We started the planning and initial building of our farm in 2006. The first tasks were acquiring land, saving some moolah for inputs, solidifying funds for the initial herd purchase, and preparing the land for our soon to be first group of yearling heifers.  Among all that, we researched, researched, researched… and worked boo-coos of extra hours covering our basis. Have I mentioned that starting a business is no small feat? 

We finally bought our first herd in Spring 2007. 

At the time we bought our herd, we were conventional farmers with a concentration in grass-based. What does that mean? 

It means we raised our cattle on pasture but still used medicines, vaccines, conventional feeds, and hay grown with fertilizers, etc. We were far from organic and definitely not sustainable. Continue reading