Best place in US to raise show cows and calves?

[knabe]

access to water rights.

 

[reno1014]

My mom moved us from Jackson Lake in 1976 to West Texas because of the cold winters in Colo. She was a dairy
farmer.  I like it here....its pretty warm most of the time and the people are great.  My sisters in-laws moved here two years ago from up there and they seem to like the mild weather better too.  They found a great deal near Lubbock on a house
with 80 acres...There is land here for sale that is not farm land and it is pretty reasonable.  The show cattle market is
good around here too!  Within 100 mile radius I would venture to say that there are at least 10 breeders.

 

[BAILEYFARMS]

I don't think there are ALOT of shortys shown down south.

shortys a very popular in ok and tx. there will be 100 plus hfrs at the OYE.

 

[box6rranch]

We have family in MO near Columbia and St Louis. I don't know, we probably we end up either in KS, MO., OK, or Texas. I know that's a pretty big area but think it will fit our needs. A lot will probably depend on when my husband can find employment also. We originally moved from Denver to a small community about an hour south of Denver. Now it's growing in leaps and bounds. Good for home values but getting a little crowded and pasture is harder to find. I guess the older we get the crankier we are having people living on top of us :O) I'm totally content to stay home every day and venture to town once or twice a week.
I know we'll continue to raise shorthorns and club calves so staying in an area where that is strong would definitely be a plus. Do you know when county and state fair is in OK?

 

[jrg]

In north central OK, our county shows will be starting next week, with district shows the following weeks.  OYE is the 3rd week of March.

 

[box6rranch]

So what months do you look at for show calves to be born? In Colorado we try and get them born Jan.-March.

 

[jrg]

August/September

 

[yousesteers]

I am in NEMO about 80 miles north of Columbia I would say the winters can be bad but for the most part are not we might have a couple of weeks of real cold weather club calves are sold and traded pretty frequently around here and close enought to IA and OK you can hit both markets in MO we shoot for springborns but show heifers of all ages I dont know what kind of job your husband needs or wants but Columbia and Jefferson city both have several options MO would be my option pasture is around and there are farms for sale usually any where from $1800 to $5000 an acre

 

[chambero]

You mentioned you wanted close to somewhere your husband could work.  Even now, the Texas economy is probably the best going in the country.  Land is cheaper in OK, you also have to look at how many cows/acre an area will support.  Huge variances in Texas and OK.

 

[JbarL]

north west  georgia

 

[chambero]

August/September

We are near Wichita Falls, TX - about as hot as you can get in Texas in an area that actually has grass.  We start calving around Sep. 1.  We don't have hardly any trees for shade and cattle can get in a little heat trouble trying to calve in August.  If you get up in the Texas Panhandle or up in OK it cools off just enough to let you calve a little earlier.

 

[ruhtram]

I would go where alot of people show cattle. I would say Iowa,Illinois,Indiana,Ohio. It seems like they have alot of community/state support.

 

[BIGTEX]

I would vote for Oklahoma.

 

[red]

Ohio has good grass, feedmills & many shows for both kids & adults. Our beef expo is one of the best east of the Mississippi. Also quite a few well know club calf breeders as well as maternal breeding stock.

Red

 

[box6rranch]

You guys are great, thank you for all of the good suggestions :O)
I'm not sure we want to go further east than MO just because it's a long ways from our family and grandchild.
My husband's a finance director for a large automotive dealership in Colorado Springs. Thankfully there are usually jobs available as long as we stick close to a pretty good sized town.
I would love Texas but might be a little too warm and grass not plentiful enough. OK, MO and KS seems to be the most logical. Anyone live around Topeka? It's grown so much land prices might be too high. I think we'll probably average around 10-15 cows.
Born and raised in CO so this is a big undertaking for us. But as someone else said it is slowly becoming a little California here. Nothing against that just getting too crowded and too expensive.

 

[AAOK]

OK, MO and KS seems to be the most logical. Anyone live around Topeka? It's grown so much land prices might be too high. I think we'll probably average around 10-15 cows.

My Dad is from Osage City, about 35 miles SW of Topeka.  I still have one cousin left in Osage.  It was a 100% sweedish community when I was a kid; lots of small, family farms in the county.  There are a couple of mighty high powered cattle opperations in Osage City.  I think land is still reasonable, and it's not a long dirve to Topeka or the Kansas City suburbs.  The fescue in incredible.

 

[justme]

We did exactly what your thinking.  We lived in Ohio, but property values and urban sprawl made it almost impossible to raise cattle there and make a profit (I was in northern Ohio)
After lots of soul searching and looking at way to many farms, we ended up in NW Missouri.  I love it here just wish my mom and dad lived closer.  Property values are so reasonable here and were close enough to Iowa and Nebraska to get out and look at good cattle.

 

[CAB]

  I think as far as support from local community and school systems you can't even come close to the support system that Texas & Oklahoma PPL offer their youth. As far as competition I think that you'll find it hard to find more great club calf breeders than in Iowa, but my judgement maybe a bit tainted being from Iowa. There are great calves all over, but if you're wanting a warmer climate with great PPL and support, I would look @ Tx./Ok.

 

[jrg]

August/September

We are near Wichita Falls, TX - about as hot as you can get in Texas in an area that actually has grass.  We start calving around Sep. 1.  We don't have hardly any trees for shade and cattle can get in a little heat trouble trying to calve in August.  If you get up in the Texas Panhandle or up in OK it cools off just enough to let you calve a little earlier.

I'm 10 minutes from the kansas border on I35 and we usually start calving the 3rd week of August.  It can hit 105-110 during that stretch, pretty brutal on a heat wave baby that doesn't find the shade.  We try to make sure everything is under shade by 11am on those days.

 

[aj]

If I won a 20 million dollar lottery I would buy a ranch in the sandhills in Cherry county somewhere up there by Adamson. That is neat country.