Fontanelle, IA | AJSims - 2/23/2026 07:49
Due to sudden and unforeseen circumstances, I have the once in a lifetime opportunity to purchase a local herd of cows, begin renting the pasture/facilities, as well as the hay ground that they currently have.
This is a large herd of good but older commercial cows and unfortunately a lot of color and Charolais influence within the last several years. They never pull the bulls so they calve year round and things are just a little out of hand in general.
Looking for suggestions on how to best manage this acquisition. Would you sell the cows and replace them? Would you buy good black bulls and keep as many heifers as possible? I am open to any options and suggestions as my goal is to make the herd as uniform as possible and transition to spring calving only.
Location matters…. Simply a north, central, or south cow area.
Don’t panic.
Buy the bulls you need to “straighten out” the colors of the CALVES. Define your Spring calving season -turn bulls on x day and pull after 45 or 60 days. This becomes your spring group after they are confirmed pregged. Every other “open” cow goes to a fall herd. Define that breeding season. Pregnant are “new” fall group. Opens hit the road….
Don’t panic. Make sure there are “no strings attached” to keeping the “current” system’s lack-of-functioning perpetuated…. Manage the opportunity and manage your debt/cash flow
Edit: make sure you spell out the price of cows are based upon their current projected calving date - so you’ll need to have the cows ultrasounded. Or, you need to discount the whole group of cows…. Ie. A P3 calving in 20-30 days is worth more than a P2 calving June 1 or a P1 calving during September corn silage chopping…
Edited by Baby Robin 2/23/2026 11:56
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New Herd/Facilities Acquisition
