wanting to get in the cattle business what breed would generate the most profit, what would be the cost?

Answer 1

Would you like to raise beef cattle or dairy cattle?

Dairy- Holsteins are usually the most profitable across the board. If you plan to start a small dairy I would look into to organic farming because you are able to make more money with less cattle. The start up costs and costs altogether may be more, but the profit will end up being greater per cow.

Beef Cattle- This depends on what type of climate and terrain you live in. It also depends if you would like to produce seedstock( more cattle for other ranchers to breed) or harvest the cattle you produce. If producing seedstock the most profitable at this time is probably Angus cattle. There are many other breeds that could also be profitable including Red Angus, Shorthorn, Charolais, and many others. If you are producing beef cattle to harvest I would recommend a crossbred. This cross depends a lot on your situation. You would want to cross a maternal breed or even two such as Angus and Hereford for your cows. You can then have more muscular breeds for your bulls such as Charolais or Simmental.

I would talk to your local extension agent or someone in your area that already raises cattle about what you should do also. The investment is probably larger than you think and the profits slow especially at first depending on your initial costs.


Good luck!