Shortly before we moved from Indiana to Texas, I bought a pair of cowboy boots. It just seemed like a good way to celebrate a new job and a big move to the Lone Star State. Life in the suburbs hasn’t offered many opportunities to get my boots broken in. We took some dance lessons and I dusted them up at the animal barn a few times but I couldn’t convince a Texan that I had actually worked in those boots. Don’t get me started with the cowboy hat in my closet.
That’s why I have decided to start a cattle ranch. It’s time I did something Texan and what’s more Texan than being a cattle rancher?
I began with a website called ehow.com and an article appropriately titled “How To Start A Cattle Ranch.” Looking more like a recipe index, the page listed ten items I would need to start my ranch: lasso, chaps, ten gallon hat, cowboy boots, cattle, land, fencing, fence posts, a cattle brand and a horse.
I already had the boots and hat so it was time to search for land. Collin County acreage is out of my price range so I have chosen the 100 acre Bar S Ranch in Thalia, Texas just south of Vernon. I am confident that I can pay off the $180,000 after my first cattle drive.
Step two instructed me to purchase a herd of cattle at the auction. I needed just a bit more information so I paid a visit to Kenneth Bolin, the only person I know who owns cattle. His 42 acre farm borders Luther and Anna Mae Bolin Elementary School (named after his parents) and his cattle can often be seen grazing near the school property.
Mr. Bolin recommended I start with 30 cows and one bull. My idea to add a few more bulls to the herd would bring me nothing but trouble, he said. Speaking of trouble, he also suggested I stay away from horns as in longhorns. Black Angus is a good breed and won’t eat you off the land like some others, he offered. Herefords and Brahmas are also good breeds for this area.
Search for the cost of cattle online and you will need an A&M extension course to understand it. There are too many variables to explain so let’s say 30 heifers will cost me $500 each. From what I’ve read, don’t look for bargains when buying your bull. I found one for $1000 and the ad says he’s quite popular with the ladies.
Keeping them healthy and keeping them fed is the key to running a good cattle operation, according to Bolin. Unfortunately good weather and some good luck are also needed if you plan to make any money at ranching.
“You shouldn’t let the grass in any one pasture get below 4” so that it has enough size to capture moisture and grow back,” explained Bolin. “If we get a drought and the grass turns brown, you will need to supplement with hay.”
Hay is a big expense on a ranch. A load of hay to feed 30 head of cattle might cost $6000. There are cheaper options but cheap hay doesn’t lead to healthy animals. Hay prices also go up when availability is low.
It wasn’t the cost of hay that eventually scared me out of my cattle ranching dream – it was the medical discussion. Aside from being experts on the calf birthing process, cattle ranchers need to spot behavior that might signal serious problems like bloat. There are over 100 different cattle diseases listed at cattlesite.com and some don’t sound real pretty.
I guess I’ll have to wait a little longer to break in those boots although there was a sheep ranch for sale in Quanah that looked like a real bargain.
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