How to Make Money With Cattle (20 Ways & Tips That Work)

Livestock is a very popular way to make money, especially cattle.

But can you make money with cattle? You sure can, and here we’ll discuss how to make money with cattle and tips to help you do so.

 

Is Making Money With Cattle Worth It?

Yes, it can be.

For instance, some people are making thousands just off of just selling the meat of cattle too.

Cattle producers can be some of the most remunerative, and more are getting into it.

Young people can make some serious bank with cattle.

It does take a lot of worth, but it’s worth it.

 

20 Best Ways & Tips to Make Money With Cattle

Here are 20 ways to make money with cattle, involving what you can do and tips to help you do this.

 

1. You Don’t Need to Make It a Large Farm

Some people think you need a bunch of cows to start, but you don’t.

Cattle are pretty easy to raise if you have a decent herd, and you can make quite a bit per cow.

Even the most modest of numbers net you thousands, and that’s a notable amount.

 

2. Milk Time!

A good way to make money with cattle at first is milk.

It’s not always for everyone, but it can net you quite a bit.

Sometimes, it can be up to $8 per gallon based on the type of cow milk that it is.

Even in states where it’s cheaper, you’re still making some decent money.

 

3. Check the Laws in Your States

With that said, there are some legalities with selling milk since some states don’t allow it.

For example, in Idaho, you’re only allowed to have three cows lactating in order to get what’s called a “small herdsman” license for dairy.

If you have more than that, that’s called a commercial dairy.

While it may seem moot, it’s important to make sure you’re not keeping too many dairy cows.

 

4. Sell Cheese

Do you like to make cheese? You can do so with your cows.

Selling different cheeses based on your cows is a good way.

You can flavor them and make them unique, and plus, people will definitely be interested in that.

 

5. Sell Yogurt

Do you like to make yogurt with cow’s milk?

If you want to keep dairy cows, selling yogurt is a great way.

People like farm-fresh yogurt, and while the process is a little more complex than milking a co, it can be really good for you.

If you like to make your own yogurts too, there is profited to be made in that, and it’s worth considering.

 

6. Consider Herd Share

What is herd share?

It’s a way to keep more cows, and pretty much, it’s a contract between you and the farmers to use a portion of the herds.

A herd share is a great way to develop leverage in your herd.

It’s cool because you pretty much just outsource your herd, and they pay a fee, and in return, they get a portion of the milk.

It’s one way to make money with cattle, especially in the milk production business.

 

7. Beef!

Beef is a very popular cattle commodity, and it’s a good way to make some money.

Grass-fed beef is popular and expensive, so you’ll make some money.

You definitely can make some good money with the claves that you produce with the right heifers as well.

It won’t be a quick job or anything, but it can be rewarding and a top-dollar tag.

 

8. Bull Services

Bull services are also very popular.

You can sell your bulls that are producing really good calves with the heifers you currently have to produce the proper calves.

You can make some pretty decent cash, and pretty much the person pays for the cost of where you’re keeping the bull, but also an extra $100-200 each month just for that.

If you have a bull that you’re willing to give to someone that they take care of to produce good calves, it can be a worthwhile business, especially if you already have enough cattle as is.

 

9. Manure

Manure may not seem like much, but cow manure can be filled with nutrients.

While it isn’t as profitable as the other types of animal manure out there, it can actually make you some pretty decent money.

Check your local farms to see if there is anyone that’s raising crops in the area, and then you can get them the manure that they need to grow the crops that they want to easily.

 

10. Consider the Cattle Marketing Alliance

What is that?

It’s a verification means to help get the right cattle producers, and it helps to ensure that proper management and cattle health is maintained.

They do have certain protocols, and they will make sure that ethical cattle production is happening.

It might seem stringent, but overall, the premiums for this are a lot higher, and it can be a worthwhile investment.

You can check out the cattle marketing alliance to figure out if it’s right for you.

 

11.  Get Good Bulls

A good bull will get you a lot of calves.

Spending money on this will help with better growth traits.

It’ll help produce better calves, and you can find the right bulls for the job.

It’s important that you don’t skimp on this step, as this is a really key part of cattle farming and making money with cattle.

You can check out bulls for sale here but also shop around and find what’s good for you.

 

12. Don’t Keep Too Many Cows

There’s such as thing as too many cows.

That’s because if you’ve got too many cows, you’re going to have to make sure you have enough food for all of those guys.

You need enough forage to feed them.

If you have too many cows, see which ones you can slaughter for meat, and from there, maintain a proper-sized herd.

In the same way, be mindful of the size, too, since larger cows also do affect the foraging rate, and heavier cows usually have much higher overhead than those that are lighter.

 

 

13. Keep Mindful of the Costs

This gets expensive!

Nowadays, it’s double the cost to start raising cattle compared to even half a decade ago.

With that said, only start with as many cows as you absolutely need, and if you don’t think you can handle them for the moment.

If it’s too much, you’re not going to be able to have a sustainable cow business.

 

14. Choosing Female Culling

Choosing the right females to cull is a part of making money with cattle.

Every year you do need to cull the females, especially those who aren’t delivering enough viable calves.

In order to increase your profits and handle operations overhead, you need to do this.

You should cull any females that don’t produce a calf since they’re taking a share of the income, and it’s better to either sell for meat or to sell the female.

 

15. Weaning Calves Correctly

You must make sure to wean the calves correctly when making money with cattle.

It does lie on you to make sure that you do wean the cows correctly, but part of making money with this is to make sure that they’re weaned at the right stages.

Weaned calves and culled females that are low in fertility actually contribute to the income, and if you don’t properly wean them and make sure they’re the right size, it can affect your profits.

 

16. Maintain Nutrition

You should always make sure when making profits with cattle that they’re eating the right food.

Feed costs are a huge part of operations.

You need to make sure you buy the feed in large amounts, and also make sure you don’t buy too little or too much feed.

You should have an approximation of how many acres each cow needs on the ranch and also how much feed and the costs of it should be.

 

17. Watch the Cattle Stress

Stress does impact cattle health, and it’s very important that you do not stress these out too much.

You should make sure that if they are stressed, you reduce it.

Too much stress results in lower weights, which diminish calf profits.

By doing this, you’ll have less-stressed cattle.

This does impact their immunity too and keeps them nice and healthy.

 

18. Keep Them in Good Health

You should always keep your cows in good health, no matter what.

Have a good veterinarian that will help you with proper management.

That way, you’re getting the best care possible.

Another thing to do is make sure your calves are vaccinated.

It’s cheap, and it can help prevent claves from dying too.  If you think about it, the shots are much cheaper than having to replace a full cow.

You should also make sure that you also are watching for parasites too and monitor fly control.

 

19. Check the Ground

The ground is very important for turning out profitable cattle.

Make sure no poisonous plants are around that can kill cattle.

You should also check all of your facilities, and make sure that the ground is fertile, and also make sure that if the ground is not fertile, you change that since I do play a part.

 

20. Proper Marketing Matters!

Finally, make sure you’ve got marketing in place for you to sell your cattle, your meat, and any bull services.

Marketing is important for cattle raising, just like with other jobs.

If you have good marketing, you’ll be able to tell more and more people about your services, build interest and excitement.

A lot of people don’t realize that marketing is a focal part of this, and just like with other businesses, it plays a part.

Check out the following related articles for more ideas on making money:

• Crafts To Sell at Farmers Market
• FarmTogether Review
• Chinese Farmer Parable

 

Making Money With Cattle FAQs

 

What’s the Best Way to Make Money Raising Cattle?

The best way to make money raising cattle is either through meat production or through dairy production.

Both of these can have expensive overhead, but with the prices of this increase and more people demanding grass-fed beef, it’s something to consider.

 

How Much Money Can I Make Raising Cattle?

This ultimately depends on the type of operation you want to have, the type of product you want to sell, and how many cows there are out there.

For example, a small-scale farm isn’t going to produce a ton of profits.

But, if you have a large-scale farm with plenty of bulls, heifers, and also even calves coming about, you can make some nice cash.

The cool thing is you can determine the profits that you have too.

If you think it’s easier to just raise a couple of cows as a side hustle, or maybe you don’t want to focus on just cattle farming, you can do that.

 

What’s the Most Important Part of Raising Cattle for Profit?

The most important part is making sure that they’re taken care of.

It’s hard not to think of these guys as just dollar signs, but in general, they are basically employees.

What that means is, you need to treat them like such, so make sure that they’re properly taken care of.

You won’t just magically make money having a cow on the farm, but instead, the proper control and maintaining a cattle herd for profit is a great way to help.

 

How Can I Find Places to Sell My Cattle?

You can talk to other farms in the area or even check the local agricultural association t get help on where you can sell these cattle.

If they’re good calves and heifers that will actually net a profit, they’ll be easy to sell.

 

Conclusion

If you’re looking to make money raising cattle, there is a lot of profit to be had, especially if you’re selling in the meat business.

The dairy business isn’t for everyone, but it can be a good side hustle.

Just know that it does have a large overhead and may take a bit to net profits.