Is 40 Acres Enough for a Pasture Based Farm?

The chicks are doing great considering the cold temperatures we're experiencing and the less than ideal brooder set-up! But, that's not the main topic ... One question that I often ask myself is if 40 acres of land is enough to make it full time on a pasture based meat farm. The short answer is yes, but marketing and livestock selection has a lot to do with it.
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[@dmp2461]

I want you to talk about that tiger blanket. It looks like the same style as my favorite bear blanket I had as a kid. I can't stop studying it.

[@jeffeverhart6746]

I have used fppf fuel condishner for 30.years never jeled up thanks for the videos

[@TheBeginningFarmer]

This was my first year with an issue ... of course I have always just counted on my fuel be blended correctly and not put an additive in. I think I need to be more proactive in the future

[@christopherash438]

Thanks for your information on 40 acres well done and that Howels diesel treatment is good stuff keep up the good work!

[@TheBeginningFarmer]

Thanks so much for the kind words! I do think Howe's is go to when it comes to diesel treatment :)

[@throwback336]

I've used that brand of treatment one summer when I had a tremendous amount of algae in my diesel. It worked great. I buy diesel in bulk and the oil company cuts it when it gets cold so I don't have to treat it. Glad the chicks are doing well. I would love to direct market on my farm but as you said the raising is the easy part. Marketing is the hard part, for me anyways. The benefits of raising 2500 birds in terms of manure would be huge to your soils! I love hearing others plans and dreams. Keep up the good work.

[@TheBeginningFarmer]

You are right about the chicken manure ... that would be a huge benefit for our pastures! I do think direct marketing is tough with dairy. So many regulations, or if you have fewer cows and are making cheese, then you spend all your time (and then some) in that process. I do know of very small cow dairy here in Iowa that makes cheese, but I think they are less than 10 cows ... and maybe even fewer are fresh at any time.

[@throwback336]

@@TheBeginningFarmer that was our original intentions but with young kids and homeschooling we knew that wasn't an option, so an Amish friend of mine put me in touch with OV. Our plans are to raise pastured poultry and pigs as well which I hoped to start soon as we known have the dairy 3 years established. The cows left this farm in the late 70s so there 18-20 acres that was once pasture that's grown up to bush and mess. Completely worthless ground except for raising pigs.

[@robertalbertson4633]

I think 40 is enough to make it, and rent for hay ground, my opinion, if you increase your dexter herd to 20 cows, do you do farmers markets along with your CSA, good luck

[@TheBeginningFarmer]

I would love to be able to bump up to 20 cows, but unfortunately we've been there and we just don't have the pasture to support that many. Our 40 acres really only has about 20 give or take in pasture with the balance in woods and our building site. If we increased our cattle numbers we would have enough hay to feed them, but we would have to be feeding hay for much of the year unfortunately and that isn't a direction we want to go ... We do have the Meat CSA along with the Farmers' Market. It is a balancing act for sure, but has worked out for us so far.

[@MikeSmith-nu9wt]

I have 12 cows on my 40 , it all it will handle , theres a creek and woods , ive been trying to clean up the briar patches so they turn to grass , not sure if it helps though ..all swamp/ flood area , I cant do nothing else with it. It gets flooded out before I can harvest a crop . But that's not enough to support my wife and I, farm payed off , cows save us on taxes ..if I could build a shop though. I got ..or had ..mechanical skills and tools ...I can subsidize the farm with that , but I need to haul in about 40k in fill dirt first ..

[@rickayers3150]

I wouldn't try raising 200 pigs. Been there done that feed will kill you. Raise 6 guilts breed them to come in 3 at a time. Sell feeder pigs and finish out what you dont sell and sell hole or halfs. Better to diversify ,

[@TheBeginningFarmer]

While we don't raise our own feed, I do think that our feed is one of our unfair advantages because I have a neighbor willing to raise Non-GMO corn for me. That allows me to grind my own feed and my feed ends up costing substantially less than what other farms in the area pay for their feed. You are correct about having our own breeding herd. In the future I would like to have somewhere between 12 and 20 sows and farrow roughly in batches of six. I would be interested in learning more about the pasture farrowed feeder pig market for sure!

[@rickayers3150]

I raise Tamworth breed to a red waddle boar. They do realy good out side on pasture , I ever farrow out side. But dont try this in the winter.

[@toddcaskey9984]

Did you run the Hurdles in track when you’re a kid? Lol

[@TheBeginningFarmer]

I think that it's pretty evident that I didn't ;)

[@toddcaskey9984]

@@TheBeginningFarmer lol well good job keeping the videos real

[@WildflowerFarm417]

Next question is Do you want to?

[@TheBeginningFarmer]

That is a good question. I guess I would say that I would like to try ... but the marketing is always the rub. The ideal would be just to expand the markets that I currently have. As for increasing the pig numbers, I don't think it would make a huge increase in our labor. When it comes to the chickens though it would change things quite a bit. Not only taking care of chickens on pasture, but more and larger batches going to the processor. Increasing the poultry numbers would be much easier if I could take in batches of 500 or more.

[@WildflowerFarm417]

@@TheBeginningFarmer So the answer is yes. Now the question is Are ya gonna?

[@TheBeginningFarmer]

We’ll work our way up to it ... if I’m going to raise 200 pigs I’d like to farrow 200 pigs on our farm. I order to do that we need to improve some infrastructure. Same with the chickens ... and it would be nice if I felt more secure in our poultry processing options. 😬