How to make your Milk Cow (WAY MORE) Profitable!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ม.ค. 2023
- Learn Exactly How to make Your Family Cow PROFITABLE!
A family milk cow can bring a big expense on a family, but they can pay their way! In this video we cover over all the ways you can save money AND earn money with your cow!
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Knowing where the products come from, the quality, and the fact it's going to your children is worth it tenfold.
I absolutely agree!
We totally agree!
For those of us doing a lot of gardening--we depend on animal manure and manure based compost to grow food, but so many gardeners are having issues with persistent herbicides that stay in the manure after passing through the cow or horse. It can ruin a garden for years. Having a source of herbicide free manure really be a very valuable thing.
Life skills and responsibility for your children is priceless
Dairy farming large scale or small is something you do because you love it. If you think it is your ticket to wealth get another thought coming. My family has been in the dairy business for nearly two centuries, there have been good times and hard the good largly out weigh the hard but when they get hard. THEY GET HARD!!!!!
I retired to a home in the country. I have half an acre and just got into chickens which was my dream. I just like watching your homesteading videos, They are very informative.
I have goats for milk for my family to drink. We don't get butter since I don't have a cream separater, but I can make yogurt, soft cheese, some hard cheese, ice cream, and soap with it. I'll be selling most of the soap I make. ❤️ For our ice cream we prefer to go simple and just blend up frozen fruit with milk. My kids don't like sugar added, so if they ever want ice cream for breakfast, I'm down!
Such great information! @3 are assessing what might work and what might not and this was great information for us to help assess. You guys are great and appreciate what you're doing. Cheers! Doug & Keri
But nothing compares to your own grown food. You can not pay for the quality food you grow or make...IF the product is as good and pure as they claim it to be. Beside all you mentioned. We save on our barn cats and dog food with their daily ration of milk, as well as meat scraps from our beef and chicken processing. They are healthy and we don't have to take them to the vet.
FAVORITE YOGURT/CHEESE RECIPES OR BOOKS ON THIS SUBJECT AND KEEPING A FAMILY COW PRETTY PLEASE!
This is the exact video we have been needing! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!
What homesteaders REALLY need to do, instead of trying to produce everything themselves, is to create a local, word-of-mouth economy that's resilient (not just to hard economic times, but, more importantly, since it's a far more immediate threat, to crappy laws that try to ban raw milk, the sale of farm-processed beef, etc.).
One person has the 5-10 dairy cows and all the infrastructure that goes with that. Another person makes cheese. A third person is a farm sitter, for when the first person wants to take a vacation. And so on.
Two adults with jobs can't grow all the food a family needs, homesteading. But 10 adults can grow what 5 families need, no problem.
Growing up semi-homesteading in alaska I feel ya with the smoke salmon, with the exception we caught and cured it ourselves. We like to say we work like peasants, and eat like kings.
I had sooo many cheese fails 😂! But now it’s my favorite way to use up extra milk.
I just made some great cottage cheese! I was really pleased with how it turned out. It’s nice when a plan works out 😂
Chickens love cheese fails.
Thank-you for sharing this type of content and for the mention! Any time you want to visit Alaska let us know, we will have a yurt this summer for visitors :)
How have I missed your channel before now? Subscribed! Yay!
Thank you so much for shedding light on this subject! And thanks for the shout out!❤
Thanks for sharing your numbers with us all Donna!
Great breakdown of everything!
Great info- THANKS!
Yes... I'm a trucker. So I'm just looking to do low maintenance stuff on my farm now.
I made a huge mistake, and tried to do a sustainable community. It has only made me bitter and have discontent for people. They say 90% of sustainable communities fail, and now I know why. So I'm alone now. But I'm not throwing in the town. I am refocusing on doing things I can maintain all by myself once a week when I'm home.
I like goats, have had little trouble with them. They pretty much take care of themselves, I just have to make sure my place is like fort Knox. That's good though, in the long run.
Eventually I'd like to get some Kune Kunes, sheep, and those small Scottish dexter type cows. I got the name in my database, just can't remember what they're called. I think I saw one in your video.
I have friends moving down from Kansas city, starting fresh. So I'm kind of their mentor, since I left the city 10 years ago and learned the hard way how not to do things.
So yeah, that last part of the video if me. I make good money on my job; so this is more of a side hussle and a prepper/survivalist project, ecase I have to start relying on it more... do to the times we live in.
Such an interesting video! Thank you!
This was a great video. I love the numbers videos, thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
I see hobby farmers everywhere lol but they would really be further ahead to work a job and save up some cash then set up to milk a minimum of six cows seek advice from experienced cheese makers raise chickens and pigs as a backup for where the extra or leftover milk goes then sell chicken pork beef meats eggs as well as cheeses milk and butter yes this is a chunk to bite off but this makes it a worthwhile drive for your customers and a much more worthwhile day of work. You can easily replace your medium pay job income after you figure cost to get to work and back every day and taxes or other deductions off your paycheck. Also when you are buying your farm cows and stuff it’s tax deductible from your income while you are saving and buying it
We have three milk cows now and have them come in at different times so we always have milk for ourselves and the calves and pigs and if we have a bottle lamb, I also try to grow my own feed for them.
Totally agree. Unless you already have some of these infrastructures and processes in place (are you already in the habit of DIY dairy? Do you have the extra 30-60 mins a day to milk that cow? Do you already have perimeter fencing?)... then a dairy cow might not make sense.
Or do you have a small family? Doesn’t make sense - BUT you could learn to make cheese and swap with a farmer who DOES have tons of milk!
This is great information you guys look like you work very hard but enjoy what you do and enjoy your animals I'm a self grew up on a horse and cattle farm and I remember all the hard work that went into it in all the time that we had to spend with the animals it was a great feeling of accomplishment that I was taking care of these animals and they were taken care of me and the family as well it was a great
You mustache totally hooked me on your channel lol and you guys are great. You have a great story
I like the honesty
Yes, I love KuneKunes! ❤️ I was in the market for some, but I'm having to regroup and start over. So soon 🤞 I've been looking for a good reliable source for Kune Kunes, most people who say they have them, don't. The last pigs I had were potbelly. They said they were Kune Kunes. So I drove a couple hundred miles to find out they were not. But they did have good personalities and didn't mind us handling the piglets, so I went ahead and bought them.
I know others who want Kune Kunes, so I'll send them your way.
Great video! 👍
Great video guys, I really enjoy your channel.
Katie
Queensland, Australia
You can also ferment the poo for cooking gas and electricity. India does it.
Wow! So much information for us newbie cow owners. Thank you so much for making this video! We decided to sell our Jersey after owning her for only seven months, and had almost written off having more in the future, but after watching this video I think we will give it another shot when we move to a bigger homestead.
Great topic. Awesome info shared.
I'd need a mini A2A2 just being one in this household.
Great video! We can't wait to start milking our dual purpose breed
Awesome video. I'm only a poultry and fruit tree "farmer", but I definitely plan to expand to pigs or cows next.
Respectful unsolicited suggestion from a cattle driven homestead…a really good fence is half the battle. It’s labor intensive, and/or expensive, but it will save you SO much time and SO many headaches. Research a good butcher or abattoir in your area. Butchering at home is most often not feasible or worth the effort. Trailer them and enjoy the fruits of your love and labor. Raise calves, keep beef for yourself, and sell them anywhere. I wish you well!
@@missmishpot Do you think cows are worth it? I've heard that sheep are more frail but a lot more productive.
I love your videos!
Great video, I am first generation Mexican American and live in California's high desert and a lot of my people love to buy a drink called a pajarete from raw cow's and goats milk and that drink uses ground chocolate , coffee and 96 proof sugar cane alcohol and the owners sell these 24 oz drinks for 9 bucks a pop and most people drink two drinks before the sugar cane alcohol kicks in , anywho there are always lines of up to 50 people on Saturdays and Sundays waiting for these drinks so the cow's owner makes like 3600 dollars a weekend not including the home made tamales and cheese that he sells . And yes I know its not legal but it happens all over the State. You can look up the drinks Pajaretes on youtube , some people light the alcohol on fire for a few minutes . Of course he has multiple cows to meet the demand .
I raise 10 calfs on her each freshen. She about to calf again bag is fill and she's juicing. I stick 3 hoilstien Angus crosses and her baby for 4 months. Then I go get 3 more and 3 more. Depending on when she breeds back I milked her for 2 months after she raised 10 this year. At 15 months she was still making 3 gallons a day. I made 12000 gross on all the calfs the calf cost 125 each so I spent 1100 on calfs . I cut my own hat so it cost a lot on desiel. So nurse cow is the most profitable animal on the farm . I'm get 4 more and a milk machine so I can raise 50 calfs is my plan
Wow Noah, I wish you had filled out our form, that’s an awesome business plan that I would have loved to share!! But that’s why the comment section is so great too! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing Noah:)!
I'm Immensly curious about replacing a field with Einkorn wheat grass, the cows can eat it, and if they dont eat it, then you can get usable high nutrition ancient wheat that has AA type gluten (instead of the harder to digest type DD[?] Gluten)
Terimakasih sudah menyajikan Tontonan yang sangat menarik.. salam dari indonesia.
Lucky for me always had pigs and chickens and Holstein but want to get dexters
I'm very lucky to have a grass fed dairy about 10 minutes down the road from where I live. I get raw or low-pasteurized milk and ground beef from the male calves they raise each year. It's a lean meat option and the only type of milk that I can drink without having digestive issues.
That’s pretty good ❤
Thank you for the video and sharing your experience with us. The illegalization and suppression of healthy raw milk is a sign of what a sick society we live in. Thank you for helping us, whether through information or inspiration, to know what options we have and their respective viability ❤
I don't know "much" about this field, but I can almost guarantee you that if it is illegal to sell raw milk, it is for a good reason. They just don't get up one day and illegalize it in most states for the H. of it. I can almost guarantee you that raw milk out there is very dangerous for them to do that. And yes, I understand that raw milk has been drunk for thousands of years, but it doesn't mean people haven't been unalived by it as well.
Edit: It seems I was right. Pasteurized vs unpasteurized milk. Unpasteurized milk (raw milk) can contain e.coli, Salmonella, and listeria, which are just a few of the dangerous bacteria that can make you sick and/or unalive you.
When you have 6 kids or any amount it gives the children something to do by giving them chores to teach responsibilities and many other qualities that they can have during their lives. So the parents dont have to do all this work at all.
You don’t need that “beef” section she says. Let’s not talk about that, so she eats it 🤣🤣. Priceless
So funny right!?
Here in NM round bales run us $150. We have zero grazing and have to feed hay all year. This is my location of course.
This was a great video, I want a Mini Jersey Cow....
I can't tell you how much I appreciate the Benji's scene with the music. More of that. Lol
8:12 thought she was pointing to her leather boots 😂
"You can also save on beef ". *points to naughty calf *
When you guys started breaking down the "wage" you make based on the hours of input, all I could think of wasn't that what the kids are for.
Nope, I enjoy taking care of my cows. So I do most of the work with them.-K
So there really is a cash cow 😂❤️👍🤣😋 and a cow friend as well!
Thank you so much for educating so many of us! Are you milk cows jerseys?
Yes, and guernsey
volume cycling, if you cant keep up with the larger volume of consumption, then it ends up being a loss, the part you cant consume with the volume cycle
where can we buy the milking machine?
The cow only for the milk there's no savings, but if you add in all the other uses like butter and cream, feeding the pigs and that savings on pig feed, any bartering you do and so on can make it profitable.
So I may of missed this, but do you take the manure to your new property to help get the stuff started??
I am looking to transition from raising for my own use to rasing to sell butcher shops. I can seem to find for certain if I need a FDA license or the farm since I will be using a outside licensed processor.
We always used the manure to grow weed and shrooms at my uncles, you don't even have to do the math on that one 😂😂😂
#ASKHOMESTEADY #askhomesteady
You guys have a Guernsey correct? I am wanting to know if you like the milk as well as the Jersey milk. I have a chance of getting an A2A2 Guernsey but currently own Mid Size Jersey. I tried Brown Swiss milk and didnt like it. So thought of you guys and thought you may be able to tell me.
When you have that milk on tap, you drink more milk. But that means you're eating a bit less of everything else, so it's still a saving. And it's more nutritious than a lot of the other things we eat.
The Bearded Butchers show you how to break down a cow or a pig with nothing but a knife and hand saw. I bet if you did it a few times and learn what parts make which cuts of meat it would come naturally?
Any single cow milking machine recommendations? Not much budget for it though.
Soured milk and ice cream is great to give pigs... it's a hoot. BTW, have you guys considered increasing your cattle numbers and doing zero grazing?
Even if I consider milk as by or secondary product, cow dung and urine is more profitable as primary product followed by milk and raising/selling calves.
I have to factor energy into my calculations too. If I need to get organised and dressed to go out, drive, make it there before they close, buy milk, drive home, rest and recover after an outing, that's pretty close to 10 hours out of my week by the time I'm over it. However, if I potter around in my kitchen in my jarmies making butter and cheese and yoghurt, it might take the same 10 hours but they are less stressful hours which take less of my energy, and are much easier for me. Plus I've invested in some really good appliances to make things easier where I can. Making butter in one of them only takes 4.5 minutes for it to split, then rinsing/salting time. I'm pretty sure the stand mixer I'm going to buy soon will be able to do 5L batches of cheese. A bit on the small size but that's okay. I'll have what I need to do a batch twice that size by hand if I need to, but as long as the smaller size doesn't mess up the ageing too much a smaller cheese is more practical for one person. Very interesting to see what different people do 🙂
Really we all have that calculation to consider, just probably a lot of people take it for granted. Good point Monique!
@@Homesteadyshow yes very true!
How are you going to use a stand mixer to make cheese?! I have been making cheese from my raw jersey milk for 4 years now and I haven't seen a way to make cheese in a stand mixer yet?! Unless I guess you mean cream cheese or something like that?! Any hard cheeses you can't make in a stand mixer?! 😅😂
@@melissakibler4966 I bought a Kenwood Cooking Chef XL. It has an induction cooker built in. I haven’t yet tested it to see if it can hold the milk at the correct temperature, and it will only do about a gallon at a time, but that’s actually a good sized cheese for me on my own. As long as it’s not so small it doesn’t age properly. If it can’t do it, I’ll be buying a sous vide machine and a pot stirrer.
When you have health issues to factor in, sometimes you have to be creative to achieve your goals. So laugh at me all you want, but I’ll be resting as a machine makes my cheese.
Wow I wish I lived in Arkansas and then I could make major cash flow with on farm milk sales but unfortunately I live in California so stud service or herd share seem like my only options.
One more tip:. An Amish lady told me to put extra milk, or the skim milk on the garden!
Will help avoid/cure blossom end rot on your tomatoes
#askhomesteady. Wondering about your heifer calf Freddie. I’ve been looking for over a year. Just wondering when she might be available and how you will decide who can buy her. I’m from Ontario Canada and I can’t find anyone around here that raises their cows the way we do who are willing to sell any. A2A2 milk is getting big here. So nobody is willing to part with their heifers. We are about six hours away from you. I really appreciate your dedication and ethics towards food.
We are from Ontario too! We milk jerseys. You are right, A2A2 is getting big here. 3 years ago when we started, nobody knew what that was! Haha. Good luck! We would love to connect. We enjoy connecting with other Ontario farmers/homesteaders!
I think an other point is that dairy have an enviromental cost. Because of metan etc. So if eating more dairy to make a cow worth owning reduce your footprint in other stuff. I wish their was more reliable numbers to go on to know yhings like this.
If you couldn’t buy hay or feed, could you still keep critters?
You could put smoked salmon in freezer for pasta later?
What is "a2a2"?
Screwing up the cheeses, ice creams, etc. when just starting and learning is never a waste of milk product as long as the failures go into the pig trough…..
Yep, and Chickens love them too. But after all the work and expense with culture, I would rather they turn out for people food 😂
Omg ice cream!! I'm totally addicted to turkey Hill peanut butter ripple!! I absolutely love that ice cream. I eat about a container every 2 days, seriously I do. I want to taste your ice cream!!!! Seriously do you sell your ice cream? I'm a huge ice cream snob, and I only like certain kinds, like vanilla, peanut butter, and strawberry, that's about it!
And OMG my husband loves loves loves cheese so much! He eats soooo much cheese it's unreal, do you guys sell your cheese?
WE don’t sell any of our dairy currently, but those milk figures from the other homesteads sure got me thinking!
How much would a calf like that cost?
How many gallons a day does your cow produce. My full size jersey fresh makes 6 to 6.5 I feed 1.5 to2 scoops of feed each milking sometimes a little more when hand milking . Why don't you get some hay equipment instead of mowing also you can write off on taxes you have the most expensive piece.
There is huge demand for milk. I have dairy sheep and everyone wants their milk.
We love sheep milk! I can’t wait to milk ours when the time comes.
I’m going to attempt to milk our Icelandic sheep this year. They are pretty wild but one will let me go near her 😂 I love fresh cows milk but I love having sheep (triple purpose fiber, meat, milk) more since my spouse and I both work full time and cows are a LOT to take care of!
@Hannah Tsimmerman I found it doesn't taste much different than cow milk, depending on the sheep/food. My ewe is mildly wild, but I love having a home source and thankfully don't have a large milk need in my household. Best of luck on your Icelandic! Halter breaking the sheep first helps a ton! Mine do anything for sweet feed.
yeah, A2A2 milk, raw quite a bit more pricey per gallon, but its better
When I was a kid Mom would get my brother, sister, and I bathed on Sunday night then set us on the couch with a quart jar each and we would watch TV and make butter.
Great video! Did you say $24 for a pound of butter???
Yes, from the local grass fed dairy 😳
This is a great video. I don't know how people watching your channel, could be nasty. Perhaps they can't express themselves inoffensively. Q: Do you think Bill Gates is buying up land to Homestead personally? Can you imagine him holding a poop-bucket? I asked a question about taxes last video and now I have an answer. Thankyou, even though you would not have read my comments.
We usually read EVERY comment Carolle, even if we can’t respond to every one :) Also I like the idea that some people ‘can’t’ express themselves inoffensively… makes me forgive more comments 😁I don’t personally think Bill wants to do any manual work himself 😂
Miss our cow. My brother and I can each drink a gallon a day so she was well worth it
Where can I learn more about herd sharing, and could that principal be applied to flocks as well?
corn syrup for ice-cream? no no no heavy cream and eggs!
Of course heavy cream and egg yolks…but also corn syrup to make it nice and creamy. We tried many different recipes with all types of sweeteners, the corn syrup made it the most creamy and delicious!
@@Homesteadyshow hmm i always make mine with regular sugar and it comes out super fluffy and airy. I use kitchenaid bowl ice maker.
ladybug was trying to eat your jacket
What kind of pigs do you have?
Would fulltime homesteading be considered as far as not having to pay insane daycare costs?
We’ve never utilized daycare, so I can’t give much insight there. But it would definitely work for some!
You'd need to do some math. How much do you earn at a job? Subtract what you pay for daycare. That's how much you must earn as homesteader while also caring for children at home. Less if you save on groceries, pay less taxes, and have a smaller mortgage. More if you're paying for land, animals, or infrastructure; paying for feed, paying more to commute, etc. I think it would take a few years to learn if full-time homesteading was profitable or not. Talking to local mentors is a good idea.
What is A2-A2? I don't think I've heard of that.
QUESTION, ARE YOU GUYS SELLING YOUR FAMILY PROPERTY? OR LEASING IT OUT? OR WHAT?
WE'RE FROM PA, AND WE'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT MOVING BACK HOME. WE'RE CURRENTLY IN VA, BUT WE HATE IT HERE, AND WE MISS PA SOOO BAD. THE SOUTH IS NOTHING LIKE THE NORTH! WE TOTALLY WANT TO MOVE, SO IS YOUR HOMESTEAD AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE OR LEASE?
Link to Freddy?? Thank you!
Just email us Daniel, aust@thisishomesteady.com
I'm a mini jersey breeder in GA and just found your page/TH-cam. Just curious what Honeybee's lineage/pedigree is! She's gorgeous 😊 #askhomesteady
Thanks Katie!
#askhomesteady Where can we find good recipes for cheese, ice cream, etc?
How much milk do you think your guernsey would produce if you didn’t feed her grain. I’m looking at grassfed guernseys, and they’re only producing 3gal a day total, and that’s milking twice a day. If I take the calf off my dexter, milk twice a day, I can get that, and feed her half as much as I’d have to feed a guernsey…. These animals are from a dairy, so I was expecting better. What do you think?
From what I can find online a Guernsey gives 4-6 gallons daily but I'm assuming that's with supplementary feed. My Jersey/Charolais cross is in her second lactation and she has produced around 7 gallons daily initially, dropping back to around 5 gallons after the first 3 months. She gets a bit of treat food when being milked and is on pretty poor quality pasture the rest of the time. Could you get your Dexter AI'd to a Jersey? There should be some good grass fed type Jersey options. I'm in New Zealand and our cows are generally on pasture year round with silage in the winter months on commercial farms so AI-ing to NZ Jersey if you can get it would likely be a good option.
@@jg5755 yes, that amount is with grain feeding. Jerseys produce about the same being grass fed as well. It’s pretty frustrating that a little dexter produces the same amount as a full sized dairy breed when also grass fed….
No good me having bull calf id name him bob and he would be my friend
Have you tried homemade caramel yet? It's absolutely amazing. I use my goats milk and it taste just like a yummy sugar daddy. 😋
Yes! Delicious. We’re looking forward to trying it with the goats milk
I would love to have fresh milk and dairy, but I have to realize my limits. I am single, and there is just so much I can do in a day, and I'm already over 65, so the body doesn't always cooperate. Plus, since it's just me, having a dairy animal really ties me to the farm. If it's just feeding an animal, I can set up some auto-feeders or have friends feed for a couple of days. But it's a bit much to ask them milk, too. So, I may look into the herd-share. Texas has limits on selling raw milk, too. I have a fairly large garden, alpacas, chickens and I am going to build a pen this year to feed out some pigs with my neighbor. He processes 8-10 deer a year, so he is knowledgeable on butchering, and he has a smokehouse. May not be perfect cuts doing it all with knives, but hey. I took meat processing in college nearly 40 years ago. Wish I still had my knives. If not, there are mobile processors in our area that come to your farm to process your animal. I want the leaf fat to render down into lard. And I think we can sell the blood for blood bait (catfish). I'm NOT into blood sausage or head cheese. Nope, nada. But I will look into ways I may be able to incorporate the coagulated blood into the dogfood. The dogs will get the organs, too.
They do take a lot of time. But a Herd share would be a great option for you.
Everyone could grow chestnuts, acorns, and walnuts to eat and feed to animal.
I made this comment on the last video but I feel it belongs here. I'm so glad you guys included the QUALITY of the milk products.
The average person is spending like 20$(I seriously question that cause I only have 2 kids and my wife and I spend more than that on dairy products) on pretty cheap dairy stuff.
You guys are making high quality farm fresh goods. Stuff that hasn't been on a moving truck for 2 weeks from cows crammed into factory farms pumped with hormones and filled with disease(factory cows get sick a LOT).
I said it before and I'll say it here. There is a reason Michelin star restaurants get their good from local farms NOT local grocery stores!