Every businessperson wants to make a profit, but profit margins are often small for livestock raisers. Nevertheless, raising grass-fed beef offers opportunities for livestock producers to succeed.
Because regenerative grazing is based on working with — not against — natural systems, you can start raising grass-fed beef with minimal capital. A farmer or rancher can keep production costs low by fostering biological activity to improve the soil’s health. Profit can come from the health and productivity of the fields and the cattle. Producers will know they’re on track for profitability when the organic matter in their soil increases, their paddocks support more cattle, and those cattle are healthy.
If you can afford to purchase land, build a barn, and buy a tractor and haying equipment — and you want to own these things — then go ahead and buy them. But you don’t need to own any of them to raise grass-fed beef.
Lay of the Land
You’ll need pasture for grazing, but you don’t have to buy it. Pasture land might be available in your community to rent with a low-cost or free lease.
A great deal of acreage is owned by conservation groups, states, and other public entities. Sometimes, these land stewards find that after grassland has been saved from development, the effort to keep it from becoming overgrown is a maintenance headache. Getting a long-term lease to graze conservation land requires discussions with decision-makers about their expectations for how the property will look. They need to understand that healthy, diverse grassland might include a diversity of “weeds.” And tall
