How to start selling livestock and what justifies you being a farmer?

[2YardOfLard]

I have 16 acres of land and I'm looking to challenge my self and buy some bullocks to make the field pay. What justifies being a farmer and how do you apply to get started etc?

Bullocks are big & difficult to handle. You'd need a handling crush & some big gates - which are expensive & very heavy to move around. You have to feed them in winter, so you need a shed to put feed in. There are compulsory veterinary tests to be done & the paperwork is more than other species. They may not get along with your horse so (strong) fencing would be needed. Depending where you are, you might need to house them in winter. The shed they go in would have to be very well built - they break things so everything that comes in contact with them has to be solidly (& expensively) built.
Not for nothing do most beginners start with sheep!
Either way, there'd be no guarantee that you'd make a profit. You may put a lot of time & effort in & then the market price of your chosen product drops & you make a loss.
Do it if you really want to & have an interest in it, because at best you'll be spending a lot of time on it for a small return.
If your experience (& contacts?) are horsey & the main motive is to put the field to work, could you rent grazing to other horses? I'm picturing a dozen hens at one end & eggs sold to the horse owners. Then a few lambs fattened & meat to sell...!

 

[TripleSix]

Sheep are a good start.

You only need a few hurdles/gates to work with sheep.

Unlike a crush, race and a big pen for cattle.

 

[Henarar]

Sheep are a good start.

If you get sheep keep an eye on the Horse, some horses can be right barstewards to sheep

 

[ladycrofter]

Good for you wanting to give it a go! And cattle are lovely, but . . .

As others have said, absolutely do not start with cattle of any sort. I can only second what has been said - you need a first-class handling system (race, gates and crush) to avoid getting flattened. Even "pet" cattle do not take to getting dosed, bolused, jagged, etc. You against 200-300kg of young bovine = you lose. And you need a shed, for a whole lot of reasons that don't have anything to do with "they're native and can live out all year" and such like.

Yes, they break everything they touch. Imagine keeping rhinos and you get the picture! That same 200-300kg of arse getting a good rub against your fences = fences lose, gates bent, hurdles flattened; I could go on but I'll just depress myself.

Sheep are an excellent start. They can still be a handful, especially the really large ones, but you don't nearly as much capital to keep them - a good set of hurdles, maybe 10 or 15, and you're set to go. Also the turnaround is much faster, lambs born in Spring, sold in Autumn so you get a quicker return for your investment. Or buy lambs, fatten and sell 4-5 months later. The most important thing is that you will learn how to move and work around livestock, without high risk of death (never turn your back on a ram though). Plus learn to manage pasture and get an idea of what your stocking density should be. Plus, as others have said, get used to the paperwork and admin.

What is a farmer? A cross between a bank manager and an SAS soldier.

 

[Dry Rot]

The OP is thinking about it as a hobby. Aren't there some on here who have Dexters...or Kerries? Personally, I wouldn't wish sheep on anyone! Hate the bloody things!

 

[JLTate]

We have 50 Pedigree Hereford cattle on so only in a small way. We have a Joinery manufacturing workshop as our main income / job.

We love doing it as its relief and stress free (believe it or not!) compared to dealing with customers. All our cattle are housed inside in the winter and we do everything in house and have the buildings to manage them, it is a farm. As a way to improve the resale value of our bulls / cows all ours are in a HiHealth scheme & registered. My dad is semi retired and shows ours regularly.

We also kill a few a year to sell at the farm gate, plus free beef for ourselves.

It is a way of life though for us. There's no way it pays when you factor in we have put up a new cattle shed / straw shed in the last year, plus tractors / telehandler & equipment. We do everything ourselves rather than using contractors. Its my dads 'hobby' so to speak. It would kill him if the cattle went, he wouldn't know what to do.

Many a time we'll be flat out all weekend and you think what's the point. All our land is ring fenced though so renting it out doesn't appeal to us as it would mean travelling through our yard to access it. We do rent out a large amount which is separate.

 

[Cowgirl]

If you really want cattle (we did), the costly bit is keeping them through winter, and breeding. I'm sure you could buy half a dozen quiet young native bred store bullocks in spring and sell them again in autumn. They'll get on fine with your horse (well ours do). They'll eat the grass (and parasites) that the horse doesn't and your fields will look better. You probably won't make any money, but if the cattle are quiet enough (ours are Herefords) you might get away with a strong pen set up in the field for essential handling, and check your fencing is strong (electric if possible). Take note of paperwork requirements as stated by others above. Watch out for sore eyes (flies), lameness and learn what bloat looks like if the grass is lush. Apart from that, you should have an enjoyable summer watching them grow, BUT don't be tempted to keep them through winter on 16 acres.

 

[mo!]

A crush is a legal requirement not an option!

 

[Henarar]

A crush is a legal requirement not an option!

who says ?

 

[czechmate]

A crush is a legal requirement not an option!

Really?

 

[mo!]

Really?

Absolutely. How can the vet tb test without a crush?

 

[czechmate]

Absolutely. How can the vet tb test without a crush?

I am not arguing, I was seriously asking.

Actually, the second sentence is funny, as our vet is always in such a rush, he does nearly all the testing in the race leading to our crush, so I could answer, "just with a race"

 

[nelly55]

My OH had dexters ,they are maybe small but don't underestimate the little critters.She still has two ,as well as her Simmentals who causes the most trouble it begins with D.Horses and livestock don't mix unless the horse is used to sheep or cattle.Good luck I would start with a few sheep ,without proper handling 100kg grows to 500kg with cattle and then they have some power.

 

[czechmate]

I was agreeing with the sentiments on here. I can't imagine doing the job without all the handling set up we have now. But thinking back - I bought a 7 acre field off an old boy in 1987 who for many years used to have a few beast just on this 7 acres. Nothing else. Folk used to manage.

 

[Cowgirl]

Actually I'd welcome a link to somewhere that says a crush is a legal requirement because I cannot find one. Obviously a "handling system" is required by HSE for safety, and a crush is highly desirable, but there are many different types of handling system and what exactly constitutes a "crush"? I am happy to be informed - we do have one, of course. Also I disagree that horses don't mix with other livestock. I have owned horses for over fifty years and all have lived with other stock for at least part of their lives - usually they ignore each other.

 

[Henarar]

I was agreeing with the sentiments on here. I can't imagine doing the job without all the handling set up we have now. But thinking back - I bought a 7 acre field off an old boy in 1987 who for many years used to have a few beast just on this 7 acres. Nothing else. Folk used to manage.

We didn't have a crush till after dad died in 98, we managed
crush was one of the best things we have bought though

 

[czechmate]

We didn't have a crush till after dad died in 98, we managed
crush was one of the best things we have bought though

Oh I am not disagreeing and I can't imagine doing the job without. I just found myself thinking back and remembering these sorts of old boys.

 

[mo!]

When we got the FFIS grant on our crush the first £500 was not eligible as it was a legal requirement to have a crush. Our vets and the APHA vets would not attempt to tb test without (I'd like to see anybody take a tail blood sample!). Certainly our vet as refused to test on farms without. I agree that when reading a skin test it is unnecessary to crush each animal.

 

[czechmate]

When we got the FFIS grant on our crush the first £500 was not eligible as it was a legal requirement to have a crush. Our vets and the APHA vets would not attempt to tb test without (I'd like to see anybody take a tail blood sample!). Certainly our vet as refused to test on farms without. I agree that when reading a skin test it is unnecessary to crush each animal.

As I say, our vet does most whilst they are walking through the race, the tail blood.

 

[Henarar]

we used to test them in the milking parlour