Final Thoughts on Raising Cattle
Sixteen posts later, we’ve made it through the entire book. So let’s talk about what it all adds up to.
Homesteading
Fun Facts About Cattle and Beef Recipes
After thirteen chapters of practical cattle farming information, Pezza wraps things up with some fun stuff. Interesting cattle facts from history and a bunch of recipes you can make with your own beef and dairy products. This chapter is basically the dessert course of the book.
Culling Your Herd and Other Uses for Cattle
Two chapters in one post here because chapters 12 and 13 are both shorter but cover topics that fit together well. Culling your herd and other things you can do with cattle besides the obvious milk and meat.
Raising Your Own Beef Cattle on a Small Farm
This is the chapter where things get real. If you’ve been reading along thinking about cute calves and fresh milk, chapter 11 is where Kim Pezza talks about the other side of cattle farming. Raising beef. Processing meat. The whole deal.
What to Do With All That Milk
So you have a dairy cow. She’s producing milk twice a day. And pretty quickly you’re going to realize something: that’s a lot of milk. Like, way more than your family can drink. A single dairy cow can produce 6 to 8 gallons per day.
How to Milk a Cow by Hand
If you have a dairy cow, you need to learn how to milk. There’s no way around it. This is probably the single most important skill a dairy cow owner needs to develop. And it’s not as simple as just sitting down and squeezing.
Raising Calves From Birth to Weaning
You bred your cow. She’s been pregnant for roughly 285 days. Now what? This is where things get real. A calf is coming, and you need to know what’s normal, what’s not, and what to do in both cases.
Breeding Cattle on Your Homestead
Not everyone who raises cattle needs to breed them. If you’re just buying calves every year to raise for beef, you can skip this whole chapter of your life. But if you want to raise your own beef from birth, or you’re keeping a dairy cow that needs to freshen, breeding is part of the deal.
Common Cattle Diseases and Ailments
Nobody gets into cattle farming because they’re excited about disease management. But this is one of those chapters you need to read. Knowing what can go wrong is how you keep things from going wrong.
Feeding Your Cattle Right
There’s a simple formula for healthy cattle: good diet plus good management. That’s it. You can have the best breed and the nicest barn, but if you’re feeding your animals wrong, nothing else matters.
Housing and Fencing for Cattle
Your cow needs a place to live. And she needs to stay where you put her. Those are two separate problems, and both cost money. Let’s talk about shelter first, then fencing.
Should You Keep a Bull or Just a Cow?
So you’ve picked a breed. Maybe you’re leaning dairy, maybe beef. But now comes a very practical question: should you get a cow, a bull, or both?
Beef Cattle Breeds and Miniatures
We covered dairy breeds last time. Now let’s talk about the cattle you raise for meat, and the miniature breeds that are quietly becoming a smart option for small homesteads.
Dairy Cattle Breeds Guide
Before we get into specific breeds, let’s cover some basics. Because cattle terminology can be confusing if you’re new to this.
A Brief History of Cattle in America
Pop quiz: where did American cattle ranching start? If you said Texas or somewhere out West, you’re wrong. The first cattle region in America was actually southwest Florida. Not exactly what the cowboy movies told you.
Backyard Farming: Raising Cattle by Kim Pezza - Series Introduction
So you want to raise cattle. Maybe just one cow. Maybe a small herd. Either way, you probably have questions. A lot of them.
Backyard Farming Homesteading: Final Thoughts and Book Review
We made it. Twelve posts later, we have covered every chapter of Backyard Farming: Homesteading by Kim Pezza (Hatherleigh Press, 2015, ISBN: 978-1-57826-598-5). And I have to say, this book has a lot more in it than its slim size suggests.
Homesteading With Absolutely No Experience: A Beginner's Starting Point
You have never planted a seed in your life. That potted plant someone gave you as a gift? It died because you forgot to water it. You have never seen a chicken in person. The closest you have been to farming is buying “organic” at the grocery store.
Selling Your Produce: Farm Stands, Farmers Markets, and Agritourism
So your homestead is producing more food than you can eat, give away, or preserve. That is actually a great problem to have. Because now you can start making money from it.
Preserving Your Harvest: Canning, Freezing, Drying, Pickling, and More
Your farm is actually producing food. Congrats. But here is the problem. It is producing a lot of food. More than you can eat. More than your neighbors want. More than your coworkers will accept before they start avoiding you in the break room.
Raising Chickens, Cattle, Goats, and Bees: Homestead Livestock Guide
Plants are great. But if you really want to level up your homestead, animals are where things get interesting. And a lot more complicated.
Homestead Garden Types: Traditional, Raised Beds, Containers, and Vertical Growing
You have your location figured out. You know your space. Now comes the fun part. Deciding what to actually grow and how to grow it.
Choosing Your Homestead Location: Property Selection for Self-Sufficiency
Finding the perfect homestead location is a bit like finding the perfect apartment. You have a wish list. Reality has other plans. And you end up somewhere in between.
Urban Farm vs Rural Homestead: Farming Anywhere From Rooftops to Ranches
Here is something that might surprise you. You do not need 50 acres and a red barn to be a farmer. People are growing food on city rooftops, suburban driveways, and apartment balconies. And it is working.
Homesteading: Is It a Job, Hobby, or Lifestyle? What You Need to Know
So you are growing food. Maybe you have a garden going, some chickens in the yard. People start asking: “Are you a farmer now?” And you think about it. Are you? Is this a hobby? A side hustle? A whole lifestyle?
Homestead Basics: Getting Started With Backyard Farming for Beginners
OK so you know the history. You are inspired. Now what? How do you actually start homesteading?
This post covers Chapter 2 of Backyard Farming: Homesteading by Kim Pezza (Hatherleigh Press, 2015, ISBN: 978-1-57826-598-5). It is all about the basics. And some of these basics might surprise you.
The History of Homesteading in America: From Colonial Farms to Modern Backyards
Before you plant your first seed or build your first chicken coop, it helps to know how we got here. Homesteading in America did not start as a trendy lifestyle. It was survival. And the story of how farming shaped this country is honestly pretty wild.
Backyard Farming Homesteading: A Complete Guide to Self-Sufficiency (Book Series Introduction)
So you want to grow your own food. Maybe you are tired of reading ingredient labels that look like a chemistry exam. Maybe you want to save money on groceries. Or maybe you just want to know exactly where your tomatoes came from. Whatever your reason, you are not alone.