My mother saved the whey from cheese making and soaked the poultry grain in it ......lt tripled the bulk of feed reducing the amount used and made it super digestible plus increased vitamins and minerals . Poultry thrived and we saved on feed costs all from a waste product.
i wouldnt bother with a single milk cow, not worth the effort or money. better to raise steers, you can get some as low as 500$ or less and just feed it all year and sell it, make double back just about
If you collect the manure, and put it in an area where the chickens and otherbirds can get to it, the manure will draw insects that the birds eat. There is a new concept I saw where an area was given to buffalo to live, then they brought in goats to eat the weeds grwon from the buffalo manure, then chickens to eat the bugs and weeds that still come from the manure. Circle of cow patties.
You need to factor in that your cow will be dry at some point in time between calves, but then also realize that you will be able to raise a bull calf on her for your own beef, more than one if you wean her calf and buy another calf to put on her. My holstein/jersey cross raised 2 calves each year and still gave me 6 gals of milk to give away (I can't legally sell it). That was before I knew how to make my own sour cream, cheese and yogurt though.
That's what I was going to add too. A cow needs time between milking and calving. Not to mention Vet costs, which need to be a factor just like car maintenance, it's part of the cost. Breeding takes time and sometimes costs.
@@thaboomer53 , yes, our milk lady's jersey is fixing to calve out and she is letting her dry up...we have to drive farther to get our raw milk until she is back again...couple months out..but if I am correct, milk freezes well...
@@thaboomer53 , yes on the barter...we have more eggs than we can eat...our milk lady goes to Dallas and Houston once a month with eggs...sometimes she comes up short and I trade eggs for milk...always a way.
They forgot the dry time of the cow they will need to buy milk and bag balm teat dip cost of breeding that is just a few things that they forgot to add to the nerdy math oops.
It’s $8 here a gallon as well and that’s selling it as pet food. They may up their price a bit when they figure in other costs such as vet bills, annual shots, deworming ,hoof care or even mastitis strips. I think they may end up graining her more especially if she’s going to be eating mostly hay as her body score will start dropping without it. Unless they have super high quality hay. I’m so excited for them for getting a cow. Wish I were closer to lend a hand.
@@tammyvaughn6039 my Ex raised Longhorns and to keep the weights up he fed cotton seed which is 20% protein thsts how he got the weights up. I've been researching how to do things to build my own place. Idk yet where it will be located? I'm currently in Texas tho. I need to look up a few answers to questions. Idk if its possible to sell raw milk specifically relating to liability issues towards insurance too.
You guys are my favorite homesteading youtubers. You walk the walk. You aren't travelling all around going to ridiculous numbers of conferences or planning events. You have honed your skills at living sustainably and put out good useful content and sell quality homemade products locally. You are also doing it yourselves. You aren't employing regular help or using "volunteers". You are showing how regular people get it done. Bravo!
love the shirt Kevin. Importing, Exporting gotta love Seinfeld. The one price you didn't mention was, raw milk and the foods that you will make from it, that is drug free, full of vitamins and minerals. The cost savings of not going to the doctors and drug store to cure the illness that store bought dairy will give you. Priceless!!
@@rayray8687 you could I suppose, skim milk is a byproduct of making heavy cream. Not an expert on milking but I do know lots of people feed the skim back to hogs. They say nothing fattens them up quicker!
The Able Farmer: Both milk and cream come from a cows utter simultaneously at milking but the cream being very fatty and therefore lighter separates out and rises to the top of the container. In small quantities it is removed by skimming it off with a ladle, the result being skimmed milk and pure cream. In large operations it is separated by a centrifugal device called a separator (something like a salad spinner). Anyway, lots of people drink skim(ed) milk to reduce the fat content and still get the other nutrients. Others prefer 1%, 2% or 4% which are all created by adding back the appropriate amount of cream and then homogenizing the mixture in a high speed blender so it won’t separate again. All to keep the hogs fat and the people skinny, lol.
hollie nguyen: Thanks. I checked it out. He says they make cottage cheese out of some of the skimmed milk and feed the leftover amount to the pigs. I presume the cottage cheese is for human consumption?
A couple of costs you might need to also consider.... Breeding costs (usually AI) are variable according to area (it's about $100 for me). And I would definitely pad in a bit for vet visits, medicines, etc. ($300 is about what I spend a year for 4-5 cattle). Also, do remember the dry time (around 60 days). Your rations might be a little low. A typical scoop of alfalfa pellets is usually around 3lbs. So you could almost go through a bag of alfalfa pellets a week milking twice a day and just giving one scoop of alfalfa. It'll really depend on the quality of your hay! A trick I've learned is NOT to ask for cow hay when you have dairy cows. Ask for horse quality hay. Also, I have one cow who handles the cubes just fine, and one who chokes on them. After a VERY scary incident, the cubes have been banned here at our place. I'm super excited to see Hope settle into your place!!
Homemade yogurt, all kinds of farmer's cheeses, a sweet cow to have as a pet, manure for compost, babies for joy, but how will she continue to produce babies? Do you have a friendly bull nearby? Our cow used to jump the back fence every year and be gone just that one day and return bred! Every year we had a baby to raise for beef and we never knew how it was happening until finally we saw her jump the fence. Our Molly was the best cow ever! Hope your Hope will be the same for you.
Our family cow does not save us money. However she does balance the equation by giving us truly healthy milk. We make butter and sour cream and yogurt. I have not mastered making the cheddar cheeses. The dairy at Walmart is far cheaper. The key is the quality of what we get. With the calf we had nursing her producing beef [after 2 years] the cow is very much worth it. I consider it a Value Added investment.
Hi Kevin and Sarah, I love watching your adventures! When we had farm animals, I found it important to have a separate "Vet Expense" savings account. I like to keep quite a lot of money in there - cause "stupid stuff just happens with animals" ! Much love to you all!
sarah bierman: They forgot, or more correctly do not know, a lot of things that will result in a large dead loss. But if they’re having fun and don’t mind quadrupling their dairy bill and labor, then I guess they should go for it. They seem to be quite well off financially and very happy in fantasyland.
When it comes to livestock you generally don't have much of a vet bill. You do your immunizations yourself with supplies you get at the feed store. And I can guarantee you there one cow is gonna produce at least 4 times what they will ever consume
You can only calculate selling milk for 9 months. You have to freshen your cow every year and you have to stop milking and dry them up 2 to 3 months before they calve and then you have to wait after the calf is born to clear the colostrum. And this is your break from milking everyday if only milking one cow.
Diane is correct. Also,The colostrum is a necessity for a healthy calf . It contains antibodies and immunity for developing calves . They must also get the colostrum in their belly within the first 24 hrs of life in order to be effective. We can tell the difference in twin calves as to who got the colostrum . If you have a lot of green grass like in the Spring., she will need the right minerals or might could develop grass tetany and die. Heavy milkers will do that without the right minerals. We offer granulated minerals and salt at all times. I have seen tetany here on our farm although a rarity we must be vigilant or it develops quickly .( We have about 200 Angus cows and their calves are born in the Fall ). Our vet comes and does some vaccines and health checks and we do some.( A vet road trip here is $60 - then plus what ever needs doing) . . To produce good milk and a nice healthy cow needs a balanced feed program . In the winter our cows get a certain amount of protein and such every day. The hay is mostly a filler and does help produce heat for warmth but again a good feed program is a necessity. Check on range cubes . we don't use them but know people that do.. ( we mix our own feed ) Good Luck .
I agree with Sarah Bierman. Vet bills add up fast. For example, It isn't rare or unusual for a cow to have problems calving. The vet has to come out and the bills pile up.
Y'all are doing what I was raised doing(and returning to. Under contract in Lebanon MO currently; super excited about the move). It's what I call "Farming to live". Where folks will ask "what do you farm" as often times you are a row cropper, or cattle rancher, horse rancher, etc. It can confuse them when you say "just farming". It is also so much more than just money. It is therapy, meditation, and health(mental, emotional, physical). And don't get me started on the blessings of spiritual health when it comes to farming to live. I am always so very proud of folks that leave the bustle of town in order to slow down and provide a more in-depth and fulfilling journey(especially when there are kids involved).
I love nerdy math. Raw milk is illegal to sell or buy in Alabama. It's just ridiculous. Organic milk is about 8 bucks a gallon here. Really all organic dairy products are very expensive here. Can't wait to see Hope on the homestead, Jimmy
I don't live on a homestead but i truly love all of your videos. I'm learning some things. Thank you so much for sharing and may God continue to bless you.
I love NERDY MATH DAYS! Whether it be chicken math, cow math or quail/rabbit math, it's always a great day when the NERDY MATH comes out. Thanks so much for your insight and for taking us along on your journey! Many blessings from Louisiana, Missouri!
The easiest cheapest way to get extra calcium into your chickens (to make the shells harder) is to give them busted up oyster shells. The oyster shells grind on the feed in their gizzard to break down the feed but it also breaks down the oyster shell itself. I only needed a 50 lb bag every 1 1/2 - 2 years. I had a dozen hens. Hubbards Golden Comets. I got on average 9 eggs a day. So my girls really needed to keep built up. God bless all!!
Love the math guy's. I've raised cattle most of my life. As you know we have the dexter bull and a jersey dexter cross cow. This breed can forage like a goat and survive. We only feed hay in the winter and fall. I only milk one 6 months out of the year so it has time to recover for next birthing period. Don't forget worming and withdrawal periods. Good luck with the cow guys.
Concerned you did not show how much milk it was going to take to replace all those dairy items compared to how much you expect to get. Also what about when she dries off? My guess is you'll have 2 cows before too long.
@@Siamko how many lactation days will you get 6 gallons? Also, how many will you get once she's dried off for her new calf? She will have to be dried off unless you want to drink colostrum.
We have a neighbor that we buy raw milk from, she sells half gallon for 3.00...she also sells butter, pints of cream and also sells lard from her hogs...you have a definite source of income there.
@Steve Slade I'm saying they will know what is going into the cow. My son and I can not drink regular milk from the store...but we can drink the better milk without issues.
It sounds like you guys have a great plan and I am excited for you guys. The only thing that breaks my heart is processing a cow that is only a baby it is hard for me to think that is very ethical. You guys are so ethical in all the thing you do everyday so it just throws me off.
Shushin Satori I don’t think they meant that they would process a baby cow, just that they would raise the baby up and process it when it’s big enough.
Don't forget, the cow will dry off about 2 months before giving birth. Then you have a week or more with the calf nursing before you start getting milk again. I couldn't get over the prices for things at the store. Maybe I can't afford to move to Missouri when I retire. Which was sort of my plan. I thought it looked like better winters than what I have now in northern Indiana.
I live just NE of Indy and was thinking the same thing but small town grocery stores probably don't have the competition or volume to keep the prices down I guess.
Holy this would definitely be even more worth it here in eastern Canada...where the price of literally everything except the yogurt is basically double what you listed!!
That cow can raise pigs and chickens on the skim milk left over from making butter. Then she can give you a beef calf every year. And her "fertilizer" can give you better fruits and veggies in your garden as well as improve your pastures by rotationally grazing. 😊
After this video I did look for fresh cream in my area and found a homestead, about ten miles from my home who sales fresh milk and I so plan to ck her out . Thanks for your suggestion . And have a blessed day.
Bertie Boatright: I’m glad this worked out for you! I live in an area where it is illegal to sell raw dairy products or even to give them away. But the fact is I don’t care because I don’t drink milk. I use milk for baking and I use cream when making certain soups where in both cases it will be cooked anyway so it makes no difference to me that it’s pasteurized. But if I did drink milk I would be 100% happy with pasteurized because I can find no reason not to. And just for information I live in an area of scores of Mennonite farms so if I really wanted raw milk, legal or not, I could easily get it. All the best on the butter churning!
I think you will really enjoy having your own cow. When I was a child my parents own cows off and own. During this time, Mom would sell fresh milk, buttermilk, buttermilk. I loved to help her churn. Of course the most I remember her selling any of it for was $2 a gallon and that was at the highest. Lol
Great show kids! Food for thought.... You might want to look into adding a few more? They can be expended under Section 179 of the Federal Tax Code. Also, the improvements you've made to your homestead can be as well! I'm not trying to tell you what to do. I'm just pointing out possibilities. Keep up the good work. God bless you and yours!
Glory Abuzeide: I feel sorry for you. I wouldn’t pay $10/lb for butter delivered to my door from the Queen’s own larder by six horseman on pure white steeds. Well...maybe for just one pound, I mean I do love white steeds.
My solution to dairy expenses and sinus congestion was to grow vegetables and fruits and eliminate meat and dairy from my diet entirely. However I love their solution as well.
I am SO jealous! Raw cows milk is delicious! I would certainly buy from you if I lived close. Florida doesn’t allow selling raw milk for human consumption.
The Nerdy math isn’t accounting for the time she is drying up to get ready to calf. I know that’s not all that long but it has to be accounted for too. Love your show and I live through y’all.
There were 6 children in my family and I had a brother that drank a gallon a day in his teen years. When we grocery shopped one of us pushed a cart for milk and bread alone.
I love my cows....that justifies the expense! all the milk and cheese are just toppings on the cake! they are kinda expensive to keep but the calves they produce help to feed them thru the year so theres a balance. See if you cant source her feed in bulk - its way way cheaper that way! Enjoy her!!
I wish I lived where you live. I live in the most backward state in the union, New Mexico. The closest place to buy raw milk is 75 miles and it has to be from an authorized dairy! I love it so much that I pay $7.95 for a 1/2 gallon. I can’t wait for the videos you will make for butter, cheese etc. Good Luck to you, & Thank You.
I see others have mentioned vet expenses. You also need to add in the cultures and other ingredients necessary to make yogurt and cheese as part of the expense of your homemade dairy products. I agree that the calves will be either an additional source of income or source of food at some point. You also need to add in stud expenses for the additional calves and factor in the cow drying off for a period of time (that would reduce your income but not necessarily your food if you save ahead for that time). You may wish to contact Justin and Rebekah Rhodes to see if they have any advice or additional things to add. Rebekah is very knowledgeable about cow health and they do a lot of homeopathic with theirs. I'm in agreement that a dairy cow is a great addition to the homestead. Now, if I could just convince my city that we can have them, lol..
Love to hear the nerdy math of any kind. She will be a great addition to your homestead whether she makes you money or not. I love reading all the other comments too.
That's if you go on the cheep side of things my cost per straw was any where from 15 to 22 per straw and that was 30 year's ago and I did the breeding dairied for over 15 year's we breed for utter hip and other things as well as the milk production.
and alot of people these days want only grass-fed butter, so I think it would be worth it to give your new cow hay & the other grass supplements all year round; yet the people u bought her from said they feed the cows a bit of grain cause they make more milk then? if the cow is used to that, i don't know...it might affect her milk production. but, it IS raw milk, so that's a MAJOR PLUS!
You forget that they consume their goat's milk and have being doing so since moving into their property. The cow's milk would be in addition to the goat's milk.
Your gonna love having a milk cow, there are so many other things you use that you can make from the milk and cream, like coffee creamer, ice cream, alfrado sauce, and also feeding the extra to your pigs and so much more you dont even realize, we love our milk cow!! Blessings yall💚
This is great but it’s more than just the milk though. You’ll need to process the milk for butter, yogurt & cheese as well as your time. That adds up too.
Honestly, the processing time is more than milking and care of the cow. Shoot, just washing jars takes almost as long, lol. But I'm sure Sarah & Kevin will figure out the most efficient methods!
Homesteading/smallholding mindset is that we genuinely dont see it as 'work' (well, myself and the smallholders I know locally) so the enjoyment and satisfaction of making the produce and feeding our families with it is our motivating factor. Its nice to barter and even make some extra money here and there but the joy of the lifestyle (and the freedom) is why most of us do it 💖 (Im not saying it isnt hard work as it definitely is, but its fun too!). Best time of year for us now. Preserving what we've spent all year growing, I love every bit of it! I waited my whole life to live like this so I dont mind all the grafting x
Check out how Justin Rhodes changes forest into pasture using pigs and cows. Over time you could lower costs considerably by allowing grass to grow under the trees in your forest. It takes time but isn't difficult. Congrats on your new addition. She will bring so much value and joy to your homestead!
They also didn't factor in the benefits of clean, none factory cow milk. Hope won't be pumped full all of those hormones and crud though factory living. Kevin and Sarah care a lot about where their food comes from on a respect level and a health level.
Good for you Sarah and Kevin. Surely someone else has mentioned this--YOU will care for the health of your cow and the quality of pure, non medicated milk will be phenomenal! Rara Avis
@@danielallouche2493 So you have never made any of these items from raw milk. Only so many hours in a day. And then next day 3-6 more gallons of milk etc. You have to imeadiately chill and store the milk in sanitary conditions. I haven't seen those facilities on that homestead.
I lived on a dairy farm majority of my life. Cows are a great animal with such personality. My fiancé and I had to give up our farm due to the dairy industry crisis. Talking about the prices in the store is upsetting. The farmers don't get much money in return for a tank of milk hence why so many family farms are selling out. We have been blessed to be able to keep some of our cows and raise them but we are now back in the corporate world trying to pay off our debt of losing our farm. Hoping one day we can get to where you both are! P.S. Don't forget to collect the manure, it will be a great asset to help fertilize your garden!
I think one great benefit of having your homemade dairy products is that you no longer have to worry about all the awful stuff that commercial dairy products have, hormones, preservatives, color additives, on and on. Money is not everything, and if the economy dives, you will be able to survive, while we who depend on WalMart and such will perish.
I wish I could agree with you here. You did not factor in "expected opportunity loss." Once you factor that in, for a single household, it would be a net loss. Don't get me wrong, I love cattle. But, once you factor in real-world wages for the man hours necessary to maintain the cow, recover the dairy products, market and sell, etc. It's a loss. "The juice ain't worth the squeeze."
I work on a dairy farm in Massachusetts. We sell a gallon of raw cow's milk for $8.00. The price depends on the area where you live. Once folks taste raw milk they will like it so much it is hard to go back to store milk. Also when you have males you can raise them up for meat. Good luck folks on your new endeavor. God bless.
Cody Russow ...it was costing $150 just from not purchasing from the grocery. When they added in how much they make selling just milk it was $1300 a year - the $150 = is a $1150 profit. This does not even factor in the bulls she has for for beef or whey for feed to the other animals, the compost from the manure and the sales income from the manure. They did forget breeding costs and vet bills but it’s still a profit and a quality product. Plus there is nothing like the peace you get from connecting with your animals.
@@ohioladybug7390 no need to curse .... please explain why it's such bad math ?? What they spent at the store yearly is canceled out by cost of cow yearly cow cost more per year by 150 or so so new cost is 900 milk profit is 1300 so profit of 400
Agreed. You can no longer take into consideration the original budget amount. It becomes expense of $900 minus profit of $1300 leaving a $400 surplus. The whole point is to lower the grocery store budget so therefore the original amount is no longer in the equation.
I love your Nerdy Cow maths ha ha. I think I am just as excited as you both are about getting the cow, Cannot wait to watch this new adventure on your homestead. Have a great day Sarah and Kevin.
My mother saved the whey from cheese making and soaked the poultry grain in it ......lt tripled the bulk of feed reducing the amount used and made it super digestible plus increased vitamins and minerals . Poultry thrived and we saved on feed costs all from a waste product.
Genius!
instablaster
We do the same with kefir whey but don’t have a cow…yet.
Thanks
Have you figured in vet bills, annual shots, de-worming, pest control, and labor just to name a few?
Good question
and there own milk cheese yogurt etc what they are using?
they mentioned the possibility of calf sales, but forgot to mention bull services
i wouldnt bother with a single milk cow, not worth the effort or money. better to raise steers, you can get some as low as 500$ or less and just feed it all year and sell it, make double back just about
@@johndowe7003 If you have no grass or a feed facility for raising steers...not so much.
Even if you just break even it is a good addition for health alone.
Lara Rabb agree
Plus, if you collect the manure and compost it, you have something beautiful for the garden ☺️
Luke Simmons: There’s no need to compost manure, it’s well fermented inside the animals digestive tract.
@@rayray8687 depending on the hay there can be a lot of weed seeds spread also
Tom Riblett: That’ll make the goats and rabbits happy, lol
If you collect the manure, and put it in an area where the chickens and otherbirds can get to it, the manure will draw insects that the birds eat. There is a new concept I saw where an area was given to buffalo to live, then they brought in goats to eat the weeds grwon from the buffalo manure, then chickens to eat the bugs and weeds that still come from the manure. Circle of cow patties.
You need to factor in that your cow will be dry at some point in time between calves, but then also realize that you will be able to raise a bull calf on her for your own beef, more than one if you wean her calf and buy another calf to put on her. My holstein/jersey cross raised 2 calves each year and still gave me 6 gals of milk to give away (I can't legally sell it). That was before I knew how to make my own sour cream, cheese and yogurt though.
Even if milk can't legally be sold, there is the whole thing of barter for different products you need and don't have.
That's what I was going to add too. A cow needs time between milking and calving. Not to mention Vet costs, which need to be a factor just like car maintenance, it's part of the cost. Breeding takes time and sometimes costs.
@@thaboomer53 , yes, our milk lady's jersey is fixing to calve out and she is letting her dry up...we have to drive farther to get our raw milk until she is back again...couple months out..but if I am correct, milk freezes well...
@@thaboomer53 , yes on the barter...we have more eggs than we can eat...our milk lady goes to Dallas and Houston once a month with eggs...sometimes she comes up short and I trade eggs for milk...always a way.
They forgot the dry time of the cow they will need to buy milk and bag balm teat dip cost of breeding that is just a few things that they forgot to add to the nerdy math oops.
Yes but you need to be pricing raw A2 cow milk. Here it's $8 a gallon.
Also it comes down to pricing things fairly for you and your customers. Let supply and demand drive pricing rather than national average.
Good point.
It’s $8 here a gallon as well and that’s selling it as pet food. They may up their price a bit when they figure in other costs such as vet bills, annual shots, deworming ,hoof care or even mastitis strips. I think they may end up graining her more especially if she’s going to be eating mostly hay as her body score will start dropping without it. Unless they have super high quality hay. I’m so excited for them for getting a cow. Wish I were closer to lend a hand.
@@tammyvaughn6039 my Ex raised Longhorns and to keep the weights up he fed cotton seed which is 20% protein thsts how he got the weights up. I've been researching how to do things to build my own place. Idk yet where it will be located? I'm currently in Texas tho. I need to look up a few answers to questions. Idk if its possible to sell raw milk specifically relating to liability issues towards insurance too.
@@Siamko interestingly enough, my gut cannot process A2 milk!
Nerdy cow math. Lol 😂 Have a great day. God bless.
You guys are my favorite homesteading youtubers. You walk the walk. You aren't travelling all around going to ridiculous numbers of conferences or planning events. You have honed your skills at living sustainably and put out good useful content and sell quality homemade products locally. You are also doing it yourselves. You aren't employing regular help or using "volunteers". You are showing how regular people get it done. Bravo!
DOUBLE DITTO! S&K are the real deal. The ''did it ourselves in one year'' folks need to share some ''full-disclosure-nerdy homestead math''
Don’t forget to add the experience you will be teaching the girls. Priceless! 🐄
love the shirt Kevin. Importing, Exporting gotta love Seinfeld. The one price you didn't mention was, raw milk and the foods that you will make from it, that is drug free, full of vitamins and minerals. The cost savings of not going to the doctors and drug store to cure the illness that store bought dairy will give you. Priceless!!
And once people are coming to the farm for milk, they might want eggs and goat products. Great decision.
Plus fresh cut flowers and herbs as well👌
Don't forget the skim milk for pig feed! Cost savings!
The Able Farmer: Skim milk for pig feed? What’s wrong with skim milk for human feed.
@@rayray8687 you could I suppose, skim milk is a byproduct of making heavy cream. Not an expert on milking but I do know lots of people feed the skim back to hogs. They say nothing fattens them up quicker!
The Able Farmer: Both milk and cream come from a cows utter simultaneously at milking but the cream being very fatty and therefore lighter separates out and rises to the top of the container. In small quantities it is removed by skimming it off with a ladle, the result being skimmed milk and pure cream. In large operations it is separated by a centrifugal device called a separator (something like a salad spinner).
Anyway, lots of people drink skim(ed) milk to reduce the fat content and still get the other nutrients. Others prefer 1%, 2% or 4% which are all created by adding back the appropriate amount of cream and then homogenizing the mixture in a high speed blender so it won’t separate again.
All to keep the hogs fat and the people skinny, lol.
@@rayray8687 check out full circle farm on TH-cam, he will explain why skim milk isn't good 😊
hollie nguyen: Thanks. I checked it out. He says they make cottage cheese out of some of the skimmed milk and feed the leftover amount to the pigs. I presume the cottage cheese is for human consumption?
Well done, especially for those of us non-farmers! Can’t wait to “meet” her! Best wishes!!
A couple of costs you might need to also consider.... Breeding costs (usually AI) are variable according to area (it's about $100 for me). And I would definitely pad in a bit for vet visits, medicines, etc. ($300 is about what I spend a year for 4-5 cattle). Also, do remember the dry time (around 60 days).
Your rations might be a little low. A typical scoop of alfalfa pellets is usually around 3lbs. So you could almost go through a bag of alfalfa pellets a week milking twice a day and just giving one scoop of alfalfa. It'll really depend on the quality of your hay! A trick I've learned is NOT to ask for cow hay when you have dairy cows. Ask for horse quality hay. Also, I have one cow who handles the cubes just fine, and one who chokes on them. After a VERY scary incident, the cubes have been banned here at our place.
I'm super excited to see Hope settle into your place!!
Are u from USA
@@GKmadnessclasses3413 Yes...and in the Northeast so prices are a bit higher than in the midwest/plains states.
Homemade yogurt, all kinds of farmer's cheeses, a sweet cow to have as a pet, manure for compost, babies for joy, but how will she continue to produce babies? Do you have a friendly bull nearby? Our cow used to jump the back fence every year and be gone just that one day and return bred! Every year we had a baby to raise for beef and we never knew how it was happening until finally we saw her jump the fence. Our Molly was the best cow ever! Hope your Hope will be the same for you.
Our family cow does not save us money. However she does balance the equation by giving us truly healthy milk. We make butter and sour cream and yogurt. I have not mastered making the cheddar cheeses. The dairy at Walmart is far cheaper.
The key is the quality of what we get. With the calf we had nursing her producing beef [after 2 years] the cow is very much worth it. I consider it a Value Added investment.
I liked " Vandelay Industries" ... Have a great weekend ✍☕
Hi Kevin and Sarah, I love watching your adventures! When we had farm animals, I found it important to have a separate "Vet Expense" savings account. I like to keep quite a lot of money in there - cause "stupid stuff just happens with animals" ! Much love to you all!
And you didn't even mention the health benefits..... Of knowing where your milk came from....no additives....no chemicals.
👍👏👏👏❣️🐄🐄🐄🐄🐄
No RGBH
Wow! 5 dollars a gallon for raw Jersey milk? That's a great price! In New Mexico, we're paying 10 dollars a gallon.
Same here, in GA!
Here in MA also! $10 gallon. I love that they are getting a dairy cow. I've always wanted one.
PS, you forgot to add in the occational vet bill, very expensive!
and the insemination fee
sarah bierman: They forgot, or more correctly do not know, a lot of things that will result in a large dead loss. But if they’re having fun and don’t mind quadrupling their dairy bill and labor, then I guess they should go for it. They seem to be quite well off financially and very happy in fantasyland.
When it comes to livestock you generally don't have much of a vet bill. You do your immunizations yourself with supplies you get at the feed store.
And I can guarantee you there one cow is gonna produce at least 4 times what they will ever consume
You can only calculate selling milk for 9 months. You have to freshen your cow every year and you have to stop milking and dry them up 2 to 3 months before they calve and then you have to wait after the calf is born to clear the colostrum. And this is your break from milking everyday if only milking one cow.
Diane is correct. Also,The colostrum is a necessity for a healthy calf . It contains antibodies and immunity for developing calves . They must also get the colostrum in their belly within the first 24 hrs of life in order to be effective. We can tell the difference in twin calves as to who got the colostrum .
If you have a lot of green grass like in the Spring., she will need the right minerals or might could develop grass tetany and die. Heavy milkers will do that without the right minerals. We offer granulated minerals and salt at all times. I have seen tetany here on our farm although a rarity we must be vigilant or it develops quickly
.( We have about 200 Angus cows and their calves are born in the Fall ). Our vet comes and does some vaccines and health checks and we do some.( A vet road trip here is $60 - then plus what ever needs doing) . . To produce good milk and a nice healthy cow needs a balanced feed program . In the winter our cows get a certain amount of protein and such every day. The hay is mostly a filler and does help produce heat for warmth but again a good feed program is a necessity. Check on range cubes . we don't use them but know people that do.. ( we mix our own feed ) Good Luck .
I agree with Sarah Bierman. Vet bills add up fast. For example, It isn't rare or unusual for a cow to have problems calving. The vet has to come out and the bills pile up.
Growing up we use to go thru about 1 gallon of milk a day. I can’t imagine how much it was for my parents just in milk.
Plus the quality of your own dairy and possible beef intake is so much better.
Thank you for sharing this! Always excited to see your videos, because I always learn so much!
Y'all are doing what I was raised doing(and returning to. Under contract in Lebanon MO currently; super excited about the move). It's what I call "Farming to live". Where folks will ask "what do you farm" as often times you are a row cropper, or cattle rancher, horse rancher, etc. It can confuse them when you say "just farming". It is also so much more than just money. It is therapy, meditation, and health(mental, emotional, physical). And don't get me started on the blessings of spiritual health when it comes to farming to live. I am always so very proud of folks that leave the bustle of town in order to slow down and provide a more in-depth and fulfilling journey(especially when there are kids involved).
Thank You for Your Video. Entertaining It is present to see Husband and Wife working together on their off-grid family life.
I love watching your videos. Can't wait to see your cow. Hope will be a great addition to your family. Good luck. Anticipating for your next video.
I love nerdy math. Raw milk is illegal to sell or buy in Alabama. It's just ridiculous. Organic milk is about 8 bucks a gallon here. Really all organic dairy products are very expensive here.
Can't wait to see Hope on the homestead,
Jimmy
I don't live on a homestead but i truly love all of your videos. I'm learning some things. Thank you so much for sharing and may God continue to bless you.
I love NERDY MATH DAYS! Whether it be chicken math, cow math or quail/rabbit math, it's always a great day when the NERDY MATH comes out. Thanks so much for your insight and for taking us along on your journey! Many blessings from Louisiana, Missouri!
And, another blessing, is the whey is fantastic for increasing chicken egg production, healthier chickens, and harder shells.
The easiest cheapest way to get extra calcium into your chickens (to make the shells harder) is to give them busted up oyster shells. The oyster shells grind on the feed in their gizzard to break down the feed but it also breaks down the oyster shell itself. I only needed a 50 lb bag every 1 1/2 - 2 years. I had a dozen hens. Hubbards Golden Comets. I got on average 9 eggs a day. So my girls really needed to keep built up. God bless all!!
Good to see you support Vandelay Industries, a proud employer of the unemployed.
I was just looking through the comments to see if anyone had caught that!
they just laid me off. moving the factory to china and tech support to bangalore. boycott latex!
Good luck with your milk cow Adventure. I hope it is a fruitful and profitable one. I look forward 2 future videos on your cow project.
Love the math guy's. I've raised cattle most of my life. As you know we have the dexter bull and a jersey dexter cross cow. This breed can forage like a goat and survive. We only feed hay in the winter and fall. I only milk one 6 months out of the year so it has time to recover for next birthing period. Don't forget worming and withdrawal periods. Good luck with the cow guys.
Another favorite TEACHING homestead heard from ! Love from Ozarks to DSH.
Concerned you did not show how much milk it was going to take to replace all those dairy items compared to how much you expect to get.
Also what about when she dries off? My guess is you'll have 2 cows before too long.
Derek Mills jerseys can produce 6 gallons of milk per day on average.
1 milk cow is more than enough for a family with some to sell.
@@Siamko how many lactation days will you get 6 gallons? Also, how many will you get once she's dried off for her new calf? She will have to be dried off unless you want to drink colostrum.
@Holistic Homestead/ Living Faith Farms You get 2 gallons a day and cant sell any? Holy moly you drink a lot of milk.
@@moonlitphillips not if you are making cheese, butter and yogurt.
We have a neighbor that we buy raw milk from, she sells half gallon for 3.00...she also sells butter, pints of cream and also sells lard from her hogs...you have a definite source of income there.
Also the quality of the dairy products is night and day when you don't buy organic. So the quality will be a huge step up.
@Steve Slade I'm saying they will know what is going into the cow. My son and I can not drink regular milk from the store...but we can drink the better milk without issues.
It sounds like you guys have a great plan and I am excited for you guys. The only thing that breaks my heart is processing a cow that is only a baby it is hard for me to think that is very ethical. You guys are so ethical in all the thing you do everyday so it just throws me off.
Shushin Satori I don’t think they meant that they would process a baby cow, just that they would raise the baby up and process it when it’s big enough.
lol....just as good as nerdy chicken math...so funny!🤣🐮🐂 Do you sell a nerdy t-shirt?
Don't forget, the cow will dry off about 2 months before giving birth. Then you have a week or more with the calf nursing before you start getting milk again.
I couldn't get over the prices for things at the store. Maybe I can't afford to move to Missouri when I retire. Which was sort of my plan. I thought it looked like better winters than what I have now in northern Indiana.
I live just NE of Indy and was thinking the same thing but small town grocery stores probably don't have the competition or volume to keep the prices down I guess.
Holy this would definitely be even more worth it here in eastern Canada...where the price of literally everything except the yogurt is basically double what you listed!!
That cow can raise pigs and chickens on the skim milk left over from making butter. Then she can give you a beef calf every year. And her "fertilizer" can give you better fruits and veggies in your garden as well as improve your pastures by rotationally grazing. 😊
I wish I lived close I would buy milk and make my own butter too . Can’t wait to meet Hope.
I would love to buy real milk, can’t drink it or use it, but times you just need real milk.
Bertie Boatright: Can’t you buy cream in your area?
After this video I did look for fresh cream in my area and found a homestead, about ten miles from my home who sales fresh milk and I so plan to ck her out . Thanks for your suggestion . And have a blessed day.
Bertie Boatright: I’m glad this worked out for you! I live in an area where it is illegal to sell raw dairy products or even to give them away. But the fact is I don’t care because I don’t drink milk. I use milk for baking and I use cream when making certain soups where in both cases it will be cooked anyway so it makes no difference to me that it’s pasteurized. But if I did drink milk I would be 100% happy with pasteurized because I can find no reason not to. And just for information I live in an area of scores of Mennonite farms so if I really wanted raw milk, legal or not, I could easily get it. All the best on the butter churning!
I had a shock moment when I saw you buy yogurt...so cheap and easy to make...happy new adventure
I think you will really enjoy having your own cow. When I was a child my parents own cows off and own. During this time, Mom would sell fresh milk, buttermilk, buttermilk. I loved to help her churn. Of course the most I remember her selling any of it for was $2 a gallon and that was at the highest. Lol
Great show kids! Food for thought.... You might want to look into adding a few more? They can be expended under Section 179 of the Federal Tax Code. Also, the improvements you've made to your homestead can be as well! I'm not trying to tell you what to do. I'm just pointing out possibilities. Keep up the good work. God bless you and yours!
Don't forget the butter you can sell it goes about 7 to 8 dollars per pound
david gunter: They are currently paying about $4.00/lb.
We pay $10 a pound for raw butter.
Glory Abuzeide: I feel sorry for you. I wouldn’t pay $10/lb for butter delivered to my door from the Queen’s own larder by six horseman on pure white steeds. Well...maybe for just one pound, I mean I do love white steeds.
@@rayray8687 no need to feel sorry for anyone. Those that feed our family quality foods know what it's worth.
Ray Ray ....they save $12 a month by not having to buy any and then make $7-8 a lb. or even $10 (😉) with any that is left and can be sold.
My solution to dairy expenses and sinus congestion was to grow vegetables and fruits and eliminate meat and dairy from my diet entirely. However I love their solution as well.
The added health benefit of consuming raw milk products (endless list) is priceless!!! AND the manure!!!! LOL Great decision !!! TY
I appreciate how you break things down in your decision making. Thanks for sharing.
I love all your nerdy Homestead math videos. You did nerdy pig math not long ago. 🐷🦋💜
Keven, we love your nerdy math!! Awesome outcome!! Love it. But we were shocked at the price of your groceries!!
Ha! Ours are nearly doubled that in Canada!
Ya'll need to find a wal-mart close by! I live in Pa but shop in WVa. big difference milk is 1.78 a gal in WVa. but 3.18 in Pa.
I love the way your homestead keeps evolving! So glad I found your channel.
I am SO jealous! Raw cows milk is delicious! I would certainly buy from you if I lived close. Florida doesn’t allow selling raw milk for human consumption.
The Nerdy math isn’t accounting for the time she is drying up to get ready to calf. I know that’s not all that long but it has to be accounted for too. Love your show and I live through y’all.
Plus you will get manure you can put in the garden. That manure is like gold.
Good morning. Thank you for sharing your journey. Wish you all the best. Y’all are so helpful.
l've noticed Kevin saying 'Y'all' ... must be the Ozark water or air?
Cost of raw organic milk products are higher too. :)
4 gallons a month??? We do that in a week. But we don't have goat milk.
Lol. My family oes through at LEAST 6 a week.😅
Growing kids need milk. And I've got 3....and my husband LOVES milk.😅😅😅 I tell him no a LOT. Lol
There were 6 children in my family and I had a brother that drank a gallon a day in his teen years. When we grocery shopped one of us pushed a cart for milk and bread alone.
@@crowgirl1326 I drank a gallon of milk every day as a teenager. Now I drink a gallon beer a day.....lol...just kidding about the beer.
i thought they said 5 gallons a WEEK.....
I had a holstein giving 4 gallons a day with a calf on her.
I love my cows....that justifies the expense! all the milk and cheese are just toppings on the cake! they are kinda expensive to keep but the calves they produce help to feed them thru the year so theres a balance. See if you cant source her feed in bulk - its way way cheaper that way! Enjoy her!!
I wish I lived where you live. I live in the most backward state in the union, New Mexico. The closest place to buy raw milk is 75 miles and it has to be from an authorized dairy! I love it so much that I pay $7.95 for a 1/2 gallon. I can’t wait for the videos you will make for butter, cheese etc. Good Luck to you, & Thank You.
I see others have mentioned vet expenses. You also need to add in the cultures and other ingredients necessary to make yogurt and cheese as part of the expense of your homemade dairy products. I agree that the calves will be either an additional source of income or source of food at some point. You also need to add in stud expenses for the additional calves and factor in the cow drying off for a period of time (that would reduce your income but not necessarily your food if you save ahead for that time).
You may wish to contact Justin and Rebekah Rhodes to see if they have any advice or additional things to add. Rebekah is very knowledgeable about cow health and they do a lot of homeopathic with theirs.
I'm in agreement that a dairy cow is a great addition to the homestead. Now, if I could just convince my city that we can have them, lol..
Good luck in your adventure. I hope it works, math on paper sometimes doesn't work right
Vet Bill's, milking, stud fee? Dry months?
Yep. I was thinking about stud fees and dry months too.
Love to hear the nerdy math of any kind. She will be a great addition to your homestead whether she makes you money or not. I love reading all the other comments too.
Kevin, you are not cheap- you are frugal. a big difference. God Bless you and yours.
Dont forget the vet bills x
That's if you go on the cheep side of things my cost per straw was any where from 15 to 22 per straw and that was 30 year's ago and I did the breeding dairied for over 15 year's we breed for utter hip and other things as well as the milk production.
Nerdy cow math 👍. What no ice cream? Lol
Awesome !!!!! I love nerdy math !!!! Things need to make sense to me also !!! Thank you !
Good morning! Wow cow math🐮😊. Good luck to you with your new endeavor. God bless
Fresh butter from your own cow is worth $10 a pound, especially from a Jersey, in taste alone.
and alot of people these days want only grass-fed butter, so I think it would be worth it to give your new cow hay & the other grass supplements all year round; yet the people u bought her from said they feed the cows a bit of grain cause they make more milk then? if the cow is used to that, i don't know...it might affect her milk production. but, it IS raw milk, so that's a MAJOR PLUS!
yea...from RAW milk.*
4 gallons a month!! Good lawd, we go through 2-3 a week.
You forget that they consume their goat's milk and have being doing so since moving into their property. The cow's milk would be in addition to the goat's milk.
@@Lyn4817 ah! Good call.
That makes sense, I don't follow every video, just ones I'm into.
Love how every penny counts! Inspiration for us all ♥️
Your gonna love having a milk cow, there are so many other things you use that you can make from the milk and cream, like coffee creamer, ice cream, alfrado sauce, and also feeding the extra to your pigs and so much more you dont even realize, we love our milk cow!! Blessings yall💚
This is great but it’s more than just the milk though. You’ll need to process the milk for butter, yogurt & cheese as well as your time. That adds up too.
Honestly, the processing time is more than milking and care of the cow. Shoot, just washing jars takes almost as long, lol. But I'm sure Sarah & Kevin will figure out the most efficient methods!
Homesteading/smallholding mindset is that we genuinely dont see it as 'work' (well, myself and the smallholders I know locally) so the enjoyment and satisfaction of making the produce and feeding our families with it is our motivating factor. Its nice to barter and even make some extra money here and there but the joy of the lifestyle (and the freedom) is why most of us do it 💖 (Im not saying it isnt hard work as it definitely is, but its fun too!).
Best time of year for us now. Preserving what we've spent all year growing, I love every bit of it! I waited my whole life to live like this so I dont mind all the grafting x
@@helenbrown8572 Amen!
You might also be able to sell cheese or other milk made products as well to make even more money
Thank you for your honesty and transparency!
Check out how Justin Rhodes changes forest into pasture using pigs and cows. Over time you could lower costs considerably by allowing grass to grow under the trees in your forest. It takes time but isn't difficult. Congrats on your new addition. She will bring so much value and joy to your homestead!
@living tradions homestead - Vet Cost, IVF breeding Cost, Water, how do you value your time $?
They also didn't factor in the benefits of clean, none factory cow milk. Hope won't be pumped full all of those hormones and crud though factory living. Kevin and Sarah care a lot about where their food comes from on a respect level and a health level.
And they're using a catchment system for rain water with a well as back up. But, you make a good point
What about goat milk? Do you use that and or sell.
Good for you Sarah and Kevin. Surely someone else has mentioned this--YOU will care for the health of your cow and the quality of pure, non medicated milk will be phenomenal! Rara Avis
Happy for y'all! Your doing a great job.
Very nice wearing that Vandalay shirt when talking business! 😄
MrAhamrick6 yes!! I giggled when I read his shirt 🙊
My first question is how and when are you going to store and process 3-6 gallons of milk a day ???
Making butter, yogurt, ice cream sour cream and cheese please.
@@danielallouche2493 So you have never made any of these items from raw milk. Only so many hours in a day. And then next day 3-6 more gallons of milk etc. You have to imeadiately chill and store the milk in sanitary conditions. I haven't seen those facilities on that homestead.
Don't forget the compost for the garden. Also get insurance to help cover Vet bills.
I lived on a dairy farm majority of my life. Cows are a great animal with such personality. My fiancé and I had to give up our farm due to the dairy industry crisis. Talking about the prices in the store is upsetting. The farmers don't get much money in return for a tank of milk hence why so many family farms are selling out. We have been blessed to be able to keep some of our cows and raise them but we are now back in the corporate world trying to pay off our debt of losing our farm. Hoping one day we can get to where you both are! P.S. Don't forget to collect the manure, it will be a great asset to help fertilize your garden!
How about some nerdy pig math on raising a pig for someone else?!?!?
You have enough grass for that cow and she will run to elect fence fine.
Great analysis. Thanks for going through the math with us. Very interesting
I think one great benefit of having your homemade dairy products is that you no longer have to worry about all the awful stuff that commercial dairy products have, hormones, preservatives, color additives, on and on. Money is not everything, and if the economy dives, you will be able to survive, while we who depend on WalMart and such will perish.
I wish I could agree with you here. You did not factor in "expected opportunity loss." Once you factor that in, for a single household, it would be a net loss. Don't get me wrong, I love cattle. But, once you factor in real-world wages for the man hours necessary to maintain the cow, recover the dairy products, market and sell, etc. It's a loss. "The juice ain't worth the squeeze."
What about the goats? Are they not producing enough milk to do this all?
yes. for small family ,cow or goat not both
I work on a dairy farm in Massachusetts. We sell a gallon of raw cow's milk for $8.00. The price depends on the area where you live. Once folks taste raw milk they will like it so much it is hard to go back to store milk. Also when you have males you can raise them up for meat. Good luck folks on your new endeavor. God bless.
So happy for your family. Thank you for the breakdown. Helps. 😊
You forgot to include extra dairy for holiday(s) baking, so your estimate is low.
I guess I dont get the nerdy math lol I only see a profit of 400 but it is early in the morning 😉
Cody Russow ...it was costing $150 just from not purchasing from the grocery. When they added in how much they make selling just milk it was $1300 a year - the $150 = is a $1150 profit. This does not even factor in the bulls she has for for beef or whey for feed to the other animals, the compost from the manure and the sales income from the manure. They did forget breeding costs and vet bills but it’s still a profit and a quality product. Plus there is nothing like the peace you get from connecting with your animals.
@@ohioladybug7390 I was just doing simple math , it cost them 900 a year to take care of cow , milk sales are 1300. 900 - 1300 is 400
Cody Russow ...sorry but that is half assed math. You only did a small portion so your final number is not correct.
@@ohioladybug7390 no need to curse .... please explain why it's such bad math ?? What they spent at the store yearly is canceled out by cost of cow yearly cow cost more per year by 150 or so so new cost is 900 milk profit is 1300 so profit of 400
Agreed. You can no longer take into consideration the original budget amount. It becomes expense of $900 minus profit of $1300 leaving a $400 surplus. The whole point is to lower the grocery store budget so therefore the original amount is no longer in the equation.
I love your Nerdy Cow maths ha ha. I think I am just as excited as you both are about getting the cow, Cannot wait to watch this new adventure on your homestead. Have a great day Sarah and Kevin.
Great math. Looking forward to seeing how to make all those store bought items. God bless you and your family.