No experience at all, I'd say lease it out, as has been mentioned, perhaps "custom graze" some critters for someone else, and get the experience on their overhead investment, watch how much weight you're able to put on his animals, calculate what the "buy in" cost would have been on them, and the "sell out" payment would have been, and see if it would have worked for you to have bought them in the first place. Maybe do this a couple of years, to get an "average" and an understanding of what it takes to make it go... and THEN take the plunge into investing in some for yourself. NOBODY CARES IF THE CATTLE ON YOUR PLACE ARE YOURS OR SOMEBODY ELSE'S. You're still the one working 'em, if that's what you want to be doing.
I do both, and have now for several years... not sure yet which way has more potential for "profit", but my overhead cost is definitely alot less when it's somebody else's cattle that I'm caring for. Nice part of my arrangement is that in spring when it gets muddy, we ship the cows off to his place for calving, and they come back when the grass comes in. If they're all yours, you don't necessarily have that "option".
