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- Get the experience
- Buy the land
- Get the cattle
There's more to it than what is listed in "three-easy steps.
" Quite frankly, a lot more than just three steps need to be followed to become a cattle rancher and have working ranch that will last you for many years.
You're not going to amount to being much of a cattle rancher if you don't know what's involved in raising cattle.
Get some experience for a year or two by working for a cattle ranching outfit that operates their ranch similarly to the way you want to run yours.
This is a really good way to see what's really involved with owning and operating a cattle ranch, and may be the straw that breaks the camel's back in your decision whether you want to even carry through with your dream or goal of becoming a rancher or not.
On the ranch you will be working on, you will more than likely be working with all classes of livestock: cows, calves, bulls, heifers and steers.
You'll get to experience the dangers of new momma cows, harem-protecting bulls and predators that like to bring down a young calf once in a while.
You'll also get to experience the rush, the really early mornings and late nights of hay season, branding time, calving time, and the cold days when calves need to be weaned from their mothers.
I have no doubt that you will also experience the hard work, muscle aches, fatigue, injuries, emotional turmoil of ranch life.
You must also see the finances part of the operation, to crunch the numbers and see that ranching isn't a get-rich-quick money-making venture you probably had in mind.
Besides all the surprises and aches and pains, you should expect to go through a huge learning curve if you're the type that knows squat about farming/ranching and raising cattle.
You will learn everything from grazing management, care for the land and wildlife that need it as well as the cattle, reproduction, feeding or winter-grazing cattle through times when pasture is sparse or not worth grazing, marketing/selling cattle, bull management, cattle nutrition, fencing, branding, roping, riding ranch horses, and everything else in between.
Be prepared for the unexpected and accept constructive criticism.
Once you've gained enough experience to go off on your own, you will need to buy land that is ideal for your ranching operation.
You really have no limit where you can go: You can choose to ranch cattle up north in Montana or as far north as the northern reaches of Alberta or British Columbia in Canada, or as far south as South America in Argentina, Brazil or Uruguay.
Wherever you choose to set down roots, make sure you've done your research on the soils, topography, climate and vegetation of the area.
You may already have an "ideal" ranching location in mind, whether you don't mind the long winters of the Canadian prairies or the bug-infested grasslands further south where you can graze your cattle throughout the year.
Match the type of cattle to the environment you're willing to ranch in.
Ranching in the North means you need to choose breeds that not only fit the market, but will do well over winter.
Most European or Temperate breeds can live up in the Canadian north, such as Angus, Saler, Shorthorn, Hereford, Simmental, Gelbvieh, Limousin, Galloway, and a whole host of others.
If you are wanting to ranch farther south where winters are mild and summers are hot and humid, consider raising Zebu (like Brahma, Afrikaaner or Indo-Brazilian) or Zebu-European-cross cattle such as Beefmaster, Brangus, Senepol, Santa Gertrudis, Australian Braford, and others.
These cattle are suited for hot, humid environments due to their thick, loose skin, large ears, short hair, and sweat glands over their entire body.
European cattle lack these sweat glands and loose skin (which are almost impenetrable to most ticks and lice species), however a few breeds are known to do quite well in these hot, southern climates: Hereford, Texas Longhorn, Florida Cracker, Gelbvieh and even Charolais are just a few European breeds that can survive and even thrive in hot, humid conditions.
Once you've found the type and breed (or breeds) of cattle you want, go ahead and make your purchase.
You may want to consider starting small then build up your herd as you go along, depending on how large your ranch is and what you believe "starting small" means to you.
Make sure your initial stock are very good, solid, relatively conformationally-correct animals.
Also make sure that these cows you're getting aren't someone else's problem animals that you're taking off their hands.
The best cows to purchase are those from a dispersal sale, where a rancher is either down-sizing or going out of business and selling some of his best or better cows and heifers.
Try to avoid buying from an auction mart or sale barn, because chances are, as mentioned before, you may end up with someone else's problem--particularly if you are clueless in what to look for in a "good cow.
" The cows that you buy should be sound, healthy, in good condition, and ideally already bred.
A bred cow with a calf at side (called 3-in-1's or 3-fers) is probably better than a bred cow or even an open cow, even though 3-in-1's are the most expensive.
It's also your choice whether you choose to buy a purebred, or commercial cow.
As a beginner you probably should consider going the commercial cow-calf route at first instead of the purebred route because you can increase your experience in raising cow-calf pairs rather than worrying about marketing and how to promote your breed to other producers.
Regardless, you can still have a commercial herd with purebred or straight-bred cows.
Just don't register them once they're yours! Once you've got your cows, next comes your bull.
One bull is enough to service at least 25 cows in one breeding season.
That one bull for that herd of 25 cows you bought is worth half of your entire herd.
Thus your bull purchase needs to be more shrewd and carefully thought-out than your cow purchases.
He must meet the demands of the herd, must improve the herd in the ways you want it to improve, and sire good calves to meet the market.
He must be structurally correct in the feet and legs, have a nice straight topline that rounds out over the loins, have good muscling in the neck, shoulders and hindquarters, and show good masculinity.
Long on the body, not too tall, and have good depth of rib are also qualities to look out for.
If you're lost on what to look for in a good bull, have your mentor or an experienced cattle rancher friend to help you out.
You may have already had the opportunity to look for some good bulls at the ranch you worked at before you got to this point! When you've made your decision and purchased the right bull, you're on your way to being a good, and hopefully successful cattle rancher.
Good luck and happy trails!
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