ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jkupcoZb6ag.html Folks, I'm gonna share this link along with this video because so many folks don't seem to understand how this farm has a diversified income...not just growing another crop...here's how I earn my living...the cattle part is just a spoke in this business wheel...you've gotta understand that I do things differently, this is how I've built the farm
I love the ideas you share. We're not going to do things the same as you but you've demonstrated some good strategies and methodologies that can really help in different areas. I'm not sure where the "advisors" get the totality of their information or their moral authority to dictate where and how you move. Screw 'em Josh. We'll be here to see how you're doing.
Josh, I have been watching your videos for a few years now and often wondered if you were turning the corner on making a profit. With the new grand workshop building costs, operating expenses and newly purchased equipment. It was awesome actually having the figures shared with us today. I understand mortgages, of course and short term loans on major equipment purchases; but you seemed to have got on the other side of operating costs of building a profitable farming enterprise and proving it can be accomplished the way Creator intended. Many blessings.
Have you considered selling , like in stocks, futures in beef buy now support feed and get beef later potentially you'll get recover more money in the mix but bypass slaughter packaging and that whole lot of stuff plus beef that you love to mature will get to be bigger & mature all allowing overarching goal and receive front end support they off haul beef and you avoid complications you are retrained by at present A win situation
This video is very misleading. The cattle market works in cycles on what producer makes the larger profits from year to year.. It all starts with the cow/calf man, then stocker, then feeder, then packer then the end result is in the retail store. Its only every 10-12 years when its the cow/calf producer has the opportunity to make an honest profit. The cattle market has been manipulated for years so that the rich get richer. When its looking like the profits may fall in the wrong hands there is typically a "Black swan event" to swoop in and change things up. I am a first generation farmer but ice been involved with the cattle market all my life. I love the idea of encouraging new first gen farmers but it just doesn't make sense on paper for anyone to dive in the cattle market simply because its the cow calf mans turn on a 10 year cycle.
160k on 16 cows is unrealistic. It will take you 2 years to get a steer to 1200lb. And will produce about 500lbs of meat. Which is $80k. With no expense. You will feed them thru 2 winter which will cost a minimum of $400 each year. Which cuts it down 2 a realistic number of $68k. Which is still dang good money for 16hd. It’s just not 160k. And after you made the video about what you learn off social media. Throwing out numbers like this to ppl who don’t know any better seems crazy to me.
Still you’re throwing out a number that’s double because you’re not getting 1000lbs of meat off a 1400lb animal. 600lbs tops. Probably more likely 500-550. I’m a first generation farmer, just getting started as well. I’ve learned things the hard way as well. I never realized you get 40-45% beef off a finished steer.
Here in Scotland, I see many farmers struggling because they are stuck in outdated models - selling mainstream produce to wholesalers and/or supermarket chains. The answer is vertical integration - in particular, selling to the public directly. Eggs, beef, lamb and pork do very well when sold direct. Another way to get away from conventional farming is to grow things that nobody else has - one couple I know are doing lavender, others are growing exotic vegetables and selling to specialty shops and restaurants. We grow and sell wild mushrooms and will move to minority-taste vegetables for Chinese and Indian restaurants next year (if I can find the time this year for prepping the land!)
I been a Subscriber for years now and Its awesome Josh it's finally paying off it took a few years but your hard work and dedication is what got it there I don't see how you do it Josh by yourself but you find a way to make it happen
Ok, time to put on the big boy britches Josh. When your viewers offer suggestions after you ASK them for feedback, they are not attacking you. In your 3/7/24 video you specifically asked for viewer feedback. You also stated in that video "we're going to lose the farm if we don't solve this problem" (0:27). This implied that the cost overruns you were facing due to buying too much hay were bankrupting the entire farm operation. At about the 6:00 mark you request viewer input twice in rapid succession. At 7:10 you said "please brainstorm with me and post comments". And you continue to ask for feedback throughout the rest of the video. You never mentioned other income streams for the farm in that video. In the 7/22/23 video linked in your comments for this video you only mention two farm-related income streams, cows and social media. The impression you gave two weeks ago was that the farm as a whole was in financial jeopardy with the cost of hay being the chief culprit. You don't need to make a 12:26 video asking for feedback to figure out that if you can't afford to keep buying hay at that rate you must thin out your herd. This is a decision making cycle cattle farmers have been doing since the stone age. And you certainly shouldn't beg for feedback in one video and two weeks later complain that you are being attacked simply because your audience was trying to be helpful.
Hey @StoneyRidgeFarmer, I have a question for you. You mentioned in your video that you leave your bulls intact. We're starting up a small cattle operation (small even compared to yours) in Eastern North Carolina and we've been told that you have to band bulls early or the meat will take on a poor taste due to the testosterone. We've heard others say that's not the case. Many say that bulls left intact will grow faster and come up to weight faster. However there's a lot that goes into having to corral and band the bulls. I'm curious what your experience has been with this topic and why you chose to leave your bulls intact. Do you see that it impacts the price? Thanks in advance for the info!
Hey brother, I buy half a cow every year. You have a bunch of subscribers. You should start selling the cows as quarter's, halves, or whole cow. Mays meats in Taylorsville, NC is our butcher. The guy we buy from sells the cattle at $6 a pound hanging weight. That would be a lot higher profit margin for you.
yep....I've got a soil test....however...I'm trying something a little different here. The Ph of everything that comes out of a cow is nearly neutral.....wouldn't it make sense that this would reduce the acidity over time? Testing this theory on some pastures, liming some others
@StoneyRidgeFarmer Just wondering, would running the chickens improve a lot of that? I saw a presentation from a professor in Australia and she was strong that what you need is available minerals, and the application of lime or potash can hurt. Biology provides the needed minerals. Maybe you have to do a no-till of some cover crop mixes, but my bet is you have done a lot more study than most viewers.
Good morning! I just want to "Ag-vocate" here a little bit so that folks without a farming background have an accurate and correct understanding... You do NOT get 1000lbs of meat from a 1400lb animal, regardless of whether it is finished on grass or grain. A 1400lb animal will have a hot carcass weight or hanging weight of around 750-800lbs at the time of slaughter and then only about 60% of that 800lb carcass will be taken home as edible cuts of meat, so only around 480lbs of total yield in "freezer beef" that a customer will pick up from the processor. Hopefully you can cover this in a subsequent vlog in order to educate your viewers and correct the perception that they will take home twice as much beef as what you just told them. Have a great day!
One thing I didn’t hear from you is the hours you invested or dollars tied up in equipment purchases and maintenance. That 10% gained is not profit . I went to an agricultural school. What I learned was food production and delivery I end consumer overall is small profit margins and large waste production . By the very nature of the cycle of life
here's how I earn my living brother...you've gotta take into consideration what you see as an expense on a normal farm...is a revenue generator here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jkupcoZb6ag.html
This year isn't a model year. With the shortage of cattle packers are contracting with feed lots at record prices. This will last for maybe a couple more months. After that who knows. I started a cattle operation 15 years ago and I've never understand why the cow calf farmer does the most work has the highest cost and risk while making the least money out of the 4 stages of beef production. Most profitable being the packer with the least amount of risk.
Enjoyed the video but there is no way you could ever get 160k for 15 cows. Also you wouldn't get 1000 pounds of meat out of a 1300 pound animal. On average you get about 40% of live weight, so a 1300 pound cow may get you about 500 pounds of meat. When I sell mine privately its usually for about 5 dollars a pound out west. If you can get 10$ that's incredible and I need to move to NC. Thanks for the videos.
Before you get too excited about prices, over time, you have to factor in the SHRINKAGE to the value of your dollars during that animals stay on the farm. You know, ... INFLATION. Rather than the cows being worth MORE than they were last year, please consider that you were paid in dollars that are worth LESS. Once-upon-a-time, our monetary system was based on the "Gold Standard", and on that system, time ( inflation ) wasn't much of an issue, ... but that was 100 years ago ...................
Make sure sure you are transparent, the current cattle prices are extremely high.. In a year or 2 or maybe next month you might only get .75 cents a pound. I think you are /could be misleading the uneducated. Congrats on getting good money on Those cattle .
You made the right move reducing the size of your herd. 30-32 head is more sustainable for the pasture you have available. Just keep building up your pastures.
I enjoyed you video. Thanks for sharing information about your cattle sales that you really just didn’t have to do. I liked that. I believe that you did well on your livestock sale. Keep the videos coming please. One more thing what brand of pickup do you pull your aluminum gooseneck livestock trailer with and how does it perform pulling your trailer?
Do you realize cattle ate at a all time high, I'm happy for you but these prices probably won't always be this good unless you sell direct to the customer.
Cattle prices are up, inventories are the lowest they’ve been in roughly 70 years and after the fires in Texas they are likely to go up a little more. Those bulls will get castrated and be stocker calves on pasture until they are a few hundred pounds bigger then they will be in a feedlot.
Sir for your consideration,my father B4 he passed was implementing a new way invested in some cameras,put in fields.sold livestock up front directly to consumers.they can watch ear tags and see cattle grow.got more cutting out cattle market middle man.when ready delivered buyers animal to slaughter house instead of market and they picked up and paid for cut and wrap.he made way more money than B4 cutting out all the middle men.
You said you could slaughter a 1400 lb cow and take home 1000 lbs of beef at $10/ lb. That is in no way possible. At the most, it would be 650lb and that would be a stretch
The $10/ lbs is very accurate, we get a cow from a local farmer and it is about $10/lbs in my freezer for everything other than ground beef, ground beef is about $4/lbs
I am paying Ocado UK $6.28 per Pound for a roasting joint $4 a pound for mince. But if I wanted Organic Which is the Equivalent to what your selling its $10. 58 per pound Which suggests British farmers are doing worse than you. And given the quality of meat production in the UK and Europe is high. I didn't recognise how lucky I am I just wish we had Reko rings like they have in Scandinavia so I could buy local.
In the first example you mentioned, that cow is not just sitting in the pasture "earning interest" at no cost to you. It takes constant inputs of feed to keep that cow around that costs you money. You would only know your profit margin on an individual animal based on how much it cost you to purchase the animal plus the cost of feed per year for that individual animal, then comparing the total cost of ownership over time to its final sales price. If you only take purchase price into account when calculating your profit, and don't also take the cost of holding the animal on your farm into account as well (which, as you know, is not free), then you have no idea how much you made when you sold it, and you could be losing money on that animal. I would imagine you spent more than $150 in feed cost alone in order to keep that animal on your farm for two full years. If you're considering the sale of this one cow as a loss leader and making the real money off of the calves she produces while breaking even on the cows sales price, that's fine, but you should be more clear about your numbers in that case. It's a bit misleading to compare an animal that has an ongoing cost of ownership to something like a bank account that earns interest without you having to do anything.
$16000.00 is not profit. Your profit comes from what is left after everything. You are still in the hole big time. Look at your operation. Too much overhead, big shop, etc. You are fooling yourself and viewers. You insist you are right and will not listen to others who have experience in farming. You are teaching, teaching how not to do something. Will this check even begin to pay for your equipment and toys?
here's how I earn a living ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jkupcoZb6ag.html Remember my friend....this ain't granpas business model you've gotta understand that content creation is my diversified farm income? I listen to everyone, unless they're being rude, inconsiderate or a total know it all hateful person to me. I'm a person just like you and don't deserve to be belittled or talked down too for sharing my life. I literally get 1000 comments per day telling me how I'm doing everything wrong brother....maybe watching this little video will help you understand that the cattle are just one spoke in a really big wheel of my businesses
You need to put more compost piles to get rid of your vegetables and eggshows. And? For meat products. That you. Don't eat like the fat and bones.And thanks
up in Canada ( as i have cow calf operation as well) the best price up here is between 400 and 550 lbs. then there another window around the 700 - 800 lbs ( but that time of year dependant ) if you are intending to grow chickens for meat or eggs unless you grow your own grain it a very low margin. sheep not worth the effort in my opinion , goat can be okay as they have strong meat market currently but you would have to live near a community that has alot of middle eastern population
WTG Josh. Although, I would think you'd have more money in your account if you didn't have multiple vehicles that you really don't need. And, while judging you, here I sit with a bunch of tractor implements down in the field, some of which I haven't used in years. Oh well.
Good morning, I am one of your follower and I enjoy watching you, I would like to make a comment about Ethiopia that you made a comment about soil and drought, the reality is we do have the best soil and weather. The problem about the drought was politics situation and war. Thank you.
This is so wild. I was just thing about doing some research on raising cattle on the land we are trying to buy this coming year. well maybe by end of year. Depending on the situation of the country. People are telling us to do the purchase now. But we are worried about getting into a mortgage upside down. But I digress. I was thinking about learning more about raising cattle and if it worth it or not. Then your video popped up. I wonder if this is a here's your sign moment. lol
I am close to having boo sale some of my highlands , I have to pay 55 a bale for hay and 150 pounds of sweet feed a day , They eat better than me. I just haven't been able to pull the cord yet,
Its good to see that you are finding a sustainable buisness model. Are you considering showing your cattle at or with the FFA in order to get more brand exposure?
Thanks for sharing the info. I can see you’re excited. One thing most ppl miss in any operation is the difference between GROSS profit and NET profit. If I was hearing correctly, you were talking about GP.
really happy for you! I was playing a hunch with that previous video comment. Do you get a different rate/price b/c they are on your place with your measures? Glad you got a hunk of change, and the summer season, rains, temps, humidity's, sun, work out to your favor! I'd be best off fishing every day! ha! You can actually vegetable garden here. Lots of Ranchers about here! The Governor is escared of them. With his 'Cows and Rocks' comment. That was shocking to me, I took the time, and looked it up. Wooooo! 🔴⚪🔵 that's my latest thing! ha
Are you going to get a scale? Then you can know your live weights, and not waste $$ of hay getting your sale critters too big. Looks like better $$ selling at the 500 to 600 lb prices.
Can’t understand why people would be against selling some of your herd. Why else would you raise beef? We need every able bodied person in this country to start thinking small (as in small local farms) if we are going to turn this country around. We have decimated our food supply, relying on corporate farms and big pharma. Your work is appreciated. Thank you…
Ok i'm not criticizing just trying to understand, based on the numbers, time, fuel and feed costs to raise a cow for two years VS selling off a 6 to 8 month cafe doesn't it make more sense to take the cafe to the market earlier then waiting for a fully grown out cow? yes the net is smaller but the price per pound for the cafe is greater. meaning if you could produce more cafe's per year and market them faster, wouldn't that yield more profit because your input would be much lower. just wondering.
totally, but we can't grow more calfs than our land will support...that's the issue here. As the land improves we'll work the herd size up to over 100 in the future...but it takes time to build soil structure, grasses and the herd....just gonna take some time brother
i'm thinking that the area your in seems to be driving the prices down, not sure what you could done about that but I was watching our friends gilliam farms this morning and they sold a heffer and a cafe in tulsa and got three grand for two head seems like 15 head for six grand is low or tulsa is very high right now. good luck and be safe.@@StoneyRidgeFarmer
It seems a lot of viewer comments are based on one video rather than your content history. Income for a self employed person can come from different sources. I think you have managed very well to tap several sources. I do hope you continue to stay ahead of the debt while you find the balance of good income or savings sources.
I personally think that you are doing a great job Josh. All I can say is, keep doing what you've been doing. It will all pay off in time. Also, thanks for taking the time to make the videos and share them here on youtube. I love your channel. Keep up the great work. Take care and God Bless.
If you know some need to go to the sale, it would be worth it to go ahead and band those bull calves. That 500 weight would’ve brought a lot more. I understand your theory about banding them later but if they are going to market they will bring more.
we've done the math, there's virtually no difference in bull v/s steer calfs...and nothing at all is mentioned about any "shots" at the sale barn.....these cattle most likely go to a feed lot where they'll all be given vaccines as soon as they arrive as well as a dip for lice control. "Shots" make no difference at our sale yard...and nobody can tell whether weanen or not...they get off the trailer, go through the scale, onto the sale block and back onto another truck to head to the midwest I'm assuming
I know you've talked about processing your own beef at some point. Where can we check to see when that might happen and how to get on a list or whatever system you'll have set up for customer orders? I'm sure you'll have more customers than product 🙂Thanks!
Check and see if theres any paper residue near you. We had it applied on our farm this year. Its free, has good OM and some lime value plus other micros.
You said the sales will cover your hay costs. But does it cover all the other expenses (equipment, that new road you just put down, your sunk costs like fencing, the watering system and electric fencing)? And if you made $150 on a $1200 purchase after two years that’s around 5% per year.
yep....I've spent a million dollars building the farm brother....make no mistake about it...you should watch this vid..it details how I've earned a living for the last several years ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jkupcoZb6ag.html
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer so to be fair I went and watched the video. You haven’t really built a ground up farming operation you’ve built a social media brand with farming as the subject matter. Similar to Clarkson’s Farm. Which apparently has paid for most of the infrastructure. Which is not how life goes for most farmers. You don’t have to depend on good market rates for your cows to be able to survive to the next year. You apparently don’t have any loans on your equipment from what I’ve seen you say. And not everybody running a farm can create a social media business. There are thousands upon thousands of small farms. If they all had RU-vid channels they’d saturate the market and wouldn’t make the money you make now. And that’s if they had the time to even do it. Have fun with the farm, more power to you, but it’s not really a realistic representation. I’ll be interested to see if you can actually create a livable profit solely off farm activities over the next few years.
@@franciscodanconia4324 I think you're reading his reply wrong, just saying.. As I tell everyone, typing words are too often misread, as in text messages..thanks
In eastern Va. we take our heifers and steers around the 5-550 lb. mark. Seems to always bring the best price. Prices now are at an all time high but I give it a little bit longer and it will come back down. I also sell 1/4 1/2’s on about 5 cows a year for family and friends. There is definitely a quicker turn around on cow/calf operation. That’s what I’m growing towards. I sell at 6.50 a lb. out the door for beef, could probably get 7-7.50 but no more than that.
6.50 is way too cheap my brother....you could easily get $8 per lb for farm fresh beef...look at local farm prices....we work way too hard to keep beef and raise animals to be paid pennies for it after we've done all the legwork. Good food costs more, we shouldn't even think of competing with costco or walmart prices. We've gotta be fair to ourselves when selling freezer beef for sure
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer The only problem is that everyone is that cheap or cheaper. Even the butcher that I go to sells there’s for I believe 5 or 5.50 a lb. Of course they are the butcher so they have the upper hand on that part. It would be hard to sell at 8 when everyone is 6.50 or less including all butchering fees. I do agree it is a lot of work to raise a cow up to butchering weight. Seems as 1000-1100 lbs is the sweet spot for us. Usually nets us a 600 pound hanging weight. I know closer into to town they sell for 8-10 a pound but that is a totally different market of people than the country folk I deal with. Keep up the good work buddy.
Hello, I think the key to a small livestock farm is to have good animals like Angus. Quality sells itself. In Chile at least it works that way. I am in that process on my farm. I have had all the rasas and they are not that profitable. Unfortunately, the rancher depends a lot on the fairs where many of them are mafias and manipulate prices. I'm glad you're doing well. Greetings.
Thanks so much for sharing. Due to so many drouths we’ve had in Texas we sold off a lot of our herd, but at a good price. Just curious on your bulls. We don’t usually castrate either. Do you eventually do that when they get older? We’ve been criticized for not doing that when they are young. Thanks!
Hi Josh, On a future video, can you talk about the cost of fuel, seed, limestone, repairs to upkeep the grass? You spent a lot more than hay to keep the animals fed. Thanks.
What about lime? It's natural. I wonder what the ph is? If you can get lime lay about three tons to acre you should see a difference. Thanks for the nice videos!
Good work Josh, man you deserve every dime. Takes time to build any business, but if your business is your life and you enjoy it, that is the perfect situation.
Why could you not post a comment or video offering you cattle for sale to your viewers, let alone your beef. 16k v 160k...seems worth the effort. You should be able to get 30 to 40 buyers of bulk beef within a few hour drive from your 800k subscribers. Leaving $$$$ on the table. You already know how to market...take it to the next level. Hell, let me do it for you....lets chat. Take care, best wishes.
One of my hs classmates raises cattle and has a setup like yours. He's doing the organic fashion also with no horomones, pesticides or herbicides. In addition to the grass fed cattle, he sells chickens raised the same way. Every time I see a bunch of blighted properties with overgrown grass, I think of how some goats could eat it down.
Wow I’m glad you are happy but that’s a lot of work for so little profit annually. For perspective I make a 120k a year selling rock and sand to the concrete construction markets. All by phone no manual labor no equipment. But I’m sincerely happy that you are happy. Maybe I’m missing something do you have other revenue streams?
