About this episode
🐑 Sign up for my FREE one-hour masterclass on raising, grazing, and marketing sheep for $480 per head
📙 Order my book for beginner sheep farmers on small acreage
If your goal is to raise low-input, grass-finished beef cattle, this conversation with 20-year regenerative rancher Karl Ebel is packed with practical grazing tips that work on any acreage. From stockpile grazing and year round pasture management to keeping your cost per cow well below the industry average, this episode will change the way you think about your land as your most valuable resource.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction to low-input cattle ranching and tonight's topics
03:06 How Mr. Ebel got started and why regenerative ranching takes time
07:10 Choosing the right breed and seed stock for a grass-based operation
12:45 The land is your resource — not the livestock
17:03 Audience Q&A: cold climates, goat weed, herbicide use, transitioning off supplemental feed
23:25 Preconditioning calves and selling direct vs. commodity market
28:35 Stockpile grazing and year round grazing without depending on hay
36:39 Annual cost per cow and keeping inputs low
45:39 Matching your animal to your forage and low-input systems in cold climates
52:52 Surviving drought, body condition management, and treating bloat
57:49 Best timing for calving and troubleshooting pasture problems
01:00:33 Financial planning and realistic expectations before you jump into farming
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Grab your copy of Storey’s Guide to Raising Sheep by Paula Simmons and Carol Ekarius
CONNECT WITH ME
Email: [email protected]
Patreon: http://bit.ly/ShepherdessPatreon
Blog: http://bit.ly/ShepherdessBLOG
Merch: http://bit.ly/ShepherdessMERCH
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harmonyfarms.shepherdess/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HarmonyFarmsDorpers
MORE FROM THIS EPISODE
View full show notes and transcript on the blog
Get every episode summarized
Each time The Shepherdess publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from The Shepherdess
COMPARING SHEEP AND GOATS (find out which is best for you)
The Shepherdess
Self-Sufficiency or Community? Building Food Security Without Overcomplicating...
The Shepherdess
Food Preservation 101 with Carolyn of Homesteading Family | What I Learned After...
The Shepherdess
HAIR SHEEP VS. GOATS, AND WHY YOUR LIVESTOCK IS WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD (w/ Bow...
The Shepherdess