Are you interested in raising cattle to start a business? Do you need a sample business plan for raising cattle? If the answer is yes, please continue reading.
Businesses like this that are not on the list of most people’s favorite businesses are really profitable. why? Because although fewer people consider animal husbandry when looking for a good business, the proportion of people who consume beef and many other animal products every day is very high.
Cattlemen do not only sell meat or milk, they can also sell a large number of other products. In fact, from horns to hooves, no part of the cow’s body is waste. Let me tell you some products you can get from cows, you can sell them to make money.
9 Products that can be obtained from cattle
- Meat-: Of course, due to the popularity and high consumption rate of meat, meat will be number one on the list. You can start your own meat production and packaging business, supply to supermarkets and grocery stores, or sell cattle to people who run meat production and packaging businesses.
- Milk : Milk is another very popular product that you can sell. You can get several gallons of milk from cows every day, which can be sold to milk companies or packaged for sale. There is no problem if you sell your fresh milk, because more and more people accept the idea of eating fresh milk every day, because they believe that fresh milk is healthier.
- Cheese: How can I forget cheese? Cheese is a very nutritious food. It is made from cow’s milk and is very popular in the market.
- Butter -: Butter is another product. It is made from milk and used to spread on pastries, as well as for cooking and baking.
- Cowhide: The function of cowhide is to produce leather, which is used to make bags and shoes that we all use.
- Beef bones-: The bones of cattle should not be discarded after slaughter, because they can be sold to dish manufacturers, where we are all enjoying our meal supply.
- Cow’s hoof-: Cow’s hoof is not useless. They contain a protein called keratin, which is used by firefighters to make fire fighting foam.
- Bovine bladder: Even bovine bladder is not useless, because gallstones are used by pharmaceutical companies and research companies.
- Horns: Horns can also be used as ornamental products.
You can keep introducing all the things you can do with cattle products and by-products, but even you will get bored. So, let’s review how to start a business and raise cattle.
Starting a cattle farm
1. Purchasing a piece of farmland: What you need most for this business is a large piece of land that can be used as a farm. The land must have good green pastures, because grass is the basic food for cattle.
You can find land that the owner does not currently use and rent it out as a cattle farm, or you can consider buying your own land. Then, you should fence it up to protect the cows from being stolen or strayed. You should also hire at least one herder and one caretaker to feed and care for the cows, and to provide maximum security for the farm to prevent theft and intrusion.
2. Purchase the necessary facilities: The first facility needed by the cattle farm is a good fence, which serves as a safety guarantee for the farm. Then, you need a good source of water, perhaps a well or an artificial stream, to provide a steady stream of drinking water for cattle.
You may also need to build a small bungalow to serve as a warehouse and housing for the people you hire to take care of the cattle. You may also need to build a shed for the cattle in case of bad weather.
3. Feeding cattle: In your cattle raising business, the largest proportion of expenditure will be feed. Although cattle can eat grass and graze, if you add corn, wheat, and grains to your diet, the cattle will be healthier and stronger.
4. Mating and reproduction: First, when you have cattle on your farm, you must reserve female and male cattle. Males will be used mainly for reproductive purposes. Like other farm animals, cows are in heat. You must monitor your cows to know when they are in heat so that they can mate with bulls.
Most farmers do not rely on natural reproduction because it does not produce results as quickly as artificial insemination. Through artificial insemination, your herd can grow faster. Before starting to adopt this method of reproduction, you must consult the experts for the correct operation method. Once the cow becomes pregnant, the cow should be separated from other cows, and the cows should be given special care and proper nutrition and comfort. Reduce cow stress and risk of miscarriage.
5. Employee assistance: Taking care of cattle is very hard, so most people will hire farm workers to help raise cattle and manage farms. For example, in Nigeria, people who venture into this business hire the services of northerners who are experts in animal husbandry (some people even swear that these people can communicate with cattle, oh well… ). However, the most important thing is to hire an experienced person who can properly take care of your herd.
6. Marketing: Yes, you are a farmer, but this does not mean that you cannot market. When your cows start to produce milk, start looking for companies that produce dairy products and talk to them about opportunities to become a stable supplier of milk. You can also do the same with a meat packaging company, or, if you have the resources, you can go a step further and you can set up your own meat production and packaging company.