This kind of errors cause an increase in investments, affecting the nascent producers.
Any new business requires time, money and a lot of knowledge. However, many people get into the cattle business without preparing because it seems funny or because they inherited the family farm. If you’re ready to literally roll up your sleeves and start a cattle business, you’ll first need a good business plan. This article is aimed at people who are just beginning and who seek to acquire the knowledge they need before buying the first cow.
Creating your business plan to avoid beginners’ mistakes
Do you really want to start a cattle business? Many ranchers share stories of neighbours or acquaintances who got into the cattle business naively and did not get more than vet bills, overhead and a lot of mud. The cattle business is a practical job, so if you shudder at the thought of having your arm up to your shoulder inside the back of a cow, then you will not enjoy the birthing season.
The inexperience, anxiety, fear, are some of the features that distinguish those who start in the livestock business. Many of them pay for beginner mistakes which often costly. Know the most frequent ones and avoid falling into them.
Livestock farming is not a simple activity. It is necessary to know it well to achieve good results and economical results. However, those who barely venture into it often obviate fundamental aspects for its development, forgetting that like any other requires the utmost care and attention to avoid putting at risk the investment.
Livestock consulted with professionals in the sector who gave the top 10 of the ‘hazing’ in which most often fall who just start in business. Keep them in mind and avoid them, it may be very expensive.
Remember that it is essential to take care of your cattle’s hooves as well, here at Victorian Hoof Care Services you can forget about limping because we will take care of cattle’s hooves properly and help you keep your cow healthy and strong for dairy production. You can trust real experts in the area with many years of experience in the field of hoof care.
- Do not be advised
According to the experts, the entrepreneur who just started in the business prefers to follow the advice and recommendations of friends or colleagues and does not value the knowledge of an expert in the field. That decision often forces him to incur additional expenses.
- Do not see livestock as a business, but as a hobby
It is a frequent problem and one of the ‘hazing’ that occurs the most. The official said that many of the first-time producers do not have livestock inheritance, so having experience in other fields, they believe that the activity is simple. However, seeing the economic demands and the continuous investments, they understand that it is not a recreational farm but a company.
- Not knowing the business
The ignorance of the activity, the required permits, certifications, procedures, among other procedures, generate traumas and inconvenience for the amount of time involved and because ignorance makes new producers spend more money unnecessarily.
- Breeding livestock on unsuitable land
When not knowing the business, being beginners in the matter and having little experience, the necessary studies of the soils are not made, reason why sometimes we see new cattlemen implementing pastures in territories little fertile or that are usable in another type of cultures.
- Not defining the vocation of the farm (fattening, raising, breeding, milk or meat)
Not having a clear idea of the productive system or the ultimate purpose of the farm is not a good sign, since this creates obstacles in the scaffolding of the new company. Even the ideal animals for the system are not bought, so we have to incur a new investment.
- Buy animals without having the right pastures for feeding
Not knowing in depth the breed that will be used in the farm, what are their minimum requirements in terms of nutrition and the amount of grass they require, is a serious mistake when starting the business. The most suggestable thing to do is to investigate the breeds and animals. It is suggestable for the new breeders to have first of all the food that the cattle require, before buying them.
- Get carried away by fashion and buy animals without motives
Many times, we see the farmers surprised by what they see at the fairs and if they see that the fashion is Angus, Nelore, Holstein or the race that is, buy them, without thinking about whether they will adapt or not to the property that they have and if they are going to be able to give all their productive potential.
- Not acquiring the appropriate technology for the farm (cold storage tanks, milking equipment)
If the farm is dedicated to dairy production, they are elements that cannot be missing. We affirmed that there are cases in which the new farmers lose milk because they do not have a suitable place to keep it.
- Invest too much in infrastructure
Having luxury facilities is worth a lot of money, but they are not monetisable. There is no point in having luxury stables, if the productivity of livestock is not ideal. It is better to invest in good genetics.
- Not knowing how the product will be commercialised
Not having clear possible customers for fattening animals or the milk that is produced, means losing time and money. This is easy to solve since there are many people interested in anything related to livestock, they are always easy to sell.
Remember that here at Victorian Hoof Care Services you can forget about limping because we will take care of cattle’s hooves properly and help you keep your cow healthy and strong for dairy production. You can trust real experts in the area with many years of experience in the field of hoof care.