Of Cattle and Cash: Profitable Ranches

City living has its advantages, yet quite a number of people these days are also looking to acquire ranch properties in rural parts of the country to experience a different way of life and even make a profit. For those with the right disposition and perseverance, ranch ownership can prove quite lucrative.

Ranches can be classified as for-profit ranches or guest ranches. The former can be likened to farms in that they make profit through the sale of produce such as dairy products from cows. On the other hand, a guest or dude ranch gives paying guests an opportunity to experience the ranch life firsthand, and thereby make money as vacation destinations. Through proper planning and management, it is possible to combine both models in a single ranch property.

It takes some business acumen to realize what a ranch can and can’t do, and play upon those particular strengths. In any case, it pays to formulate a thorough ranch plan beforehand that will chart the course of the property and guarantee its success and sustainability. Interested buyers would also do well to work with a reliable ranch real estate company that can help them look for prime ranch properties with natural resources in abundance.

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Plants That Can Ruin a Newly Bought Cattle Ranch

If you are looking at ranches for sale (or if you have already bought one), there is a good chance that you are considering establishing a cattle raising operation. In fact, you might have already decided which breed of cattle you will use and where to sell the beef. However, have you made sure that your ranch land is safe for your cattle?

There many plants that are poisonous to cattle that can be growing on your land. These plants present a danger to your cattle, especially if you plan on letting them graze naturally. Here are two common plants that should be removed from grazing areas:

Wild Cherries

People typically do not have to worry about cherries. However, cattle ranchers should remove any wild cherry fruits and plants because their leaves and seeds are poisonous to cattle.

Buttercups

You may use buttercups as ornamental flowers, but you must keep them away from your cattle. All parts of the buttercup plant are poisonous to cattle, as well as to goats and horses.

Be sure to study which plants commonly grow in the state your ranch is located to help you determine which of these you should look out for when letting your cattle graze. Additionally, designate one of your ranch hands to regularly survey the grazing land in case more of these poisonous plants appear. 

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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.

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