By Carl Ivory
Many people are venturing into farming, intending to consume organic products and get some profits.
Ranching is a form of farming that involves rearing animals such as cattle or horses. These animals are kept on a subdivided piece of land while being provided with the necessary nutrients.
Animals are reared for milk, meat or even for recreational activities such as horse racing. It is clear that ranches are pretty profitable, and you should therefore consider getting into them.
However, it is crucial to note that ranches require to be correctly maintained or lead to heavy losses.
There are also several factors to be considered before you decide to set up a ranch. These include;
Expectations
Before you even set up your ranch, you need to have a list of expectations. The expectations should be realistic to ensure that you are not disappointed along the way.
You should set attainable goals through every setting up process.
Availability of time
Just like setting up any other business, ranching demands a lot of time and commitment. Therefore, before you set up your ranch, you need to make sure that you have a clear schedule.
It would be better to take some time off from work if you have another occupation. You will have an opportunity to set up your ranch without neglecting your career.
You are discouraged from leaving the setting up to someone else as this could lead to the ranch not meeting your expectations.
Availability of veterinarian
Animals require medical attention often; hence, a veterinarian should be available to tend to them at any time of the day.
In most cases, the workers usually have an idea of handling the sick livestock, but it is always better to have a professional on standby.
Drainage
Water is used for almost everything on a farm. It would be best if you look for a reliable source of water so that no activities are slowed down at any point.
With constant use of water comes another concern; where will the water be drained. If your ranch also has plants, then you can drain water in the farm instead. However, it would help if you took precautions to ensure that the water won’t affect the growing plants.
If your ranch does not have a farm, you should ensure that there is a proper drainage system and there is no stagnant water as this could cause diseases, not only the animals but also those staying at the ranch.
Management of crops
Crops form a massive part of a ranch. You must hence a way of taking care of the crops.
These would include getting rid of weeds or any other materials that could prevent the crops from flourishing.
In addition to that, you should ensure that fertilizers are used to increase yield quality.
Management of waste
Due to the constant use of fertilizers and animal feeds, a lot of waste is generated; therefore, a proper waste management system needs to be developed.
These could include recycling some of the waste as manure. You could save money when buying fertilizers.
The above factors should assist you in acquiring a ranch, but there is an even more enormous task of maintaining the ranch. Here are few tips to assist you in maintaining a healthy ranch;
Maintain hygiene
Maintaining hygiene entails ensuring that the animals’ have a clean area where they are staying. These will help maintain the health of the animals.
The health of the animals is essential, especially if they are participating in some competitions such as horse riding or bullfighting.
Conduct quality checks on every part of the ranch
It would help if you did quality checks every few months to ensure that all the structures, equipment and available land are standard.
At times the ranch may be part of a recreation facility such as a horse-riding arena. If this is the case, you should conduct a horse arena drag to ensure it is ready for competitions.
Strengthen soil health
The soil should first get tested for different factors to know which areas need improvement.
After establishing those areas, you could buy things such as fertilizers meant to improve the soil properties.
At times soils may become thin due to exposure to soil erosion. You could prevent soil erosion by planting cover soils to protect the soil.
Have updated ranch details
Always treat your ranch like you would any other business; hence ensure that appropriate bookkeeping is done.
You should also ensure that the information recorded tallies with the one in the field. This information comes in handy during the creation of a budget.
Keeping such records could also help during the auditing process by the government.
Conduct research about ranching
People are always coming up with new ideas for doing things. It is up to you to conduct research about these methods and try and incorporate them into your ranch.
The new ideas could involve a new type of equipment, crops, method of farming or generally a new type of ranching.
New ideas could lead to better yields in terms of quantity and quality.
Check on security
Ranches require the best security due to the livestock and large farms.
You could have your ranch fenced. The fences should be of high quality so that the livestock will not knock them down.
It is also encouraged to have the fence repaired as soon as they become faulty to reduce the livestock getting out.
Apply appropriate farming methods
Appropriate farming methods apply to both the livestock and crops. When it comes to livestock, ensure that the grazing method is compatible with the number of livestock.
You should also ensure that it is supplemented in their feeds if the livestock lacks a particular nutrient.
When it comes to crops, you should apply proper farming and harvesting methods. These methods include the use of the appropriate fertilizers that do not scorch the crops.
Provide your ranch with the care that a typical business would receive.
