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Southeast Colorado | Rough estimate is probably around $20-$25 ton for me to put up my own. We paid for the equipment doing custom work for around double that amount. Now that I'll soon be 60 years old, I don't have much desire to do the custom work, but it would've been hard to pay for decent equipment without it. We run a MacDon self propelled swather and have had several new Deere balers through the years. I have a 569 now...........and it is very good. I used to trade them right before 10k bales.............but this last one I've kept is now up to 12k or so. Trading is just too expensive anymore it seems. Probably just my state of mind.
Right now the cattle market is very hot. If I was young and ambitious, and you........ I'd probably think it smarter to try and lean into the cattle angle in your situation. If you want to try and grow some feed, maybe take a half section of good flat ground and give it a go. If it works out, you can always do more later. One thing I almost never do though, is plant sorghum Sudan back in the same place every year. We rotate it with some other crop.........usually wheat. Constantly removing most of the forage from the same acre every year would lead to a good chance of wind erosion and getting to watch your top soil blow away.
No matter how you look at it.........the investment is going to be pretty stiff, by the time you have enough equipment to grow feed, and a rotational crop of something else. There is older equipment around for a small scale operation that's affordable. But the learning curve could be pretty steep if you have no experience at all. I guess that's why simply growing calves sounds easier to me. But it's your life..........and your ambitions. So who are we here at AgTalk to ultimately say?
Last thing.........I can't help but think that there's a neighbor in the area who could use the help tending to cattle, if you're looking for a way to learn the business. Young, good help is hard to find. If your Grandpa has been in the area a long time he's surely got a good handle on who is decent in the area.........and who'd just take advantage of you. And about your Grandpa himself...........has he been running cows through the years?........or just the land owner??
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Sorghum Sudan Eastern Colorado
