Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
The Grazing Grass Podcast features insights and stories of regenerative farming, specifically emphasizing grass-based livestock management. Our mission is to foster a community where grass farmers can share knowledge and experiences with one another. We delve into their transition to these practices, explore the ins and outs of their operations, and then move into the "Over Grazing" segment, which addresses specific challenges and learning opportunities. The episode rounds off with the "Famous Four" questions, designed to extract valuable wisdom and advice. Join us to gain practical tips and inspiration from the pioneers of regenerative grass farming.
This is the podcast for you if you are trying to answer: What are regenerative farm practices? How to be grassfed? How do I graze other species of livestock? What's are ways to improve pasture and lower costs? What to sell direct to the consumer?
Welcome to the grazing
grass podcast episode 127.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
if the learning curve is steep
you're gonna make mistakes, and
try not to be too hard on yourself,
Cal: You're listening to the Grazing Grass
Podcast, sharing information and stories
of grass based livestock production
utilizing regenerative practices.
I'm your host, Cal Hardage.
You're growing more than grass.
You're growing a healthier
ecosystem to help your cattle
thrive in their environment.
You're growing your livelihood by
increasing your carrying capacity
and reducing your operating costs.
You're growing stronger communities
and a legacy to last generations.
The grazing management
decisions you make today.
impact everything from the soil beneath
your feet to the community all around you.
That's why the Noble Research
Institute created their Essentials
of Regenerative Grazing course to
teach ranchers like you easy to follow
techniques to quickly assess your forage
production and infrastructure capacity.
In order to begin
grazing more efficiently.
Together, they can help you grow
not only a healthier operation,
but a legacy that lasts.
Learn more on their website at noble.
org slash grazing.
It's n o b l e dot org
forward slash grazing.
On today's show.
We have Jessica Newman.
She is on sharing about her
sheep operation utilizing Texel
sheep, which is a wool breed.
We spend most of the episode
talking about her sheep.
Then we talked a little bit
about our Dexter cattle.
For the overgrazing section,
we discuss the off the farm job
with the farm and managing that.
And for the bonus segment for our grazing
grass insiders, we talk about sheep aI.
And for those insiders.
I'm still trying to get that all going.
I apologize.
It's taken me this long.
But we will have it going soon.
Before we talked to Jessica.
10 seconds about my farm.
We went through our sheep
other day to look at them.
It's it's summer.
So it gets hot and dry and that's when
some worms or parasite issues showed up.
So we went through and checked them.
And I wormed a few lambs.
And what we did this first
time we've done this.
Um, trying to keep them separate,
but I got a ear notcher so I
notched the end of their ear.
So I know they've been warmed because if
they've been warmed, we do not keep them.
But I would like animal to sell.
So I ear notched them on the end.
I also went through the ewes
pretty rough, anything that had a
bag I didn't like, or didn't shed
as good as I wanted or whatever.
Uh, other thing it may be.
And I've got a load of ewes that
I'm going to take to the sale barn.
Our flock has a good number.
We don't really want to increase it.
So we thought about
selling a few ewe lambs..
And we may still do it
depending on our numbers.
But one thing I do not want any,
anything that's got any kind of problem.
It's basically one striking you're out.
If I worm you, you go sale barn.
If you don't shed, you go sale barn.
Bad bag.
You're going to sell.
Barn just takes one thing and
you're out because I want a low
maintenance quality sheep flock.
So that's been happening on the farm.
, 10 seconds about the podcasts really
don't have much to share today.
We are working on some new merch.
Be dropping soon.
And that's basically it.
Let's cut through the chase
and go talk to Jessica.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629:
Jessica, we want to welcome you
to the Grazing Grass Podcast.
We're excited you're here today.
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
thanks so much Cal it is a
pleasure to be here really looking
forward to the conversation
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Wonderful.
Let's get started by talking a little
bit about yourself and your operation.
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
Absolutely.
So yeah, my name is Jessica Newman.
I am a first generation farmer
located in northeast Pennsylvania.
So, we always joke that we
could spit and hit New York.
So we're five miles from the
border and Yeah, so very close.
We typically go grocery
shopping in New York, right?
It's just everything's close there.
So, We are in what's called the endless
mountains of Pennsylvania we're only about
two well three hours west of New York
City And about an hour south of Ithaca,
New York so again, just really in that
far northeast corner of Pennsylvania,
so the farms, actually, it's funny.
We live in this valley where
the sheung and shahi rivers come
together and they form and really
flow out through the Chesapeake Bay.
So we actually, I currently live
in town and it's on a peninsula
sort of, that comes down as the two
rivers meet and then flow south.
But the farm is on some
of the mountains that.
Create the valley.
And so in town, I think it's
800 feet above sea level, and
at the farm we're like 1, 400.
So you
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh,
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
go up.
We do, we definitely have a little bit
of a climate change from town to city.
Where the farm is.
So I don't live on the farm.
I bought the farm now in 2014, and it was
just some grass local guy was selling it.
It didn't grow up here.
My folks had moved here for my dad's
job, and my mom needed some, had some
health concerns, and so I moved up.
I was working in Tennessee at the
time, and I moved up here, and Really
had been getting more interested.
I've always had a little love and interest
in agriculture, but I'm a nurse by trade
and Still work as a nurse full time.
So it's been fun to tackle the farming
side of things and lots to learn but
Growing the farm from scratch and
nothing is has its own unique challenges
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh, I'm sure.
So, when you bought the, that
land, I think you said 2014,
was that the reason you bought the land?
You thought, I'm going to get some
sheep or something and do a farm?
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
Yes, so and actually we ended up calling
it Southview station Because I was
like we're gonna have sheep here and
in Australia they call their like big
properties Which we don't have that big
but they call them stations instead of
ranches or farms And there's so many
places around here that are called
farms like everything the farm and so
it just felt like I don't know, boring?
So
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629:
Something a little more unique.
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
right!
And sheep centric.
We do have cows, but yeah primarily
sheep, and so, hence the name.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: So, were sheep
always something you, you thought, you
mentioned you had this drawn to the farm?
Was sheep always the animal
that really drew you in?
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
So, funny enough, when when I was younger
and had a little bit of experience,
I thought I might go and be a vet.
We had, my parents let us do A 4 H
cow when I was like eight, right?
And the local dairy down
the road let me borrow this
atrocious calf who was horrible.
She was horrible.
She drugged me down one side and
back the other, I still liked it.
So I guess it
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh,
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
didn't turn me off.
And Yeah, so I'm not really my experience
was with a couple ponies and some cows.
I Volunteered at my local vet clinic and
got a little bit of taste of some domestic
animals, but not really Farm, livestock,
but as I got older, I just thought,
I felt I think I would like sheep.
I'd never met, in all
honesty and transparency, I'd
literally never met a sheep.
I did not know that I
would really like a sheep.
I just had this inkling, sneaking
suspicion, and I guess I know
myself well enough it's true.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh, very good.
I knew when I was in high school
in FFA, I showed dairy cattle.
I would see the people showing sheep and
how much work they put into their sheep.
And pig people put in a lot of work
too, but the sheep really did because
they do, they build them a round pen
and do so many jumps to build muscle.
And, and then the amount of
shearing they did for their sheep,
you know, they were always shearing and
shaping their sheep I was so glad to
have dairy cattle because I was like
well I washed them and now I trim the top
line maybe a little bit on their legs.
So they look thinner.
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
Yeah, like we're good to go.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Yeah, I
was always amazed at the amount
of work they would put into sheep
which Interesting enough, you
know now I've got lots of sheep,
but I don't have to shear them
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
Yep.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: But you
didn't go that way with your sheep.
So
You get your land.
Yeah, that's just a teaser
for just a little bit.
You got your land.
Were you ready to put animals on it?
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
no.
So the very first and actually I still
to this day chuckle that bless his
heart, like the gentleman who I bought
my first set of seven sheep and one
ram because that's all I could afford.
He was, he's amazing to this
day, has been an amazing mentor
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh, yes,
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
which I know you don't always find and
I feel super blessed to have had that,
but I swear he thought when he dropped
his sheep off that day into electric
netting and there was nothing basically
else on the property that he was
probably committing them to certain doom.
But he's been pleasantly surprised,
as he's told me more than once that
I didn't kill off all the sheep.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh that's
great.
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
yeah, no, we had to, we put in some
perimeter fence on the main farm property.
So I have basically 30 acres
of grass and 10 of woods.
That are, that I own.
And we've put some perimeter fence
around the grass of that and have added
like a smallish barn with kind of some
dedicated sacrifice areas for like winter
which we can talk a little bit more on.
We've got about a 40 degree grade on
our land, so it just slopes down like a
giant rectangle from top to bottom, so we
probably graze around 26 acres on that.
Well call home property.
And then actually my neighbors saw
what we were doing, and they have about
another 40 acres of grass that I graze.
And then even the neighbor at the
bottom of the hill, I, I graze about.
Three ish, three and a half acres for him
that's connected to all of the properties.
So that's worked out nicely.
Hopefully something long term is you
know what I'm praying for that one,
but we're rehabbing those pastures back
from being once a year mulch hayed which
really meant that it was just goldenrod
and pigweed or hogweed if you've heard
that and just milkweed, just so much
so that there was actually looked like
reeds had been laid out on the ground
because of the goldenrod that just fell
every year in the snow and just built
up like layers of goldenrod stalks.
So we're really the last three,
we've been grazing there three years.
And we've really, we've been
working on that, but yeah, so really
we put in, had to put in a well
electric pole the fence, the barn.
Area and so a little bit of
everything but I got the sheep
before we had pretty much any of that
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh yes.
So
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
May or may not have been
the smartest thing I did
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: We won't ask
my wife to come on and tell you how
smart I was with different things.
When you got your sheep, you
got your, yeah, with your electric
netting, you got your sheep and
you had electric netting there.
Did you go into it thinking we're
going to rotate these daily?
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
Yeah, so, I had like probably 95 I feel of
like of the grazers anymore will say like
they got they heard about Joel Saladin.
They really you know You were
introduced to agriculture, maybe
that way, or to rotations that way.
So, I was a little bit, I
understood some hey, we should
move these creatures around, right?
It's good.
Even on the 26 acres at that
time, Basically, eight sheep
did not do a lot for me.
It just, you weren't able to really
even move them around fast enough to to
probably make a dent in in the pasture.
But so there was a lot of A lot of higher
grasses throughout the year, I worked a
lot in pulling milkweed cause initially I
just thought the sheep shouldn't eat it.
And so we just by hand, like
trying to get it out of there,
which is effective, menial, but
effective in removing milkweed.
But I really learned that for the most
part the sheep handle it just fine.
But so I don't do that.
In the new pastures I graze, but yeah,
so really started to move them around.
Just grazing what we could as we could
and then they'll come back in the
winter months to the sacrifice areas.
We we get really wet.
We have very heavy clay soils and
it's been a challenge and actually
with the steepness of our grade.
I'm hoping over time here to add in some,
a little better water infrastructure.
I've got water some frost free hydrants,
and then I've got two waterers that are
underground, like Ritchie waterers that
They're in the barnyard for the winter.
So they don't freeze.
And those work nicely.
But the challenge is really the
extending the grazing season.
For me, you basically in the
spring up until a certain point,
and then in the fall you aren't
driving anything out on that.
No tractor, no truck.
Like you are not, you ain't getting up
those slopes like you get out there.
We've stuck cars out there, we've
got the tractor stuck out there.
Because once you slide like the
slick soil it just, you'll just spin.
I mean with chains, it doesn't matter.
So that's that's interesting.
If I'm gonna do hay out on the pasture,
like it has to be out there by September.
If it's not, you ain't getting it
out there because it will rain and
start to get muddy and forget it.
So there's a lot of that pre
planning that's just over time.
I've had to figure out.
Okay, what's gonna work or if
the year is just not a good
year and something breaks down.
I'm like man.
I'm like We're hosed.
We're not going to be grazing
out like I thought we were going
to, because it's just right now
that part is not really feasible.
So I'd eventually like to run some
water lines to make the ladder grazing.
Because that's the limiting factor
right now for the later season grazing
because I can get the bales out usually
pretty consistently, but Trying to
get water once it starts to freeze up
here by November it gets cold enough.
It's hard right now.
I Jokingly, I say that I farm with a
little garden tractor really so I have
A small John Deere, like 400, just has
the little 52 inch mower deck and it's
just a glorified bigger lawnmower.
And so I haul actually like a little
water trailer that I put two 55 gallon
drums on and so we haul that for all of
our water and like I, Put like trash cans
in the back that have like mineral on
there and it just comes up the general
Trailer to haul everything around and
that's how we get water to everybody
as we're going To the places I want
to fill up their Like water tubs out
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh, yes.
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
So, so right now I have total 10 adult
cows and then some young'uns and and
then I have about a hundred sheep now.
So that's like size wise where we're at.
So to maybe give
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: that,
that seven expanded really well.
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
Yeah.
Yeah.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Actually,
just going back
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
It's an addiction.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629:
It's like chicken math.
You've always heard of chicken
math.
You know,
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
it really is.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: add two more,
and pretty soon you've got a dozen.
Then it's, it just goes crazy.
Um, with the sheep, one
thing I know you mentioned.
When we're getting started, it's
often a shoestring budget.
It's a
something we're trying to do, but the
problem I see so many people do, they
bring in too many animals, and then
they don't get to know their land, and
they're overgrazing from the get go.
And in fact there's a new gentleman
that owns land next to me.
And I talked to him the other
day and he had three cows and
he bought like a dozen more.
And he's I got
lots of grass.
I said, I, he says, how
many cows should I get?
And I said, I wouldn't buy any more.
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
No more.
Yeah,
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629:
best time of the year.
This is a couple months ago in May.
And I said, you will not have more
grass than you have right now.
So you need to not stock for May.
You need to stock for August or the
winter.
And he's Oh, okay.
I won't buy any more then.
I'm like, yeah let's
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
call.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: stand
pat and see what we've got there.
So just
getting started with 7 gives
you that opportunity to see
how your land does and not overgraze.
But it's
really tough because I know
for me, my wife says it all the
time, I jump in the deep end.
So I don't want to buy
2, I want to buy 30, so
I get that.
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
And I think it's been,
it's pros and cons, right?
So most of, I slowly funded like my
growth just with working off farm
and then slowly just like being
able to add things as we could.
And there's really, like you
said, the pros and cons, right?
It's beneficial to not sometimes dive
in so full that you end up kind of
making a fatal error in a sense that.
You're then you're really struggling.
What do I do?
But from a business perspective, it's
really challenging to Start slow you show
year after year of loss for the most part.
I mean unless you are in a very Really
great market like you have an excellent
business plan where you may be able to
Still show some kind of profit I always
tell people like we've been to ranching
for profit and have done some business
work and, but it's really challenging.
And I know they always say well, you have
to calculate your opportunity costs, for
those people that have family property,
especially, and don't just take it, but
I think there's something to be said
that it's really hard to make anything.
To have to build everything, right?
Like how long are you gonna
space out that Building without
showing a negative, right?
Because you basically would have
to so slowly incrementally Put
your infrastructure together to
not show a loss, you know for the
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh, yeah.
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
front years when you are just
Trajectory vertical on a business
like that in a farm where you're going
from zero That I think that's really
challenging and something that's not
always thought about maybe From people
thinking about like that business plan.
I mean it is one thing to say hey I'm
sitting on a nest egg that's making money
and yes every year I should set aside
money for if I Had to purchase more if I
had to pay rent or like all those things
like it's one thing to say that but it is
Something totally different to like really
be scraping that together so I think from
a business perspective it is challenging
to start small and then just Let the
flock grow or let the herd expand and you
know be like When are we getting beef?
Seven years from now?
Six years?
Like, when is that gonna really happen?
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: exactly.
Yeah
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
How many are you gonna keep
back for breeding stock?
That means you still don't have
anything to sell so that you can
expand your herd more, so that you
have more to sell in five years, right?
Those are like, all of those questions
have to be Answered and thought about
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh, yeah,
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
sometimes going hog wild solves you from,
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: what?
Yeah, because you get
the benefit of numbers,
you bring in, you make a little
bit of money, each animal.
So if you have higher
numbers of animals, the
that total gross is much better.
But yeah, there's pros
and cons to both ways.
I'm a big fan of Mike Michiewicz, that
I'm sure I said that wrong, who does pro,
wrote the book Profit First, as well as
Almost a hundred other books, it seems.
Maybe it's only ten.
But he is very adamant in there that, your
business has got to make profit day one.
And I have a little side business
in addition to the farm and that
thing still needs to make profit and
It's tough to do that initially
with the initial cost of farming
if you want to own animals.
Now one way you can follow Greg
Judy's model where you lease the
land and you do custom grazing.
That model makes it a
little bit easier to get in
and make some money immediately.
But if you're trying to own some livestock
and you don't want to go that route,
Yeah.
you've got to shove some money
in there before, and it's going
to be a little while before you
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
And even then, I understand and I do
think it is a great model to do that.
Like lease land and do custom grazing.
I think that's a, an amazing opportunity.
I think there's a couple of things
like you gotta know people like
in the area, like you gotta be an
established person, in town, right?
Nobody's gonna be like, hey, the stranger
that showed up down the street wants
to take your cows like nobody, right?
And then I think you really have to be
able to You have to you have to know how
to graze and how to manage those animals
which again Are you going to learn all
of that on somebody else's animals and
convince somebody that they should take
that risk on you if you don't know?
So it's a little kind of,
do you do some on your own?
Do you just purchase some stockers
in and like monkey around the first
couple years and get established?
Again, I think it, even that
takes a little bit of a, You
gotta have some run ramp, right?
Because it's easy to say if dad or
cousin or guy down the road that's seen
you for all your life, is willing to
give you a try on 20 dairy heifers.
But I think it, It can be really
challenging, to, and I think you also
have to be, and not everyone is, for some
people I think it's fine and this doesn't
make a difference, but for some people I
do think there's a methodology of stockers
feed into agricultural kind of niche that
not everyone wants to support, like at
the end of the day, what are, your support
through stockers, you're supporting
feedlots then supporting like just mass
produced beef, which again, I'm not saying
is hands down, it should never be done.
But I also think you have to know
that and be that has to be within
your sphere of yep I'm good with that.
And again, it's not, it
won't be for everybody.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: And you
point out a couple of things.
You gotta have some knowledge there,
some relationships, network, and then
how does that align with your beliefs?
Yeah,
I think I've mentioned
this on the podcast before.
My dad put in broiler houses and we raised
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
Oh, Yeah.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: a
little while, which https: otter.
ai Anti what my beliefs are But at the
time it made money and that's what we
needed, so it's a tough
call there
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
on the table
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Yeah
so so sometimes yeah, I in fact the
episode coming out coming out, well,
when this episode comes out, the episode
will have been out like four weeks, but
this coming week we have a gentleman on
and he's suffered the same thing because
he did some broilers, houses, and he's
trying to do it more regenerative now.
He's yeah, there's that conflict in there.
So it's an
interesting discussion.
Now
when
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
all have to work through that Yeah,
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: I think so, and
At the end of the day, we don't want to
be money driven, but at the same time,
we've got to be able to make profit.
And if you have the off the farm job,
it really assists you in building that
infrastructure and getting going better.
But it's a tough call, and each person
has to make their own call at that time.
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
it's really true.
It's really true and try not
to let that off barm cripple
the business help it limp along
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: right,
right, because at a certain point,
you need the farm to stand on its
own legs even with the off the farm.
The farm job, but yeah, it's
something to work through.
Lots of steps in there.
Now when you decided to get
sheep, did you know, you'd already
said you were drawn to sheep.
Did you already know what
breed you wanted to get?
Or what type you wanted to get?
jessica-newman--she-her-_1_07-06-2024_170629:
So yes so, so it's funny.
I wouldn't have said very initially I was,
I knew I wanted a wool breed actually,
which is funny, but I don't knit.
I don't do any fiber arts.
Like I don't, that's not for me.
But I really like the I like
some aspects of wool breeds.
I do what they bring to the table.
I can go into that a little bit more,
but I knew I did want a sheep that was
a wool producing breed and So actually
my parents had done because I was
still in Tennessee at the time We were
looking through different sheep breeds.
What might we want to And they actually
went to a local state fair and they were
like, Hey, what about this Texel breed?
We really, we like the look of them.
And I looked them up, looked about
them and I was like, Oh, yeah.
Yeah, I really like this breed.
Which I know they're not for
everybody a lot of people say
they're so ugly They're cute.
think they're ugly.
I think some of the I think some of
the gene pool Tends to be on the ugly
side but I think there's a lot of that
breed that's not so they're a primary
terminal sire meat producing breed
they're very common in the uk While their
top terminal sires In the UK and and so
yeah, that's made our decision there We
knew we wanted a meat producing animal.
We weren't going to be doing
dairy primarily or fiber
primarily And so Cobb lettuce.
I really loved them.
They're docility like they're a very
calm kind of personable sheep They're
very much hey, like they'll come over
for like You know, not all of them,
like some of them are a little more
reserved, but they'll come over for
a head scratch or a butt scratch and,
they're just, they tend to be a very
kind of friendly sheep, which is nice.
I don't do animals that leap
over fences to get away from me.
If you do that, you're gone.
We have had a few of those.
I don't want to die trying
to take care of you.
So that's what took us down the
textile road I do have now I have
a little bit of a hodgepodge.
I have a couple cross sheep that we
really just Do for our meat animal.
I mean we have Texels that will
not be breeding stock that also,
you know become meat as well But
and I've actually added last year.
I added some Romanoff ewes So they're
actually one of the composite animals
within the composite for the easy
care sheep that are supposed to be,
very maternal, great producing, used
because I'd like to have a nice variety
within my flock of really commercially
producing animals that are producing
a little bit of a higher litter size.
It's great to have a purebred
terminal sire that really, you can
have that consistency of genetics
and be working towards that.
Genetic side things, which I think is
really fun, but you also again from
the business perspective Looking at
like how do you increase turnover?
And what do you know?
What are you going for when it
comes to market marketable animals?
and so we're gonna be playing with kind
of adding the textiles that terminal
sire onto the Roman off cross and
starting there and see how we go so
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: With your
Texels, what kind of lambing percent
do you get out of those since it's
a terminal sire breed as a makeup?
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
so, I've actually been really playing
with that to see what is the possibility
So I would say I've typically seen
I would say a low like maybe 125
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh yeah.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
Which I would be really happy with if
everybody just had twins like I don't
need everybody having Quintuplets.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Right.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
It not only for the sake of like numbers
and lambing, but especially with textiles,
like you'll get massive lambs especially
those singles, because mom can just
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: yeah.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
I mean in utero.
And so lambing tends to be
more difficult when you're
talking singles in the purebred.
World versus gang twins, so I've
been trying to play with, is it
really, is it my production, is it
really my management of them, right?
Is it A flushing or a kind
of a nutrition standpoint.
Is it when we're breeding so we lamb late.
We finished i've been playing with that
as well this year is the latest i've ever
gone, but I we lambed out starting the
middle to the end of may like the 16th.
I think was our first lamb of may and
so, we're breeding starting christmas
through into the new year You And and
so, is it really the timing of breeding
that's causing, make maybe the ewes
were dropping a lot more eggs earlier
in the fall, and then they slow down
towards the end of the breeding season?
So does that contribute?
So I have been playing with that
a little bit and trying to better
understand the contributing factors
for our lambing percentage to see if we
can't if that can't be something that
at least on the purebred side that we
can really improve, because I think
it, it behooves us in multiple ways
To grow that and to increase that.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Now, with
your textiles, you're lambing into
May, you're weaning at, I'm gonna say,
three months, and then at what age are
you, let's see, maybe I need a word
to, I was thinking about slaughter
as the end point, but a lot of your
animals are going to breeding stock,
so you're using your crossbred lambs more
for lamb processing than to sell meat.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
Yeah, so, I continue to grow
my business model, right?
And again, sorry Sometimes I feel
like it sounds wishy washy, but i've
really tried a lot of different.
A lot of different ways so yes, we are
weaning off between 8 and 12 weeks.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh, okay.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
play with that a little.
There's some, I was listening to another,
there's an Irish podcast sheep podcast
I listened to, and they were really
talking about there's not actually
a lot of good clinical research and
evidence out there that shows that
weaning later is actually beneficial.
Instead, the lambs are really
competing with the ewes for grass.
And really for us at the driest time to
wean is a hard time to wean and accept.
So the texels, lambs, while they're
nursing, they're gaining you
hope it's around 8 pounds a day.
So anywhere between half a pound and a
pound of gain a day is very reasonable.
But when you take that kind of
gain and then you throw it on to
some August, late August grasses.
It tends to face plant.
And so again, working working
on what that, could really, how
I can benefit, the operation by
maybe making some adjustments.
So yeah.
so, when we wean, then the
animals are going into a.
Their own pool the lamb pool.
I don't castrate the rams.
Everybody goes in together.
Lambs and rams i'll pull off and then
we'll start to graze them separately.
i've done a hundred percent grass fed.
We've had again based on the type of
grass because i'm not doing I really
think you'd be wildly You More successful
doing like a annual like cover crop or
some kind of planted grass those lambs
straight onto that as far as like Really
productive grass fed grass finished gains.
I think that's the really the
best way to go I don't think you
know, we always talk about that.
I think we feel like we just make it
sound like they just You know, get
to their fat and happy giant selves,
just, without any assistance, and I
found that's, again, something maybe
genetically we can continue to refine
and grow and continue to build for that
animal body type that does still thrive
in that but for me, we, we've bounced
around okay, do we provide say some soy
hulls as a non grain based supplement?
Do we just do some corn?
What financially makes sense?
What's best for the animal?
What, makes sense for when you're
still out on grass and moving around?
I don't know about you, but like
hauling a lot of various things out
to the pasture and trying to do other
supplementation is, gets old fast.
But so that's still in refinement.
I would say we, we continued, I continue
to change that and grow that every year.
It's what?
What makes sense?
But yeah, so then once really we're to the
fall some lambs will go then for butcher.
Sometimes actually any older animals
that I found that are not gonna stay
part of the flock, whether we didn't sell
them as breeding stock for a variety of
reasons, and maybe I'm like, you know
what, I just, you're not quite living
up to what I thought you were gonna.
Sometimes they'll actually
go first for butcher because
they're bigger and they're older.
I'm, we still have a pretty good
reasonable local market that we do
sell to not as like farmer's market.
I do not do farmer's markets.
I do not.
We can talk about that more later,
but I don't have the night of
the time nor bandwidth to do so.
But we do have the ability to market
a lot of our lambs relatively locally.
And so this year with the biggest
lamb crop I've had where I'm going to
actually do some lambs to the market,
like actual take them to the auction.
And so we'll keep the cream of
the crop on top and then feed.
And actually I've been working
out trying to figure when's
the best time to send them.
I had a little coach or mentor one time
and I was like, well, I think I need
to get them to I think I can't remember
why I told him at the time I was like,
I think they need to be the 80 pounds.
And then that's like the best because
the price per pound is I don't know,
two 50 or something at that weight.
And he was like, but is
that actually like the best?
Does that give you the most profit?
I was like, I don't know.
I guess right?
Like it's 250 a pound seems
better than like 150 a pound
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Yes.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
yeah, but what's going in
to get to that 250, right?
Which is a totally legitimate
question and changed my mindset.
So really just trying to price out,
okay, so if we wean them at, let's just
say we wean them at 50 pounds, right?
Just for an even number and like how,
what's the price per pound at that point?
And then I have nothing else into them
if they just go what do I get back?
Okay, what if I feed them
according to X, Y, Z?
And we get them up to 80 pounds and
then what's the price and what I have
in them and what's the ultimate profit?
To actually determine
like when should we send?
The lambs.
And so I've been playing with that.
I'm hoping to get them a little
closer to a hundred actually for us
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh, yeah.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
and then and then send them I think is
actually going to get the, be the best
profit margin for us for the lambs.
And that actually will buy us a
little more time for me to see How
everyone's filling out and looking so
some will go for breeding stock those
customers Because we lamb really late
There a lot of the breeding stock.
I actually sell their second year.
Well, they'll just have turned one
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh,
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
into that first summer Because a lot of
guys like if they want to lamb like Start
breeding in august like my ram lambs are
not unless you have a very small flock
and your sheep are pretty small in stature
They're not going to be ready for you.
And so, I usually i'll sell yearlings
For that you have to take into the
cost like of getting them through
their first winter, which is not super
terrible you do have to just With cows,
I feel like it makes, everybody's calve
later, like calving later makes sense.
And then the cows like nurse for six
months or even if you do a little
bit less and then you can wean them
and the timing in the year feels
really comfortable to me, right?
Like it feels very like natural.
With lambs, I find it's a
little more challenging.
Are you gonna, Lamb earlier.
It's like frigid and horrible and we
don't live at the farm So I usually tent
it during the night because I like to be
relative like I like to still do checks.
I'm not a hands off and so I
usually will Tent during camping.
And I don't like to tent in
March and February up here.
Like it's not, I'm just
telling you right now.
No.
So even April is very
unpredictable for us.
We've had a foot of snow.
So, it's, but then if you.
If you lamb earlier like that, then
the ewes have like lower nutrient,
you're going to feed the moms, but
the lambs will be ready to hit the
spring flush that boosts their gain.
If you lamb later, like this year was
great as far as getting the ewes basically
on grass in like mid, early to mid April.
Let them have a month
of great green grazing.
Prior to lambing to boost their nutrition
plane and then we actually lambed on
pasture and then Just kept on going
Which has been great for the use and
the grazing, but then again, you're
going to take them off, mid summer,
and then that window, it just always
seems somehow that The cows do have
a little bit more of an easy, natural
rhythm that, that sheep still feel like
if it's good for one, one, like either
you or lamb, it's not as good for the
other whether it's the market or the
animal's nutrition, if that makes sense.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629:
Makes sense to me.
And then you get into beyond the what
you're grazing out in the pasture or to
stage the nutritional
requirements of that you or lamb.
Then you got the market
on the other side of that's not
nearly as flat as the cattle market.
Granted cattle people's out there yelling
me yelling at me right now that it's not
flat I get that but it is
flatter than this sheep market
because it's really cyclical
and those price drops You know I
had an accidental lambing crop this
year and I weaned those lambs and
took them straight to the auction,
which is not something we do and
actually When I figured numbers we
came out really good on that You
But, like you said, they were
lambing in February, when I
normally don't want to lamb,
and some years we have really
good weather, some years we don't.
That worked out really nice.
I was impressed with that.
I was not, I wasn't sad about
that accidental lambing this year.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
Right.
It can it really can be, and I think it
does so depend on where you are and what
market you're going to, too, because
it's funny we're close to New York
City, but what's interesting, I was
talking to an Amish guy who bought
some rams off of me, and they're not
always, in my experience, the chattiest
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh,
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
Of my customers, right?
Especially to, to me.
But this guy's great.
He's fantastic.
And we had a really nice conversation
and, he was saying they just recently
had moved from the Midwest which
was where they were living before.
And he was like, we used to
send our lambs all the time and
we would get like 3 a pound.
And we had good markets and, like it,
and here he was like, I can't believe
like how not great your markets are
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh,
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
which is partly I think maybe at times
like a sign of the inconsistent and you
have a lot more like small farms producing
a little bit more of an inconsistent
product that then they're trying to your
buyers are buying and then trying to
put together a lot like loads or lots,
right, I think that maybe could play
a part into some of that lower price,
but it was interesting and talking to
him about, are there ways or things
that we can do to improve and change
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh, yeah.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
locally up here?
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Very interesting.
Jessica, it's almost time we
transition to the overgrazing.
But I do have a question
before we get there.
I want to talk a little bit
more about your breeding stock.
You sell those Texel rams out.
What kind of flocks are they going to?
Are they going to other, or flocks
that are predominantly wool?
Are some people buying them
to use them on hair sheep?
Or are they going more
into purebred programs?
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
Really funny enough a variety.
So we get, I get a fair number that
are looking for, they have a purebred
program of some kind or at least another
wool sheep that may be across that
they're still producing market lambs,
but it might be another wool sheep.
So they're going that direction.
But then we also do have customers
who say They have katan ewes.
They just, at least, hey, at least if
they buy a ram that's wool, it's not
as much deal to, to shear one, one
ram and the lambs are going to leave
before it matters whether they're
going to be fleeced or not, deal.
So yeah definitely see a variety
there of customers, both for ewes,
it's mostly pure, for purebred,
but for the rams, it's a blend.
Yeah,
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: about
this on the podcast before.
Sometimes I think about getting a
different, more of a terminal cross.
on my ewes, on my hare ewes whether
that's dorper or going with a
wool breed so I have bigger lambs.
It's crossed my mind, I've not done
it, but I've talked about it a lot.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
I think as long as you are happy with
and you're getting the prices that
you're looking for and your buyer has
either a consistent product that they're
getting that they are happy with, the
meatiness of it, or else, it's to an
extent where maybe you just don't like it.
It doesn't really matter so much.
I think you have to go
one way or the other.
Which everybody has their own philosophy.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: right,
yeah, whatever works into
your program, your context,
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
Yep.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Well Jessica,
it overgrazing section where we
take a little bit deeper dive into
something you're doing on your farm.
And one thing, We had talked just briefly
before you have off the farm job and
the farm so let's talk just a little
bit about your time management and how
you do that because that can Be pretty
difficult and I know you're a nurse So
is that are you working a regular 40 hour
week like five days of eight hour shifts?
Or do you have a different schedule?
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
Yeah, so, great question
sometimes I don't do it.
Well cows ultimate answer let's
just i'll be honest right up front.
But yeah, so right now I do.
It's funny I work as a nurse
in supply chain, which has
been a really interesting role.
I haven't always I've worked Multiple
different jobs at the bedside working
traditional 12 hour shifts to other roles.
But so right now I do work
Monday through Friday.
The schedule varies a little bit,
but eight hour days, basically.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: That's nice
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
Yeah, it has its pros and cons.
When you're like, hey, look, it's going
to be thunderstorming every afternoon
this week, right when I want to do
chores and you're like dodging lightning
bolts, like trying to get chores done.
That's when you're like, Curses, I
wish I could have done shores at 9am,
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: yes.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
when the weather was cooperating.
So, yes, I, I do I do work that
Monday through Friday, so it leaves
me the weekends and then after hours.
So most nights, I get to the farm.
Depends, but around five
o'clock, I would say.
And so I'll typically do around three
hours worth of chores, half fence
moving, and whatever else needs to
be done on farm, or the day to day.
And it is challenging.
I think one thing I've had to learn
over the time is sometimes you're
just not, you're not going to get
everything done exactly like you wanted.
You're not gonna, you're It's not
going to be perfect or be exactly
what you wanted, but you also have to
live life on top of that too, right?
Like
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Yes,
you
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
feel good.
Some days it's someone's birthday party.
Some days it's, there's other things
in life that are important that matter.
Whether that's, again, taking vacation
or family holidays or events there's
things, and sometimes the form will
encroach in a way that it really has
to be dealt with as a life or death.
But even then, sometimes Okay, what
has to be dealt with right now?
What stuff's just gonna have to wait
whether I like it or not You know
and that does happen like sometimes,
you know I wish like I could always
do twice a day checks on everybody
right now, But the farm's a good
15 minutes away from my house And
so, that's 30 minutes round trip.
And so there's some days when that doesn't
work You know, like I've got a 7 a.
m.
meeting.
I've got to be ready for, I didn't
get everything done for it in time.
That means I need to
start working out by six.
Like I'm probably not getting
a morning checked on that day.
Like it's not going to happen, so some
of those things like just balancing that
internally, I think, Sometimes I still
will have anxiety, not anxiety, but like
I'll still have that pull that fight in
myself like oh my gosh Did I do enough?
Did I you know crap like if only that I'd
have been able to do XYZ But then other
stuff I feel like I've really settled
into the routine like I don't feel bad
like taking a vacation Like I don't feel
bad, you know Getting off farm or Hey,
we stayed here two days and yeah, it
would have been nice if we could have
done daily moves this week, but that just
didn't happen and it's gonna be okay.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: It is.
I get in ways I'm a perfectionist
and other ways you would look
at things and you say there's
no way he even cares about that.
So you know it's a struggle to
get it all done and get in there
and one of the authors is it Tim
Ferriss that says you should be
able to take a four week vacation,
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
I think it is.
Yeah.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: You
should have your business built.
That it doesn't need you there all the
time that's a pipe dream right here.
Um, we're not anywhere near that,
but we can take vacations, and it's
really good to get off the farm.
you know,
and some
Are good about that, and some
people aren't.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
And sometimes it still happens.
Although you can tell it was funny, we're
actually, I was telling you when we were
chatting right before we started talking,
how we'd taken a road trip last year
out to see my grandmother in New Mexico.
And so we're like, driving out west.
Basically and I think we're in Illinois.
We're like eight ten hours into the
first day of driving Right when the kid
who watches the farm for me, which I
try and set everything up like they're
grazing bales Right, like I'd rather
pay the cost of hay than have to spend
extra time trying to you know Teach
the kids The kid that I have to do it.
So like we'll do bale grazing and
whatever and he's So the rams got
in with all the ewes and I was like
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh, no.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
Oh, so at that moment, I was
like, you can freak out in the car
and lose your ever loving mind.
And what is that going to do you?
Nothing.
It's going to do you no good.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: right.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
lambs, like if he doesn't get any of them
out, if they all stayed in there, okay,
well then we're going to, it's going
to be a wild and wooly lambing season.
Not when I wanted.
And all those lambs will just go to market
because we won't know who'd sell them.
The dad is and it's just gonna
be fine like whatever right like
no one died It's gonna be okay,
and he was great like he got them
separated bless him and We only
actually ended up with two lambs
that popped out a month early
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629:
that's pretty good.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
Right.
All in all, it was fine.
It was those moments when you're like,
does this mean I shouldn't take a trip?
No it, stuff's sometimes
just gonna happen.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Yeah.
Now, I got a question for you.
You get off work, do you go home
and then go out to the farm?
Or do you go straight
to the farm, then home?
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
Depends.
I have,
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: And the
reason I ask you, when I had the off
the farm job, I'll have the off the
farm, I say the in front of everything.
When I had a off the farm job, we would
get home and I'd come in the house
to change, and I had to be careful
because if I sat down or stayed in
one place too long, I'm like, oh man,
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
I don't want to go.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: tough,
yeah, and it's really tough to get
out now if I would come home and I
would just change and head out the
door I never, I don't know, that
tiredness didn't hit me at that time,
so it was easier for me.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
yes, I do try to just make it like,
Come home, get the dogs in the car,
get a change of clothes, and go,
because I agree with you, if I let
myself settle, I do not want to do it.
But it would not be the first.
There has been more than one
occasion when I've had either.
Gone to the farm and work clothes with
like my pants shoved in like muck boots
And been like don't get too dirty.
Don't get too dirty because I have to
go straight to work after I'd be like
do I have lamb wool like on me like,
Bottle feeding babies, Getting
that done before the work day.
Or vice versa.
Like sometimes it's like man, this needs
to get done So i'm literally standing
in the parking lot at work like taking
off like clothes like putting off
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh,
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
putting on work clothes So it does happen
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: I can
remember it was this was like an 0102.
I just started teaching
and I was teaching 4k.
So four year olds.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
Oh, yeah,
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: So one day,
I'm setting on the rug, and we have them
set on the rug at that age, and we're
setting crisscross there.
That was the age that I could set
on the floor without much problem.
And I start smelling manure.
I'm like, Oh!
I stepped in some manure when I ran out to
do chores real quick before I went to work
and didn't get them cleaned off my boots
very good.
I was like, Oh!
Yeah, it happens.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
It really does.
It does.
People that don't realize the struggle's
real, or my mom's picked me up from work
again, bless her and She's like a lamb.
Somebody's having trouble in the
pasture and I'm like, okay I'm gonna
take a break right now and Bring
my boots in the car with you and
we're gonna like race to the farm.
I'm gonna pull a lamb.
Everybody's alive Okay, take me
back home, take me back to work
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
You're like at work like
scrubbing placenta off You know
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: rye,
yes.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
mind me.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: The good
part is that scrubs off easier than
pig or chicken.
Those smells really
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
Oh they stay
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Well Jessica,
it's been a great conversation,
but it's time we transition
to the Famous Four Questions
sponsored by Kencove Farm Fence.
Cal: Kencove Farm Fence is a proud
supporter of the Grazing Grass
podcast and graziers everywhere.
At Kencove Farm Fence, they believe
there's true value within the community
of graziers and land stewards.
The results that follow proper
management and monitoring can
change the very world around us.
That's why Kencove is dedicated to
providing an ever expanding line of
grazing products to make your chores
easier and your land more abundant.
Whether you're growing your own
food on the homestead or grazing
on thousands of acres, Kencove has
everything you need to do it well.
From reels to tumblewheels, polytwine
to electric nets, water valves to
water troughs, you'll find what
you're looking for at Kencove.
They carry brands like
Speedrite, O'Brien's, Kiwitech,
Strainrite, Jobe, and more.
Kencove is proud to be part
of your regenerative journey.
Call them today or visit Kencove.com.
And be sure to follow them on social
media and subscribe to the Kencove YouTube
channel @KencoveFarmFence for helpful
how to videos and new product releases!
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: They're the
same four questions we ask of all of
our guests, and our first question
today What is your favorite grazing
grass related book or resource?
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
Yeah.
So, I would say obviously I,
in all honesty, Cal, I love
the grazing grass podcast.
I'm a
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: thank you!
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
you're welcome.
I'm a huge podcast listener.
It's great for when I'm out doing chores.
It feels like I'm still churning through
being able to get other information.
So, there's also a really great I know
it's grass related, but Just in general
like farm business and profitability,
but The Profitable Farmer is probably
one of my favorite podcasts as well.
It's really just has some outstanding
business, There's this principle
that's absolutely farm focused.
And it's out of Australia.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh,
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
similar, a lot of same principles
as as ranching for profit.
But I find just the approach is a
little different than ranching for
profit, which for some people might Be
beneficial or, I think sometimes when
you hear something coming from a new
direction, it's It's just different.
And then I actually really OviCast.
It's O V I Cast, C A S T.
And that is a sheet
podcast out of Ireland.
You have to catch their accents,
but they actually do have some really
great They were talking even just
this week about weaning onto pasture
and how they recommend that is done.
So just another good resource
that might be a little different
to some of the listeners.
So
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh very good.
Those excellent resources mentioned.
I say that, I'm not familiar with
either of them, so I will have
to give both of them a listen.
So thank you for
that.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
course
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Our
second question, what is your
favorite tool for the farm?
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
Cal, I knew this question was coming
and I've been like thinking long and
hard about because I'm like I don't
want to give some stupid answer, but In
all honesty, one of my favorite tools
on the farm is my phone And I know
that probably does sound stupid But it
literally everything from listening to
podcasts while I'm working to I keep my
notes like Running notes that I start
every year at breeding season so like
marking who looks good who looks bad?
Who do I definitely want to call?
You know to looking up like a dose of
medication just I use that thing for
farming and I have even stuff like I love.
Okay There is a Merlin app.
It's called Merlin, and it's a bird app.
I don't know if you've ever
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
it.
I love it.
You can you can record birds in your
pasture, and they'll tell you these
are the birds you're hearing, and,
you can even Listen to all the extra
sounds and so we recorded like here's
all the birds that are on the farm and
what seasons do they get here, which
I know is probably nerdy and stupid,
but I still really I think it, There's
little things you have to like, have
the joy in the work, and not everything
has to be painful and miserable.
And if I like to listen to my bird
app when I'm at the farm, so I can
be like, Oh my gosh look, this is
the first time I saw like a wood
thrush, then I'm gonna do it, Cal.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Well, actually
on that, I came across this app just
the other day, I didn't download it yet.
Because I was looking for
something to keep track of all
the different species I see on
my land.
Plant species birds, mammals,
I'd love to do insects.
but I was looking For an app that
would let me keep track of that
so I know what all is out there I
hadn't found one that I really does
what I want I use plant net a lot
for ID'ing plants, but
I've got a Spreadsheet I've
started trying to keep track
of
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
nerdier than a spreadsheet, Cal.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629:
I love spreadsheets.
I love spreadsheets But sometimes
spreadsheets are difficult on the phone.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
So True.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: that's
where I was like, I gotta
find something You But You
mentioned this app and then you
mentioned PlantNet that you've used.
What other apps do you like?
Those ones are in all honesty,
probably the biggest ones
aside from I use my notes.
I use my podcast.
I use my plant net.
I use Merlin.
And so those are probably my biggest ones.
yeah.
I wish I could say I.
Used like a ton of other ones, but and
then I love just being able to take
pictures, and have stuff documented here's
where the grass, here's what the grass
looks like when we grazed before we grazed
it, or after we grazed it so, again.
I know it's probably lame, but my phone.
Maybe secondarily followed up by either my
like winter zoot suit or like my headlamp.
Oh There
you go.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
seemed as fun.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Right.
Yeah, yeah the phone I
would be lost without it.
In fact, I hate to admit this
but I've got an Apple watch and I
couldn't find my earbuds I like.
I've got some JBL earbuds I
really love, and I don't know,
I check my desk, I check my
chest where I put everything on top, I
check the shelf in the bathroom where
I sometimes empty out my pocket, I
carry those earbuds everywhere, and
I couldn't find them, so I had to
get my AirPods, which I don't like
because they don't stay in my ear good,
But then I get over there, and I put
them in today, and usually I just use
one, but I was brush hogging some.
So I put two in, so I get
noise cancelization, and one
of them doesn't even connect!
I'm like, I have not used this
enough for it not to work!
It's And then, my Apple Watch wouldn't
let me change the volume on it.
So, I was just having a
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
you were having a it was
bad technology day, man.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Yes, I was.
I was like, what?
So, I've
got to
find my good earbuds.
I don't know
where I
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
like it.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: they
fell out of my pocket somewhere.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
I lost a fence charger in a pasture
for a solid year and a half one time.
Literally, I think I walked that field.
I was like, it is here
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: It's got to
be
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
couldn't find it.
One year, and then last summer we grazed
through it the first time and I was like,
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh,
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
testers.
Hey, it still works.
Year and a half later,
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: very good.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
but it worked.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Yeah.
Well, well, great.
Yeah.
My earbuds are waterproof, so if I can
find them
out in the pasture, they ought to be okay.
Yeah.
We'll see.
Our third question, Jessica, what would
you tell someone just getting started?
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
Yeah so I would say be
gentle with yourself, right?
There, if the learning curve is steep
you're gonna make mistakes, and try
not to be too hard on yourself, farming
with animals, especially, even with
crops can be emotionally painful.
Hey, your whole crop got decimated by
X, Y, and Z, or all, you lost a crap ton
of chickens, or, a bunch of lambs, or
something happened, and so you're going
to have those emotional kind of toils
that you don't always expect either,
and I think you just have to be patient.
It's like gentle with yourself.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: I think
that's excellent advice, because
we I know for myself, I can be
tremendously hard on myself.
And my wife is all the time.
If I just, If I spend too long setting
down, and not that I'm always outgoing
and stuff, but if I feel like I've sat
down too long, I'm beating myself up
about it.
My wife is you've gotta rest.
You
can't just always be doing something.
You gotta take down time.
So I'm trying to do that more.
But yeah, you gotta be gentle
with yourself and understand
you can't do everything.
I don't like that answer,
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
I know
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: And
lastly, Jessica, where can
others find out more about you?
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
Yeah, so, I'm I don't do a very good
job on my Instagram so Staying up to
date, but I do like to post videos at
times on Instagram So you can find us
on a Southview station on Instagram or
we do have a website Southviewstation.
com So you can always reach out my
emails on there And so, touch base.
I'm really not on Facebook much For a few
reasons, including some personal reasons.
So, but feel free always
happy to connect with people.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Very good.
We will put those links in our show notes.
Jessica, we really appreciate you coming
on and sharing today about your sheep.
We didn't even get to your
cattle or other things.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
True.
Thanks so much, Cal.
It was amazing.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Wonderful.
Thank you.
Okay, Jessica.
Yeah, I was studying here.
On my notes, and I'm like, I didn't
even get to cattle and I want to talk
about cattle a little bit because I
think did you say or I saw somewhere
you have Dexter cross cattle?
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
I do.
I do.
Yep.
I do.
So, yep.
I've got about 10 head
of Dexter cow cattle.
Well, I started with.
I've done a little bit of everything.
I had some Red Poll.
I had, then I had some Angus
that I had switched over and did.
I like Dexter because
I like they're small.
They fit with
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Oh, yeah.
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
sheep fencing better and just management.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: I imagine
jessica-newman--she-her-_2_07-06-2024_173854:
So, but most of them
right now are crosses.
So they're like an Angus,
Dexter cross which is nice.
I've got a couple Hereford cross calves
out of the Dextery, cross, heifers but I
agree with you in looking at that general
like body type that just loves to eat
grass and The cows, man, if I had enough
acreage, the cows make a lot of sense
as far as like their ease on the grass.
they just grow and get fat like nobody's
business, but it's more to winter.
And I don't know about you.
I don't know how you run like
your cattle, but for us at least.
Like it's in order to do really good
grass fed beef like I think you have
to do two years you really need pretty
dang close to two years and up here at
least with the winters it's hard not to
feed enough hay, like we get wet snow
that just it's and I don't have enough
land to leave enough standing for enough
residue to not have to feed hay right now.
That's just my reality.
And and so it's really, it's too expensive
in all honesty, like I'd have to charge
basically like 9 a pound for that.
Beef to really make a good profit on beef.
So I do keep some cows.
We like eating beef.
I do sell some beef that I have
left, but I don't feel like I can
really grow the beef, unfortunately.
cal_1_07-06-2024_160629: Your winters
are tougher than our winters are.
Cal: I really hope you
enjoyed today's conversation.
I know I did.
Thank you for listening, and if you
found something useful, please share it.
Share it on your social media.
Tell your friends.
Get the word out about the podcast.
Helps us grow.
If you happen to be a grass farmer
and you'd like to share about
your journey, go to grazinggrass.
com and click on Be Our Guest.
Fill out the form and I'll be in touch.
We appreciate your support
by sharing our episodes and
telling your friends about it.
You can also support our
show by buying our merch.
We get a little bit back from that.
Another way to support the show is
by becoming a grazing grass insider.
Grazing Grass Insiders
enjoy bonus content,
monthly zooms and discounts.
You can visit the website
grazing grass.com.
Click on support and they'll
have the links there.
Also, if you haven't left
us a review, please do.
It really helps us as people
are searching for podcasts.
And I was just checking them and we do
not have very many reviews for 2024.
So if you haven't left
us a review, please do.
And until next time,
keep on grazing grass.