One of the most common questions I get asked at farmers markets is whether or not I raise the beef that I sell. While I do raise beef cattle and sell all that beef to my customers, I’m limited with the number of animals I can raise each year. Florida grasses typically only allow for a stocking rate of 5 acres per cow/calf pair, and I’m at maximum capacity.
With my business growing a little and demand increasing, I’ve started purchasing steers from other nearby ranchers to fill the gaps when I don’t have any of my own steers ready to process. Fortunately, Florida is home to an amazing community of ranchers! Since I’m a first generation rancher, I’ve relied 100% on these folks to help me learn about raising beef cattle. All of the concepts that have formed my management practices, like soil health & pasture management, land stewardship, animal handling, genetics…I learn all of it from other Florida ranchers who have been doing this for generations!
Now that I’m at a point where I need to purchase steers to add to my beef program, I’m able to rely on these folks again to provide me with an animal I can take pride in. And I’m able to have confidence that their values and management practices meet all the same standards as the beef I raise!
Typically, cow/calf producers sell their calf crop each year when the calves are weaned (a cow’s gestation period is 9.5 months, so she can have one calf per year.) At the time those producers wean the calves that were born that year, they usually sell them to one buyer. But since I sell the beef, I continue to raise the calves after weaning, all the way through to the processing stage. I’m in a position now where I need more beef, but don’t have the room for more momma cows. So I can buy a few of these ranchers’ calves, and raise them from the time they’re weaned, until they’re done growing and ready to process, which is usually about another year.
I would love to be able to say that 100% of the beef I raise is from steers born out of my own momma cows. And it’s still my dream that one day I will be able to say that! But until I have somewhere to put more cows, I’ll raise what I have room for, and the rest I will raise from the time they’re weaned.
One good thing about this is that I can be another option for ranchers to sell their calves. The cattle market is always changing, and whatever the market price is when it’s time for those calves to be weaned, that’s what the rancher has to take. Even if the calf is worth more. But when I purchase high quality calves at the price the rancher deserves to get for them, it’s a win-win!