[RenewedHomestead]

Hi, yes there is an online training course I am taking from The Homegrown Herbalist. I am learning a lot!

[RenewedHomestead]

😂 so true!

[RenewedHomestead]

Hi, congratulations on finding your homestead! That is awesome. We run sheep and cattle and are starting out commercial grazing operation this year. I would highly recommend checking out Greg Judy. He has a school in May that I highly recommend.

First thing you need to do is look at how much grazing land you have, that could be open pasture or silvopasture. Sheep are typically easier to get into. They have babies fast. A cow you are typically looking at 2 years. They are pregnant for 10 months and it is about a year before you can sell them for beef. The ratio is 6 sheep per acre or 1 cow per 5 acres. You can see how sheep can give you a bigger bang for your buck.

I highly recommend rotational grazing. Better for the land, your animals, and far cheaper because you don’t have to feed as much hay, or any depending on climate.

Then, if you want cows determine what type of cows are selling in your area. We like Dexters for our homestead but commercially here Angus and South Pole are by far the most popular. South Poles are great because they are a bit smaller and are easier on the land, but very expensive. Let me know if you want to chat, hubby and I are happy to answer any questions. We do have some videos in our YouTube playlist that discuss rotational grazing. Good luck!

[RenewedHomestead]

Hi, we would definitely be interesting. Question, why isn’t seed saving ideal? Sorry if I misunderstood. I think having a trusted source of people you can rely on to exchange seeds is ideal. Are you thinking of mailing seeds to each other? Thanks, it is a great idea.

[RenewedHomestead]

Hi Trinity8705, there are several factors at play typically when you get a parasite resistant flock or herd. We actually purchased Katahdin sheep a year and a half ago that had been raised with wormers and due to the grazing techniques we have learned from Greg Judy and Joel Salatin we have been successful in getting a parasite resistant flock. We have never wormed any of our sheep and if any of them were to develop worms they would be culled. Many raise parasite resistant flocks and it starts with rotational grazing, diet, minerals, and selection.

By rotational grazing you move the animals so they are not eating the grass all the way down which causes them to eat their poop. Making sure they eat a natural diet of grass and broad leaf plants encourages and promotes healthy gut biome and the right minerals keeps them healthy. You also want the best quality, so if one develops parasites they need to be culled from the herd. This is a simplified version. We stick with Katahdin because they are more resistant than Dorper sheep. We wouldn’t mind some St Croix as they are a good parasite resistant flock. Would be happy to discuss in more detail if you have questions. This is something Ben and I are passionate about.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by  RenewedHomestead.

[RenewedHomestead]

Hi squash mania, thanks. I know Jason moved further from us. We don’t know Justin Rhodes and he isn’t overly close.

[RenewedHomestead]

Thank you. 🙂

[RenewedHomestead]

Will do, thanks again.

[RenewedHomestead]

Thank you!

[RenewedHomestead]

That would be wonderful! Thank you! We are having a heck of a time trying to find people who rotational grays their livestock here and raise them naturally.

[RenewedHomestead]

Hi BiggKid, we are in Burnsville, so about 5 hours away. I wonder if we could meet in the middle sometimes. Do you raise livestock?

[RenewedHomestead]

Hi Trinity, I would definitely follow Greg Judy on YouTube. He has been a great resource. Joel Salatin also has some great books. Salad Bar Beef by Joel Salatin goes over more of a farming scale but has some great info.

[RenewedHomestead]

This can be done with different livestock following the steps outlined, not just sheep. We will do it with our cows as well and we also do it with our goats.

[RenewedHomestead]

Hi Trinity, my understanding is by raising them this way not only are you preventing parasites, but they are healthier and their immune systems are able to handle any parasite issues. Being a vet tech you probably understand this better than I do, but most animals have some parasite load, as do humans but they don’t become a problem. Think of it like humans, if we eat right, drink good water, exercise, and don’t eat food laden with bacteria our immune systems can handle more.

Our sheep have never shown signs of parasites and if one were to get them we would cull them as we stayed before. Does that make sense?

[RenewedHomestead]

I find it interesting that the natural medicine we have used for thousands of years is the “alternative medicine” when mainstream med has only been around for just over a 100 years.