002.....Moving from 2 acres up north to 14 acres down south I'd like to give some points to consider, from my perspective at 56 and being down here a year.....in no particular order. 1. Consider if the new stead will be in a new state or region you may not be familiar with & learn about that area (climate, soil, micro climates, growing season, type of critters do well in that area). 2. Plan your dreams but be willing to adjust those dreams & be satisficed with that. 3. Steading is a living breathing thing. It's fluid & evolving. Don't get frustrated when you planned on building garden beds & the goat (aka drunk teenagers) get out or someone shows up to work on a project you asked them to get to 6 months ago. Breath, replan & go with it. 3. Give yourself a timeline goal for what you want to get done....but be willing to give yourself grace if it doesn't get done by the timeline. It's about moving forward not instant. 4. Make lists of what your goals are for stead, i.e. how much land, what animals, garden space, land layout (hilly, flat, water, wooded, etc.), and so forth. 5. I think, in my opinion, if it were me with a business (like yours) my first goal would be to acquire the property (if going with raw land) & get the business structure situated. That, to me would be most important so that I would be able to move the business, have an income (on property) & allow to work on other infrastructure in small increments. 7. MOST IMPORTATANT appreciate each step forward no matter how small. Each goal, or step towards a goal is an accomplishment. You can burnout if you beat yourself up, and want to give up, if you don't appreciate to forward movement. Wow. Sorry for being longwinded. So much I've learned moving to a property with structures but abandon for several years. 002, and others, you got this if you want it. Start where you are at. We learned to walk on step at a time & lots of falling......same for steading. God Bless!
It was the best thing we ever did. We grew as people and learned true hard work, especially since we welcomed our first kiddo about 2 years after starting, and then our second kiddo.. it is good for the soul to work hard and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
My "cheat code": We bought our 35 acre farm property 15 years ago and paid for it (almost done) with a good government contract job that kept me away until covid sent me home. Now, we're dreaming about developing the property we love and almost own outright. Feeling grateful. Finally about to do what we always dreamed of and why we bought it in the first place.
I'm a farmers wife of nearly 40 yrs(we mostly have grass fed beef & grow hay). My husband works off the farm Farm life can be stressful & costly. Were ready to sell our 130+ acres were in central WI.
Hi me and my wife are looking to purchase land in WI. We are in SE WI. Could we potentially have a conversation about how you got your land, and how much you’re looking to sell it for?
@@johnathanbedolla6428 we bought the land 16 yrs ago and are the sellers. We are open to selling the animals, hay, equipment separately. Were in Taylor co. We have 100+ Amish within 2+ miles of the farm...
We bought a homestead fairly close to husband's work. While he worked, I worked the homestead. It worked well and wish we did it way sooner and before we had children.
Was fun to see grandparents. I laughed when your "Experience" text switched to "Expirence." Great video. Recovering from natural disasters like tornadoes and floods can also be a challenge.
The most important thing to consider is time. Aust & Kay aren’t fresh out of school (tho Kay sure looks like she is!) & it’s taken them time to build up to where they are now, & even so they’re not farming on their own land. Anyone young selling this kind of story has either knuckled down and saved hard for several years, or has access to someone else’s money, or has bought a bargain & are living on a shoestring, or they’re selling you a fantasy. We all want everything right now, but you either have to wait (& learn) while you save or start small.
Thanks for taking the time out of your day to post bout your journey... So many people don't think about just watching your journey on your TH-cam channel. They want push button answers and refuse to take time to see the plethora of knowledge and experience one can obtain by subscribing and watching... P.s. if they can't see that you've earned that Grey in your beard.... screw em! Keep up the great work and a great channel. Purchased 10 acres myself and am doing a small scale homestead for my wife and I in rural western illinois. Just down the road from my son, Austin. Good luck to you and yours.. Thanks again for making something to help us who want to live in the here and now!
Surprisingly insightful. I usually watch these types videos to hear perspectives and dream, but I never thought of making chicken coops and selling them although I’m not on a farm, or learning to butcher from large cuts. Great video
I grew up in the city, but my father was raised on a large farm (cotton, cattle, timber, 13 kids). My mother was a 'city girl', but they had milk goats on the 2 acres in town. Both were in education, so we grew up with a garden in order to feed 4 kids. My mother's motto about the yard was that it either had to produce or be REALLY pretty. 2 pecans, english walnut, black walnut, pear, peaches, plums, figs, apples, blackberries, strawberries, grapes. She did allow for a Japanese maple, dogwood, and tulip magnolia. Back in the 60's-70's, we didn't have all the fancy equipment. We blanched and froze veggies (I was the one sucking the air out of the bags). My mother didn't can a lot, but we did make pickles, canned tomatoes, jelly, and a great pear relish. I always wanted to be able to get back to that. But being single, it takes a LOT of work. I had big dreams of making this bare 13 acre place a nice, almost homestead (still worked 35 years in an office). But reality sets in and it's hard to do it alone, and to keep things going in a 2 year drought (in Texas) and 100+ heat in summer. Then, last year, major health problem. Breast cancer. I am on the other side, but it is so discouraging to see how the place has deteriorated in the last 3 years. I had some major projects I wanted to do last year that got sidelined. I now have to hire help to do the larger projects that I used to be able to do myself. But my goal is to get the place to a position where it is easier to maintain, since I can't be out in the heat much. I will be installing an irrigation system in my raised bed garden this winter, so I don't have to worry about losing everything to heat and dryness. I am also planning on a shadecloth overhead to try and save the veggies from the scorching heat. But it's still hot here. Will be 97F on Thursday. Fall garden is going in now.
Kind of slow and steady. Bought 4 acres and house 2000. Started with garden, then added chickens then added goats. Our garden is in a good spot but goes into the goat field area so our pasture is funny shaped, harder to mow. We added orchard and expanded the garden. We want to add turkeys and ducks next year and cross fence our pastures. Age has a factor. My husband is a healthy 81 and I am 65. Hard work helps keep us active. but we have to be careful. 24 years on this land.
We sold our suburban townhome and bought a small house on 1 acre of land. Our cheat codes are #1 the property already had a pole barn with 3 stalls in good condition, #2 my husband works in residential construction so we owned saws and tools and the skill set to learn how build our chicken coop, duck house and raised garden beds along with fences. We started with chickens and immediately set up compost bins made from pallets. The following year we added turkeys and then ducks and 4 goats for milk and cheese. We also got a dog because we have coyotes, raccoons and possum in our neighborhood…we lost several turkeys due to raccoons breaking into our enclosures. I read a lot of homestead books, learned to process our chickens and turkeys, talk to experienced homesteaders and I sell my breads at a local farmers market for side income because homesteading is expensive.
My “cheat codes” for getting started homesteading were definitely the fact that our hay guy has been bartering with us, so we haven’t had to pay cash for hay. We also had family willing to help fund projects as long as they got something from that project in return (such as, helping pay for meat chicken feed and getting some chicken in return). My husband also has an amazing job working for a friend who is extremely flexible and we are able to have time to homestead along with making money.
Everyone has a cheat code 👏👏👏 Yes! We moved onto some property and thankfully it was around family who are all established large scale farmers. Of course we used their equipment and their knowledge. People so badly want to be self sufficient but it’s completely unrealistic you CANT do it all you need a community ❤.
Our "cheat code" was my husband's business.... he owns a tree company which means some equipment and all the firewood, logs, and wood chips we could want! It has been a huge help!
One caveat - Doing internet business or remote work means you need good, stable internet. That was one thing I noticed in looking at properties before the pandemic. Most places we looked at had lousy cellular signal and when asked they only had DSL or Verizon 5G based internet (with lousy signal)
I started back in 2006 by canning strawberry jam in a city apartment without any canning equipment, burning my fingers off. At best, the strawberries were bought at the farmers market but I am not even sure about that. Eighteen years later, I have an actual homestead and have spent the evening roasting and saucing many, many, many pounds of homegrown tomatillos and tomatoes. Things take time.
@@Homesteadyshow It's a loooooonnnnggg story. But I think the important thing for this discussion was that it wasn't all rooted in happinesses. I was massively overworked; my nutrition was poor; my partner of the time was also struggling. There was never a triumphant leave the city to go homestead moment. There was actually a lot of sadness that drove the transition towards a different life. And so actually doing more homesteading stuff was a way of slowly and surely getting better. And it eventually did turn into something amazing, with a family, that is still developing. If someone took a snapshot of today, they would think it was idyllic. But that is NOT how it started!
Y'all are so inspiring! Love your background, "Origin Story." We are much the same, and have become mortgage free, electricity bill free, 100% off grid in our 30's but it was a huge Quantum Leap. Great video!!!
My family just moved out to 5 acre to farmstead, as in the storage unit we filled to make our older property sell was just emptied. We have two adults working off site, I've been walking the property to figure out the winter housing for a mixed flock of duck, chickens, and guard goose we have at another farm. SIL is setting up the fiber/leather working studio, and we are working to set up the combine pantry and workshop. ('cuss I need to build winter poultry housing this week or so). Skills we have within our group. Refurbishing and off grid building (my dad and I) Cooking from scratch, food preservation (my SIL and I), Running a business (hubby and I) Back yard gardening, market garden, permaculture (SIL, nibbling, and I) Small animal (nibbling and I) Goats/sheep (BIL, and I ) Between everyone living on the property, we have all the basic skills practiced that we need and now we get to slowly put together the means to feed people.
I have to tell you that by the title of this video I thought you might have turned to the anti-homestead lifestyle, mainly because of your Alaska experience, and glad that it wasn't about that at all. It was a good video with a ton of good info for those just starting out of wanting to start someday.
My cheat code was I was raised by a back-to-the-land hippie (grew up homesteading b4 it was a thing lol) love the video! Glad you are being real. Long time viewer, now beginning TH-camr...not sure which one is harder....Homestead life, or TH-cam😂 ps...TOTALLY agree with ya on the goats!
We havent purchased our "homestead" yet, but I know that one of our cheat codes that will help is that my Husband works from home and I am a stay at home mom. We'll be able to be more active setting everything up once we find a property :)
I agree with Aust in the slow and steady approach. For me, I grew up in the country and only moved to the city for work. The recent pandemic helped me to realize that I wasn’t happy here, so made plans to move back home to the country. My mother advised me to work and save up as much money as possible then get a mortgage to help cover the cost of the land and building the house. I would like to get property near my parents place so I can be close by if something happens, but it’s not set in stone if they pass away before that happens. My parents also agree to keep an eye on the property as things are being build, allowing me to stay in the city longer and keep saving money. As for animals, my plan is to start with what I know since we had rabbits and chickens during my teen years. Once I have relearned how to care for those type of animals, I plan on moving up a size and possibly get a couple goats. Another thing to keep in mind is heating your property, so getting a few acres of forest to serve as a ‘woodlot’ will come in handy. At least that is my plan, not sure if it’s everyone’s. 😤 snicker, I would say not to get pigs Austin…instead of goats. We had pigs once and I swore never again. My plans for earning money won’t start until I get settled onto my ‘dream homestead’ and that is sell chicken eggs small scale and do as my parents did with the rabbits….sell some as pets and butcher the ones that don’t sell.
I do chickens, we also have milk goats, but mainly chickens are my passion. I love it. I wouldn't mind scaling up 4x or more (and we peak out around 400 or so already). I haven't quit my day job, but you better believe I absolutely will as soon as I can.
We sort of did a slow dive :) We're in our 4th year of homesteading in the Tennessee country and running a successful homestead business- mushroom farm. But, we started learning these skills years before making the move out of the suburbs of Nashville. We started buying food in bulk and cooking more from scratch. We started a backyard garden that grew each year. We started learning how to grow gourmet mushrooms and microgreens and sold them to friends and coworkers. Even when we moved to our property we took it slow and fixed up the house first before getting chickens a year later. I worked my full time job while my husband worked full time on our business and home renovations. With the lower cost of living in the country and the success of our small farm, I was able to go part-time at my job about a year ago. I look forward to being able to leave completely but in the meantime the reliable money is important. We now want to expand pretty much every aspect of what we're doing including adding more livestock. But trying to remember to keep it slow and steady. Great advice! Despite the no goats advice, we want goats to manage our wooded property. :)
LOVE seeing you all again!... Looking forward to your progress.. GOD bLess your family.. We have a small homestead on 19 acres in Sisters OR.....WE do all our hatching, births, growing, butcher, rendering /processing and packaging on property....
When we were shopping for our first house outside of a small city we took the time to check the various town and state permit, zoning, and land use restrictions. This helped find a small house on a couple of sunny acres that is zoned agricultural. Less restrictions makes it easier to homestead. My spouse still works full time and we are slowly building out our tiny farm to retire to. Since the plan is to age in place for many decades we chose to buy a small property closer to the small city and support local farms for the things we can't produce. For the last ten years we have built gardens, added infrastructure to grow more and more of our own food. It happens project by project when we have the funds and it does add up over time.
We are 2-3 years from retirement working at other jobs while trying to develop a homestead. It’s a lot of work for sure and going much slower than we’d like but…we’ll get there.
Great content, been dreaming of this lifestyle for 5 years. 1 more year to be debt free, then I'll make a move but still keep my very good paying day job. I've learned a lot, have a small garden, learned to can, freeze dry and have taken butchering classes at a small farm in another state. I'm a town person at heart but hate HOA's so I'm going to stick to a small homestead that can be a hobby in the next year or so but i think I'm going to find a rental or lease for short term and not lock myself into any long term commitments.
Hey Aust, great advise👍. I like your beard , dose Kay the clean shaven lover? You guys have learned alot and your still not where you want. I would say patiens are a vertue🤗 JO JO IN VT 💞
Luke 18:26-27 King James Version 26 And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? 27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Gods blessings over you .
I've been expanding slowly buying land around my house. Took 8 years to gather. I also learned how to fix old equipment so i have been gathering broken tractors implements and an excavator.
My cheat code? I was the fourth generation on our family 1200 acre wheat farm. My great grandparents started it. They used to harvest wheat with a 20 horse hitch. I have pics for proof! My life was in country and big city through the years. I have ended up in retirement on one acre, but in my 60s, female. Quite enough for me. Growing up on a farm definitely gives you a jump start, but there were many skills gaps I had to learn.
My cheat code was living on property already, and my dad has a tractor and is our neighbor. Also grew up with horses so I understood how to take care of animals.
We are spending our third summer in a 19ft motorhome, with an outdoor shower and a composting toilet, while we build a house on our acreage. We are middleaged now, this dream is 30 years in the making, so definitely slow and steady! 😂
Very slow here.. lol I bought and lived on my property 13 years before covid took my ladder climbing career and gave me time to plant gardens and get chickens. Now, I work from home and have meat rabbits, dexter cows, chickens, and lots of gardens growing medicinal plants, herbs, and veggies. Every year, I add a few more fruit trees to the orchard... just whatever is in our budget for that season.
If you are looking to homestead and grow a large percentage of your food learn various food preservation methods before you plant the large garden or acquire a lot of animals. It is easy to learn to do this in an apartment. If you have a long time line while you are saving for land you can take the time to find many of the tools you need second hand. You don't want to wait till you have a large harvest to deal with and not have the skills and tools to deal with it before it goes bad. One other things most video don't show is all the dishes and cleaning need to preserve food.
So we jumped fully in ... ish. We jumped in in terms of buying our property and building our home. But in terms of the homestead aspect we are taking it slow. Right now we are still working on water encatchment and prepping the land so we can start with chickens and a garden. From there we plan to build upon that but it's what is working for us as we're a multigenerational home and both my wife and I work full time (with no plans of stopping).
Cheat code: I work remotely and use my lunch hour and the short time I used to commute plus some Saturdays to work in my garden…that’s all you need to raise a lot of your own fruit and veg. Currently freeze most of it while I teach myself to can. We’re now looking at down sizing the house and up sizing the land…moving to a less expensive area for less money so I can retire at 62 without a mortgage. Then we can add chickens. Lord willing that’s the plan.
We both work full time jobs, and homestead. Everyone is always super interested, and excited about what we do, and say they too, want to do the same. I tell everyone how much work it is, how expensive it can be, and overwhelming it can be. We love it, but realize if someone really wants to do this, they'll do it despite our warnings.
Been gardening long enough to know that quitting my job would be a great way to not get to do what I want with homesteading. Gardening is probably my most expensive hobby still. I know you can do it cheap, but I'm not good at that.
I'm starting out at -$20k just to secure the land, you don't need a ton of money to get it done but it will make it easier. Still need a well and septic before I can even start living out there, but I'll get the money for it somehow some way even though it will cost more than what I spent on the 40 acres. People who can ask their parents for help are super lucky, wonder where I would be if I could have stayed employed from 2008 until now.
@@renahamilton5830 I’m sure they feed their animals grain. It romanticizes homesteading/farming to think their animals eat off the land. Farmers still give hay even though their animals eat grass. They give grain to milking livestock. It still is expensive. And he’s not just talking to people that are TH-camrs. He’s talking to the average person wanting to quit their jobs and homestead. I would love to not work off my farm but it’s not feasible for most people.
My cheat…I have a fantastic job that allows me to work from home but make a very, very good salary so we can afford to pay other people to do some of the big projects for us. I also grew up doing all of this stuff…while I hadn’t touched any of it for at least 20 years, I had the knowledge still sitting there so I am less afraid to take chances.
Some good advice. However, I don't think it is slow and steady all the time. Sometimes it is pedal to the metal. I have been on this property for 30 + years - bought it as a foreclosure as it had been abandoned. Fixed the house as it was unlivable and then started the property...Pedal to the metal. There are projects I wish I would have started earlier, keeping that momentum, because they would be done by now..but slow and steady equated to years of little to no progress. Working off the home to generate the income resulted in analysis paralysis and procrastination. There are days when I want to sell it all but when I think it through, despite the slow progress, I would not want to be anywhere else..I just wish I would have kept moving forward to keep the momentum going... because now, it can all be a bit overwhelming at times.
I want start homesteading, but nothing big, just tiny garden version: garden box planting and bunnies. Maybe chickens for eggs but definitely no big animals, no giant property, it is hard work and you will be tied to your home and never travel again unless you get home sitters.
What is a bit sad is these skill sets used to be a way of life for most. I grew up knowing how to garden, build, fish, etc. Problem was over the years overreach into peoples lives by outside entities really stifled all this and its easy to lose those skills when you dont use them on a daily basis, its ashame we've done this to people but Im glad people are talking about converting back. I feel all people should have survival skills, we are really hindered when we choose not to learn them. Today is harder to get there then 30 years ago, much more cost and restriction now plague those dreams.
My grandpa was a farmer. I grew up on the farm. He lost all his land and livestock and never really attempted to get it back. Last fall, i told him i missed the farm and that i wanted to learn to be a famer and start in town. Now i have 40+ chickens, a rooster and 6 meat rabbits and a 500-ish sq. Ft. Garden. The old man taught me what his dad taught him. That was my cheat code
We dove in. One person kept job and one worked the homestead. It overall worked. We studied for 12 years prior and had a decent idea how to get started. Added one animal group per every 6 months and never looked back. Built it all ourselves. Granted with today’s current prices it would be very hard! We grew up with zero experience and are 10+ years in and produce most of our essential food calories ourselves. This channel is very sweet but so many of the issues they have experienced could have been easily avoided. But we would never make it even still if one person didn’t have a good job. Maybe someday but not yet. And we have lots of additional family now helping out with proliferating this lifestyle.
We are moving closer to where the farms are while keeping our remote job and similar lifestyle. We will be adding fishing and gardening. Maybe get 1/3 acre or a bit more. Eventually some chickens. Just to be more resilient. I have to eat high protein (meat and eggs), high fat, low carb, low processed food for my chronic illness. I don't t think I can do much more than that.
Our cheat code is that I grew up on an 80 acre beef farm and inherited 10 acres. Set to inherit another 20. My “cinder block” is having a medically fragile child. We are making progress and leaning permaculture but it is slowwww
Ah, my cheat codes. Well, back in the late 80's, I moved back with my parents after college as I was in to horses and could not afford a place and keep them, AND be close to my job in the city. Plus, my Dad worked overseas, and Mom was happy to have company. Worked for all of us. I bought my land in 2006. Started to do some improvements (clear pines, add driveway, external fencing, electric, water, pole barn) in 2010. Got chickens at my parent's suburban place also in 2010 as a fly control measure for the horses. That's when I really got the bug. Didn't move up to my property until 2018. By that time, Mom had died of Multiple Myeloma, and Dad was adrift. So, we transitioned from me living with him to him living with me. It's still a work in progress. I can and do process chickens/turkeys and I've gotten in to goats for meat. I have a friend that raises pigs, so I get one from her every other year. Working my way (making decent pastures) up to getting a cow or two. The gardening has been my failure. I have a black thumb, but I'm working on it. Still. Really happy to live here, and even though my commute to my job is 75 miles each way (thank goodness for audiobooks!!!!), I'm working at it. Alone now, though, since Dad died last March. May not be a full homestead that does everything, but as long as I can supplement my foods with home raised and natural foodstuffs, I'll be happy. And, makes for a better retirement in 10 years.
Don't worry, We have a serious black thumb too. And remember, you don't have to do it all. There will always be people willing to trade and barter. Developing a good community around you can have just as much value as a good garden.
The water buffalo could be a co-op of groups of 40 for livelihood and nutrition from the dairy products! Kindly, share how to find a Murrah water buffalo.
Cool video great info. I live in Oregon and been homesteading for awhile. My problem is I’m getting close to retirement age. And can’t afford to retire in Oregon. So I’m buying land halfway across the country. And trying to build a new homestead for retirement. Any advice for building a long distance homestead? Thanks for any advice.
13 years ago in 2010 my parents and me moved from a neighborhood to my nana’s house, we lived in the house for 3 years, during that time i had chickens for eggs, after living at my nana’s house we moved to another neighborhood, whare my second batch of chickens got wiped out by predators, after that failure i tried owning rabbits and goats, that also failed, so a few years later we moved back to my nana’s house whare i tried again with livestock, chickens, ducks, turkeys, goats, miniature pigs and even horses all failed because of feed prices and predators and stress killing our poultry was too much to handle, now i have a predator proof chicken pin so nothing can get chickens hopefully, i’m designing composters shaped like cows that are solar-poweredand will function like earthworms do ( my worm ben failed too), i’m downsizing the horses this time and designing something resembling a butterscotch pony that was popular when i was a kid but it can walk arround and react to its enviroment, i have two watchgeese and hopefully these two projects work out wish me luck, also i might try goats again but i don’t know, maybe i’ll add robotic lawn mowers to my projects
Yes it's hard to butcher your first deer I hunted all my life with my father watched him clean gear all the time thought I knew everything when I went out hunting and found out I didn't The first Dear ever shot I cut the poop bag and what a stink And basically wrecked the deer if you've ever cut open a poop bag you would know once it comes contact with the meat the meat is actually no good it was a very small deer one that actually wasn't even supposed to shoot because the horns weren't even over an inch so all that hunting I did with my dad yes it helped me find deer and understand deer but he never made me clean a deer which was a big mistake on his part but you don't know that so every kid that I ever took hunting I made them clean all the animals we shot so that way they knew exactly what to do and I tell you some of the kids were pretty mad about it but imagine later on in their lives they were pretty happy I did that don't surely learn stuff until you do it yourself yes you can see it yes you can remember it but hands on is the best way to go
Our cheat code: I started a business that grew really fast. Started making good money. We used our small savings, net worth, and good credit to get a ridiculous interest rate on a VA loan when rates were at the lowest ever. The property we found had 5 outbuildings in addition to the house and garage. Bought a small tractor on an interest free loan promo. Started off at breakneck speed. Within 2 years we had meat and egg chickens, quail, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigs, and sheep. Year three we got cows. Year four we have a milk cow that’s giving milk and working livestock guardian dogs (in addition to our pet dogs). Our ultimate goal is to raise all our own food and completely cut out the food supply chain. We call it our “offchain” goal. We’re at 95% of that goal. All we need to do now is start making our own dairy products like butter and cheese and we’ll be done with the grocery store. We’re currently getting so many eggs we sell most of them. We sell extra milk. We eat only our own beef, pork (incl. bacon and ham), chicken, lamb, duck, and eggs, and milk. Fortunately, our entire family went carnivore (diet) at the beginning of ‘24, so that’s simplified our path to reaching our goal of being 100% offchain. We butcher all our own meat and sell butchery “lessons” that include a gift of the meat. We also have breeder pigs that produce steady crops of piglets we sell. In 2022-23 my business collapsed due to economic upheaval. Besides the little income we eke out from our homestead, I work getting jobs with my skills in landscaping and construction, building and selling fences, roadside egg stands, etc. It’s definitely been an adventure, and this higher risk lifestyle is one that causes me to really place my trust in the Lord’s ability to provide that daily bread we’re all supposed to be praying for. As if that’s not enough, we do all this on one income, homeschool, and homechurch. Lots of hats keep us busy, but we’re so happy and have no regrets.
hahahaha. HEY!! I love goats! And, after several years of raising and learning, I'm getting my first 2 processed next month. That result will decide if I'm going to be keeping my buck and staying with goats, or just letting him go and letting the rest just be pets. Seriously, it's been crazy hard to find goat meat to try out to see if I like it. My only options has been Korean BBQ, and the meat has been so seasoned and covered with sauce, I have no opinion. (same with gator meat - it's only fried around here, so I still have no idea how it tastes)
I will save money homesteading.... -> buys a 75k bobcat front loader, buys a bunch of construction tools, builds a chicken coop for $2000 despite eggs being $4 per dozen
Hello algorithm this is a good video.
Nice format bro, I liked the deep dive on one comment
Keep it up!
Shouts out accountant mike and he appears… creepy
002.....Moving from 2 acres up north to 14 acres down south I'd like to give some points to consider, from my perspective at 56 and being down here a year.....in no particular order. 1. Consider if the new stead will be in a new state or region you may not be familiar with & learn about that area (climate, soil, micro climates, growing season, type of critters do well in that area). 2. Plan your dreams but be willing to adjust those dreams & be satisficed with that. 3. Steading is a living breathing thing. It's fluid & evolving. Don't get frustrated when you planned on building garden beds & the goat (aka drunk teenagers) get out or someone shows up to work on a project you asked them to get to 6 months ago. Breath, replan & go with it. 3. Give yourself a timeline goal for what you want to get done....but be willing to give yourself grace if it doesn't get done by the timeline. It's about moving forward not instant. 4. Make lists of what your goals are for stead, i.e. how much land, what animals, garden space, land layout (hilly, flat, water, wooded, etc.), and so forth. 5. I think, in my opinion, if it were me with a business (like yours) my first goal would be to acquire the property (if going with raw land) & get the business structure situated. That, to me would be most important so that I would be able to move the business, have an income (on property) & allow to work on other infrastructure in small increments. 7. MOST IMPORTATANT appreciate each step forward no matter how small. Each goal, or step towards a goal is an accomplishment. You can burnout if you beat yourself up, and want to give up, if you don't appreciate to forward movement. Wow. Sorry for being longwinded. So much I've learned moving to a property with structures but abandon for several years. 002, and others, you got this if you want it. Start where you are at. We learned to walk on step at a time & lots of falling......same for steading. God Bless!
It was the best thing we ever did.
We grew as people and learned true hard work, especially since we welcomed our first kiddo about 2 years after starting, and then our second kiddo.. it is good for the soul to work hard and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
My "cheat code": We bought our 35 acre farm property 15 years ago and paid for it (almost done) with a good government contract job that kept me away until covid sent me home. Now, we're dreaming about developing the property we love and almost own outright. Feeling grateful. Finally about to do what we always dreamed of and why we bought it in the first place.
That’s so exciting!
I'm a farmers wife of nearly 40 yrs(we mostly have grass fed beef & grow hay). My husband works off the farm Farm life can be stressful & costly. Were ready to sell our 130+ acres were in central WI.
Hi me and my wife are looking to purchase land in WI. We are in SE WI. Could we potentially have a conversation about how you got your land, and how much you’re looking to sell it for?
@@johnathanbedolla6428 we bought the land 16 yrs ago and are the sellers. We are open to selling the animals, hay, equipment separately. Were in Taylor co. We have 100+ Amish within 2+ miles of the farm...
We bought a homestead fairly close to husband's work. While he worked, I worked the homestead. It worked well and wish we did it way sooner and before we had children.
Appreciate the realness on your channel
Was fun to see grandparents. I laughed when your "Experience" text switched to "Expirence." Great video. Recovering from natural disasters like tornadoes and floods can also be a challenge.
My cheat code? My mom was heavy into the "Back to the land" movement in the 70s and 80s.
The most important thing to consider is time. Aust & Kay aren’t fresh out of school (tho Kay sure looks like she is!) & it’s taken them time to build up to where they are now, & even so they’re not farming on their own land. Anyone young selling this kind of story has either knuckled down and saved hard for several years, or has access to someone else’s money, or has bought a bargain & are living on a shoestring, or they’re selling you a fantasy. We all want everything right now, but you either have to wait (& learn) while you save or start small.
Thanks for taking the time out of your day to post bout your journey...
So many people don't think about just watching your journey on your TH-cam channel. They want push button answers and refuse to take time to see the plethora of knowledge and experience one can obtain by subscribing and watching...
P.s. if they can't see that you've earned that Grey in your beard.... screw em!
Keep up the great work and a great channel.
Purchased 10 acres myself and am doing a small scale homestead for my wife and I in rural western illinois. Just down the road from my son, Austin.
Good luck to you and yours..
Thanks again for making something to help us who want to live in the here and now!
The beard is turning more grey each day 😂
😂 same here!@@Homesteadyshow
Surprisingly insightful. I usually watch these types videos to hear perspectives and dream, but I never thought of making chicken coops and selling them although I’m not on a farm, or learning to butcher from large cuts. Great video
It took us 11 years. We're in our 50's and just getting started. Keep dreaming, taking baby steps and you'll get there.
I grew up in the city, but my father was raised on a large farm (cotton, cattle, timber, 13 kids). My mother was a 'city girl', but they had milk goats on the 2 acres in town. Both were in education, so we grew up with a garden in order to feed 4 kids. My mother's motto about the yard was that it either had to produce or be REALLY pretty. 2 pecans, english walnut, black walnut, pear, peaches, plums, figs, apples, blackberries, strawberries, grapes. She did allow for a Japanese maple, dogwood, and tulip magnolia. Back in the 60's-70's, we didn't have all the fancy equipment. We blanched and froze veggies (I was the one sucking the air out of the bags). My mother didn't can a lot, but we did make pickles, canned tomatoes, jelly, and a great pear relish. I always wanted to be able to get back to that. But being single, it takes a LOT of work. I had big dreams of making this bare 13 acre place a nice, almost homestead (still worked 35 years in an office). But reality sets in and it's hard to do it alone, and to keep things going in a 2 year drought (in Texas) and 100+ heat in summer. Then, last year, major health problem. Breast cancer. I am on the other side, but it is so discouraging to see how the place has deteriorated in the last 3 years. I had some major projects I wanted to do last year that got sidelined. I now have to hire help to do the larger projects that I used to be able to do myself. But my goal is to get the place to a position where it is easier to maintain, since I can't be out in the heat much. I will be installing an irrigation system in my raised bed garden this winter, so I don't have to worry about losing everything to heat and dryness. I am also planning on a shadecloth overhead to try and save the veggies from the scorching heat. But it's still hot here. Will be 97F on Thursday. Fall garden is going in now.
I started with building a parrot cage in the city, graduating into 2x chicken coops with runs in the country.
Kind of slow and steady. Bought 4 acres and house 2000. Started with garden, then added chickens then added goats. Our garden is in a good spot but goes into the goat field area so our pasture is funny shaped, harder to mow. We added orchard and expanded the garden. We want to add turkeys and ducks next year and cross fence our pastures. Age has a factor. My husband is a healthy 81 and I am 65. Hard work helps keep us active. but we have to be careful. 24 years on this land.
I want to grow up to be just like you Austin.
We sold the house, bought 20 acres and dove right in the cheat code was staying at a motel for a couple of months during the first winter
Thank you so much for the shout and I'm so glad to hear you found our approach useful and hopefully other do too. Thanks again, really appreciate it 🌻
We sold our suburban townhome and bought a small house on 1 acre of land. Our cheat codes are #1 the property already had a pole barn with 3 stalls in good condition, #2 my husband works in residential construction so we owned saws and tools and the skill set to learn how build our chicken coop, duck house and raised garden beds along with fences. We started with chickens and immediately set up compost bins made from pallets. The following year we added turkeys and then ducks and 4 goats for milk and cheese. We also got a dog because we have coyotes, raccoons and possum in our neighborhood…we lost several turkeys due to raccoons breaking into our enclosures. I read a lot of homestead books, learned to process our chickens and turkeys, talk to experienced homesteaders and I sell my breads at a local farmers market for side income because homesteading is expensive.
My “cheat codes” for getting started homesteading were definitely the fact that our hay guy has been bartering with us, so we haven’t had to pay cash for hay. We also had family willing to help fund projects as long as they got something from that project in return (such as, helping pay for meat chicken feed and getting some chicken in return). My husband also has an amazing job working for a friend who is extremely flexible and we are able to have time to homestead along with making money.
Everyone has a cheat code 👏👏👏
Yes! We moved onto some property and thankfully it was around family who are all established large scale farmers. Of course we used their equipment and their knowledge. People so badly want to be self sufficient but it’s completely unrealistic you CANT do it all you need a community ❤.
Our "cheat code" was my husband's business.... he owns a tree company which means some equipment and all the firewood, logs, and wood chips we could want! It has been a huge help!
Oh yeah. So many woods chips.
One caveat - Doing internet business or remote work means you need good, stable internet. That was one thing I noticed in looking at properties before the pandemic. Most places we looked at had lousy cellular signal and when asked they only had DSL or Verizon 5G based internet (with lousy signal)
I started back in 2006 by canning strawberry jam in a city apartment without any canning equipment, burning my fingers off. At best, the strawberries were bought at the farmers market but I am not even sure about that. Eighteen years later, I have an actual homestead and have spent the evening roasting and saucing many, many, many pounds of homegrown tomatillos and tomatoes. Things take time.
🙌 yes! Id live to hear more of the story!
@@Homesteadyshow It's a loooooonnnnggg story. But I think the important thing for this discussion was that it wasn't all rooted in happinesses. I was massively overworked; my nutrition was poor; my partner of the time was also struggling. There was never a triumphant leave the city to go homestead moment. There was actually a lot of sadness that drove the transition towards a different life. And so actually doing more homesteading stuff was a way of slowly and surely getting better. And it eventually did turn into something amazing, with a family, that is still developing. If someone took a snapshot of today, they would think it was idyllic. But that is NOT how it started!
@@LittleKi1great honest story. Thank you for not sugarcoating it!
Y'all are so inspiring! Love your background, "Origin Story." We are much the same, and have become mortgage free, electricity bill free, 100% off grid in our 30's but it was a huge Quantum Leap. Great video!!!
My family just moved out to 5 acre to farmstead, as in the storage unit we filled to make our older property sell was just emptied. We have two adults working off site, I've been walking the property to figure out the winter housing for a mixed flock of duck, chickens, and guard goose we have at another farm. SIL is setting up the fiber/leather working studio, and we are working to set up the combine pantry and workshop. ('cuss I need to build winter poultry housing this week or so).
Skills we have within our group.
Refurbishing and off grid building (my dad and I)
Cooking from scratch, food preservation (my SIL and I),
Running a business (hubby and I)
Back yard gardening, market garden, permaculture (SIL, nibbling, and I)
Small animal (nibbling and I)
Goats/sheep (BIL, and I )
Between everyone living on the property, we have all the basic skills practiced that we need and now we get to slowly put together the means to feed people.
Well done! It looks like you put a lot of work into making this video.
Thanks! It was a lot of editing… glad it came across 😁
I have to tell you that by the title of this video I thought you might have turned to the anti-homestead lifestyle, mainly because of your Alaska experience, and glad that it wasn't about that at all. It was a good video with a ton of good info for those just starting out of wanting to start someday.
God bless yall
Great info and advice. Love how you shout out to other channels.
My cheat code was I was raised by a back-to-the-land hippie (grew up homesteading b4 it was a thing lol) love the video! Glad you are being real. Long time viewer, now beginning TH-camr...not sure which one is harder....Homestead life, or TH-cam😂 ps...TOTALLY agree with ya on the goats!
Words of wisdom and much patience! Does Kay ever do videos on her preserving of food or her garden? Thanks!
We havent purchased our "homestead" yet, but I know that one of our cheat codes that will help is that my Husband works from home and I am a stay at home mom. We'll be able to be more active setting everything up once we find a property :)
I ALWAYS enjoy your videos. They’re done so beautifully and are so inspiring. May God bless you and the growing family. 😁
I agree with Aust in the slow and steady approach.
For me, I grew up in the country and only moved to the city for work. The recent pandemic helped me to realize that I wasn’t happy here, so made plans to move back home to the country.
My mother advised me to work and save up as much money as possible then get a mortgage to help cover the cost of the land and building the house.
I would like to get property near my parents place so I can be close by if something happens, but it’s not set in stone if they pass away before that happens.
My parents also agree to keep an eye on the property as things are being build, allowing me to stay in the city longer and keep saving money.
As for animals, my plan is to start with what I know since we had rabbits and chickens during my teen years. Once I have relearned how to care for those type of animals, I plan on moving up a size and possibly get a couple goats.
Another thing to keep in mind is heating your property, so getting a few acres of forest to serve as a ‘woodlot’ will come in handy. At least that is my plan, not sure if it’s everyone’s.
😤 snicker, I would say not to get pigs Austin…instead of goats. We had pigs once and I swore never again.
My plans for earning money won’t start until I get settled onto my ‘dream homestead’ and that is sell chicken eggs small scale and do as my parents did with the rabbits….sell some as pets and butcher the ones that don’t sell.
Such good information. Thanks for the real deal life expperiences.
Another great video and storytelling. Thanks Aust!
I do chickens, we also have milk goats, but mainly chickens are my passion. I love it. I wouldn't mind scaling up 4x or more (and we peak out around 400 or so already). I haven't quit my day job, but you better believe I absolutely will as soon as I can.
Everybody loves a water Buffalo! Mine is fast but yours is slow!!! Lolololololol 😅😅😅😅😅😅
😂 this was the comment that needed to be made!
We sort of did a slow dive :) We're in our 4th year of homesteading in the Tennessee country and running a successful homestead business- mushroom farm. But, we started learning these skills years before making the move out of the suburbs of Nashville. We started buying food in bulk and cooking more from scratch. We started a backyard garden that grew each year. We started learning how to grow gourmet mushrooms and microgreens and sold them to friends and coworkers. Even when we moved to our property we took it slow and fixed up the house first before getting chickens a year later. I worked my full time job while my husband worked full time on our business and home renovations. With the lower cost of living in the country and the success of our small farm, I was able to go part-time at my job about a year ago. I look forward to being able to leave completely but in the meantime the reliable money is important. We now want to expand pretty much every aspect of what we're doing including adding more livestock. But trying to remember to keep it slow and steady. Great advice! Despite the no goats advice, we want goats to manage our wooded property. :)
LOVE seeing you all again!... Looking forward to your progress.. GOD bLess your family.. We have a small homestead on 19 acres in Sisters OR.....WE do all our hatching, births, growing, butcher, rendering /processing and packaging on property....
When we were shopping for our first house outside of a small city we took the time to check the various town and state permit, zoning, and land use restrictions. This helped find a small house on a couple of sunny acres that is zoned agricultural. Less restrictions makes it easier to homestead. My spouse still works full time and we are slowly building out our tiny farm to retire to. Since the plan is to age in place for many decades we chose to buy a small property closer to the small city and support local farms for the things we can't produce. For the last ten years we have built gardens, added infrastructure to grow more and more of our own food. It happens project by project when we have the funds and it does add up over time.
We are 2-3 years from retirement working at other jobs while trying to develop a homestead. It’s a lot of work for sure and going much slower than we’d like but…we’ll get there.
Great content, been dreaming of this lifestyle for 5 years. 1 more year to be debt free, then I'll make a move but still keep my very good paying day job. I've learned a lot, have a small garden, learned to can, freeze dry and have taken butchering classes at a small farm in another state. I'm a town person at heart but hate HOA's so I'm going to stick to a small homestead that can be a hobby in the next year or so but i think I'm going to find a rental or lease for short term and not lock myself into any long term commitments.
Hey Aust, great advise👍.
I like your beard , dose Kay the clean shaven lover?
You guys have learned alot and your still not where you want. I would say patiens are a vertue🤗
JO JO IN VT 💞
Luke 18:26-27
King James Version
26 And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?
27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Gods blessings over you .
Great advice !
Good advice.....
I've been expanding slowly buying land around my house. Took 8 years to gather. I also learned how to fix old equipment so i have been gathering broken tractors implements and an excavator.
My cheat code? I was the fourth generation on our family 1200 acre wheat farm. My great grandparents started it. They used to harvest wheat with a 20 horse hitch. I have pics for proof!
My life was in country and big city through the years. I have ended up in retirement on one acre, but in my 60s, female. Quite enough for me.
Growing up on a farm definitely gives you a jump start, but there were many skills gaps I had to learn.
What a place to grow up! Soo awesome
@@Homesteadyshow Thanks! Yes, it was. 🙂
My cheat code was living on property already, and my dad has a tractor and is our neighbor. Also grew up with horses so I understood how to take care of animals.
We are spending our third summer in a 19ft motorhome, with an outdoor shower and a composting toilet, while we build a house on our acreage. We are middleaged now, this dream is 30 years in the making, so definitely slow and steady! 😂
Very slow here.. lol I bought and lived on my property 13 years before covid took my ladder climbing career and gave me time to plant gardens and get chickens. Now, I work from home and have meat rabbits, dexter cows, chickens, and lots of gardens growing medicinal plants, herbs, and veggies. Every year, I add a few more fruit trees to the orchard... just whatever is in our budget for that season.
If you are looking to homestead and grow a large percentage of your food learn various food preservation methods before you plant the large garden or acquire a lot of animals. It is easy to learn to do this in an apartment. If you have a long time line while you are saving for land you can take the time to find many of the tools you need second hand. You don't want to wait till you have a large harvest to deal with and not have the skills and tools to deal with it before it goes bad. One other things most video don't show is all the dishes and cleaning need to preserve food.
We are jumping in but im going part time to run it and my wife if keeping her well paid job until its all set up then reassess at that point
I was gifted 20 acres. So I am one step closer to my homestead.
That’s incredible!
Cheat code: for us was having a family cottage. We started by collecting maple syrup with the few trees around the property
Nice! Starting with some structure, even small, is awesome!
I love the old episodes from back in the day.😊 not to say I’m not excited about what happens with Sunny Mountain.
So we jumped fully in ... ish. We jumped in in terms of buying our property and building our home. But in terms of the homestead aspect we are taking it slow. Right now we are still working on water encatchment and prepping the land so we can start with chickens and a garden. From there we plan to build upon that but it's what is working for us as we're a multigenerational home and both my wife and I work full time (with no plans of stopping).
Cheat code: I work remotely and use my lunch hour and the short time I used to commute plus some Saturdays to work in my garden…that’s all you need to raise a lot of your own fruit and veg. Currently freeze most of it while I teach myself to can. We’re now looking at down sizing the house and up sizing the land…moving to a less expensive area for less money so I can retire at 62 without a mortgage. Then we can add chickens. Lord willing that’s the plan.
We both work full time jobs, and homestead. Everyone is always super interested, and excited about what we do, and say they too, want to do the same. I tell everyone how much work it is, how expensive it can be, and overwhelming it can be. We love it, but realize if someone really wants to do this, they'll do it despite our warnings.
Been gardening long enough to know that quitting my job would be a great way to not get to do what I want with homesteading. Gardening is probably my most expensive hobby still. I know you can do it cheap, but I'm not good at that.
I'm starting out at -$20k just to secure the land, you don't need a ton of money to get it done but it will make it easier. Still need a well and septic before I can even start living out there, but I'll get the money for it somehow some way even though it will cost more than what I spent on the 40 acres. People who can ask their parents for help are super lucky, wonder where I would be if I could have stayed employed from 2008 until now.
i sold my house and bought land to homestead...but i definitely didn't quit my job. How are you going to feed all those animals?? 🤣🤣
That is a very good point!
They make money from TH-cam and from other sources. Also, their animals are mostly eating off the land- pastures. 😊
@@renahamilton5830 I’m sure they feed their animals grain. It romanticizes homesteading/farming to think their animals eat off the land. Farmers still give hay even though their animals eat grass. They give grain to milking livestock. It still is expensive. And he’s not just talking to people that are TH-camrs. He’s talking to the average person wanting to quit their jobs and homestead. I would love to not work off my farm but it’s not feasible for most people.
Being prepared isn't cheating. Good luck favors the prepared. Truth.
My cheat…I have a fantastic job that allows me to work from home but make a very, very good salary so we can afford to pay other people to do some of the big projects for us. I also grew up doing all of this stuff…while I hadn’t touched any of it for at least 20 years, I had the knowledge still sitting there so I am less afraid to take chances.
Some good advice. However, I don't think it is slow and steady all the time. Sometimes it is pedal to the metal. I have been on this property for 30 + years - bought it as a foreclosure as it had been abandoned. Fixed the house as it was unlivable and then started the property...Pedal to the metal. There are projects I wish I would have started earlier, keeping that momentum, because they would be done by now..but slow and steady equated to years of little to no progress. Working off the home to generate the income resulted in analysis paralysis and procrastination. There are days when I want to sell it all but when I think it through, despite the slow progress, I would not want to be anywhere else..I just wish I would have kept moving forward to keep the momentum going... because now, it can all be a bit overwhelming at times.
I want start homesteading, but nothing big, just tiny garden version: garden box planting and bunnies. Maybe chickens for eggs but definitely no big animals, no giant property, it is hard work and you will be tied to your home and never travel again unless you get home sitters.
What is a bit sad is these skill sets used to be a way of life for most. I grew up knowing how to garden, build, fish, etc. Problem was over the years overreach into peoples lives by outside entities really stifled all this and its easy to lose those skills when you dont use them on a daily basis, its ashame we've done this to people but Im glad people are talking about converting back. I feel all people should have survival skills, we are really hindered when we choose not to learn them. Today is harder to get there then 30 years ago, much more cost and restriction now plague those dreams.
Pps....totally jelly of the water buffalo....and thought you'd not mind another comment ;)
My grandpa was a farmer. I grew up on the farm. He lost all his land and livestock and never really attempted to get it back. Last fall, i told him i missed the farm and that i wanted to learn to be a famer and start in town. Now i have 40+ chickens, a rooster and 6 meat rabbits and a 500-ish sq. Ft. Garden. The old man taught me what his dad taught him. That was my cheat code
Go help with Habitat for Humanity to learn, buy jars and lids and go to a farmers market (or grocery store) and can what you buy.
We dove in.
One person kept job and one worked the homestead. It overall worked. We studied for 12 years prior and had a decent idea how to get started. Added one animal group per every 6 months and never looked back. Built it all ourselves.
Granted with today’s current prices it would be very hard!
We grew up with zero experience and are 10+ years in and produce most of our essential food calories ourselves.
This channel is very sweet but so many of the issues they have experienced could have been easily avoided.
But we would never make it even still if one person didn’t have a good job.
Maybe someday but not yet. And we have lots of additional family now helping out with proliferating this lifestyle.
The issues we have experienced made us who we are today, I’m ok with that 👍
Point made was missed but whatever
And yes… everyone’s experiences work towards making them who they are
We are moving closer to where the farms are while keeping our remote job and similar lifestyle. We will be adding fishing and gardening. Maybe get 1/3 acre or a bit more. Eventually some chickens. Just to be more resilient. I have to eat high protein (meat and eggs), high fat, low carb, low processed food for my chronic illness. I don't t think I can do much more than that.
I work four ten hour days, that gives me 3 days a week off. It is super helpful.
Update i got the chicks in this morning, now to make my cow shaped food processors and horses and maybe some sheep lawn mowers
Our cheat code is that I grew up on an 80 acre beef farm and inherited 10 acres. Set to inherit another 20. My “cinder block” is having a medically fragile child. We are making progress and leaning permaculture but it is slowwww
I have had medically fragile children. It’s hard, but so much better for the kiddos’ health:).
You say: 'Take advantage if your cheat-code.' Call it an advantage-code, keep it positive..
Ah, my cheat codes. Well, back in the late 80's, I moved back with my parents after college as I was in to horses and could not afford a place and keep them, AND be close to my job in the city. Plus, my Dad worked overseas, and Mom was happy to have company. Worked for all of us. I bought my land in 2006. Started to do some improvements (clear pines, add driveway, external fencing, electric, water, pole barn) in 2010. Got chickens at my parent's suburban place also in 2010 as a fly control measure for the horses. That's when I really got the bug.
Didn't move up to my property until 2018. By that time, Mom had died of Multiple Myeloma, and Dad was adrift. So, we transitioned from me living with him to him living with me. It's still a work in progress. I can and do process chickens/turkeys and I've gotten in to goats for meat. I have a friend that raises pigs, so I get one from her every other year. Working my way (making decent pastures) up to getting a cow or two.
The gardening has been my failure. I have a black thumb, but I'm working on it. Still. Really happy to live here, and even though my commute to my job is 75 miles each way (thank goodness for audiobooks!!!!), I'm working at it. Alone now, though, since Dad died last March. May not be a full homestead that does everything, but as long as I can supplement my foods with home raised and natural foodstuffs, I'll be happy. And, makes for a better retirement in 10 years.
Don't worry, We have a serious black thumb too. And remember, you don't have to do it all. There will always be people willing to trade and barter. Developing a good community around you can have just as much value as a good garden.
I didn’t know I wanted some water buffalos, but now I do!
😄
The water buffalo could be a co-op of groups of 40 for livelihood and nutrition from the dairy products!
Kindly, share how to find a Murrah water buffalo.
Quitting your job = Not very smart in today's economy,
My question is where did you get a water buffalo?
Cool video great info. I live in Oregon and been homesteading for awhile. My problem is I’m getting close to retirement age. And can’t afford to retire in Oregon. So I’m buying land halfway across the country. And trying to build a new homestead for retirement. Any advice for building a long distance homestead? Thanks for any advice.
13 years ago in 2010 my parents and me moved from a neighborhood to my nana’s house, we lived in the house for 3 years, during that time i had chickens for eggs, after living at my nana’s house we moved to another neighborhood, whare my second batch of chickens got wiped out by predators, after that failure i tried owning rabbits and goats, that also failed, so a few years later we moved back to my nana’s house whare i tried again with livestock, chickens, ducks, turkeys, goats, miniature pigs and even horses all failed because of feed prices and predators and stress killing our poultry was too much to handle, now i have a predator proof chicken pin so nothing can get chickens hopefully, i’m designing composters shaped like cows that are solar-poweredand will function like earthworms do ( my worm ben failed too), i’m downsizing the horses this time and designing something resembling a butterscotch pony that was popular when i was a kid but it can walk arround and react to its enviroment, i have two watchgeese and hopefully these two projects work out wish me luck, also i might try goats again but i don’t know, maybe i’ll add robotic lawn mowers to my projects
Yes it's hard to butcher your first deer I hunted all my life with my father watched him clean gear all the time thought I knew everything when I went out hunting and found out I didn't The first Dear ever shot I cut the poop bag and what a stink And basically wrecked the deer if you've ever cut open a poop bag you would know once it comes contact with the meat the meat is actually no good it was a very small deer one that actually wasn't even supposed to shoot because the horns weren't even over an inch so all that hunting I did with my dad yes it helped me find deer and understand deer but he never made me clean a deer which was a big mistake on his part but you don't know that so every kid that I ever took hunting I made them clean all the animals we shot so that way they knew exactly what to do and I tell you some of the kids were pretty mad about it but imagine later on in their lives they were pretty happy I did that don't surely learn stuff until you do it yourself yes you can see it yes you can remember it but hands on is the best way to go
Can't beat hands on learning! That is for sure!
My husband and I homestead but both keep our jobs for secure funds and medical insurance.
Just wanna quit everything no plans after that
Our cheat code: I started a business that grew really fast. Started making good money. We used our small savings, net worth, and good credit to get a ridiculous interest rate on a VA loan when rates were at the lowest ever. The property we found had 5 outbuildings in addition to the house and garage. Bought a small tractor on an interest free loan promo. Started off at breakneck speed. Within 2 years we had meat and egg chickens, quail, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigs, and sheep. Year three we got cows. Year four we have a milk cow that’s giving milk and working livestock guardian dogs (in addition to our pet dogs). Our ultimate goal is to raise all our own food and completely cut out the food supply chain. We call it our “offchain” goal. We’re at 95% of that goal. All we need to do now is start making our own dairy products like butter and cheese and we’ll be done with the grocery store. We’re currently getting so many eggs we sell most of them. We sell extra milk. We eat only our own beef, pork (incl. bacon and ham), chicken, lamb, duck, and eggs, and milk. Fortunately, our entire family went carnivore (diet) at the beginning of ‘24, so that’s simplified our path to reaching our goal of being 100% offchain. We butcher all our own meat and sell butchery “lessons” that include a gift of the meat. We also have breeder pigs that produce steady crops of piglets we sell. In 2022-23 my business collapsed due to economic upheaval. Besides the little income we eke out from our homestead, I work getting jobs with my skills in landscaping and construction, building and selling fences, roadside egg stands, etc. It’s definitely been an adventure, and this higher risk lifestyle is one that causes me to really place my trust in the Lord’s ability to provide that daily bread we’re all supposed to be praying for. As if that’s not enough, we do all this on one income, homeschool, and homechurch. Lots of hats keep us busy, but we’re so happy and have no regrets.
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it actually costs more to start a homestead than to just live a normal lifestyle
But I do want water buffalos. I really do.
My favorite part of the whole video is the buck putting in his two cents worth.. Pfffft! 😅
My cheat code: I have a wife who's a veterinarian with livestock experience, big chest code when it comes to large animals
hahahaha. HEY!! I love goats! And, after several years of raising and learning, I'm getting my first 2 processed next month. That result will decide if I'm going to be keeping my buck and staying with goats, or just letting him go and letting the rest just be pets. Seriously, it's been crazy hard to find goat meat to try out to see if I like it. My only options has been Korean BBQ, and the meat has been so seasoned and covered with sauce, I have no opinion. (same with gator meat - it's only fried around here, so I still have no idea how it tastes)
I like goat. Not goats. Goat. 😂
The poll: fourth bar should have said 'faster' not 'slower'. Now you don't get all the answers right..
I will save money homesteading.... -> buys a 75k bobcat front loader, buys a bunch of construction tools, builds a chicken coop for $2000 despite eggs being $4 per dozen
we need the mustach back!
No. No we don't.