Texas Ranches Online

Should I buy from an auction or buy a from a rancher?

I always wanted to start a cattle rising ranch but I only have 5 acres. My daughter is in 4-h club but is still to young to show cattle. So should I buy a selected breed or anything from the auction? Not sure what to buy and what will give me the most money? How many cows and bulls should I have on 5 acres in south texas. Where could I buy good cattle online in texas?

Public auctions, as distinct from closing auctions for a ranch, are places that ranchers take their culls, meaning anything they do not want in their breeding herd. This does not mean that nothing worth keeping ever goes to a public action. It just means that what you get is what you get. You have to be a bit of an expert to choose at a public auction.

Not every closing auction at a ranch will have top quality animals. What they have will be animals the rancher has chosen for breeding. They are likely to be as good as what goes to public auction or better.

On 5 acres you will not want any bull. That small an acreage might support two cows, depending on how well the land is watered it could be anywhere from 1/6 of a cow to 5 cows. Carrying capacity is totally water dependent.

A bull for breeding purposes is going to eat up so much pasture that you would be best to outsource your semen.

If you had 50 acres all well watered we might be discussing a bull.
Do remember to allow pasture for growing calf. And never let the pasture get very short before you sell stock.

Farming Ranching, & Agriculture in Texas or anywhere is so hard on the family