Note: See the updated post on investing in cows.
I decided to invest in a cow back in 2016 and wow, what a great investment it’s been. This is not sponsored in any way.
Note that I am no longer invested in Livestock Wealth – see the latest update at the end of this post.
How I got to invest in a cow
I can’t actually remember how I first heard about Livestock Wealth but I remember really loving the concept. Investing in livestock is an age old practice in Africa and often done in a communal way. It’s really expensive to own and run a farm and herd, so coming to some sort of agreement with friends, family or neighbours is quite a common practice. In fact whole villages can farm communally. Sharing the expenses as well as the fortunes is a great way to limit risk as well as to make it affordable for people to start investing in cattle.
I’ve heard of farming communities before that allow outsiders to buy a cow, essentially to invest in a cow, which they look after in return for the first calf (or some other payment form). I have often been tempted to buy-in but have been nervous of the accountability of the farmers as well as how events such as theft or death of the cow would be dealt with. These communal farming schemes have always seemed a bit risky and seem to work on the “handshake-agreement” which is strange when you don’t have any personal relationship with the parties involved.
Livestock Wealth is different
Livestock Wealth is a structured, tech-savvy and award-winning crowdfunding farm. That sounds like a mouthful but after reading everything on their website, calling their office and then discussing this with two trusted friends I decided to buy a cow! I’m generally risk-adverse but feel that there’s no more risk in this than most other investments. I also like this as it helps in diversifying my investments, support local entrepreneurs, and it is so far proving to be a great investment.
Who would have thought that owning a cow could turn out to be so easy and such a great investment?
How my cow investment works
NB: See the edit at the end of the post. I am an “old” investor and the model has changed for new investors.
I’m just going to give the summarised explanation of how it works along with my actual investment figures. You can obviously go through their website for more info. This is based on 2016 and the new investment structure is detailed at the end of the post.
The basic idea is that you buy a cow and pay annual fees for the farming expenses. You also pay for annual insurance which covers the loss of the cow in various events. Your cow then happily goes about life and should produce a calf each year. Not all cows produce a calf though and sometimes calves may die, so to average things out all calves on your farm are sold and the dividends split between all owners.
So really, in simple terms, you buy a cow and pay for someone to look after it. And when it produces a calf you get the income from the sale of it. When your cow grows old or dies, it is replaced with a new one. Your investment is the actual cow. It’s an asset that you can resell it at any time for a market-related price, and the value of a cow increases each year as the cost of meat increases. And you receive a payout each year from the sale of your calf. So, to invest in a cow actually makes sense.
The details of my investment (as at 2018)
Something which makes this quite different form a usual investment is that you need to pay fees twice a year and receive a payout once a year. Your money doesn’t simply grow each month but rather there’s an outlay of money and then income and then more expenses. It can feel as though you’re not making any money but to avoid this feeling and to keep my cash flow stable I keep the payout money aside in a separate savings pocket and use it to fund the upcoming expenses.
Let’s look at my actual figures. You need to remember that within a 12 month period you will pay insurance fees as well as farming fees and you will have one income from the proceeds of the auction of calves.
If you look below, I bought my cow in August 2016 for R11,675 and the value of the cow in December 2017 was R13,250. I’ve also included the farming fees which will be payable in August and I’ve assumed an 8% increase from last year. Of course I don’t actually know the true cost right now but I need to consider this expense to get a proper overview of my investment.
Note: The cow is currently worth R18,800 (as at November 2020)
Over the past two years the growth in my investment is 15% per year which really isn’t bad! I have done this calculation over a complete 2 year period but there are two unknown values which will affect the final figure. I will update this soon.
What I think about my investment
Firstly, the value of my cow is what was given to me in December 2017 and my calculation is actually based on August 2018 figures. The value of my cow is most likely higher than shown. Secondly, I’m not totally sure of the farming fees due in August.
I could possibly earn more if I invest in shares or unit trusts, but I’m pretty happy having this as part of my portfolio. It’s a very novel and unique investment which provides jobs and much needed agricultural support and in the country. It’s a feel-good investment to me where real people are benefiting as opposed to large corporations. And, I’m quite happy with a 15% growth so far!
If you’re interested in investing maybe you can look at how I use my home loan as a savings account and earn over 10% interest (guaranteed!)
How to invest in a cow
The Livestock Wealth website has all the info you need and their staff are very friendly and helpful. As mentioned at the beginning of the post, I’m not being paid to write this, it’s genuinely something I’ve invested in. If you’re interested and happen to contact Livestock Wealth, please let them know where you read about this. Either give the name of my blog (Take Charge of Your Money) or my name (Brendan Dale).
IMPORTANT EDIT – November 2020
I’ve had many queries about this post and contacted Livestock Wealth for clarity.
The model explained above is no longer available for new investors.
The new model is far easier and works in a way that is similar to that of a fixed deposit in a bank. Basically, you can either invest in a free range ox at R11,529 for a 6 month period, or invest in a pregnant cow at R18730 for a 12 month period. Your earnings on the ox will be between 5% – 7% and the earnings on the pregnant cow between 10% – 14%. After the 6 or 12 month period, you can choose to withdraw your money or simply reinvest.
They have also introduced other investment options for Macadamia trees and Connected gardens. These are really great investment options as they directly affect communities and contribute to the growth of the economy.
If you contact Livestock Wealth please let them know that you read my blog post. This is not a sponsored post and there is nothing in it for me. Just nice if they hear where people find out about them. Remember to ask questions and be sure to understand the details. What you’re paying, how it works, and what returns you can expect.
Happy cow farming!
I am no longer invested – April 2021
To keep things transparent I need to share that I am no longer invested in a cow with Livestock Wealth. This isn’t a Livestock Wealth review, rather just a personal experience.
As I was invested on an “old investment model”, Livestock Wealth made some changes on my account without sending any communication to me. I saw that I had a positive balance in my account and withdrew it thinking that it was a dividend payout as usual. However, this was my initial investment less expenses for the year. By withdrawing the money, I essentially disinvested from Livestick Wealth and no longer have a cow.
What does this mean? Well, Livestock Wealth is a great company and they offered a great investment. They stuck to their promise and paid good dividends. It was unfortunately only due to poor communication and customer service on their side that I am no longer invested.