Disturbing trend??

In my county CRP pays pretty well compared to cash rent. My goal for the farm is to increase farm income while also preserving soil and water and wildlife resources on the farm. I think this can be done.

Nature handed me my a$$ this year but we'lll see what the future brings.

My goal is to produce 150-200 bushel corn on crop acres and produce limits of birds for 10 groups of 10 hunters on 700 acres hunting 3 days per week. When this happens we will know we have arrived.
 
haymaker said:
You are preaching to the choir now. I raise grass fed beef. The last 2 years I have made considerable investment in different genetics to be able to produce gormet grass fed beef. I think you are right that things are changing and they should. That is what happens, things change. I am going to try to keep my little slice of of the world hunters paradise. Yes that means I am going to share what I have for a price. As long as people leave with a smile on there face I am OK with that.
Click to expand...

Whats your opinion of the "LowLine" breed of cows?


Moeller, do you live in Iowa, or South Dakota?
 
Grass fed. I have produced some beef in my day. My cow/calf operation, like every other cow/calf operation I've seen is grass fed. No corn, just mineral, vitamins and salt. Grass for 5 months hay for seven.
I sell the calves at about 7 months old. Calves go to feedlots, most of the feedlots are feeding alternative feed and have cut back on corn.
I would have to need a lot more acres of hay and pasture to grass feed the calves to slaughter.
Calves on feed will be slaughter weight and quality at 15 months or less. Grass fed to the same weight would be at least 24 months.
If you grass feed stay with a standard breed of cattle, the smaller breeds will put on weight at a less efficient slower rate.
 
reddog said:
Whats your opinion of the "LowLine" breed of cows?


Moeller, do you live in Iowa, or South Dakota?
Click to expand...

I am using them on my first calf heifers. Had no calving issues this spring. I have not eaten one yet, so that will be the true test. Having great results with some Galloway. I just purchase some specific Shorthorn gentics that appear to have a great advantage in marbling and tenderness. Time will tell.
 
I partnered with a guy, we used Lowline bulls on pure regular angus heifers and cows, got decent results but not eye-popping. Followed that with Galloway, bulls probably 3 times the size of the Lola's, no significant calving difficulty, superior growth and decernable difference in marbling, eating quality. finished two on grass for experimentation, as said, took 27 months to finish, high quality alfalfa to offset the lack of grain, product was same delicious product in cuttabilty, and taste. It can surely be done, cost of production is lower, marginally, time is an issue, the commercial viability and acceptance yet to be determined. My opinion is it's the future, but the rewards may come long and slow. European beef is almost exclusively non-graqin fed, but there's no comparison, they feed a lot of root crops,Khale, turnips, parsnips, and beets, tends to imbue the meat with specific flavors, most I'm guessing,unacceptable to main stream american consumers.
 
mnmthunting said:
Grass fed. I have produced some beef in my day. My cow/calf operation, like every other cow/calf operation I've seen is grass fed. No corn, just mineral, vitamins and salt. Grass for 5 months hay for seven.
I sell the calves at about 7 months old. Calves go to feedlots, most of the feedlots are feeding alternative feed and have cut back on corn.
I would have to need a lot more acres of hay and pasture to grass feed the calves to slaughter.
Calves on feed will be slaughter weight and quality at 15 months or less. Grass fed to the same weight would be at least 24 months.
If you grass feed stay with a standard breed of cattle, the smaller breeds will put on weight at a less efficient slower rate.
Click to expand...

I do the same thing with most of my calves. A few years ago I took a late steer and let it grow slowly and harvested it at 27 months. I loved the meat and it is supposedly healthier so I kept raising one for my freezer. I have given some to family members and they love it so now I am producing several a year and the demand keeps growing. Some of my pheasant hunters are asking if they could buy some so who knows where this is going. If people want to eat corn fed that is fine but it looks like I can probably sell all the steers from my first calf heifers. If people want it at a price that I can afford to raise it why not? Just so this connects to pheasants there is less corn grown for grass fed, therefore more grass and that might help nesting.
 
Put your money where your mouth is

If all the farmers are such bad stewards. Then the people who believe that should all be at the next farm sale to save that piece from being farmed fence to fence. I come to SDTo hunt from iowa each year and i think there is great habitat we have not killed our limit out there yet and we still have a good time atleast seeing birds. Maybe it might not hurt taking up predator hunting and keeping the numbers of them down. In my area as the pheasant numbers went down the coyote and hawk numbers have gone up. Thats not the whole problem but i like proof it isn't part of it.
 
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