are family-friendly vacation destinations that allow people to enjoy a taste of the Wild West.

For people interested in starting a dude ranch, here is a short list of the top dude ranches in the United States that can serve as their inspiration:

T Cross Ranch

The T Cross Ranch is one of the most historic dude ranches in Wyoming. Here, guests can go fishing, horseback riding, and trekking along nature trails. The T Cross Ranch also offers guests a choice to either stay in a log cabin or camp out under the stars.

Black Mountain Ranch

Located in Colorado, the Black Mountain Ranch makes the most of its natural surroundings. Guests can choose to go hiking with a guide, trap and skeet shooting, horseback riding, or whitewater rafting. They can also take a trip to an authentic rodeo.

Running R Guest Ranch

Staying at the Running R Guest Ranch is possibly the best thing one can do to experience the Wild West lifestyle. Located in Texas, the Running R Guest Ranch offers horse whispering classes, horseback riding, fossil digs, and bird watching to guests.

Read More