There Are Plenty of Ways to Save Money Raising Cattle

Cattle ranching can be a lucrative business. It can also be a very expensive business. You can’t just send your cattle into the fields and hope that they someday allow you to reap the benefits raising them. Feed costs, for instance, are soaring and aren’t likely to come down any time soon. Buying feed locally is the best way to go about feeding your cattle, if for no other reason than to save on the cost of shipping in bulk. Many cattle ranchers don’t choose to take the local route and find themselves on the short end of the bottom line. Striking a deal with a local rancher is a great way to buy feed in bulk and to save yourself the money it would cost you otherwise. Deals are easy to make because all cattle ranchers are in the same boat these days when it comes to the cost of raising cattle. Striking a bargain can pay off in more ways than one if you can forge a great relationship with a neighboring rancher.

Don’t just look after your bottom line when it comes to the cost of feed. It is vital to maintain detailed records of your feed purchases as well as any other factors that go into maintaining your cattle. If you can keep the vital records up to date concerning your cost expenditures, you can save in the long run.

Another important record to maintain is exactly what your cattle eat and do not eat. Providing food for the cattle is the right thing to do, but if they aren’t eating it and simply trampling it into the ground, you are wasting money. Cattle do not eat anything that is put in front of them, so keep vital records since every cattle is different and has different tastes, just like humans.

Adjusting your feeding process is another way to make an impact on how much you are spending on feed. Some cattle ranchers throw feed onto dirt, others put it into a trough, and others have special feeders. The design of the feeders is very important in getting the feed to the cattle and having the right type of feeder can ensure that little of that expensive feed is being wasted, not to mention the amount of loss in hay.

To save money, it might be important to reduce your herd or move the livestock out to pasture more frequently. When the feed is supplemented with vitamins, minerals, and protein, you are getting a lot more bang for the buck and the cattle will show the benefits. Working with neighboring cattle ranchers and designing schemes that work for all of the cattle is a great way to save money, not to mention brining cash benefits to you and a healthier diet for your cattle.

Jeff Berlinicke