What do people do with cows?

[red324]

I live out in a rural area and i'll see like 30 acres of land with maybe 20 cows out in the pasture. Pretty sure i've seen the same cows the last few years. Do they all get turned into beef eventually? I just don't see enough money in this to cover the cost of the land, property taxes etc. Same with all these empty lots. I can drive out to central texas and see 100 acre farms with nothing but grass unless they're bailing hay out of these fields.

[JoahZ10nT]

What do they do? They use the cows for milk, for the meat. They use every part of the cows to sell. They could sell the cow milk to make cheese and yogurt. But did you know that in Japan 🇯🇵 they organic feed the cows and just a small portion could cost you around $200. https://www.businessinsider.com/wagyu-beef-steak-cows-from-japan-so-expensive-2019-8#:~:text=Produced%20in%20Japan%20and%20prized,for%20as%20much%20as%20%2430%2C000.

[dustybiker2]

People rent the herds around here to fertilize the sandy soil, after a couple years of letting land go wild. Then the following year or so they plant the crops.

[red324]

Really? Why not just used fertilizer? Do the cows stay out in the field 24/7? Or do they get brought back in at night. The field by me I always see them out there in the morning time, but don't really notice them when I get home. do the cows walk back to the barn themselves?

[dustybiker2]

They grow grass in square sections and rotates the cows around the sections. And keep doing this for months.

[dustybiker2]

Fertilizer would prob defeat the purpose of healthy organic crops and cows too.

[red324]

What about the phrase until the cows come home. Do they really come back on there own? 🤔 😂

[dustybiker2]

These won't. They leave them in their squares until they rotate to the next. Even though aggressive storms. Poor things. But others have had worse.

[red324]

The field by me looks like they have the whole field to graze out of. They are always in the area closest to the road though.

[dustybiker2]

I know wild horses have a "breakfast" area. Lunch. And dinner. This might be similar with cows?

[red324]

I'll have to look and see if they're out there in the evening time. People drive like idiots in the evening time, so I can't always look over that way. Twice in one week now I've had someone swerve off onto my side of the road on these little two lane backroads 🙄

[dustybiker2]

Yikes.

[patois]

20 cows is like $50K in cash flow at the end of the year... Typically you have a cow on 1 to 2 acres depending on the forage quality, climate, and management strategies. The guy who owns that 30 acre plot may own multiple 30 acre plots dotted around the map. Some people raise beef, some milk cows, and some just breed them for stock to sell to other ranchers.

[patois]

Some even park cattle on their land to get a tax discount, being that agricultural land in bona fide agricultural use is often taxed at the lowest price point.

[red324]

I think you have to have at least 6 acres to get any agricultural tax breaks

[red324]

In my area at least

[patois]

Laws differ by county., In some counties it might be 2.5 acres and in others it might be 5 or more.

[BoopBoopBeep]

That one's easy...

https://www.cow.run/

[Anonymous]

Usually for milking, if they are too old they probably won’t be good for using the beef so keep them for grazing and using manure also

[red324]

I thought only dairy cows were good for milk. Those ones thst are white and black? Or does the color of the cow not matter?

[patois]

Nope. Cows don't have to be Black and White to produce milk... There are a variety of preferred milking breeds though.

[Opinion Owner]

@patois I didn’t say they had to be black and white as long as they’re female

[red324]

That's just on TV then.

[patois]

Holstein cattle are a very popular dairy cow, (they are likely the black and white cows you are thinking of) but so are Jersey cows for example which are light brown in color.

[red324]

@patois we have white and light brown cows. I've never seen a black and white cow in real life.

[patois]

You might be talking about Guernsey cows which are also a common milking cow.

[laly520]

for milk or maybe meat

[exitseven]

Milk them.

[Anonymous]

Yummy… beef stew