How Does a Beef Cattle Farmer Spend a Workday?
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Every Workday
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Every day is a workday for beef cattle farmers, including weekends and holidays. They start each workday by checking on the cattle to make sure they are all standing and healthy. They can check on the beef cattle while doing some of their other chores such as filling the watering tanks or checking on the automatic waterers. They fill the hay feeders with fresh round bales, using a skid steer or tractor with a bale spear attached. The feed grain to the beef steers daily for about six weeks prior to butchering, depending on the breed of the steer, or keep steer stuffers full to allow unlimited grain access. They administer first aid or medicine to injured or sick beef cattle or call a veterinarian and be ready to assist. They also check the stock market prices on beef and corn periodically if considering contracting their sales or feed purchases.
Weekly Chores
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Beef cattle farmers scoop manure out of barns and from around the feeder periodically using a skid steer or tractor with front-end loader. The farmer loads the manure into a manure spreader that is hooked to a tractor. The farmer spreads the manure over hay fields or crop fields to get rid of it, which also serves to fertilize the soil for next year's crops. After cleaning out the barn, the beef cattle farmer must spread fresh straw or wood shavings in barn areas for the cattle. The farmer spreads fresh bedding in the winter months more often, during the rainy season and during calving. Farmers may move cattle between pastures to prevent fields from overgrazing. Cattle may also be moved around into different feedlots to stay with beef cattle of similar sizes.
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Seasonal Workdays
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During spring and summer months, beef cows birth their calves. If the cow is having difficulty, the beef farmer may need to help by pulling a calf or calling a veterinarian. The farmer tags each calf shortly after it is born, and may band the bull calves testicles for castration. Later, the farmer worms and inoculates the calves, and then weans them. During summer months, the beef farmer will stock the barn with enough hay to feed the cattle until spring. The farmer may also fill the silo with silage or the corncrib with corn to feed the cattle over winter. The farmer separates the bull from the cows to prevent early breeding. This is because calves born in the snow are more likely to die than calves born during warm weather. The farmer must also keep track of all purchases, sales and farm mileage for income tax time.
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- Photo Credit Julia Fuller
