Intentionally Making Money for Farm Improvements

The first weekend in November and again over Thanksgiving weekend, my husband (Tom) and his twin brother (Jim) were hard at work on our farm doing an old-fashioned cattle drive.

Well, maybe that’s a stretch. I wouldn’t categorize my husband or brother-in-law as cowboys in the traditional sense – cowboy hats, spurs and horses. However, they’ve been driving cattle since they were little boys. Their family has moved cattle from pasture to barn and barn to pasture for over 150 years.  

Tom and Jim operate a cow-calf operation, a method of raising beef cattle in which a permanent herd of cows is kept to produce calves for later sale. Each year, Tom and Jim add about 10 calves to the herd.  The calves are raised on pasture all Spring and Summer and then some are sold as feeder cattle (300 – 600 lbs) in the Fall to be purchased by other farmers. The remaining calves are kept, fed and raised on our farm to be sold to market once they are older and full grown.

Last Spring, the bred cattle gave birth to their calves (a brand new experience for my two daughters who loved hearing stories about them, naming them, and seeing them when we visited). As a result, Tom and Jim spent two weekends this Fall moving cattle to auction in an effort to make money for various farm-improvement projects they have planned.

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