Cattle: Operations and Inventory by Size Group, US

“The Real McCoy’’ moved the Cattle to the East

There once was a man named Joe McCoy who played a major role in the cattle ranching business that started to spread from Texas across the Midwest as far north as Chicago. By luring livestock to Chicago, that put his business much closer to the northeast and the profitable New York market. He had to battle many of the homesteaders who lived in the Kansas area and objected to the cattle ranchers moving their cattle across state lines since it was believed that they carried a tick that killed many of the other animals in the area. Cattle ranchers didn’t like taking their cattle through Kansas because of the hostile reactions they received and the fierce opposition to their presence.

McCoy was a smart man who knew that the new railroads that were sprouting up along the Midwest could be beneficial to moving cattle from the Midwest to the northeast. The Kansas/Pacific Railroad ran right past a midwestern frontier village, so McCoy built a hotel, stockyard, office, and a bank in the village and basically built the town of Abilene in Texas, one of the first real cow towns. The cattle were to be driven from the Midwest to Abilene, then transported to New York by train. It seemed like an easy idea at the time because Abilene was established as a town at the end of the Civil War as a site that would transport supplies to Confederate troops. The trail to the East was west of Kansas, so the transporters could use it without hostility from the Kansas homesteaders who were afraid of the tick virus,

After the Civil War was ended, McCoy spent an unheard-of $5,000 on advertising and riders. He promised high prices for cattle sold in Abilene and he was able to keep his word. He once sold 6,000 cows for $5,400 and sold them in Abilene for almost $17,000. Between 1867 and 1881, McCoy spent more than 2 million cattle from Abilene to Chicago where they were later moved to the northeast.

His reputation for reliability is the reason for the expression, “The Real McCoy.’’  The cattle trade was at its peak from 1867 until the mid 1880s and the increased number of railroad lines allowed the country to expand thanks to the transfer of cattle. It also led to the removal of Native Americans from the plains to reservations, which allowed for more room for ranching.

In the late 1800s, the cattle industry virtually collapsed as the farmers began to experiment with different breeds of cattle that could not live on the open range. There was less grass available for grazing and in 1883, there was a drought that ruined the little remaining grass that was still in the heartland. 

Jeff Berlinicke

Herd Behavior and Moving Large Bunches of Cattle

The first thing we need to learn in order to handle cattle in a less stressful way is how cattle act in a herd. Unfortunately, this is one of the hardest things to comprehend because most of us have never seen cattle acting as a herd. This is because we create so much stress in moving our cattle from pasture to pasture that we basically blow the herd instinct out of them. We try to do things which we conceive make them easier to move which actually causes a great deal of stress. The very meaning of the word “herd” is a group of animals which remain together, which is what we never see. Fortunately, they still do some things on their own which we can observe to show us the error of our ways. Cattle will follow each other with little effort as long as we start them in the right way, as demonstrated in the following video. These cattle had come in fresh two weeks before this video was taken. They had never been through this gate, or into this pasture before, and the dog "helping" me was just starting out, and deaf on top of it. Even though she makes several mistakes, the steers not only go through the gate, but don't scatter after going through.

http://www.2lazy4u.us/herdbehav.html

All Cattle & Beef Cows: Number of Operations by Year, US

More Cattle, Not Less, Can Save the Grasslands

It’s a common myth that much of the American cattle supply was obliterated when America began its westward expansion more than 150 years ago. The grasslands that make up the Midwestern landscape has been changed so much as progress and expansion have moved westward, that hundreds of small communities that owe their economy to livestock are withering right along with the grass. Much of the nation’s Midwest is being destroyed by overgrazing of cattle, which is costing plant life where grass once flourished and fed the cattle that made the grasslands what they were. Not only are the grasslands losing their agriculture, the cattle are losing vast supplies of food.

So what can be done to save the grasslands? Many ranchers, conservationists and investors are determined to rebuild the cattle industry and are looking for answers. There are plenty of answers out there although none of them are guaranteed winners. So was overgrazing the problem that is causing ranchers to go out of business today? The key, according to the people whose livelihoods depend on the cattle industry is how to manage the cattle rather than to cut costs and limit the cattle and the areas in which they graze.

Ranchers can consistently double or even triple their livestock capacity over time if the ranches are managed correctly. It might not be the easiest solution, but if the land is fertile and managed correctly, there is still tons of money to be made in the cattle ranching industry. More cattle per acre rather than less is just one factor. By actively planning and managing the grazing of the cattle, the benefits become more of a solution to the current situation rather than a hindrance to the land.

The dynamic is a simple one and was studied extensively by a cattle rancher in South Africa. Allan Savory saw the connection between roaming animal herds and grasslands and if the animal chews the grasslands so fast that it can stimulate grassland growth by allowing sunlight to shine through growth points. The cattle then move on to another direction to find fresher grass.

While the animals are away from their original territory, the grass grows again and a wise cattle rancher will return his cattle to their original location to allow the grass to grow in the most previous area. The grass grows back and the soil is aerated wile the hoof movements chip away at the hardened earth so seeds can germinate and water can penetrate.

Jeff Berlinicke

A Knowledgeable Cattle Rancher Can Save a Calf

When heifers give birth, many ranchers want to take part. It’s a new trend among cattle ranchers and, since giving birth is often a difficult process for heifers, especially the younger ones, ranchers are now taking a much larger part in the process and that help may save the life of the heifer and her young offspring. It is important to use every hand possible to save not only the life of the heifer and the offspring, but can also mean a financial windfall down the road as healthy cattle obviously command top dollar on the open market.

It is also the humane way to do everything you can as a cattle rancher to make the birthing process as easy as possible. A young heifer doesn’t go to birthing classes like humans, so the more support you can offer allows for a more comfortable experience for the heifer.

It is typically the first-time mothers that have the most difficulty delivering their calves. The labor can last almost three times as long as veteran heifers, but complications can arise in any birth regarding a heifer, first-time or any time after that. It is a complicated process, even if the heifer has had easy deliveries in the past. Every time is a new experience.

When a young calf is born tail first, someone needs to intervene and that is where the experienced cattle rancher comes in to the play. The process is a difficult one so the cattle rancher needs to know how to handle things on his or her own instead of calling for a vet every time one of his heifers is giving birth. There is not a lot of time for the vet to get there in the first place, so taking care of business themselves is vital for the cattle rancher If the calf starts coming out backwards, there is pressure on the umbilical cord which is not a good thing.

It causes a limited amount of blood supply going straight to the calf’s brain and that can result in death or serious injury. Whether it is a humane thought or not, cattle are moneymakers and the loss of a heifer or a young calf can be very costly. The calf can drown in their own fluids if they aren’t birthed right away. If the calf isn’t born in four minutes at the most, the chance of successful birth is very small.

That doesn’t mean everything is great even if the calf is born mostly healthy. Further evaluation is necessary and one-on-one care is needed by the rancher to see that the calf grows to full size. The heifer might not be able to take care of vital needs. Calves born underweight especially need more help from a knowledgeable rancher.

Jeff Berlinicke

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