Farmer Wanna Be

[Soybean]

I want to have a farm when my husband and I finally get our own house. Right now we live in the suburbs in a 3 bedroom townhouse with his mother (so we can save money for this farm of mine!)

My dream is to have a self sufficient farm where I grow my own food and raise my own animals. Personally, I'm a vegetarian but my husband eats meat and so do many of our animals (ferrets, dog, cats) so I want to raise meat animals that I know are raised humanely and fed a proper diet.

I want to have chickens, goats, rabbits, quail, cows, and a few other farm animals. As far as cows, I mainly want them for milk production and the resulting calves would be used for meat when they become adults. I would probably only have one producing cow and her offspring would be used for meat. How much land would I need to support that single (maybe two) cow?

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Where are you located-state is fine? The general rule of thumb is 1-1.5acre per animal for grazing then another 1-1.5for harvesting hay for winter feeding. The reason I ask where you are from is, your location can very this significantly. If your land is dry or doesn't have good growth of the right forage you will need more. If you don't have enough land to graze full time that's okay but, you will need to feed year around. If you need to buy your hay, try to buy it directly off the field as it's usually cheaper that way. Will you be using grain or strickly grass fed?

 

[Soybean]

I would like to grass feed. Isn't that more natural for cows?

I live in Richmond, Va right now. We are not really sure where we want to move once we have the money to get a farm. My husband is currently in school, so he's looking at medical schools around the country to see where he wants to go.

And what breed of cow would be good for milk production as well as produce calves good for meat production?

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Grain fed vs. Grass fed is a debate that really is a matter of personal preference. I know for a fact that if the cows get out and can get into the corn (field or bin/pile) they will eat it. With a milk cow especially, I would recommend that you keep an open mind to the grain. If you want to go grass fed that's fine but, if your cow starts to loose weight and you can't get her to turn it around you may need to use some grain.

Some like the jerseys for a family milk cow. A cross breed does good for meat. The best thing is to look in your area when you are ready and see what's available.

 

[Soybean]

If I need to use grain, I will. So lets say 2 acres per cow just to give them some extra space. So once I have all my other animals, it might be good for me just to have about 3-5 acres since I plan to have goats and such.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

You are welcome and good luck with your plans. I'm glad to see you are planning ahead and gathering the information you need. It really does help!

 

[Soybean]

We probably won't have this dream farm of mine for another couple of years. I want to know everything I can before jumping into this so when that cow arrives at my farm I don't just stare at it and go "Ok, what do I do with it?"

 

[Farmer Kitty]

We probably won't have this dream farm of mine for another couple of years. I want to know everything I can before jumping into this so when that cow arrives at my farm I don't just stare at it and go "Ok, what do I do with it?"

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Hey Kitty, was that 1 to 1.5 acres/animal on a per month basis? (Sorry, a little forgetful today.)

Reason I ask is because Soybean'll have to look for more than 5 acres to raise all those animals, plus a couple cows. Soybean, unless you buy hay (which I am sure you will do), having a couple cows on 5 acres will go pretty fast, especially if you end up with a dry year. On a wet year where theres plenty of grass to go around, not so much. Now, with goats and other animals, I would suggest maybe a few acres more than 5...more like 10. This way you could have extra land if the cows don't get along with the goats or you want to try your hand at doing a little haying.

But of course, it's just a suggestion. As for the type of cows to go with, Jersey is alright for milk, but those dual-purpose breeds like Dexter or Red Poll might be another to consider for having milk and meat on your table.

Good luck with your endeavours.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Hey Kitty, was that 1 to 1.5 acres/animal on a per month basis? (Sorry, a little forgetful today.)

Reason I ask is because Soybean'll have to look for more than 5 acres to raise all those animals, plus a couple cows. Soybean, unless you buy hay (which I am sure you will do), having a couple cows on 5 acres will go pretty fast, especially if you end up with a dry year. On a wet year where theres plenty of grass to go around, not so much. Now, with goats and other animals, I would suggest maybe a few acres more than 5...more like 10. This way you could have extra land if the cows don't get along with the goats or you want to try your hand at doing a little haying.

But of course, it's just a suggestion. As for the type of cows to go with, Jersey is alright for milk, but those dual-purpose breeds like Dexter or Red Poll might be another to consider for having milk and meat on your table.

Good luck with your endeavours.

The general rule of thumb is 1-1.5acre per animal for grazing then another 1-1.5 for harvesting hay for winter feeding. The reason I ask where you are from is, your location can very this significantly. If your land is dry or doesn't have good growth of the right forage you will need more.