Advice for Starting a Farm Business featuring Joel Salatin

Learn more in the Pastured Profits Course - freedomfarmers.com/courses/
Farmer Joel Salatin joins me to talk about farm startup and his new book Your Successful Farm Business: amzn.to/2nk7a3S

[@lilacDaisy111]

It's a lot harder work than I thought, even though I'd heard farmers say it's harder work than you think, lol. Every morning, when I get up at 5am, I'm sore and stiff. But the thought of the little faces, who are waiting for me, makes me hasten. And when I see them, I smile. Just have to work out how to make money from it all.

[@gd2561]

The man has found his calling and purpose in life. recognizing his flaws from his own personal experience while also spilling knowledge like sharing fruit for everyone to enjoy. God bless him!

[@michaelduve56]

This Old Farm. I’m sure you folks have already thought of this, but I think a Television program like “This Old House” that has been on for over 40 years, might be a great way to change public opinion about farming and farmers. Television is starving for content. If people can be entertained by watching drywall mud or paint dry. Or cement cure, how much more entertaining would farm life be? Imagine a show about the rehabilitation of an old worn out, overgrown, neglected farm. Hopefully near a university that is pro regenerative agriculture, pro rotational grazing, pro cover crop, pro no-till etc. Take measurements of the organic matter, the topsoil, soil microbes, insects, birds and other wildlife in the first episode and show the improvements every year. This show could show the world how profitable and rewarding farming is and improve the image of farmers. The sponsor or crowdfunding could buy or lease the farm to be renovated. The show would follow the host/farmer as he or she and the interns clear land, install infrastructure, build ponds, fences, barns, sawmill etc. Then bring in the livestock, showing how they are essential for soil health and improving the land year after year. This would help combat the anti-cow movement. Build a studio and editing suite on site so the video crew gets first hand exposure to all aspects of the farm. Following the interns would be a big part of the show. Where do they come from, what are their goals, what happens to them later on etc. Think how many people follow the contestants on shows like America’s Got Talent”. Show the host/farmer dealing with USDA and state and local regulations that limit the public from access to the best food. Hopefully to start a movement to change them. As the years progress, set up some of the interns with their own leased land, livestock etc. Maybe a “Fund a Farmer” campaign to get young people into farming and up and running. The show could also feature interviews of experts in these fields either on the show farm or at the farms of the experts. Showing how they use cover crops, rotate livestock, how they market the end product etc. No end of material for this show. As the farm grows over the years, more and more people would want to visit and hear the word about regenerative farming. More young people would consider farming as a career field and hopefully this would change the world.

[@jonb4763]

I'm only about halfway through this talk and I gotta say this is fantastic. It is so encouraging to hear how he struggled starting off and how he continued to just keep moving forward. One of the best things he has said is sometimes it's just a slog, one foot in front of the other and how gaining that experience is so important. I don't come from a farming family and my only experience was watching a sometimes vegetable garden grow as a kid. I tried to start "farming" in my 40's, at a run, and with very little information and help. I wore out quickly and got very very discouraged, almost giving up completely and deciding to sell my house, property, and moving into an apartment. By listening to this talk with Joel I see now where I screwed up and am encouraged to start again with a different view. If your considering getting into this lifestyle, you really need to listen to this first.

[@dianalittle7323]

WHEN I WAS A CHILD IN THE 60'S, WE PEDDLED VEGETABLES IN OUR WAGON EVERY SATURDAY! MOM GREW FLOWERS AND MADE BOQUETS AND IN RRETURN, WE COLLECTED THEIR OLD NEWS PAPERS AND MAGAZINES IN THE SAME WAGON.

[@legacyfarmmarket]

Some of the best questions I have heard an interviewer ask Joel Salatin. Great job thank you for this content.

[@HjCrawford]

Love it!! I wish things like this were taught in school!

[@ronrover6594]

For me this was the best farming podcast episode I've ever heard ... and I did at least listened to it 10 times and going.

[@elderfarmstead]

Excellent interview. Thank you. Love to hear his humility and wisdom.

[@susanjordan2130]

Joel is a great speaker and fantastic teacher.

[@FreeThinker7]

That's why we are still working and building the infrastructure base first before we quit.. only have house debt and thank you Joel

[@imanjevalvasor]

The best interview with Joel i have ever listened! Questions followed perfectly and pointed out all my thoughts. Keep up the great work Diego!

[@ericrowles5152]

This was great. I'm definitely scaling back my farmer dream plans and thinking more homestead scale dabbling after hearing this. I think I'll eat more green beans though.

[@Freakontheway]

Thank you for sharing this brilliant interview with this brilliant guy.

[@annburge291]

Loved this interview. I'm always amazed how Joel just speels off pearls of wisdom in such an enthralling manner.

[@gd2561]

The man has found his calling and purpose in life. recognizing his flaws from his own personal experience while also spilling knowledge like sharing fruit for everyone to enjoy. God bless him!

[@RichFrisk]

Thank you for this one Diego, I am learning from what you put out.

[@nancythomas-wardm.b.a2993]

Community, family role models, at a young age, team work, innovators, the curious. being comfortable with yourself...are our own building blocks for life.... xx n love you both...from a none farmer who so appreciate all you both are acomplasing n xx n

[@greenhouse9059]

"If at first you don't suck-a-seed, just keep sucking, sucking, til you do suck-a-seed!" My favorite Salatin quote.

[@BillRemski]

Yeah, he got that line from Curly Howard of the Three Stooges. "If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed."

[@stopmayhem937]

The black belt is a white belt who didn't quit. Joel is a black belt.

[@bettypearson5570]

Joel stated that people are looking at his operation and wanting to replicate that in a fourth of the time but believes that is wrong thinking because they didnt have the skill experience/mastery; I disagree. If someone gets his books or listen to his online info and are willing to replicate what he has done they can become as productive as him as him in a fraction of the time it took for him to achieve the same. The problem is there are so many youtube farmers that dont realize that their first priority isnt to grow a great and profitable farm that regenerates the land, produces a profitable and healthier animal husbandry business, etc. Their main goal is to grow a wildly successful youtube channel and be considered an expert and they chose homesteading/farming as their platform. The first proof of this is with how many will do videos on why they don't use the Salatin chicken tractor or whatever. Their reasons are that they "feel" the design they are going to is better. Yet they never test anything to see whether it is quicker or more efficient. There are so many channels I've watched for a few years that have been slowly deteriorating and looking sloppier all the time because while they started out strong when they were replicating his statistically proven systems they have slowly but surely deleted a little here and a little there so they have more time for editting their videos or vacationing or whatever. I was surprised when he was talking about things like electric fences and organics being new things when he started farming which is quite untrue. I am his same age and grew up on a subsistence style farm. From my earliest memories of 4-5 years old many of the neighboring farms used electric fencing to keep their animals in. We didnt because it was too expensive. Organics? Hippies in the 60s were nuts about organic foods. Even on tv in the late 60s/early 70s we had Euell Gibbons extolling the virtues of clean living. What was new was Joel's approach to portable fencing and housing which permitted farmers to start without that initial cost for farmland, the ability to start with some scrap wood to create one tractor and expand from that as you could afford it and through rotational grazing to let animals eat what they were created to eat and reduce parasites and illness on smaller pieces of land. He has a phenominal mind always looking for ways to improve what he has and sharing that. Awesome.

[@Lialye]

I count myself absolutely lucky to have run into this podcast. Man, Joel, you just saved me a few bucks by listening to you. I was one of the wanna be farmers seeing stars. But I got hit with a rude awakening. Thank you.

[@ltlhoss1117]

How did Joel save you money, I did not hear what you heard apparently.

[@richstone2627]

Thanks Diego and Joel.

[@ericcornell3243]

such phenomenal wisdom.

[@halfacrefarmsbell5674]

Listened to this three times now! Would love to hear more of him speaking!

[@DiegoFooter]

I have quite a few podcasts with him. Search through the Permaculture Voices podcast archives. :)

[@cordovanbee713]

Great interview!! Thanks to both of you

[@CITYBORNDESERTBRED]

A few doses of reality checks here.. thanks to you and Joel for pumping the brakes for us all... perhaps like our first driving instructor. If you aren’t living/working as a farmer now, what makes you think you will be when you “get on a farm” 👌🏾🤯

[@regeneratearth2137]

Damn good questions Diego. Only sorry it took me 4 years before I found this one.

[@Jeckhart02]

Great interview! Was glued to every word

[@garrag3926]

Thanks Diego for this highly inspiring interview with Joel!

[@rochrich1223]

We need a small book of Joel's father's wisdom. I've caught a story here and a story there. In one place could be fantastic.

[@comanakizzuwatna5901]

this couple will be in my hand watch my work

[@TheCobbFamilyFarm]

Love the interview!

[@jeremiahcastro9700]

*Although I know this is not Mr. Salatin's channel* I will say that I used to think, *"Yeah maybe I should hold back if the other person is not on the same page."* But, through experience I found that just made me miserable because I let someone's unbelief stop me from realizing my vision for my business. *And then I looked at the example of Christ* and thought, wow...He did not let the unbelief of His own people and those of other peoples stop Him from accomplishing His vision to save mankind from sin and death. And what's more amazing is that the new world will only be inherited by those who believe in the Vision of Christ and God, not unbelievers. *So I figured* instead of wasting time and energy trying to get people to believe: I just need to go for it and partner with Wisdom as my Advisor. In the end I will let those who believed in me enjoy the fruits of my labor. And the ones who didn't believe will not be able to enjoy my success.

[@obadiahscave]

Excellent job..

[@dylnthmsn420]

Yes!!!

[@HalfQuickFarmer]

When I can’t see your face it’s easy to recognize the voice that read Curtis stones book for audiobook. Good show. Cheers

[@jleighbo]

Love salatin!

[@annawhiteengelman23]

Inspiration

[@clee33able]

I've been getting a tug on me for some time now... start a farm!! I lived my teen life on a dairy farm... friends dad! He is now older and cant farm.. use to be a dairy farm. That seemed like a very lot of work! Not afraid of hard work by any means!! Should I try and lease some of the untillable land from him for now to start? Or behind the house we live in is 10 acres of under scrub land that's long and narrow... can be bought for 38000

[@ajb.822]

Diary farming is the most labor/care intensive kind of animal farming, at least of the common american farm animals. Conventional /modern ( circa 80s thru 2010s , for my experience) dairy farming makes more work for itself in a lot of ways, too tho. But it would be hard to do some things more naturally ( calves nursing, separate overnight or ? ) to much scale, tho I have no experience w that. Want to. Those who went to rotational grazing vastly reduced their costs & improved herd health, thus quaility of family life & morale, so I imagine adding in Holistcally managed grazing would blow the charts on those. But if you start with beef or take on grazing dairy heifers for organic dairies, it is something you can without all the added work, infrastructure & knowledge needs of a dairy. B4 buying, I would check the price per acre of comparable land in your area , talk to a realtor ( try to patronize local owned one) , ask what trends are etc., ask what the property taxes are on it ! Compare that to comps too !

[@isaaclawrence1113]

If you buy that land, i would stick as many goats as possible on it to take care of the shrubs, and once they are gone, sell the goats and get whatever you want

[@donaldmiller8629]

@@isaaclawrence1113 , I would use Highland Cattle instead. They would not only clear the scrub brush but also the weed growth. Improving the land as they go. Plus , they will provide premium beef as well as premium milk. YES ! Beef cattle can be milked if one just simply does it. How do you think a mother cow feeds her calf ? With milk of course ! Many animals that give live birth can be milked. In Mongolia where they do not have cattle , the Nomads milk their horses. Sheep can also be milked just as goats are milked. Although the most milk in quantity comes from dairy cows. However , keep in mind that the Highland cow must nourish her calf that will produce a premium beef. Premium milk for premium beef ! Scottish Highland cattle are very winter hardy ( with a double coat of fur ) and do not require a barn for shelter.The plus is that Highland cattle are browsers ( similar to goats ) and they are also grazers which goats are not. Highland cattle will eat the rough feed ( weeds ) as well as the sweet grass. Valuable for improving the land. All in all , the Scottish Highland cattle are a win-win-win-win ! The main drawbacks are that they are slower growing ( not a fast turnover for money centered farmers ) and they are smaller similar to Dexter cattle. If I were younger ( I'm 78 ) you can believe that I would have a few head of Highland cattle on my small farm.

[@raulvelazquez9634]

Two thumbs up. But the promos are so annoying.

[@growingweedisfordummies4190]

YEAH PODCASTER IS GETTING HIS AD REV ON HARD HERE! WORST IVE EVER SEEN IS LAND BEFORE TIME ON KZbin.

[@growingweedisfordummies4190]

I CHANGED MY MIND- THIS IS WORSE....

[@safffff1000]

Couldn't you use permanent barb wire instead of electric fence back in the sixties for making pastures to move cattle around?

[@DiegoFooter]

Yes, but that would be a lot of fences to build.

[@safffff1000]

@@DiegoFooter Yes but relatively easy and cheap, the prime choice for over 100 yrs.

[@DiegoFooter]

Part of the issue will be cost because it is for sure more than a wire reel. But the bigger issue is permanent paddocks aren't flexible in size, so you can't manage to conditions - the fence is where the forage in it is what it is - so you would have to use time as your management tool.

[@safffff1000]

@@DiegoFooter ok

[@growingweedisfordummies4190]

ITS NOT JUST THE PRICE OF MATERIAL, THE MOST EXPENSIVE COST IS GETTING A PERSON THERE. ALSO SINCE HE USES DIFFERENT ANIMALS AT DIFFERENT TIMES, THE FENCING CHANGES DUE TO THAT ( SIZE AND TYPE OF FENCING ECT ECT.) AND JUST IMAGIN FENCING ACRE PER ACRE, 1000 ACRE PROPERTY! THERE GOES THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. lol

[@growingweedisfordummies4190]

dONT YOU WORRY jEOL, DADDIES PROUD....; )

[@KP09101]

1:29:00

[@downbntout]

I don't buy grassfed, anything could be labeled grassfed if it had a single bite of grass. Instead I want grass-finished

[@donaldmiller8629]

@downbntout , That is why you should know who you are buying from. You buy from the person where you can see how the cattle , chickens , pigs or goats are being raised.

[@frankfromupstateny3796]

Everyone knows Joel....he's a multimillionaire now....so, I'm hoping money is finally tangential to his life purpose now. I'm searching for 3-4 investors for "anywhere" in the U.S. who have 40-50K to invest....grow a decent sized farm; chickens especially (easily sustainable), nice salad mixes,...etc. Stuff grown that always pays good money. We all work, invest,...have "skin-in-the-game"...and make this happen. Who's interested?

[@notatthetablecarloss]

I will never watch one of your videos again because of how many ads you put in this video its ridiculous dude