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.
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.
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 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.
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 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!
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 🙏
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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!
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.
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..
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 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
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
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.
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.
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.)
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!
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?
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.
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.
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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
The cattle farmers in my county., small to large have one thing in common. That’s up at 4am, 12 to 14 hour days, and this doesn’t even cover the calving season. So I hope if you go all in here, then you go all in. Right now it seams like you have a F/T remote gig, I just hope that the stress of maintaining a full running farm won’t cause you more issues down the road. I didn’t even mention the time it takes to edit videos, and the ROI you’re getting from subs and views.
. 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.
What kind of cattle operation are you really considering running on your farm? Are you running a cow/calf where you sell off the calves after weaning, or will you be finishing them yourself? Are you investing in super quality papered stock to sell to other farmers as breeding stock, either as cows or bulls? Have you seriously considered sheep? You've got a good market on what would be considered more specialty items with the ducks and geese, so how about carrying that over to premium lamb? I'm really tired of seeing lamb from New Zealand in Texas. That's just stupid, but they do it for the quality. It just hurts me that it has to come from literally the other side of the world.
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.
If your Serious about Cattle you should consider 3 or 4 to start with and get Cattle like Gregg Judy has. The Posts that I read are good and bad. Talk to Justin Rhodes to find out how he is raising his Cattle on small acreage. Cattle are work just as any other animal except they are larger. Take your time and think about this cause you don't need to lose your Butt. Pasture raised Pigs are good and easier to sell. Justin Rhodes is just getting into this so ask him his thoughts. VW Family Farm is raising Pasture Pigs talk to them. I wish you all the best in whatever endeavor you decide on. Turkeys are another Bird you could raise. I'll keep watching your Channel no matter what your decision will be. Peace from WV
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.
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.
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....
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.
Have you ever thought of highland cattle? They are really popular in colder climates and are apparently very gentle. They can be used for milk for personal use and then meat. Im no expert though. Not to mention that tourists love them as well which is a way you might be heading as well. Here in Sweden we see them being kept in small herds of 4-6 by themselves or with other types. You might want to ask another TH-camr Tom Pemberton for some advice. It would be a great crossover from US to UK farming.
I would use Dexter cattle. They are a smaller breed have a mild temperament, easy to handle. Watch Just a Few Acres Farm om youtube, he raise Dexter cattle, chickens and pigs and has some great ideas about raising cattle. Sale barns will rob you on Dexter, but if you set up selling beef to local buyers you will have a good market, especially if you go organic. Take cattle to a local meat locker and have them butcher them for you, then sell chickens, eggs and beef, also look into your local farmers market to sell your products.
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.
You are doing something I always wanted to do. Even after being 60 years old and disabled I hoped that I would be able to do Urban homesteading with some chickens and goats etc. but my disability is too unpredictable. So I ask this question quite sincerely. Why did you decide on cattle instead of sheep? A friend of mine who is fourth generation rancher told me years ago that sheep are a good way for a young couple to start out because they provide two Cash crops...wool and meat.
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.
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 .
My wife and I worked her grandfathers farm for about 8 years, black and red Angus , but you ask him, what do you see out there in that field or what do you smell, he would say "Money" With that being said, what you are planning to do is what we did, run a few different pastures throughout the spring summer fall, and hay feed in the winter, and YOU need or should have your own resources for haying which is much more of a expense, but when winters are bad, bales are expensive and they are hard to get at times, and before you know it your buying ditch hay which is crap. I would hay spring summer fall round bales 2,000 lbs plus and we would go through lets see between 30 plus bales a winter for 20 head , so keep that all in mind . Also 1 bull that's all you need , its best to get started to have someone come in and stud out their bull to you to start if possible, but you don't want multiple they will fight pending on the temperament. As far as the winter months , you just need a lean too meaning 3 walls and a space they can walk into , they don't need to be inside of a barn , just keep themselves out of the wind , and greg was right about the water, keep one of those huge horse troughs under the spigot that way you just lift the handle and fill . Cows also love PONDS , spring summer months they will go into the ponds to cool off and clean off and get the flies off of them , Once the initial set up is in play and you start with a few cows , let them breed, your population will inflate, but as Greg said you will need to thin the heard at times which is what he was saying you will make 0 money at the auction, most people thin the herds that way or butcher them and sell the meats. I could ramble on forever .. but baby cows are susceptible to wild animal attacks as well . coyotes fox etc .
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...
We have a couple of Dexters on our small farm (8 grazeable acres) where we run them with sheep (that we got from Greg Judy coincidentally) and a few goats. You've created a loyal customer base for your duck eggs Morgan, so I'm pretty certain given your demographics up there that you could do the same for phenomenal tasting Dexter beef. Did Greg mention to put a pond in at the top of your land, so you can get that pressurized water anywhere you wanted it? Good luck with this next venture! Also, contrary to the post below Dexters do NOT consume huge amounts of water. I have a 40 gallon stock tank and that lasts them a week in hot weather and 2 or more weeks in cool weather.
Cattle are easy if you get the right breed for your application. The 2 most important things with cattle is they need to water and feed. Cattle shelter in place quite well.
Defnitly consider building a structure for the cattle which is easy to maintain. find someone for regular hoof check ups before the cattle come. Consider to make 3+ pasteures to move the caddle from time to time, one with some trees for the hot summer month to come.
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.
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!
I get the cows, and I love Greg Judy! Question; aren’t there pigs in europe that they feed finish them on nuts and they are absolutely delicious! And sell for a huge price! I ask because you already have a start on the nut trees. Good luck in whatever YOU decide.
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.
I grew up on a farm, and we had dairy cattle. I am considering to become a part time farmer again, but I would NEVER EVER get cattle again. Why? Because of the work needed and the size of the operation needed. 2 rabbits can produce a lot of rabbits in a year.. a couple of chickens can become many chickens in a year... cows you can only double in a year. To start a cattle operation you really need to have in the hundreds of cattle, and thats a SERIOUS outlay.. Cattle are also generally pretty fragile, except you run longhorns etc which are tough but no meat on them. You will have lots of vetenarian costs every year.. And every cow is a massive investment and you will lose some. Also remember they need feed in winter, so you need to solve that. Basically, if you don't have VERY deep pockets or tons of experience to begin with, this might break you... Small animals are so much easier, much faster lifecycle, breeds faster, you can decrease your stock during winter and raise the mass in summer... IF you absolutely want to go up to bigger animals the first suggestions to add would be pigs and goats... They are hardy, pigs eat just about anything, and goats and pigs together will be awesome to turn any overgrown patch of land usable...if you can handle their combined care and extra work during a year then maybe you can try cattle.. Also.. Seeing the size of your farm, it's smaller than we had in just grass area, and that didn't feed 10 cows for us for a year, we had to use just as much leased land...
I have had Dexters for about 7 years. I had a couple Galloway cows before then had Dexter Galloway crosses. Now I have all pedigreed Dexters. We sell the meat easily and I sell a couple of calves each year. My herd ranges from 13 to 20. We are down to 13 head going into calving and I expect 8 calves. I find we do fine cover their expenses and hay with a profit and beef of our own. I started the herd with three heifers and bought a couple of old cows along the way. I bought a great bull and sold him easily when it was time to change bulls. We have never had a skinny Dexter and two of our cows are 15 year olds. So culling cows because they are skinny isn't something we have done. I will probably process one of the older cows in the next year but she is anything but skinny. It is just a decision based on how many our land can carry and who do I want to keep.
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.
Holy Sh*t. We have to make our own decisions in life but dang, you have a lot of very smart, experienced, caring people that reallly seem to be concerned about your cattle idea, Morgan. If cattle was your destiny, so too perhaps was this channel, including all your caring followers who preemptively spared you from fulfilling it. 🤔💚
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.
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.
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 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!
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 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 ?
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.
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!
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 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’m so glad you found Greg Judy. He is an amazing man.
Ok. I love Toby. Just gotta say it. Seeing him makes my whole day better.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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..
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 ...
"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
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
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.
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
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
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!
Hope you’re having a great day Morgan
Thank you! You too.
@@GoldShawFarm your welcome
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?
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
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
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.
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!
Hearing Toby crunch his kibble. Sweet music to my ears!
everything you need to know about raising cattle " a cow is nothing but trouble in a leather bag"
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Greg Judy is such a inspiration for me. I have learned so much from his channel.
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!
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!!
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.
I love Greg Judy's channel. It is very relaxing to watch cows and sheep eat grass
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
The cattle farmers in my county., small to large have one thing in common. That’s up at 4am, 12 to 14 hour days, and this doesn’t even cover the calving season. So I hope if you go all in here, then you go all in.
Right now it seams like you have a F/T remote gig, I just hope that the stress of maintaining a full running farm won’t cause you more issues down the road.
I didn’t even mention the time it takes to edit videos, and the ROI you’re getting from subs and views.
. 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.
Have you ever thought of naming the goose pen the "honk"-y tonk.
What kind of cattle operation are you really considering running on your farm? Are you running a cow/calf where you sell off the calves after weaning, or will you be finishing them yourself? Are you investing in super quality papered stock to sell to other farmers as breeding stock, either as cows or bulls?
Have you seriously considered sheep? You've got a good market on what would be considered more specialty items with the ducks and geese, so how about carrying that over to premium lamb? I'm really tired of seeing lamb from New Zealand in Texas. That's just stupid, but they do it for the quality. It just hurts me that it has to come from literally the other side of the world.
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.
Make sure you keep the fence line clean if using electric fencing.
If your Serious about Cattle you should consider 3 or 4 to start with and get Cattle like Gregg Judy has. The Posts that I read are good and bad. Talk to Justin Rhodes to find out how he is raising his Cattle on small acreage. Cattle are work just as any other animal except they are larger. Take your time and think about this cause you don't need to lose your Butt. Pasture raised Pigs are good and easier to sell. Justin Rhodes is just getting into this so ask him his thoughts. VW Family Farm is raising Pasture Pigs talk to them. I wish you all the best in whatever endeavor you decide on. Turkeys are another Bird you could raise. I'll keep watching your Channel no matter what your decision will be. Peace from WV
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’m looking forward to seeing your cattle. I love watching Greg Judy.
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
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.
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....
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.
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
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
"some of them are going to be stupid" lmao yep. its important people know you can love animals and be realistic as well
I respect the grind of your farm
Man i love to watch these vids. Sooo peaceful
How's catching hobo barn cat going?,is he still around or has he moved out?
Have you ever thought of highland cattle? They are really popular in colder climates and are apparently very gentle. They can be used for milk for personal use and then meat. Im no expert though. Not to mention that tourists love them as well which is a way you might be heading as well. Here in Sweden we see them being kept in small herds of 4-6 by themselves or with other types. You might want to ask another TH-camr Tom Pemberton for some advice. It would be a great crossover from US to UK farming.
I would use Dexter cattle. They are a smaller breed have a mild temperament, easy to handle. Watch Just a Few Acres Farm om youtube, he raise Dexter cattle, chickens and pigs and has some great ideas about raising cattle. Sale barns will rob you on Dexter, but if you set up selling beef to local buyers you will have a good market, especially if you go organic. Take cattle to a local meat locker and have them butcher them for you, then sell chickens, eggs and beef, also look into your local farmers market to sell your products.
I think the belted Galloway would be good for you since he has so much snow in the winter
Don't forget hoof care in your cattle costs. Killed my two great uncles their first year. Poor Ralph said he sweated it financially for 18 months.
Pooooor chickens have no catch phrase.. Try "UNLOCK THE FLOCK!!"
Excellent phrase.
UNLOCK THE FLOCK
Love that Tom!
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.
You are doing something I always wanted to do. Even after being 60 years old and disabled I hoped that I would be able to do Urban homesteading with some chickens and goats etc. but my disability is too unpredictable. So I ask this question quite sincerely. Why did you decide on cattle instead of sheep? A friend of mine who is fourth generation rancher told me years ago that sheep are a good way for a young couple to start out because they provide two
Cash crops...wool and meat.
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.
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...
My wife and I worked her grandfathers farm for about 8 years, black and red Angus , but you ask him, what do you see out there in that field or what do you smell, he would say "Money" With that being said, what you are planning to do is what we did, run a few different pastures throughout the spring summer fall, and hay feed in the winter, and YOU need or should have your own resources for haying which is much more of a expense, but when winters are bad, bales are expensive and they are hard to get at times, and before you know it your buying ditch hay which is crap. I would hay spring summer fall round bales 2,000 lbs plus and we would go through lets see between 30 plus bales a winter for 20 head , so keep that all in mind . Also 1 bull that's all you need , its best to get started to have someone come in and stud out their bull to you to start if possible, but you don't want multiple they will fight pending on the temperament. As far as the winter months , you just need a lean too meaning 3 walls and a space they can walk into , they don't need to be inside of a barn , just keep themselves out of the wind , and greg was right about the water, keep one of those huge horse troughs under the spigot that way you just lift the handle and fill . Cows also love PONDS , spring summer months they will go into the ponds to cool off and clean off and get the flies off of them , Once the initial set up is in play and you start with a few cows , let them breed, your population will inflate, but as Greg said you will need to thin the heard at times which is what he was saying you will make 0 money at the auction, most people thin the herds that way or butcher them and sell the meats. I could ramble on forever .. but baby cows are susceptible to wild animal attacks as well . coyotes fox etc .
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...
We have a couple of Dexters on our small farm (8 grazeable acres) where we run them with sheep (that we got from Greg Judy coincidentally) and a few goats. You've created a loyal customer base for your duck eggs Morgan, so I'm pretty certain given your demographics up there that you could do the same for phenomenal tasting Dexter beef. Did Greg mention to put a pond in at the top of your land, so you can get that pressurized water anywhere you wanted it? Good luck with this next venture! Also, contrary to the post below Dexters do NOT consume huge amounts of water. I have a 40 gallon stock tank and that lasts them a week in hot weather and 2 or more weeks in cool weather.
Greg's a hoot! good call on making that call!
The way Toby eats 😭❤️❤️
Cattle are easy if you get the right breed for your application. The 2 most important things with cattle is they need to water and feed. Cattle shelter in place quite well.
Defnitly consider building a structure for the cattle which is easy to maintain.
find someone for regular hoof check ups before the cattle come.
Consider to make 3+ pasteures to move the caddle from time to time, one with some trees for the hot summer month to come.
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.
Cattle are a big step. A cow can actually hurt you. Cows require a different kind of focus and a different skill set.
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!
Hi..... Morgan, thank you for sharing your video homestead 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 🎥👍👍👍
Cows are great, I grew up on my grandpa’s farm, and he had cows. I loved it.
I get the cows, and I love Greg Judy! Question; aren’t there pigs in europe that they feed finish them on nuts and they are absolutely delicious! And sell for a huge price! I ask because you already have a start on the nut trees. Good luck in whatever YOU decide.
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.
I grew up on a farm, and we had dairy cattle. I am considering to become a part time farmer again, but I would NEVER EVER get cattle again. Why? Because of the work needed and the size of the operation needed. 2 rabbits can produce a lot of rabbits in a year.. a couple of chickens can become many chickens in a year... cows you can only double in a year. To start a cattle operation you really need to have in the hundreds of cattle, and thats a SERIOUS outlay.. Cattle are also generally pretty fragile, except you run longhorns etc which are tough but no meat on them. You will have lots of vetenarian costs every year.. And every cow is a massive investment and you will lose some.
Also remember they need feed in winter, so you need to solve that.
Basically, if you don't have VERY deep pockets or tons of experience to begin with, this might break you...
Small animals are so much easier, much faster lifecycle, breeds faster, you can decrease your stock during winter and raise the mass in summer...
IF you absolutely want to go up to bigger animals the first suggestions to add would be pigs and goats... They are hardy, pigs eat just about anything, and goats and pigs together will be awesome to turn any overgrown patch of land usable...if you can handle their combined care and extra work during a year then maybe you can try cattle..
Also.. Seeing the size of your farm, it's smaller than we had in just grass area, and that didn't feed 10 cows for us for a year, we had to use just as much leased land...
I have had Dexters for about 7 years. I had a couple Galloway cows before then had Dexter Galloway crosses. Now I have all pedigreed Dexters. We sell the meat easily and I sell a couple of calves each year. My herd ranges from 13 to 20. We are down to 13 head going into calving and I expect 8 calves. I find we do fine cover their expenses and hay with a profit and beef of our own. I started the herd with three heifers and bought a couple of old cows along the way. I bought a great bull and sold him easily when it was time to change bulls. We have never had a skinny Dexter and two of our cows are 15 year olds. So culling cows because they are skinny isn't something we have done. I will probably process one of the older cows in the next year but she is anything but skinny. It is just a decision based on how many our land can carry and who do I want to keep.
Most informative show. Thank you!
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.
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
Holy Sh*t. We have to make our own decisions in life but dang, you have a lot of very smart, experienced, caring people that reallly seem to be concerned about your cattle idea, Morgan. If cattle was your destiny, so too perhaps was this channel, including all your caring followers who preemptively spared you from fulfilling it. 🤔💚
Greg Judy videos are therapeutic.
I think you are a good guy and look forward to your videos. You’ll do good with your cows!
Thanks for the link to Greg Judy. Lots of good information.