Harvest & Sustainability
Jul 30th, 2007 by Manerva
Well, garden harvest is starting up around here. Tonight we will start the task of freezing corn before it gets too ripe and/or the coons start coming to visit. We are lucky as I think the horses make good watch dogs for the garden since they don’t miss much around here. Speaking of horses I have made a decision and not a very happy one at that.
Sweet Betsy Showdown is for sale…. This has been nagging at me for a while now and I think it is time to step up to the plate. I love my horses. And it will break my heart to let go, but I keep thinking if I am feeding an animal it should be doing something for me. Don’t get me wrong, I get wonderful manure for the garden and like I said, they are great watch dogs for the garden and my hen house- in fact I have never lost a hen to the wild animals of the night. So they do good! But I don’t need 2 horses since I could put the land to better use instead. I got the horse for husband to ride, so we could ride together but it just hasn’t happened.
I have always been more of a local eater than husband. In fact this is the first year he has really been excited about gardening. He loves sweet corn and tomatoes but that was really as far as it went. If he could have a few of each during the summer he was happy about it.
I, on the other hand have been quietly canning tomatoes, beets, freezing beans and corn among other things to satisfy my need for fresh- not bought food, as well as lowering my grocery bill. Now that I think of it I am sure he thought I was crazy doing what I did- but just like anything else, sometimes you have to have something to get people interested and I finally did it. For the last 3 years I have been planting one watermelon plant just for him and this year I planted 12 plants and by the looks of it we have a bumper crop. This year we tried Sugar Baby, Sweet Crimson, and Moon & Stars and they are doing fabulous!
So, I finally have husband interested in what we eat and the quality of it. I have been dropping names like cow, pig, and sheep around the farm, all while having supper of local meat and it seems to be sinking in. By buying a cow, sheep, or a hog it would be a start for eating right off of our farm and knowing what the meat is made of.
First Betsy has to go. Then we can start making plans as to what we should get. My first thought is a cow. Milk and meat seem to be a good choice. Sheep seem like another good one but husband will not let anything pass his lips that is not the norm- being cow, pig, chicken. So, a hog would be another good choice since we do not eat much pork because of the taste. We feel it’s too salty, too packed with corn, too fast.
Anyone have any good suggestions for starting out raising animals for meat?
I’m sorry to hear you have to let Betsy go.
I’m no livestock expert, since I’ve only ever raised ducks and chickens for meat, but here are some of my thoughts…
Cow. Takes two years for a calf to reach slaughter weight. Granted, you only have to slaughter every two years, but you also need a chest freezer big enough for a whole cow. That’s a lotta meat! One cow provides something like five gallons of milk A DAY. Can you handle that much milk? Can you sell it or sell something value-added, like cheese or yogurt? Ok, if you decided to go cow, you need to get your cow impregnated. Would you do AI or bring her somewhere to visit with a bull? Would you be able to transport a 800 lb heifer? Or would you keep a bull? What if your cow gave birth to a heifer calf… would you be able to eat a milk animal? Is your land good enough to graze a couple of cows.
Pig. A friend raised a couple of pigs a few years ago, and it was very successful. You can buy piglets for cheap in the spring, then grow them up on slop, and by fall can slaughter a 300-400 lb animal. Pigs don’t graze, but you can use them to till & fertilize a plot that you want to plant in the future. You can also plant things like sugar beets and carrots, and let the pigs root them up and turn the ground. They probably eat some amount of pasture also, because you see “pasture raised pork”, right?
Meat chickens. Really easy, and not much land required. Grows fast… by 8 weeks you have a 4-5 lb bird, dressed.
Lamb/Goat. This is where my preference lies. Small animals that are easier to handle, although harder to keep fenced in. (with cows a single strand of electric is all you need) With sheep, good grass to meat conversion… a lamb born in spring can be raised entirely on grass, and be slaughtered in the fall and dress out at about 50 lbs. We eat one lamb per year that we get from a friend, but I’ve entertained the idea of having my own meat sheep, and selling one or two a year to friends. Some people will tell you that if you knit/spin you should raise sheep for wool, but I think it’s a losing game. It’s nearly impossible to find a shearer for a small flock, and then what do you do with all that wool? Handspinners are very particular about what they’re looking for, and if the animal has any stress in it’s life, it shows up in the fleece in the form of dandruff, broken fibers, etc. I’d be inclined to go with a meat breed that doesn’t need shearing (like Katahdin) or goats.
The other thing I’ve heard is that dual purpose breeds are a myth. You can’t have good fiber and good meat. Or good meat and good milk. One animal can’t do it all. Like with the cows, a Jersey gives fabulous, creamy milk, but a Jersey cow has a really skinny form… no good steaks. A beef steer is going to have lovely, well-marbled steaks, but not be a good milker. It’s all a tradeoff, and it’s good to think about what would work best for your needs.
Sorry this is so long, but I’m fascinated by animal husbandry. I say go for the pig!
Hi Liz! Thank you for the long post- I am honored. Yes, I agree about the cow although husband would drink the milk- as it stands he will drink 5-6 gallons a week or if I can afford it- which these days I can’t at $4.25!
I would love meat goats- I came across some not too far from here the other day and fell in love. But like you have said everyone poopoos goats. I myself think they are charming and if I get my way think thats what will end up here.
The pig is also a good choice since we just picked up a couple of chops the other day and we didn’t like them, again because they had no taste!
I ate goat on a visit to New Zealand - we stayed on a farm and they had Angora goats - great for the wool and meat and milk, cheese etc.
I just love goats milk and products - would have some if I lived on a farm (always was my dream or a small holding) instead of a bungalow with an allotment a mile away.