On today's episode I wanted to take some time to talk about a topic that I never have really spent much time discussing ... on my blog or on The Beginning Farmer Show. The topic is "how-to raise livestock", and the reason that I have never really covered it is because I'm just a beginner! I have also said that raising livestock is an art form ... I think it is an art that most people can learn, but it takes time ... experience ... mistakes ... and lots of patience to learn the art of raising livestock on pasture and in the woodlot and I know that I'm not an expert so I haven't really wanted to claim to be one by talking about it very much. With all of that in mind though I have created ...
Five Simple Steps to Raising Livestock
- Read about it ...
- Talk about it ...
- Think about it ...
- Buy livestock ...
- Then learn out to raise them
You may have noticed that those five steps are somewhat tongue-in-check, but in all honesty they are basically the five steps that I took as I began my farm. I spent a lot of time reading and talking about how I was going to raise pigs and cattle and sheep. Then I spent a lot of time thinking about it and talking about how I could maybe even do it better. And ... finally ... I started purchasing livestock and finding out that while the books did have lots of good information and I did learn from others ... the best teacher when it comes to raising livestock is actually having the livestock on the farm. It was then that I quickly learned that I didn't know as much as I think I did!
I also mentioned TBF Show Episode 6 where I talk about 10 books that really helped me get started. Also, here are a few "how-to books" that I have found helpful though that I mentioned in the podcast ...
If you have an input on the topic be sure to leave a comment below or send us an e-mail.
As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I'm thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn. If you do enjoy the show, don't forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five start rating and review (by clicking the link or the image on the right). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!
I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with The Beginning Farmer and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links ...
TBF Show 020 :: Play in a New Window | Right Click to Download
**Special Note :: A few users are experiencing issues downloading the show on iTunes. If you have any experience with podcasts and how they can play nicely with iTunes I would love some suggestions.**
(if you are interested in the music in this episode check out my brother's record label, Historic Records)
Isn't there a saying that goes something like, "...you can't learn how to swim by reading a book, at some point you gotta hold your breath and jump into the water..."?
ReplyDeleteFarming is a lot like swimming, you gotta do it to learn how to do it.
This has nothing to do with this post but I stumbled upon your blog post about land in CRP from 2008. We are looking at some land that is in CRP until 2020 but we know nothing about the program. Would your mind sharing how much the land you purchased was making in the program? Or how they decide how much is paid? Any knowledge you have to share would be helpful.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteHopefully you can listen to the podcast because I took some time on episode 22 to answer your question about CRP. If you have any other questions let me know and I can share what we learned.
Thanks, Ethan