Back to Homesteading

After trying to scale back a few years ago and sacrificing three summers to a graduate degree, I'm FINALLY back to being able to focus much more of my time on breeding and growing things. We had a nice round of lambing this spring and a cute load of jersey heifer calves from a dairy in Oregon to sell. My garden and orchard are getting some much needed TLC. While I'm not milking this year, here is what's planned.

BUILDINGS - The foundation of a hay barn lent itself well to a lambing shelter this year, but ideally it will be completed this summer along with a multi-purpose milking parlor. For the milking season starting 2025, I will have a parlor with machine milking that will increase efficiency and capacity while maintaining cleanliness and preserving animal safety. It has to be very specifically designed to accommodate three species in one space while keeping milk separate. Winter holding paddocks are also getting considerably enlarged, so the old ones are already coming out.

SHEEP - I have maintained my flock including my core ewes. I have great producers, but I'm ready to step up my selectiveness to another level. That includes keeping more detailed milking records of volumes but also milk attributes. Years ago, I eliminated non-dairy crosses, and I have a pure dairy flock, some with Lacaune mixed in, some without. I'm also going to gradually expand my ram population and start offering stud service for small flocks so they don't have the hassle and expense of maintaining a good breeding ram every year. I will select rams with pure EF lines and those with a little Lacaune, but all will come from top producers. Breeding options will increase with time, though this year I will likely only start with two rams.

GOATS - I am still breeding Oberhasli, but am switching to only ADGA registered goats bred for dairy attributes. I do not plan to show them or learn goat show-speak, but for those looking for good production, these will be good lines. I'm in the growing phase right now and will have very limited goats for sale (if any) in 2025. I also plan to offer bucks for stud service this year though I will only have one, but will add more in the future.

COWS - I have added three A2A2 Jerseys to my homestead, though they will not be up for milking until 2026 so I'll have just my one girl holding down the fort. If you are interested in miniature Jerseys, I plan to start breeding my registered milkers to miniature Jerseys to offer for sale. I will also travel to a Jersey dairy in Oregon each spring and bring back A2A2 heifer jersey calves if there seems to be a shortage in supply.

AGRICULTURE - I am also starting phase two of my orchard and getting the last few trees planted in phase one. Phase two is four or five times as large as the first one. The orchard also includes blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and grapes. I hope to start offering some U-pick in a few years as well as getting a cider press in the mix.

HOGS - With the dairy up and running again and an orchard producing, we're going to have plenty of whey and pulp that the other animals can't consume. Next summer, we have slated to build a barn to house a couple of breeding sows and a boar. They will have access to specially planted pastures and someplace to get out of the cold, and they should offer a good source of year-round pork.