Have you considered having sheep instead of cows? They are less maintenance, their wool is in more demand than the meat of Dexters, they tolerate the cold weather and the more cold it is the more wool they produce, they aren’t as high of health risk as cows, their feet are are smaller so less damage to your land, and less expensive! They would be less expensive with vet bills too. If you’re just looking for grazers, sheep are perfect! And Toby would love sheep!! My mom grew up on a farm and has seen and heard other farmers say these same things about sheep vs cows. Cows are very high maintenance in comparison to sheep and if you are already short on time, sheep are the way to go. Cattle will take up ALL of your time.
Precisely, it’s too early to jump from small fowl birds to large mammals anyway. Sheep would be the best option. I’m not saying as an experienced farmer(because I’m not a farmer) but because Morgan needs to take slow steps before he overwhelms himself.
Cows are not lap dogs! They have a mind of their own. They require consistent training from birth to death to keep you and them safe. Go and spend the next many months with a cow operation for your experience. Many of your questions will be answered that way. If you have ANY hesitancy -- a cow will know it! Are you ready to trim feet, wean calves, drench with medication or a bolus, insert a trocar, tag an ear, castrate the bull calves, and so much more. Then do it all with one hand and alone. Check out Homesteady and Swedish Homestead on TH-cam. They are still learning after years with their few cows. Good luck
All I know about cattle (reporting from my downtown Abq apartment) is what I've learned from _The Incredible Dr. Pol_ (TV show, with clips on TH-cam). I wonder if Morgan is ready to pull a calf... I wonder how many veterinarians are near and how many specialize in farm animals? I agree with the commenter who suggested he work (for months at least) with a _local_ cattle farm to see up close & personal what goes into it.
@@ellenamy9617 -- there is probably a market for good wool (used in clothing and by clothing makers, knitters, of course) and itinerant sheep shearers may be available, too. I hardly ever see sheep featured on The Incredible Dr. Pol (TV show), but cows (rarely bulls) are on all the time with a variety of problems.
I grew up around dairy farmers. I'm going to be blunt. This sounds like a disaster in the making. 1) Cattle consume an enormous amount of water every day. How sure are about your spring? How far below the water table is your spring head? Have you had an engineer out to verify you can sustain that kind of draw? The farm could of sustained that in the past but population density has increased around you and more people are drawing off that same water table so you should make sure. I strongly doubt if the land was formerly a dairy that there is no pond somewhere in the old pasture. You should look to include that in your plans rather than relying on pumping water for all the cattle's needs. 2) 6 to 8 cows means 6 to 8 calves every year to be raised for slaughter for meat, right. You are not going to keep the weight on 6+ cows and feed 6+ calves for slaughter on 25 acres. I know all the guides say 2 acres per cow/calf pair per year but that is BS. Maybe in some perfect environment but realistically you need more room than that. Further if you want meat and not fat on your cattle you want them to have some room to move around anyway in addition to having room to not stand in their own shit every day. However it takes Dexter's 18 to 24 months to reach market weight so you'd have more like 24 cattle of different ages on the farm all the time? on 25 acres? Even if your pasture is absolutely perfect for cattle, a little over an acre per animal is on the tight side. 3) If you're aiming for a breed that is only commercially desirable as dog food that isn't good if anything happens to your "make jerky" plan. I make jerky and you cannot make jerky with every cut, really only certain cuts make good jerky. So unless you have a better plan than that your waste is going to egregious. Even using some of the off cuts for sausage won't help that much. Beef sausage is still pretty limited in what can be used. Checking some there are reason Dexter's aren't valued in the commercial market (small size of the market cuts seems to be the major one) so selling to local restaurants would even likely be a hard sell. 4) Hay costs a lot. In a good year the cost of a flatbed load of round bales will make you weep. In a drought year... Do you have the financial reserves for that? Can the old barn support that kind of weight? 5) Deep litter for the winter accommodations? I readily admit to being from the dairy world where everything is stainless steel and bare concrete scrubbed clean twice a day but this idea makes me skeevy. Cows are a lot like geese. They eat stuff they can barely digest and then poop out the rest. So they make a ton of poop. Standing in hay and poop all winter on hooves not big splaying webbed feet? I have my doubts. If you really want to diversify out of waterfowl maybe try something like pigs? There's a booming market for heritage breeds and you have just about the perfect land for such with woods with nut trees.
Cattle fenced in on a small acreage, get ready for the vet bills. Breeding cattle get ready for the vet bills. And just get ready for the vet bills lol...
I concur - though I think Morgan mentioned growing for meat, not dairy (milking twice a day at ungodly hours). Think of the vet bills from dehorning, castrating the bulls, injuries, hooves, mastitis, etc. None of those tasks are a one-person job - have to have hired hands. Plus cattle are heavy - once had a cow step on my foot, and was groaning and pushing her to get off while she stood there unconcerned. Finally stepped aside. Maybe start with one or two in your barn, to get the hang of it - then if you want add more in the pasture, with a cowshed and troughs for feed and water.
@@miditrax My aunt got a steer to sell for meat once. Sweetest thing you'd ever want to see. Had it on an acre but was feeding it corn rather than just pasturing. I was out with him one day in the summer, was probably 4 or 5 months old so 400lbs. roughly. I was cleaning the water trough and the big fool just walked up trying to drink and stepped right on my foot. I hit him over the head with the shovel 3 or 4 times and he pulled his head out of the trough and looked at me sweet as could be like why are you hitting me? Didn't move his hoof though. I shoved that steer as hard as I could and he shoved me back. I think he thought it was a game. Drank his fill and ambled off. My foot was black and blue for weeks. Doc said I was lucky to not have lost it. On the expenses, once you know how you can castrate calves yourself. I'm told you can debud as well but honestly horns are not a big deal and I worked around dairy cattle and the odd meat steer with horns as a kid without a problem. Filing hooves is a job that takes two people but doesn't need a vet. Mastitis is a straight up nightmare. Until you've seen a pussy bloody udder you've never seen gross. And trying to clean it up is a very good way to get kicked. Si you need to get the cow immobilized in a stall and a hobble which is a two or three person job. Also it takes antibiotics, unless there is some "organic" treatment out there I've never heard of.
Go with sheep my family gave up cows in the 90s due to how expensive it got. The bank and the gov finally got the homeplace in 04 but the trouble started in 90.
I would go for sheep as well, but a hair breed not wool. Plus side with especially something like a Cameroon is no sheering, resilient to parasites and very little hoof care. Down side they eat everything trees, plastic, metal and mine sometimes eat the odd mouse! Although someone said he didn't want to go down the goat road so maybe that also means no sheep.
@@savedbeliever Not too sure on this but LSG are usually raised from pup with the types of animals they are to protect. So he might have to have some re-training to accept sheep/goats or cattle as part of his creatures to look after. I'm sure someone out there has first hand knowledge of this breed type. I know with my own dogs (mixed breed hunting dog and doberman) I must teach them that a new one is ok, even if it's another sheep, chicken etc. This is obviously more challenging as my dog's were not bred for this, especially the hunting mix, who for months from adoption salivated at the chickens and rabbits. But had to learn they were friends NOT food.
We have Dexter Cattle (only 3) and we love them. We run goat fence and T-posts mainly because we can move them and we have goats too. We have 3 pastures and we can lead them with sweet feed. Definitely the easiest animal on our farm. Good luck Morgan!
Another thought: You’ve done so well in getting notoriety. Maybe invest in a farm stay and make a business from your brand rather than invest in farming with high maintenance animals!❤️ You’re happy with your water fowl so build your brand 🙏
I know zero about farming, but ever since I first heard you mention it, I have wondered: why do you want cattle? You have started with small animals - all birds, by the way - and now you want to go to these huge, lumbering beasts? Maybe Dexters are on the small side, but they’re enormous when you compare them to geese. Have you thought about helping out a friend who does have cows to see what’s really involved? How about starting with a smaller mammal? You just said your time is already filled up. Forget your outside full-time job if you have cattle and no help.
You are a smart guy who already knows what to do.. Looking into things before jumping in.head first is a good thing You two are going to do just fine and I will for sure keep looking. Stay safe and healthy and take care of each other.
That was a beautiful introduction for Greg Judy. Like the cut away to the geese and sky cam, the birds eye view of the farm is magnificent. Mr. Greg makes a lot of sense. Do it once, do it right, and you won't have to do it again. This guy is a gem! Good move to consult with him. You're working your ads off. But do it now, when you're young and healthy. You'll have things in place when you retire.
In my limited farm experience, I don't see yet how cows are going to be cost effective. But I have no doubt you're keeping that in mind. Good luck whichever way you decide to go!
Bah cows, too much work. Go with goats, they aren't as picky eatters and their milk is delicious and far less allergy causing, and milk sells for more. Cows take too much room, allergy milk, give too much milk. Also you want to watch out because you've got water birds and you don't want cow manure in your pond, or run off into your pond. Birds first man, birds first.
A whole bunch of folks that are diagnosed as allergic to cow's milk are actually allergic to something those cows ate (corn.. oats.. glyphosate... anything beyond grass) My kid gets horrible itching and gastro issues from conventional milk.. but not grass fed/grass finished milk.
I’m not exactly experienced with cattle, but I think you should maybe delay the cattle until you are more economically stable enough to afford the fences, the barn, and all the food they need.
@@Marie-do1df Im just saying that he shouldn’t exactly rush into this guns blazing. He should prepare himself for the cattle. Maybe he can start small like with sheep or goats.
@@CarlosAlberto-nq3iv he is preparing himself and while starting with smaller animals might make sense to you, if it's not in his business plan then it's a wasted investment and time which will impact his profits ect.. It isn't that he can't afford the fences because he was weighing up pros and cons of each option deciding what was best. Also he wasn't worried about the cost of food it's common knowledge that a smaller cow eats less food equalling less cost for feed which in his climate, is the sensible option because as he said, he will have to feed them with hay ect over the winter.
@@WildflowerFarm417 I meant to say that he should wait and stockpile more resources and money so that he won’t be in trouble when something goes wrong with the cattle.
I'm a cattle rancher and have been for 48 years. I keep anywhere from 700 to 1200 cows. You have plenty of space for 8 cows. Even if you need to toss out a few bales of hay a week or cow cake. Steel post and 3 to 4 lines of barbed wire will keep cows in. We butcher the skinny cows. You can get 300lbs of meat off a skinny cow. They won't give anything for her at the sale barn. I'd winter on a section of pasture with a wind break and feed hay and cake. Lots of different options out there just pink what works for you and if it doesn't then try something else. Good luck I'm sure you'll do great.
I am not a farmer, but. Maybe you would be better off in the long run if you built a pole barn type of structure in the upper pasture. You will be able to clean it out with a tractor, ground contact will be warmer in winter, and it will shelter the cows during very hot and stormy days as well.
Or look up Joel Salatin and see how he uses his pigs as tractors and mulches and rotates his pastures with different animals, who improve the pastures overall.
Same! I’m no farmer, either. I’ve a feeling the final plan might be epic. Depends if there’s a water source up top or a vision to be utilised with the swales. Vermont winters are longer and harsher than MO. Deep litter from a suitable chipped forest management scheme will fit in somehow. It’s like a board game for regenerative sustainable farming! These interacting homesteaders are taking on Monopoly/play station by stealth!
That is smart to reach out to people for help. Most people are too intimidated to ask experts for help. I have found that if you approach someone, even a total stranger, and ask for their advice they are happy to help. Wishing you success!
Help! I just binge watched 3 yrs of Gold Shaw Farm and going through withdrawals.I guess I have to wait til tomorrow night! I ❤ your videos and your cool little farm.
My great grandma raised them during the korean war.. Though profitable.. They scare easy...are extremely stupid and if spooked in a structure with corners.. Will trample eachother to death. The united states military was her sole customer..
Raising meat turkeys are harder then any other bird. They eat a lot, if they are given to much freespace they turn to all dark meat, and people only want them in november when you can buy them for 29¢ a pound at the superstore. Not saying its impossible just hard. I know from trying in the past
I have watched your channel for a while and enjoy watching "life on a farm". You give a great commentary and have a good sense of humor. Enjoy it very much. Thankx
I am reading the comments and most of them seem to be saying "Dont get cows, too much work". If you ask me it sounds like you have done your research and have already done a lot of planning for this. I doubt you take comments too seriously, but for real if you think you can pull off having a few cows, go for it! It excites me to see a small farmer work his way up and you sir are one of the best at it.
Start small, so when you learn it isn't on a huge scale. I remember you said how you were glad that you had started small with the ducks and geese for the same reason. It could be very expensive to learn on a large scale. The vet bills or losses are much bigger when dealig with cattle.
I am thrilled that your farm is doing well. Dexter cattle are great milk producers, gentle and can be trained easily. I look forward to your adventures this spring and summer. I love the Quacken shirt and wear it often to my friends amusement. My best to you,give Toby a hug.
I can’t get the kids out to get a new bed and I’m not gonna get a chance and get the rest of the kids out and then I’m on the couch with the girls to go get some sleep I need a couple things I have a lot to go with me I’m going out and I’m on the road to go get a couple of my friends I can’t go to the house to go to the kids and I’m going to get the trash and then I have a bunch to do it
We started with Ducks last Spring. This year my FIL dropped off chickens lol so now we have Ducks & chickens. But we raise Runner ducks 😁. I'm excited cause we have runners hatching in the next few days! You have taught me SO much more than I already knew! & Believe me! I've researched high & low. You don't truly k ow what you're doing until you have them!! Thank You! My ducks will have a better season cause you showed me things google couldn't lol
Did Greg advise you you won't make any money on 8 cows? I think you should sit down with your sheep raising friend and seriously consider raising sheep. So many advantages over cattle. You can have 5 sheep for every cow in respect to feed consumption. If you raise high health and purebred you can sell the majority of your lambs as breeding stock for a premium. The rest as butcher lambs are easy to sell privately. You can also sell the pelts from those lambs. Having raised sheep for over 30 years and also cattle for 10, I can say from experience sheep are more profitable and so much easier to handle. But you absolutely have to start off with the right breed and breeding plan and a good mentor to be successful and profitable. They are so much better for the health of your land because as they graze they fertilize, and because they are not as heavy as a cow they have less impact on the macroporosity of the soil. You can easily strip graze using the same netting you use for your fowl. Sheep winter very well, we get as low as -45 here, the sheep often choose to bed outside even though they have access to shelter.
You've already got your days packed to the seams. When you've got cows in the barn over the winter, you'll be adding mucking out the stalls *every day*, to your chores of shoveling snow, and caring for the birds. You are rapidly going to have more work to do than one person can humanly manage. You're going to need to hire a teenager to muck out your cattle stalls so you don't become burned out, or worse, get hurt. I'm becoming concerned that you are going to overwhelm yourself. I want you to succeed.
Greg Judy says to do what works for you in your environment. Greg is in a perfect location for a successful farm. Someone who’s trying to graze in the desert isn’t doing it wrong per say but they will have many challenges.
Well I'll tell you what I would change with the birds. Because I live in snow country too. Our water troughs are insulated coolers ( dogs, goats, sheep, ) so they only freeze in the top, also, use deicers. We are off grid solar. But we also work to make our different animal areas with their own solar panel and battery so they are all self sufficient. We also set up automated floats too for the troughs and some like the rabbits get limits attached to a hose, the hose part is outside their fence, the metal only is inside otherwise they would chew up the hose. But the water for the water birds, you can get insulated containers for them and even though their big pond us frozen now, you Can either set the water containers in the ground or partway in the ground, use the de-icers, keep it full all the time. The trick to those is burying your hose or putting a frost free water faucet near the containers. For the Buried hose technique, most of the hose we I'll be gone as long as its below the frost line, that's 4 feet down for us. But on the section coming up through that, we use a heat tape next to the hose and run it through a 4 inch abs black pipe section and stuff that with spray foam. We do have to protect all our electric cords from the animals. Goats are bad about that and geese are too. One more passive solar trick is to back your water devices to a wall of some sort on the north, so as the southern sun comes in, it can warm the containers as much as it is able. The wall can be painted black to absorb more heat. Or to make it both summer and winter, put a solid roof structure over it, not too deep, and walls on the sides. But open enough everyone can get a drink or , waterbirds can climb in. With the roof, the sun will be lower in the sky in winter, so the sun will go under the roof and warm it up , and in the summer, the sun will be higher than the roof and shade the water so it eomt makes much algae. Although the water birds may just eat the algae.
You know how to make a small fortune in ranching? Start with a large fortune. (See the example of Teddy Roosevelt in the Badlands of North Dakota in the 1880’s.)
That's awesome to have a good mentor ! I like how honest he is in steering you for all the up comings so you really prepared . Bugs ,water and market value pretty big deal for future reference .
Make sure to have trees to give the cattle shade or build some sort of structure that Justin Rhodes has and move that with the cattle. Also with the dexters I suggest that you get a automatic insulated water bucket so you don’t have to worry about them not having water. That would save time if you had to go somewhere in the morning and you wouldn’t have to do to much with the cattle besides putting mulch into the pen. I suggest figure out a way to feed out round bales because it would save time and they wouldn’t run out of hay to quickly. Put the round bale on the outside and have them reach in so they don’t waste as much and if they can’t reach it just kick it up to them. Best of luck with the cattle! For water try to get natural water because that will be hard on the well pump. If the well provides for the cows, birds, and you then try to get natural water because it will save you from doing as much work and time
I say ," GO FOR IT!!!!" Start small. When/if you get the hang of it you know it gets easier. It will take more work but you are still young. + God Bless!
Greg Judy, Joel Salvatin and Gabe Brown are some of those people I love watching. Richard Perkins and Justin Rhodes are also great. Good luck with the future.
When you get the cattle look for a spot on the farm for manure production as it will be smelly and you wouldn't want your animals be near but you should have easy access to it with your tractor.
Looking forward to your next adventure!! You are wise seeking advice from successful regenerative farmers. The only way to know if it will work is to go for it. Starting with a small herd is the best way to get hooked!! Best of luck.
The regenerative farmer told him a few red flags and I wish he would've really been upfront about the risks. I wish Morgan would visit a cattle farm like he did pigs in Spain so he can see the reality of the situation.
We have dexters and raise them for personal consumption and milk. I would advise starting small with cattle and make sure you are ready to wait a few years to turn a profit. If you are marketing direct to consumer make your processing appointment early... Most processors around us are booked out 15+ months.
Big investments, slow growth, and easy that an animal dies.. And requires a TON of work... Had cattle on a farm, would never do it again except as a large scale business with plenty of hired hands...And if the market goes down, you are still fucked.... We had a small dairy farm with 10 cows, my dad worked a fulltime job in a town, then on the farm, while my mum was the "main" farmer.. This was a long time ago, but with just 10 cows she turned around at least $200k a year, but after all the costs she was happy to get $5000 in profit during the same year... After a lifetime as a farmer she ended up with a pension she couldn't live on...And I had to work as free labour from when I could walk until I was 18 every summer, or we wouldn't have made it... If I could go back and talk to her as a teenager again I would have done anything to get her to raise chickens, pigs, goats, sheep, rabbits or just grow potatoes.. Anything but cows....
You're such a fan of TV shows and memes in your videos that I thought the title said "DOUG Judy Told Me Not To Do This" and I was very intrigued indeed! Doug Judy, as in The Pontiac Bandit in Brooklyn99
. Huge workload with cattle(especially if indoors in the winter) and so many potential problems, sheep or goats may be a better option or something niche like Alpaca.
Just my opinion...I learned the hard way.. if your limited on time cows are not the way to go. Winter time its a full time job 5 10 or 20 is a lot of time invested in feeding and watering and bedding.. I'm still doing it . Its a lot harder and time consuming than you think..
Love your videos, keep them coming! Was wondering if you get give a shout out to a fellow homesteading family in need right now. The channel is "The Kneady Homesteader" and Heather, whose videos of delicious food she makes are shared often, saw her family suffer a terrible car accident. There is a video explaining in more detail what happened on their channel. Needless to say it's a tragedy what happened to them. They could use all the prayers and support they can get if possible. That's " The Kneady Homesteader" channel. Thank you.
My father raised black Angus cattle on our farm years ago and had pretty good luck with them. They are a smaller breed and are hardy. We lived in Nebraska, so winters. We also had a lot more acres of pasture than you. Our Angus were smaller than the Herefords most of our neighbors were raising and I think they were smaller than the current hybrid breeds of Angus today. Good luck with this venture. I loved working with cattle.
Thankyou for your continued videos and livestreams Sir Morgan. I've dabbled in small scale farms before but nothing on your size of land. You are looking at cattle, I think you would be unwise to go that way considering the effort and time. I think sheep and pigs would be better considering they look after themselves. I think you said that it's not the ideas or plans you have but the time you have to do it. Cattle will pretty much take up too much time compared to the profit.
He's so right about fencing. I grew up around ranching and some cattle, always they had bobbed wire fences, sometimes with electric fence down low, but that was for weed zapping. But if you've got beautiful cedar wood, that is wonderful for furnature. Maybe sell some of it to craftsmen or wood workers. Someone named O'Donnel breeds miniture Jersey's, they are about the size of a very large dog. Were it me... Go see his stuff on youtube Morgan. Hay is expensive unless you grow and harvest your own.
I totally recommend goats! Fence in some forest, (goats are made to browse, not graze), and they can provide all the things cows can. Cows will take up a lot of room and needs that will be $$. I recommend goats.
For the fencing and time, you could fence in a smaller size of it, instead of the entire 35+ acres. This could allow you more time on other infrastructure pieces such as, water, feed, shelter, etc and also experience raising them as a smaller herd size.
This might be something you want to give another year or two to contemplate. I'd be afraid if you went in and ended up regretting it. It seems like a big, big step.
Morgan you really don’t have much free time But you are very dedicated to your farm but you are a young man still and be very proud of All your work you come So far 🙏🙏🙏👍👍🥰🥰
Remember your trip to Spain. Get some pigs and feed them on the nuts trees. You will have a better business leverage. Speaking from Portugal where we also raise pigs on nuts wood's they also clear the land for you... Smaller and less costly animals. Good luck!
A perimeter fence I put around my grandfathers farm in 99, still looks good. Do it right the 1st time. You'll only have to tighten wires. And use local cattle. See what local dairy farmers use. Jersey, Guernsey, Milking Shorthorn. I used Scottish Highlander. For market value: people want the horns, and the red long hair hide is gorgeous when tanned.
Hmm, but if you're already short on time how you will deal with a herd of completely new, much bigger and higher maintenance animals? On top of a new dog? And I might be remembering wrong or might have just misunderstood it to begin with but wasn't your decision for water fowl, especially geese, also a decision based on how sustainable they are for your land? How would cows fit into that?
Look forward to seeing what you do , make sure you take good vibes of the water set up . Good job maybe get Greg to spend a day or so working together with you , I think it would be good for his videos also or have him send one of the boys to help , it would be like a project for them
If you're looking at Dexter cattle you should checkout Aberdeen Angus. I work in a meat shop that does processing for direct sales and one farmer has Aberdeens. They pack a ton of meat on a small frame, i think the steers we took in hung 500-600. We've also taken in some Waygu crosses and those beef cut beautifully. Waygu aren't really big either, a bull with some Aberdeen ladies is my dream herd.
Dream big but I'm going to join the chorus of those who are telling you skipping the fencing is a big mistake, especially since you do not have experience handling cattle. I am also going to tell you to raise a couple feeder steers to see if you like cows and cow chores- cows aren't for everyone. Another thing, at least for here is highland cattle are a money pit, they remind me a bit of the alpaca boom a few years back. They sell well to people who like the idea of cows but processors don't like them (the hair), and they're small for cows and take longer to produce a quality carcass. Here for smaller scale animal size production lowline and american wagu seem to be the dominant of the smaller cattle that actually maintain market value.
Hi Toby dog. I also love watching Greg Judy. I saw all the comments from people who watch your channel, and that's how I discovered your channel. New subscriber here. We just got 2 Dexters last year and I am looking forward to watching more of your older videos. Where are you located? We are in northern BC. Another great channel to check out is Pete at Just A Few Acres Farm.
I still say grow spring flowers among those trees. You can market early-mid-late spring tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths, plus sell bulbs after they multiply. Stay away from summer gladiolas ~ the bulbs have to be dug up and dried every fall.
Dude! Greg Freakin' Judy brings the wisdom. You are wise to seek it from him. Someday, some young farmer is going to be seeking mentorship from you. Way to be, brother. :-)
Eg. Morgan mentoring a prospective cattle farm plan from another local poultry farmer, ...after half an hour explaining how he did it, he then gets to the last part where he gave the cows away for free and got some sheep.
Another non-farmer here. From outside looking in, this sounds a little like investing in Hummers when the world is moving to Teslas and Priuses. Whatever you do, it'll be interesting and I will remain a faithful subscriber!
Have you considered having sheep instead of cows? They are less maintenance, their wool is in more demand than the meat of Dexters, they tolerate the cold weather and the more cold it is the more wool they produce, they aren’t as high of health risk as cows, their feet are are smaller so less damage to your land, and less expensive! They would be less expensive with vet bills too. If you’re just looking for grazers, sheep are perfect! And Toby would love sheep!!
My mom grew up on a farm and has seen and heard other farmers say these same things about sheep vs cows. Cows are very high maintenance in comparison to sheep and if you are already short on time, sheep are the way to go. Cattle will take up ALL of your time.
Yes, sheep!
Precisely, it’s too early to jump from small fowl birds to large mammals anyway. Sheep would be the best option. I’m not saying as an experienced farmer(because I’m not a farmer) but because Morgan needs to take slow steps before he overwhelms himself.
As a former fan of Angry Ram, I can say from experience that your viewers will buy some of the wool at a slightly higher rate.
It's hard for small scale sheep guys to make money without taking loans
Old English Southdown (Babydoll) are a good, easy sheep and in high demand for pets.
Cows are not lap dogs! They have a mind of their own. They require consistent training from birth to death to keep you and them safe. Go and spend the next many months with a cow operation for your experience. Many of your questions will be answered that way. If you have ANY hesitancy -- a cow will know it! Are you ready to trim feet, wean calves, drench with medication or a bolus, insert a trocar, tag an ear, castrate the bull calves, and so much more. Then do it all with one hand and alone. Check out Homesteady and Swedish Homestead on TH-cam. They are still learning after years with their few cows. Good luck
All I know about cattle (reporting from my downtown Abq apartment) is what I've learned from _The Incredible Dr. Pol_ (TV show, with clips on TH-cam). I wonder if Morgan is ready to pull a calf... I wonder how many veterinarians are near and how many specialize in farm animals? I agree with the commenter who suggested he work (for months at least) with a _local_ cattle farm to see up close & personal what goes into it.
@@ellenamy9617 -- there is probably a market for good wool (used in clothing and by clothing makers, knitters, of course) and itinerant sheep shearers may be available, too. I hardly ever see sheep featured on The Incredible Dr. Pol (TV show), but cows (rarely bulls) are on all the time with a variety of problems.
I grew up around dairy farmers. I'm going to be blunt. This sounds like a disaster in the making.
1) Cattle consume an enormous amount of water every day. How sure are about your spring? How far below the water table is your spring head? Have you had an engineer out to verify you can sustain that kind of draw? The farm could of sustained that in the past but population density has increased around you and more people are drawing off that same water table so you should make sure. I strongly doubt if the land was formerly a dairy that there is no pond somewhere in the old pasture. You should look to include that in your plans rather than relying on pumping water for all the cattle's needs.
2) 6 to 8 cows means 6 to 8 calves every year to be raised for slaughter for meat, right. You are not going to keep the weight on 6+ cows and feed 6+ calves for slaughter on 25 acres. I know all the guides say 2 acres per cow/calf pair per year but that is BS. Maybe in some perfect environment but realistically you need more room than that. Further if you want meat and not fat on your cattle you want them to have some room to move around anyway in addition to having room to not stand in their own shit every day. However it takes Dexter's 18 to 24 months to reach market weight so you'd have more like 24 cattle of different ages on the farm all the time? on 25 acres? Even if your pasture is absolutely perfect for cattle, a little over an acre per animal is on the tight side.
3) If you're aiming for a breed that is only commercially desirable as dog food that isn't good if anything happens to your "make jerky" plan. I make jerky and you cannot make jerky with every cut, really only certain cuts make good jerky. So unless you have a better plan than that your waste is going to egregious. Even using some of the off cuts for sausage won't help that much. Beef sausage is still pretty limited in what can be used. Checking some there are reason Dexter's aren't valued in the commercial market (small size of the market cuts seems to be the major one) so selling to local restaurants would even likely be a hard sell.
4) Hay costs a lot. In a good year the cost of a flatbed load of round bales will make you weep. In a drought year... Do you have the financial reserves for that? Can the old barn support that kind of weight?
5) Deep litter for the winter accommodations? I readily admit to being from the dairy world where everything is stainless steel and bare concrete scrubbed clean twice a day but this idea makes me skeevy. Cows are a lot like geese. They eat stuff they can barely digest and then poop out the rest. So they make a ton of poop. Standing in hay and poop all winter on hooves not big splaying webbed feet? I have my doubts.
If you really want to diversify out of waterfowl maybe try something like pigs? There's a booming market for heritage breeds and you have just about the perfect land for such with woods with nut trees.
Cattle fenced in on a small acreage, get ready for the vet bills. Breeding cattle get ready for the vet bills. And just get ready for the vet bills lol...
I concur - though I think Morgan mentioned growing for meat, not dairy (milking twice a day at ungodly hours). Think of the vet bills from dehorning, castrating the bulls, injuries, hooves, mastitis, etc. None of those tasks are a one-person job - have to have hired hands. Plus cattle are heavy - once had a cow step on my foot, and was groaning and pushing her to get off while she stood there unconcerned. Finally stepped aside.
Maybe start with one or two in your barn, to get the hang of it - then if you want add more in the pasture, with a cowshed and troughs for feed and water.
@@miditrax My aunt got a steer to sell for meat once. Sweetest thing you'd ever want to see. Had it on an acre but was feeding it corn rather than just pasturing. I was out with him one day in the summer, was probably 4 or 5 months old so 400lbs. roughly. I was cleaning the water trough and the big fool just walked up trying to drink and stepped right on my foot. I hit him over the head with the shovel 3 or 4 times and he pulled his head out of the trough and looked at me sweet as could be like why are you hitting me? Didn't move his hoof though. I shoved that steer as hard as I could and he shoved me back. I think he thought it was a game. Drank his fill and ambled off. My foot was black and blue for weeks. Doc said I was lucky to not have lost it.
On the expenses, once you know how you can castrate calves yourself. I'm told you can debud as well but honestly horns are not a big deal and I worked around dairy cattle and the odd meat steer with horns as a kid without a problem. Filing hooves is a job that takes two people but doesn't need a vet. Mastitis is a straight up nightmare. Until you've seen a pussy bloody udder you've never seen gross. And trying to clean it up is a very good way to get kicked. Si you need to get the cow immobilized in a stall and a hobble which is a two or three person job. Also it takes antibiotics, unless there is some "organic" treatment out there I've never heard of.
Are you familiar with Greg Judy, Joel Salatin and Justin Rhodes? What you are saying can't be done is already being done.
Also, if his water is supplied by a homestead-size well pump, it's not going to last very long supplying the animals as well.
Go with sheep my family gave up cows in the 90s due to how expensive it got. The bank and the gov finally got the homeplace in 04 but the trouble started in 90.
I would go for sheep as well, but a hair breed not wool. Plus side with especially something like a Cameroon is no sheering, resilient to parasites and very little hoof care. Down side they eat everything trees, plastic, metal and mine sometimes eat the odd mouse! Although someone said he didn't want to go down the goat road so maybe that also means no sheep.
Toby dog would be a good sheep 🐑 herder
@@savedbeliever Not too sure on this but LSG are usually raised from pup with the types of animals they are to protect. So he might have to have some re-training to accept sheep/goats or cattle as part of his creatures to look after. I'm sure someone out there has first hand knowledge of this breed type. I know with my own dogs (mixed breed hunting dog and doberman) I must teach them that a new one is ok, even if it's another sheep, chicken etc. This is obviously more challenging as my dog's were not bred for this, especially the hunting mix, who for months from adoption salivated at the chickens and rabbits. But had to learn they were friends NOT food.
I’m so glad you found Greg Judy. He is an amazing man.
We have Dexter Cattle (only 3) and we love them. We run goat fence and T-posts mainly because we can move them and we have goats too. We have 3 pastures and we can lead them with sweet feed. Definitely the easiest animal on our farm. Good luck Morgan!
Another thought: You’ve done so well in getting notoriety. Maybe invest in a farm stay and make a business from your brand rather than invest in farming with high maintenance animals!❤️ You’re happy with your water fowl so build your brand 🙏
AY, farm stay sounds like a good idea. Cattle are a pain in the neck.
Cassie Davis Exactly. They’ll take all his time and money.
I know zero about farming, but ever since I first heard you mention it, I have wondered: why do you want cattle? You have started with small animals - all birds, by the way - and now you want to go to these huge, lumbering beasts? Maybe Dexters are on the small side, but they’re enormous when you compare them to geese. Have you thought about helping out a friend who does have cows to see what’s really involved? How about starting with a smaller mammal? You just said your time is already filled up. Forget your outside full-time job if you have cattle and no help.
"Forget your outside full-time job if you have cattle and no help."
This!
Ok. I love Toby. Just gotta say it. Seeing him makes my whole day better.
You are a smart guy who already knows what to do.. Looking into things before jumping in.head first is a good thing You two are going to do just fine and I will for sure keep looking.
Stay safe and healthy and take care of each other.
That was a beautiful introduction for Greg Judy. Like the cut away to the geese and sky cam, the birds eye view of the farm is magnificent.
Mr. Greg makes a lot of sense. Do it once, do it right, and you won't have to do it again. This guy is a gem! Good move to consult with him.
You're working your ads off. But do it now, when you're young and healthy. You'll have things in place when you retire.
Hope you’re having a great day Morgan
Thank you! You too.
@@GoldShawFarm your welcome
Hearing Toby crunch his kibble. Sweet music to my ears!
In my limited farm experience, I don't see yet how cows are going to be cost effective. But I have no doubt you're keeping that in mind. Good luck whichever way you decide to go!
I love Greg Judy. Watch everything he uploads. You too, Morgan. Thank you for allowing me to go on this journey with you.
Bah cows, too much work. Go with goats, they aren't as picky eatters and their milk is delicious and far less allergy causing, and milk sells for more. Cows take too much room, allergy milk, give too much milk. Also you want to watch out because you've got water birds and you don't want cow manure in your pond, or run off into your pond. Birds first man, birds first.
the goats would take any chance to decimate the permaculture orchard
A whole bunch of folks that are diagnosed as allergic to cow's milk are actually allergic to something those cows ate (corn.. oats.. glyphosate... anything beyond grass) My kid gets horrible itching and gastro issues from conventional milk.. but not grass fed/grass finished milk.
@@HealthyDisrespectforAuthority Agree. Totally.
Good point! I totally agree! I was saying sheep but goats are the way to go as well. Just not cows!!
@@prcervi ... maybe goats first year or so to clear the land ...but birds are always spreading seeds ...
I’m not exactly experienced with cattle, but I think you should maybe delay the cattle until you are more economically stable enough to afford the fences, the barn, and all the food they need.
But he said in the video that money is not a problem, his problem is time to do things
@@Marie-do1df Im just saying that he shouldn’t exactly rush into this guns blazing. He should prepare himself for the cattle. Maybe he can start small like with sheep or goats.
@@CarlosAlberto-nq3iv he is preparing himself and while starting with smaller animals might make sense to you, if it's not in his business plan then it's a wasted investment and time which will impact his profits ect.. It isn't that he can't afford the fences because he was weighing up pros and cons of each option deciding what was best. Also he wasn't worried about the cost of food it's common knowledge that a smaller cow eats less food equalling less cost for feed which in his climate, is the sensible option because as he said, he will have to feed them with hay ect over the winter.
Did he say he's not "economically stable"?
@@WildflowerFarm417 I meant to say that he should wait and stockpile more resources and money so that he won’t be in trouble when something goes wrong with the cattle.
I'm a cattle rancher and have been for 48 years. I keep anywhere from 700 to 1200 cows. You have plenty of space for 8 cows. Even if you need to toss out a few bales of hay a week or cow cake. Steel post and 3 to 4 lines of barbed wire will keep cows in. We butcher the skinny cows. You can get 300lbs of meat off a skinny cow. They won't give anything for her at the sale barn. I'd winter on a section of pasture with a wind break and feed hay and cake. Lots of different options out there just pink what works for you and if it doesn't then try something else. Good luck I'm sure you'll do great.
What would you think of raising a few cows for milk just for a homestead?
Good advice
I am not a farmer, but. Maybe you would be better off in the long run if you built a pole barn type of structure in the upper pasture. You will be able to clean it out with a tractor, ground contact will be warmer in winter, and it will shelter the cows during very hot and stormy days as well.
Or look up Joel Salatin and see how he uses his pigs as tractors and mulches and rotates his pastures with different animals, who improve the pastures overall.
Same! I’m no farmer, either.
I’ve a feeling the final plan might be epic. Depends if there’s a water source up top or a vision to be utilised with the swales. Vermont winters are longer and harsher than MO. Deep litter from a suitable chipped forest management scheme will fit in somehow.
It’s like a board game for regenerative sustainable farming! These interacting homesteaders are taking on Monopoly/play station by stealth!
Its Vermont. We only have 1 or 2 really days a decade. 🤣
@@sherrybrissette1614 Huh?
@@sherrybrissette1614 You forgot a word. Really what ?
That is smart to reach out to people for help. Most people are too intimidated to ask experts for help. I have found that if you approach someone, even a total stranger, and ask for their advice they are happy to help. Wishing you success!
Help! I just binge watched 3 yrs of Gold Shaw Farm and going through withdrawals.I guess I have to wait til tomorrow night! I ❤ your videos and your cool little farm.
Have you ever thought about raising meat turkeys? Surely has to be a pretty decent market for them especially before thanksgiving.
I think he should have a handful of turkeys, if not to sell to others but to have eggs and meat for themselves.
My great grandma raised them during the korean war.. Though profitable.. They scare easy...are extremely stupid and if spooked in a structure with corners.. Will trample eachother to death.
The united states military was her sole customer..
Raising meat turkeys are harder then any other bird. They eat a lot, if they are given to much freespace they turn to all dark meat, and people only want them in november when you can buy them for 29¢ a pound at the superstore. Not saying its impossible just hard. I know from trying in the past
I have watched your channel for a while and enjoy watching "life on a farm". You give a great commentary and have a good sense of humor. Enjoy it very much. Thankx
I am reading the comments and most of them seem to be saying "Dont get cows, too much work". If you ask me it sounds like you have done your research and have already done a lot of planning for this. I doubt you take comments too seriously, but for real if you think you can pull off having a few cows, go for it! It excites me to see a small farmer work his way up and you sir are one of the best at it.
Start small, so when you learn it isn't on a huge scale. I remember you said how you were glad that you had started small with the ducks and geese for the same reason. It could be very expensive to learn on a large scale. The vet bills or losses are much bigger when dealig with cattle.
Greg Judy is such a inspiration for me. I have learned so much from his channel.
I am thrilled that your farm is doing well. Dexter cattle are great milk producers, gentle and can be trained easily. I look forward to your adventures this spring and summer. I love the Quacken shirt and wear it often to my friends amusement. My best to you,give Toby a hug.
"Just a Few Acres Farm" channel seems like the guy to check out if you looking to do cattle in an area like that.
He's a good one!
He already commented on one of their vids that he was interested in dexters
I can’t get the kids out to get a new bed and I’m not gonna get a chance and get the rest of the kids out and then I’m on the couch with the girls to go get some sleep I need a couple things I have a lot to go with me I’m going out and I’m on the road to go get a couple of my friends I can’t go to the house to go to the kids and I’m going to get the trash and then I have a bunch to do it
I’m looking forward to seeing your cattle. I love watching Greg Judy.
We started with Ducks last Spring. This year my FIL dropped off chickens lol so now we have Ducks & chickens. But we raise Runner ducks 😁. I'm excited cause we have runners hatching in the next few days! You have taught me SO much more than I already knew! & Believe me! I've researched high & low. You don't truly k ow what you're doing until you have them!! Thank You! My ducks will have a better season cause you showed me things google couldn't lol
Did Greg advise you you won't make any money on 8 cows? I think you should sit down with your sheep raising friend and seriously consider raising sheep. So many advantages over cattle. You can have 5 sheep for every cow in respect to feed consumption. If you raise high health and purebred you can sell the majority of your lambs as breeding stock for a premium. The rest as butcher lambs are easy to sell privately. You can also sell the pelts from those lambs. Having raised sheep for over 30 years and also cattle for 10, I can say from experience sheep are more profitable and so much easier to handle. But you absolutely have to start off with the right breed and breeding plan and a good mentor to be successful and profitable. They are so much better for the health of your land because as they graze they fertilize, and because they are not as heavy as a cow they have less impact on the macroporosity of the soil. You can easily strip graze using the same netting you use for your fowl. Sheep winter very well, we get as low as -45 here, the sheep often choose to bed outside even though they have access to shelter.
It's great to see how well your channel is doing. Just clicked on the vid after it's been up for an hour and you've already got 8000 views. Great work
You've already got your days packed to the seams. When you've got cows in the barn over the winter, you'll be adding mucking out the stalls *every day*, to your chores of shoveling snow, and caring for the birds. You are rapidly going to have more work to do than one person can humanly manage. You're going to need to hire a teenager to muck out your cattle stalls so you don't become burned out, or worse, get hurt. I'm becoming concerned that you are going to overwhelm yourself. I want you to succeed.
He should either hire some people to help out on the farm or settle with easier mammalian livestock like pigs or sheep.
or he could use a deep bedding system that Joel Salatin uses
@@uprootfarming1215 But there’s still the matter of taking care of large mammals.
@@CarlosAlberto-nq3iv yeah but deep beddding lasts them all winter then get a tractor and put it over garden or fields
He should get rid of birds if he wants sheep./cows . And grow veggies/melons. Less work
Greg Judy says to do what works for you in your environment. Greg is in a perfect location for a successful farm. Someone who’s trying to graze in the desert isn’t doing it wrong per say but they will have many challenges.
What about in North Carolina?
Delete
Well I'll tell you what I would change with the birds. Because I live in snow country too. Our water troughs are insulated coolers ( dogs, goats, sheep, ) so they only freeze in the top, also, use deicers. We are off grid solar. But we also work to make our different animal areas with their own solar panel and battery so they are all self sufficient. We also set up automated floats too for the troughs and some like the rabbits get limits attached to a hose, the hose part is outside their fence, the metal only is inside otherwise they would chew up the hose. But the water for the water birds, you can get insulated containers for them and even though their big pond us frozen now, you Can either set the water containers in the ground or partway in the ground, use the de-icers, keep it full all the time. The trick to those is burying your hose or putting a frost free water faucet near the containers. For the Buried hose technique, most of the hose we I'll be gone as long as its below the frost line, that's 4 feet down for us. But on the section coming up through that, we use a heat tape next to the hose and run it through a 4 inch abs black pipe section and stuff that with spray foam. We do have to protect all our electric cords from the animals. Goats are bad about that and geese are too.
One more passive solar trick is to back your water devices to a wall of some sort on the north, so as the southern sun comes in, it can warm the containers as much as it is able. The wall can be painted black to absorb more heat. Or to make it both summer and winter, put a solid roof structure over it, not too deep, and walls on the sides. But open enough everyone can get a drink or , waterbirds can climb in. With the roof, the sun will be lower in the sky in winter, so the sun will go under the roof and warm it up , and in the summer, the sun will be higher than the roof and shade the water so it eomt makes much algae. Although the water birds may just eat the algae.
I love it when people do it right!! Thank you, Morgan!!
But he's not doing it right..it's a mistake :( I'm so worried for him
I love Greg Judy's channel. It is very relaxing to watch cows and sheep eat grass
You know how to make a small fortune in ranching? Start with a large fortune. (See the example of Teddy Roosevelt in the Badlands of North Dakota in the 1880’s.)
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Yo hi I’m actually a farmer
That's awesome to have a good mentor ! I like how honest he is in steering you for all the up comings so you really prepared . Bugs ,water and market value pretty big deal for future reference .
Hope you re keeping cattle out of & away from the young trees...
sustainable industry is such an underappreciated aspect of human culture, i'm glad it's becoming more normal to think in those terms.
Make sure to have trees to give the cattle shade or build some sort of structure that Justin Rhodes has and move that with the cattle. Also with the dexters I suggest that you get a automatic insulated water bucket so you don’t have to worry about them not having water. That would save time if you had to go somewhere in the morning and you wouldn’t have to do to much with the cattle besides putting mulch into the pen. I suggest figure out a way to feed out round bales because it would save time and they wouldn’t run out of hay to quickly. Put the round bale on the outside and have them reach in so they don’t waste as much and if they can’t reach it just kick it up to them. Best of luck with the cattle! For water try to get natural water because that will be hard on the well pump. If the well provides for the cows, birds, and you then try to get natural water because it will save you from doing as much work and time
I think you are a good guy and look forward to your videos. You’ll do good with your cows!
I respect the grind of your farm
Make sure you keep the fence line clean if using electric fencing.
Greg's a hoot! good call on making that call!
I say ," GO FOR IT!!!!" Start small. When/if you get the hang of it you know it gets easier. It will take more work but you are still young. + God Bless!
Greg Judy, Joel Salvatin and Gabe Brown are some of those people I love watching. Richard Perkins and Justin Rhodes are also great. Good luck with the future.
Good for you for chasing your dreams! This is great :) i think its really admirable how you reached out to a master as well!
When you get the cattle look for a spot on the farm for manure production as it will be smelly and you wouldn't want your animals be near but you should have easy access to it with your tractor.
Looking forward to your next adventure!! You are wise seeking advice from successful regenerative farmers. The only way to know if it will work is to go for it. Starting with a small herd is the best way to get hooked!! Best of luck.
The regenerative farmer told him a few red flags and I wish he would've really been upfront about the risks. I wish Morgan would visit a cattle farm like he did pigs in Spain so he can see the reality of the situation.
We have dexters and raise them for personal consumption and milk. I would advise starting small with cattle and make sure you are ready to wait a few years to turn a profit. If you are marketing direct to consumer make your processing appointment early... Most processors around us are booked out 15+ months.
I don't think cattle is a good idea. Sounds like they need some pretty big investments, and at your scale there is no way they're gonna be profitable.
Even if he stockpiled resources and money, it would still be alot of work that could potentially overwhelm Morgan. He should keep taking slow steps.
Big investments, slow growth, and easy that an animal dies.. And requires a TON of work... Had cattle on a farm, would never do it again except as a large scale business with plenty of hired hands...And if the market goes down, you are still fucked.... We had a small dairy farm with 10 cows, my dad worked a fulltime job in a town, then on the farm, while my mum was the "main" farmer.. This was a long time ago, but with just 10 cows she turned around at least $200k a year, but after all the costs she was happy to get $5000 in profit during the same year... After a lifetime as a farmer she ended up with a pension she couldn't live on...And I had to work as free labour from when I could walk until I was 18 every summer, or we wouldn't have made it...
If I could go back and talk to her as a teenager again I would have done anything to get her to raise chickens, pigs, goats, sheep, rabbits or just grow potatoes.. Anything but cows....
You're such a fan of TV shows and memes in your videos that I thought the title said "DOUG Judy Told Me Not To Do This" and I was very intrigued indeed! Doug Judy, as in The Pontiac Bandit in Brooklyn99
😂😂
. Huge workload with cattle(especially if indoors in the winter) and so many potential problems, sheep or goats may be a better option or something niche like Alpaca.
Just my opinion...I learned the hard way.. if your limited on time cows are not the way to go. Winter time its a full time job 5 10 or 20 is a lot of time invested in feeding and watering and bedding.. I'm still doing it . Its a lot harder and time consuming than you think..
Have you ever thought of naming the goose pen the "honk"-y tonk.
Love your videos, keep them coming! Was wondering if you get give a shout out to a fellow homesteading family in need right now. The channel is "The Kneady Homesteader" and Heather, whose videos of delicious food she makes are shared often, saw her family suffer a terrible car accident. There is a video explaining in more detail what happened on their channel. Needless to say it's a tragedy what happened to them. They could use all the prayers and support they can get if possible. That's " The Kneady Homesteader" channel. Thank you.
Perhaps start with a miniture cattle breed!? Or just do goats!
Goats or Pigs.
@@ggroch
I think the idea is to get a milk production. Pigs are not suited to that at all.
Dexters are considered mini cattle.
Goats will eat his trees. He addressed this at his monthly farm news live chat.
Goats and pigs destroy everything
My father raised black Angus cattle on our farm years ago and had pretty good luck with them. They are a smaller breed and are hardy. We lived in Nebraska, so winters. We also had a lot more acres of pasture than you. Our Angus were smaller than the Herefords most of our neighbors were raising and I think they were smaller than the current hybrid breeds of Angus today. Good luck with this venture. I loved working with cattle.
Oh wow, you will have a lot on your hands buddy! Good luck! Hugs
Faith faith . you do a good job do not worry I watched you when I can and when I do all your cattle and ducks and doing great
Man i love to watch these vids. Sooo peaceful
Thanks for the link to Greg Judy. Lots of good information.
Hi Born / Raised in VT Our family from Barnet Love your farm Geart job
For regenerative cattle farming, I watch Swedish Homestead channel on youtube. Check out some of their older videos.
Thankyou for your continued videos and livestreams Sir Morgan. I've dabbled in small scale farms before but nothing on your size of land. You are looking at cattle, I think you would be unwise to go that way considering the effort and time. I think sheep and pigs would be better considering they look after themselves. I think you said that it's not the ideas or plans you have but the time you have to do it. Cattle will pretty much take up too much time compared to the profit.
I think the belted Galloway would be good for you since he has so much snow in the winter
everything you need to know about raising cattle " a cow is nothing but trouble in a leather bag"
The way Toby eats 😭❤️❤️
Super excited for all the farm has planned this spring/summer! New pup, cows, I'm sure some baby birds will be mixed in! ❤️
He's so right about fencing. I grew up around ranching and some cattle, always they had bobbed wire fences, sometimes with electric fence down low, but that was for weed zapping. But if you've got beautiful cedar wood, that is wonderful for furnature. Maybe sell some of it to craftsmen or wood workers. Someone named O'Donnel breeds miniture Jersey's, they are about the size of a very large dog. Were it me... Go see his stuff on youtube Morgan. Hay is expensive unless you grow and harvest your own.
I totally recommend goats! Fence in some forest, (goats are made to browse, not graze), and they can provide all the things cows can. Cows will take up a lot of room and needs that will be $$. I recommend goats.
Most informative show. Thank you!
For the fencing and time, you could fence in a smaller size of it, instead of the entire 35+ acres. This could allow you more time on other infrastructure pieces such as, water, feed, shelter, etc and also experience raising them as a smaller herd size.
Go with whatever you think Morgan! Two best Norther Vt cattle for colder climates, not picky eaters & are not too big, Highlands or Belted Galloways
This might be something you want to give another year or two to contemplate. I'd be afraid if you went in and ended up regretting it. It seems like a big, big step.
I will love seeing him try!!
Morgan you really don’t have much free time But you are very dedicated to your farm but you are a young man still and be very proud of All your work you come So far 🙏🙏🙏👍👍🥰🥰
Pooooor chickens have no catch phrase.. Try "UNLOCK THE FLOCK!!"
Excellent phrase.
UNLOCK THE FLOCK
Love that Tom!
Remember your trip to Spain. Get some pigs and feed them on the nuts trees. You will have a better business leverage. Speaking from Portugal where we also raise pigs on nuts wood's they also clear the land for you... Smaller and less costly animals. Good luck!
A perimeter fence I put around my grandfathers farm in 99, still looks good. Do it right the 1st time. You'll only have to tighten wires. And use local cattle. See what local dairy farmers use. Jersey, Guernsey, Milking Shorthorn. I used Scottish Highlander. For market value: people want the horns, and the red long hair hide is gorgeous when tanned.
For winter grazing, maybe talk to the folks from Anathoth Community Farm. They have a bale grazing system in the snow.
I know someone in NH that raises Scottish Highlanders, they are very docile and can handle a VT winter.
Hmm, but if you're already short on time how you will deal with a herd of completely new, much bigger and higher maintenance animals? On top of a new dog? And I might be remembering wrong or might have just misunderstood it to begin with but wasn't your decision for water fowl, especially geese, also a decision based on how sustainable they are for your land? How would cows fit into that?
Hi..... Morgan, thank you for sharing your video homestead 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 🎥👍👍👍
If you need cows we have some in Rutland for sale! Diary heifers can be bred if needed!
I follow a lot of homesteaders and a lot of them has goats and they don’t never seem to have a problem selling them
Look forward to seeing what you do , make sure you take good vibes of the water set up .
Good job maybe get Greg to spend a day or so working together with you , I think it would be good for his videos also or have him send one of the boys to help , it would be like a project for them
If you're looking at Dexter cattle you should checkout Aberdeen Angus. I work in a meat shop that does processing for direct sales and one farmer has Aberdeens. They pack a ton of meat on a small frame, i think the steers we took in hung 500-600.
We've also taken in some Waygu crosses and those beef cut beautifully. Waygu aren't really big either, a bull with some Aberdeen ladies is my dream herd.
Dream big but I'm going to join the chorus of those who are telling you skipping the fencing is a big mistake, especially since you do not have experience handling cattle. I am also going to tell you to raise a couple feeder steers to see if you like cows and cow chores- cows aren't for everyone. Another thing, at least for here is highland cattle are a money pit, they remind me a bit of the alpaca boom a few years back. They sell well to people who like the idea of cows but processors don't like them (the hair), and they're small for cows and take longer to produce a quality carcass. Here for smaller scale animal size production lowline and american wagu seem to be the dominant of the smaller cattle that actually maintain market value.
"some of them are going to be stupid" lmao yep. its important people know you can love animals and be realistic as well
Cows are great, I grew up on my grandpa’s farm, and he had cows. I loved it.
I AM SOOO EXCITED FOR YOUR FARM 💗🎈💗🎈💗
Plus it is kind of tradition in my family dating back to the mid to late 1800's, maybe even before that. :)
If you go w sheep, look into "hair sheep", you don't have to mess w wool. Ethnic markets are also looking for lamb and mutton.
Hi Toby dog. I also love watching Greg Judy. I saw all the comments from people who watch your channel, and that's how I discovered your channel. New subscriber here. We just got 2 Dexters last year and I am looking forward to watching more of your older videos. Where are you located? We are in northern BC. Another great channel to check out is Pete at Just A Few Acres Farm.
I still say grow spring flowers among those trees. You can market early-mid-late spring tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths, plus sell bulbs after they multiply. Stay away from summer gladiolas ~ the bulbs have to be dug up and dried every fall.
Dude! Greg Freakin' Judy brings the wisdom. You are wise to seek it from him. Someday, some young farmer is going to be seeking mentorship from you. Way to be, brother. :-)
Eg. Morgan mentoring a prospective cattle farm plan from another local poultry farmer, ...after half an hour explaining how he did it, he then gets to the last part where he gave the cows away for free and got some sheep.
Greg Judy videos are therapeutic.
That's exciting! I follow Greg and I don't even have a homestead.
Another non-farmer here. From outside looking in, this sounds a little like investing in Hummers when the world is moving to Teslas and Priuses. Whatever you do, it'll be interesting and I will remain a faithful subscriber!