ahay68979 - 10/20/2025 07:46 How do you figure? $2400 calf vs $1000 an acre growing corn. And ton less inputs to do it. Calf can make you $1000 net profit and corn presently not much better than BE. What all the row croppers miss and cant understand. You have basically zero inputs. No crop insurance, way cheaper seed, basically no fertilizer, basically no machinery expense besides notill drill no chemical or fungicide expense. Thats why it works you have no expenses vs row crop. You can plant feed crop and tick if fertilizer for less money then corn seed and no ther expense. Or haul manure on and have only seed expense. I took a small pivot out of corn production and intensive graze cattle on it. Makes more net then corn every yr the last 4 yrs Sounds good in many areas. Re: "Can't raise cows on $10-15k/a ground" 1. This idea constantly repeats. However almost no one here has actually paid $10-15k for all of their ground, if any. It's a state of mind. 2. This thinking really is a code word for "it's easier to plant corn and beans and rely on the government subsidies and (gift) payments". Just don't call it welfare. School lunches are bad, payments to farmers are good, evidently. 3. This thinking is why the USA cow herd is the smallest in 70 years. 4. As Ahay clearly points out, cows CAN pencil out to a net profit. 5. If US agriculture wasn't so distorted by government programs and gift payments and the market was allowed to decide, the US cowherd would rebuild as cattle are more profitable than growing unneeded corn and beans. 6. More imports not required.
Edited by Jim 10/20/2025 11:08
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Stock cows in dry lot or confinement?
