Have you been considering raising beef cattle? We certainly have. While I have never owned cattle myself, of all the farm animals available to raise I probably know the most about cattle. Growing up in West Texas there are two things everyone knows at least a little about. The oil field and cattle. I have fenced, I have worked cattle, and I have roped so when we decided we wanted to start becoming more self-sufficient the first thing I wanted to get (even though I knew we couldn’t) was cattle. The reason we knew we couldn’t start off with cattle was due to the restrictions of our property (still renting at that point). We would also only be able to utilize about 4 acres of the property for cattle. In our area you need a minimum of 2 acres to support one head of cattle. But did you know that you can raise cattle on less? Yep. Here is where it gets tricky though. You will have to provide more of their feed and roughage. The less land per head the more you will have to provide. The more you have to provide, the higher your cost per pound. For a good look at the whole picture of raising cattle on minimal acreage check out this article over at From Scratch Magazine. Have a great day and God bless!
About Brandon
Author of Lone Star Farmstead, Brandon is a full time paramedic who, along with his family, is working toward a goal of increasing self-sustainability. He writes in the hope of helping others through information and encouragement along their own journey.