We love curating helpful reading material for country living enthusiasts! If you are looking for a variety of useful books on everything from starting a farming enterprise to planting crops to drawing horses, we highly recommend the Homestead Bookshelf as the place to find what you’re looking for. We have collected public domain classics, modern… Continue reading Top 10 Reader-Favorite Books
Tag: Cattle
Getting Started with Livestock Part 4: Breed
Pointers and resources for choosing animal breeds that will thrive on your farm.
Getting Started With Livestock Part 3: Diet
Keeping your animals on pasture obviously has financial benefits, and you’ve probably heard of the numerous health benefits, as well. Even nonruminants like pigs and poultry can derive a great portion of their diet from the pasture, although they will need some type of supplemental feed. So how do you make it all work? Pasture… Continue reading Getting Started With Livestock Part 3: Diet
Getting Started with Livestock Part 2: Fencing & Facilities
There really is no one right way to fence and shelter your animals. It’s a subject that will largely depend on your individual circumstances. But it’s also a subject that must be addressed, so here goes. Fencing What type of fencing and where to put it is going to depend a great deal on what… Continue reading Getting Started with Livestock Part 2: Fencing & Facilities
Getting Started With Livestock Part 1: Water
When it comes to keeping livestock, the water supply of your land base can be a major limiting factor. Therefore, before you invest any money in farm animals, it is crucial that you take stock of your water situation first. Supply Let’s start by examining the water resources you have available: What water sources do… Continue reading Getting Started With Livestock Part 1: Water
Top 10 Reader-Favorite Cattle Breeds
Looking for the right cattle breed for your small farm or ranch? We have plenty of resources to help you make that selection, including our online guide to cattle breeds and the first book in our new Practical Country Living series—Choosing a Breed of Cattle by Michelle Lindsey. But if you’re curious to know what… Continue reading Top 10 Reader-Favorite Cattle Breeds
Choosing a Breed of Cattle
Define your expectations, and then arm yourself with key information on 40 common cattle breeds, including beef, dairy, and multipurpose types.
Adding Value to Milk
Looking for ways to expand your small-farm dairy business? Milk offers many opportunities for diversifying your product offerings!
What are Animal Units?
When extension centers and other information sources discuss stocking rates, they usually make their recommendations in acres per animal (or animals per acre, depending on the climate and the type of animal). For instance, you might read a factsheet that advocates 5 cow-calf pairs to the acre. There’s one problem with this method of calculating… Continue reading What are Animal Units?
Beef Tenderness and the Shear Force Test
Tenderness is critical to the meat-eating experience. Nobody enjoys sinking their teeth into a tough steak. A tried-and-true method of testing beef tenderness is the plain old taste test. These days, however, there are ways to objectively measure the precise tenderness of a cut of beef. The Warner-Bratzler Shear Force Test The Warner-Bratzler shear force… Continue reading Beef Tenderness and the Shear Force Test
