The Shepherdess

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Deciding between raising sheep and goats on your land comes down to more than preference alone.  In this episode, I'm breaking down the differences from my own farm: grazing and browsing habits, containment considerations, copper and mineral needs, hoof care, health issues, and the best meat and dairy breeds for each.  I’m also sharing why I chose goats for milk and sheep for meat. If you're trying to decide which animal fits your homestead best, I hope this episode gives you clarity!
TIMESTAMPS
00:00:00 Overview of my farm and livestock, and why I farm the way I do
00:07:38 Sheep vs. goats on your land: grazing and browsing habits
00:14:33 Containment considerations for sheep and goats
00:22:13 Answering questions on using goats to clear land, guardian animals, and sheep as browsers
00:26:25 Copper and mineral needs for sheep vs. goats
00:30:59 Feeding dairy goats vs. meat sheep
00:36:11 Health and parasite differences between sheep and goats
00:38:29 Best meat and dairy goat breeds
00:41:09 Best meat and dairy sheep breeds
00:43:03 Why I raise dairy goats instead of dairy sheep
00:46:09 Answering more of your questions on milking goats, sheep breeds, shearing, processing goat’s milk
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Shop these products at Shepherdess.com:
Copasure Copper boluses for goats
Redmond Sheep Mineral
Redmond Goat Mineral
Check out my YouTube video featuring Lydia at Harmony Heritage Farm to learn more about dairy sheep, buying breeding stock, and more!
CONNECT WITH ME
Email: shepherdess@shepherdess.com
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
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🐑 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 
Food preservation matters just as much as food production, and today’s guest is here to prove it. Angi Schneider of Creative Simple Living shares the confidence-building lesson from her grandmother that started her journey into food preservation, and we dive into the most common practical questions about canned meals.  Angi also shares her thoughts on freeze dryers, what Hurricane Harvey taught her about self-sufficiency, and her best advice for beginning a garden or a homestead without burning out.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introducing Angi Schneider and why food preservation matters as much as production
04:10 Angi’s current homestead and navigating life after her husband's cancer diagnosis
06:28 How Angi’s grandmother instilled in her confidence that changed everything
8:38 Overcoming the fear of pressure canning and canning meat for the first time
10:53 Practical questions: shelf life, nutrient breakdown, and rotating canned goods
15:01 Preserving the harvest and setting realistic goals for jar inventory
18:47 Strategies for getting picky eaters to eat canned meals
20:37 Canning gamey meats, why lamb comes out more tender, and the best cuts to can
24:21 Angi's honest take on freeze dryers and what 2020 taught her about self-sufficiency
28:42 Starting a garden without burnout: fruit trees, raised beds, and a simple soil approach
41:20 Avoiding homestead burnout by starting small and evaluating your capacity
ABOUT ANGI
Angi Schneider lives on a small homestead along the Texas Gulf Coast with her husband and children. For over 30 years they have sought to reduce their dependence on commercial products and the grocery store by growing and preserving food, living a DIY lifestyle and cooking simple, tasty meals from scratch. Angi shares gardening tips, food preservation recipes and other simple living ideas on her blog Creative Simple Living (https://creativesimpleliving.com). She has also written two books on preserving food – The Ultimate Guide to Preserving Vegetables and Pressure Canning for Beginners and Beyond. 
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Check out Angi’s books:
Pressure Canning for Beginners and Beyond 
The Ultimate Guide to Preserving Vegetables
CONNECT WITH ANGI
Website: https://creativesimpleliving.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CreativeSimpleLiving/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creative_simple_living/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/creativesimpleliving/
CONNECT WITH ME
Email: shepherdess@shepherdess.com
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
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🐑 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 
I was so excited to sit down with Carolyn of Homesteading Family, whose videos gave me a huge head start on my first pressure canning project.  We cover water bath vs. pressure canning, the most common mistakes that lead to failed seals and siphoning, and how Carolyn shapes her family’s diet around what actually grows and preserves well instead of trying to stock her pantry like a grocery store.  If you're new to food preservation or looking to simplify a system that's become too much work, this episode is full of practical, tested advice you can begin using today!
TIMESTAMPS
00:00:00 Introduction to Carolyn’s North Idaho homestead and how she arrived at this lifestyle
00:06:20 Why community sufficiency beats total self-sufficiency
00:08:03 Shaping your diet around what you actually grow instead of stocking every ingredient in your pantry
00:10:25 Practical tips to streamline your growing, preserving, and eating
00:14:12 Fighting homestead burnout by giving up the pressure to “do it all”
00:17:20 Water bath vs. pressure canning, and the pH science behind food safety
00:22:54 Signs that your canned food has gone bad, and what's actually safe to eat
00:26:35 Troubleshooting failed seals, fat layers, and siphoning in the jar
00:34:45 Nutrient loss in canned vs. freeze-dried food and how to build a rotation system
00:40:16 Practical ways to fit canning into your schedule and choosing the right canning equipment
00:44:21 Troubleshooting liquid loss and when to choose freeze-drying instead of canning
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Shop the All American Pressure Canners—Carolyn’s top choice for pressure canning
Check out the Presto Electric Canner she recommends for beginners
Get step-by-step guidance from Carolyn’s canning class on water bath canning, pressure canning, safety, and recipes
Subscribe to the Homestead Kitchen Magazine for tested preserving recipes, homesteading tips, and more!
CONNECT WITH CAROLYN
Website: https://homesteadingfamily.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/HomesteadingFamily
Podcast: https://homesteadingfamily.com/podcasts/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homesteadingfamily/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/homesteadingfamily/
CONNECT WITH ME
Email: shepherdess@shepherdess.com
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
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🐑 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 
I sat down with Bowen Troyer of the Rational Ranchers, and I'll be honest, I brought him on knowing we'd have a little bit of a friendly feud over Katahdins vs. Dorpers.  Bowen runs Katahdin ewes, South Pole cattle, and Royal White sheep across two ranches in Arkansas and Missouri, and we get into his hair sheep vs. goats decision, his no-blanket-dewormer parasite protocol, and his surprisingly fascinating sheep-to-silver and cattle-to-gold ratio videos.  He’s intentionally building his ranch as a family legacy, and I know his story will inspire you in your own farming or homesteading journey.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00:00 Introduction to Bowen’s ranching operation in Arkansas and Missouri
00:04:20 Stats on Bowen’s flock, grass-fed lamb weights, and sale avenues
00:06:26 How Bowen built his full-time ranching operation from the ground up
00:09:38 Why Bowen chose hair sheep over goats and what he recommends
00:14:12 Parasite management protocol and livestock breakdown
00:17:31 Bowen’s predictions on the near future of the cattle market
00:19:07 The curiosity that started Bowen’s popular video series exploring the livestock-to-silver ratio over time
00:22:43 Bowen’s long-term vision for his family ranch
CONNECT WITH BOWEN
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RationalRanchers
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Ranchers-Rational-61580788962777/
Instagram: ​​https://www.instagram.com/rationalranchers/
CONNECT WITH ME
Email: shepherdess@shepherdess.com
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
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🐑 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 
Rotational grazing is about as close to a silver bullet for parasite control as you'll find in sheep farming, and in this episode, I'm breaking down my complete grazing system.  I cover how regular rotation builds pasture health and keeps feed costs low, plus the practical details: paddock rest, pasture recovery, fencing setup, and more.  I’m also diving into some audience questions on stocking rates, deworming, minerals, and grazing sheep alongside other livestock.  My goal in this episode is to help the beginner shepherd avoid some of my own early mistakes, so listen in!
TIMESTAMPS
00:00:00 What’s the big deal about rotational grazing?
00:05:48 The importance of taking seriously our own food security
00:07:40 Diving into the transformation in my flock since implementing rotational grazing
00:08:51 How rotational grazing significantly improves pasture health, not just flock health
00:13:00 Addressing the pushback: “I don’t have time for rotational grazing”
00:15:19 My recommendation on how often to move sheep and how long to rest paddocks
00:22:39 Choosing the right electric fencing and training sheep to respect it
00:27:40 Exactly how I stockpile pasture to ease the burden of winter feeding
00:32:41 A walkthrough of my exact fencing setup, including perimeter fencing and electric-wire paddocks
00:40:35 Prioritizing flock health through deworming and culling for disease
00:42:24 The first line of defense against predators
00:43:38 Creating the right paddock size for the size of your flock
00:44:41 Evaluating the health of your soil and providing proper mineral access to your sheep
CONNECT WITH ME
Email: shepherdess@shepherdess.com
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
Watch this episode on YouTube

Send the Shepherdess your feedback about this episode!
Support the show