th-cam.com/video/jkupcoZb6ag/w-d-xo.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.
Here in Scotland, I see many farmers struggling because they are stuck in outdated models - selling mainstream produce to wholesalers and/or supermarket chains.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
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.
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.
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.
Josh is spot on - soil quality and health of the land is everything. It's also why most of the food in the US is so bad. It's mostly made by chemicals.
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
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.
Amen, bro. I’ve watched you work through “the hard things” and you still keep moving forward/ahead. I’ve also watched you “grow and learn”. Keep turning your nose to the grindstone.
Dude, I’m so happy for you. The work your putting in is actually priceless when you think about what your doing for your land so every penny was earned. I think it might be useful to figure out how the cows are being appraised. Why one might be worth more then the other.
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?
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.
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.
Congratulations Josh. 🎉I’m happy for you and your success. Your hard work is paying off financially. I’m also pleased that you are doing so much to heal the land . Stay on course and beware of the government. As my dad might have said, “you done good kid!”👍🏼
We try work cattle as the vet recommends. Cow's vax and worm once a year. Calves get 2 vax 3 weeks apart plus worm. I read a 2024 study that wormed calves are heavier at weening.
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.
I soaked a 1 lb bag of plain lentils and left them to sprout. They sprouted so I bought another pound, rototilled an area about 12 ft square and put lentils on the ground. They grew thick and close to the ground and pods were starting so I tilled them in as green manure. It worked out pretty well as a nitrogen fixer with no fuss. These might work out for your soil and as a protein rich feed. Also, just to give you an idea fro an end user, we just bought a frozen box of grass fed beef on sale. We paid 100 dollars for 14 pounds, shipping included. That included ground beef, steaks, and a roast cut of some kind.
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?
My family buys a quarter mixed cow from a local farmer in south western Pennsylvania. He breeds Murray greys and I must say that we will never go back to big box grocery store for beef. We also want to start raising our own rabbits, chickens and st. Croix lamb when we move to our agricultural land
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
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
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
Two things to keep in mind.....First, beef is/almost at an all time high depending on where you live. Secondly, at any auction house, a steer will bring 20-30% more for the same weight compared to a bull.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I'm working on regenerating land that had only alfalfa and hey grown here for over 140 years! Using the Back to Eden plan where I've cover huge areas with tree trimmers' waste and manure spreading... The soil was so hard a pick axe would bounce off it... 5 years later, I can use my hands to dig in the soil that also is full of worms too! I run a small Chicken Ranch with free range egg layers and plan to greating expland over the coming years... The demand for my eggs is Off the Hook! :)
@@cascios I whole sale $3 bucks a dozen at sell them at the Farmers Market for $5 a dozen. I'm planning to expand to 300 layers to meet my current demand :) It s about $2 buck a dozen to produce at current organic feed prices
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.
First year in the commercial Hay Business was 1000 rounds at $50,00 ea to a Hay broker... That was 6 years ago, We have progressed far beyond that today. in production, equipment, and diversity of sales.....
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: th-cam.com/video/jkupcoZb6ag/w-d-xo.html
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.
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!
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.
When you get into pork you should try Hereford pigs. That’s what I sell locally and I can’t keep it. It sell as quick as I get it processed. I average $5.50 a pound.
Check and see if theres any paper residue near you. We had it applied on our farm this year. Its free, has good OM and some lime value plus other micros.
Enjoyed the video but there is no way you could ever get 160k for 15 cows. Also you wouldn't get 1000 pounds of meat out of a 1300 pound animal. On average you get about 40% of live weight, so a 1300 pound cow may get you about 500 pounds of meat. When I sell mine privately its usually for about 5 dollars a pound out west. If you can get 10$ that's incredible and I need to move to NC. Thanks for the videos.
I had a Farside cartoon vision when you said the cows had to stand on their own 2 feet. Someone wanted a breeding bull or has a local customer in which to finish off some beef.
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.
th-cam.com/video/jkupcoZb6ag/w-d-xo.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.
I love how the cows waited til you took the netting off. Then it was game on. Love ❤ the videos😊
lol...they've been fussed at a few times for trying to eat it before I can get it unwrapped...amazing how they learn and follow my lead sometimes
@StoneyRidgeFarmer great work. Most people just clean the nets once a year and its gross.
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!)
Exactly my farming model.
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
You won’t make that every year. The market has been very good the past couple years.
Man I can hang out with this dude for days. Great family, good ethics and a benefit to his fellow mankind.
Markets are at all time highs. Glad you did well
So glad u stuck with it and didn’t give up ! That proves u r a successful farmer ! STONEY RIDGE 🙏✝️💫
Thanks for sharing the numbers Josh. Keep doing you!
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.
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.
I'd take at least a quarter ASAP, myself! 🐃🥩❤
I’m sure he could sell them like this with relative ease!
@EvilEye1986 when you have a large family that's barely any meat in the freezer 😒
@@EvilEye1986 - ?? Do you really think ground beef is the only thing that comes from cows?? 🤣
@@EvilEye1986 - I believe the quarters will be evenly distributed, depending on availability. Even if he prefers to sell 'a la carte', I'm flexible..
On my lil farm here, I'm learning all the time. I've read the books, but EXPERIENCE is the BEST teacher!!!
Impressive !
A passion for what you do and Hard-work pays off $$
Thanks for sharing 👍
Thanks Josh for being transparent, I do learn a lot from your experience. I'm on the early stage of cow and calf operation
Congratulations Josh!! Great news. Also can’t wait to see some new animals show up on the farm.
Thank you for all the videos you put out. Informative and helpful content. Stay safe up there and keep on growing 🤠
Thanks 👍
Good to see the sale was good to you Josh! Wooooo!
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.
Josh is spot on - soil quality and health of the land is everything. It's also why most of the food in the US is so bad. It's mostly made by chemicals.
Amazing, all your planning and dedication is paying off.
That’s awesome! Really got me focused on starting a cattle farm. America needs more of them and also setup to butcher for local sales.
Cow and calf operation works. Keep it going!
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.
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.
Congrats on the profit. It's nice to see farms making money
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…
Happy for you! Thank you for the education.
Well done Josh, that's for sharing such important info! You are a working cattle farm for profit not a petting zoo.
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.
That is a fantastic idea!
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.
Great video, I appreciate you sharing these numbers!
Thanks for the information. Have an amazing day. Take care.
Thank you too
@StoneyRidgeFarmer Your so welcome.
Keep up the hard work Josh. You are doing an amazing job.
Thanks for sharing this information!
Josh. Great job and nice to hear you made a good profit. Not complaints other than more shop videos are needed
I have been waiting for this video. Thank you for sharing.
Wish this type of farming was the standard!! Love your videos! Keep them coming!
Great work your doing here .. hope you end up making this a very profitable n successful operation while keeping it all natural .
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.
Excellent job. We enjoy your videos.
Good money! can't wait to do this myself!
Amen, bro. I’ve watched you work through “the hard things” and you still keep moving forward/ahead. I’ve also watched you “grow and learn”. Keep turning your nose to the grindstone.
thanks Josh for sharing
Dude, I’m so happy for you. The work your putting in is actually priceless when you think about what your doing for your land so every penny was earned. I think it might be useful to figure out how the cows are being appraised. Why one might be worth more then the other.
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?
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.
need to get with local extention service get your soil tested see if it needs ag lime or maybe potash...that sage grass is a sign it needs a bit
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.
Congratulations Josh. 🎉I’m happy for you and your success. Your hard work is paying off financially. I’m also pleased that you are doing so much to heal the land . Stay on course and beware of the government. As my dad might have said, “you done good kid!”👍🏼
We try work cattle as the vet recommends. Cow's vax and worm once a year. Calves get 2 vax 3 weeks apart plus worm. I read a 2024 study that wormed calves are heavier at weening.
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.
Great video Josh! Hope to meet you one day been following you since day one!
I soaked a 1 lb bag of plain lentils and left them to sprout. They sprouted so I bought another pound, rototilled an area about 12 ft square and put lentils on the ground. They grew thick and close to the ground and pods were starting so I tilled them in as green manure. It worked out pretty well as a nitrogen fixer with no fuss. These might work out for your soil and as a protein rich feed. Also, just to give you an idea fro an end user, we just bought a frozen box of grass fed beef on sale. We paid 100 dollars for 14 pounds, shipping included. That included ground beef, steaks, and a roast cut of some kind.
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?
Good video about the reality of profit farming. It’s hard, takes a long time and decision along the way should be for long term farm care
Excellent video, thanks.
My family buys a quarter mixed cow from a local farmer in south western Pennsylvania. He breeds Murray greys and I must say that we will never go back to big box grocery store for beef. We also want to start raising our own rabbits, chickens and st. Croix lamb when we move to our agricultural land
Great Information...thanks for sharing.
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
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
And i don"t judge you, for how you make profits ornot!But im impressed over your job on the farm,land, and everything
Thanks for the info. Good luck and prosperity
Wonderful!!! Great news!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉
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
Two things to keep in mind.....First, beef is/almost at an all time high depending on where you live. Secondly, at any auction house, a steer will bring 20-30% more for the same weight compared to a bull.
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.
Thanks for the great info Josh!
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.
the farm will be 100% debt free by June! Amazing how much freedom being debt free can give a man!
That's wonderful news!
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.
my brother....I'm talking about gross v/s net brother
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.
Very informative thank you josh!
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.
Sounds good, fella. There are some cracking sheep breeds here in the UK.
I'm working on regenerating land that had only alfalfa and hey grown here for over 140 years! Using the Back to Eden plan where I've cover huge areas with tree trimmers' waste and manure spreading... The soil was so hard a pick axe would bounce off it... 5 years later, I can use my hands to dig in the soil that also is full of worms too!
I run a small Chicken Ranch with free range egg layers and plan to greating expland over the coming years... The demand for my eggs is Off the Hook! :)
I was wondering what you sell your eggs for. Here in Va. I see them anywhere from $3 to $6 per dozen.
@@cascios I whole sale $3 bucks a dozen at sell them at the Farmers Market for $5 a dozen. I'm planning to expand to 300 layers to meet my current demand :) It
s about $2 buck a dozen to produce at current organic feed prices
That's a huge improvement. Congratulations. Using a lot of leaves really helps too.
Markets good for sure👍🏻 4 weight steers bringing over $4 a lb in northern ca!!
Thank you for sharing all these valuable information about farming. I can use your knowledge and incorporated in to future farm.
I can’t wait to purchase farm fresh beef from stony ridge farm. Been watching you for years
Ask him !!!!!
Josh, your doing awesome, keep up the great work, My kind of Farmer !!!👍👏💘
I'm shocked at the prices you got , awesomeness.
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.
for sure....
First year in the commercial Hay Business was 1000 rounds at $50,00 ea to a Hay broker... That was 6 years ago, We have progressed far beyond that today. in production, equipment, and diversity of sales.....
Little victories as the singer Chris Knight would say. Keep up the good work josh
We’ve always fed out calves to 700 pounds but with prices now we sell at 500 pounds
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: th-cam.com/video/jkupcoZb6ag/w-d-xo.html
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.
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!
Might check the buyer of that small bull. It may be heard building and was willing to pay a bit more.
I love the transparency
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.
And yet you had a ‘substantial gain’ of $115 for a cow you had 2 years? Plenty of good farmers sell in tenesee for 6 dollars a pound,
Very informative.
When you get into pork you should try Hereford pigs. That’s what I sell locally and I can’t keep it. It sell as quick as I get it processed. I average $5.50 a pound.
Glad it is paying off for you. Hear in Ohio there where some 700 pound calves that brought 3.30 per pound
WOW!!!
Thanks!
Thanks so much Brian! I appreciate it brother
❤I can’t do to much❤I can help❤
Check and see if theres any paper residue near you. We had it applied on our farm this year. Its free, has good OM and some lime value plus other micros.
Josh, I'm curious, have you explored what the native grasses are for your area? Also, what variety of grasses do you have on the ranch?
I would say you need to find out exactly why that 315 pound bull brought so much money. You need more of those!
Could that young bull have been seen as good potential breeding stock? Could that have been the reason for the high sale price?
Enjoyed the video but there is no way you could ever get 160k for 15 cows. Also you wouldn't get 1000 pounds of meat out of a 1300 pound animal. On average you get about 40% of live weight, so a 1300 pound cow may get you about 500 pounds of meat. When I sell mine privately its usually for about 5 dollars a pound out west. If you can get 10$ that's incredible and I need to move to NC. Thanks for the videos.
Your prices are great on the beef.
I had a Farside cartoon vision when you said the cows had to stand on their own 2 feet.
Someone wanted a breeding bull or has a local customer in which to finish off some beef.
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
giving you an example...not an actual quote of how much a butchered cow would make my friend
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.
@@Zombiebeast1995 Grass fed beef is any where between 6 to 12 dollars per pound hanging weight so yes he in line
I wasn't doubting the $10/lb. I was doubting the yield in his example.
What about the hay you import to your farm, is it made with chem fertilizer?
That's the way to do it,