HOW MUCH I MADE OFF MY DORPER SHEEP IN 2022 // How much money I make off my small flock of Dorpers
A lot of my videos follow a financial and analytical theme, but I always enjoy returning to the CORE of why I farm Dorper Sheep.
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0:00 Farming Dorper Sheep in the USA
In this video:
Micro Ranching for Profit
Dorper Sheep
Beef Cattle
Rotational Grazing
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About this Channel: This channel chronicles my journey as a sheep farmer from the very beginning. My primary occupation is in business management. In 2020, I discovered the principles of regenerative agriculture and embarked on a journey with the end goal of building a profitable small farm on 23 acres by 2027. Thank you for joining the journey!
Credits to Maxko Music for the Music
In Tennessee, we have a lot of rainfall and a lot of worms. My neighbor lost his entire herd to a strain of barber pole worm that was resistant to every form of worm medicine. The county agent said that he had to not raise animals for 3 years to get rid of the infestation of worm cysts on his property. He is now using St. Croix sheep from my farm, and has no problems. He has started using a black headed Dorper ram with his St. Croix ewes, and has good results. When I first got my St. Croix sheep, a few died from worms, and I let the entire herd go without treatment. Now I never lose any sheep to worms, and I never use any worm medicine, and everybody wants my sheep as they are completely worm resistant. If you live out West in a low rainfall state like Texas there is a smaller worm load, and you can run the non-resistant sheep breeds there. But in Tennessee, it is very difficult without a lot of different worm medicines. When I first started, I lost my entire goat herd to worms, and no worm medicine would cure the problem. Then a friend sold me 3 ewes and a ram that were St. Croix, and my worm problems were over. Some people will run St. Croix with their Dorpers or Texels, as the St. Croix will eat the barber pole worm cyst and kill it - and clean up the pastures. Other people will run Katahdin or Royal White, as these breeds have St. Croix as a foundation bloodline and so have some worm resistance. But the Dorper is from South Africa, a very dry land with no worms, and the breed has very little worm resistance. Yes, the Dorper has a lot more meat on a single animal, but since we grind the meat up into hamburger, I don't care about how much per animal as I do as the conversion rate - and our sheep are grass fed. Slow food has some advantages. My neighbor gave me one of his Dorpers for processing, and it was huge - but the meat had a lot of grease in it compared to the St. Croix. I like the taste of the St. Croix a lot better than the Dorper. Or it could be that he grain feeds his sheep, instead of grass, that could explain the greasy taste. You won't have problems right away with your Dorpers, but somewhere between year 5 and year 12 or so, you will run into a completely resistant barber pole worm that you cannot defeat. Also, I keep a "closed herd", and do not buy sheep from other producers, as that is very good way to introduce resistant worms and new diseases to your flock, and I learned this the hard way. I saw on one of your videos that you were buying sheep from other breeders, and I thought, "Oh no, there it goes...". I switch out my ram every 2-3 years from a well known St. Croix breeder here in Tennessee who is very diligent in keeping her flock disease free, and has 3 different blood lines for her registered rams. My current Ram is the grandson of the Oregon State Grand Champion for the St. Croix breed, and he is HUGE! Keeping a closed herd, and using a high quality ram from a professional breeder - I think that is the secret to avoiding a lot of disease problems. And yes, if you want a larger St. Croix, just cull the smaller ones. Thanks for your videos, I appreciate what you do. John Hurt
I'm saving up money to try to get into this, and have made good progress, but maybe will start with rabbits and hens. I actually heard back from someone about solar grazing, but I'm nowhere near starting that.
Looks like we are on the same plan in timing. We started with our sheep endeavor in 2017. That gave me 10 years to build, grow, and market my farm before I retire from the army. You may have stumbled across our farm channel in your early beginnings, we started out channel in early 2020. Great planning, great advice, and keep up the great work. Keep the lord alongside you in your journey and you will do great!
I retire from the Army in three years and it looks as if I am behind! Good luck to you in your endeavors.
@@bmcdonald7303 were close to the same timeline for retirement. 😎
Keep you chin up Grace. You are doing a fantastic job and are such an encouragement to me and many others. Don't let the evil one sew seeds of doubt and discourage you when you are tired and may not be wearing your full armor. You are on a true path and are blessed by it.
Congratulations, you can be proud. Pieter Rheeder from South Africa. Good luck, we bless you with wisdom and good health, You go girl!
Grace, got to have the “dry” times. Been through 4 different but related careers. At 80 I enjoy the challenges and am glad to encourage you to keep going. God has a way to let you know He is with you. Sheep and Bible go together…
AMEN. Very encouraged by this comment, thank you!
Have you looked into seeding a pasture with Sunn Hemp? It’s similar nutritional profile as alfalfa and will do nitrogen fixing in the soil and add organic material in it as well. Cattle and sheep will forage it and your pasture will end up more fertile than before while also providing food. Sunn Hemp will handle hot weather and should be fine for your part of Texas.
Great insight. I will check it out!
Hello. I’ve looked into that and Sudangrass together. I’ve not gotten around to making it happen yet. Sure wish I would have for this year. What part of the country are you? I’m a couple hours south of the Shepherdess. Haven’t seen anyone use it here yet.
@@gedwardnelson be careful with sudangrass. if it is grazed to young or too much, it can kill sheep and goats. Sorghum is even worse. It's best to silage them or cut and bail
That's interesting I'll have to look into this
Love sun hemp and sunflower for reclaim crops.
I needed this right now, I was feeling bad in general about not being able to find *one* job that fits and wasn't realizing it was an asset not a liability that I love doing so many things all at once. Thank you, Shepherdess you've provided a lot of calm for my weary mind.
Glad it helped! I have another video that addresses the extreme benefit of diversity here: kzhead.info/sun/dbCvkbB7a2OXf68/bejne.htmlsi=nB0bZDbt0Qi79F72
I just bought the book bundle off your site. We just purchased 10 acres to start with hopes to buy the connecting land down the road! I love your content and hope you never stop doing what you are doing!
Dear Shepherdess. (from Australia). I was raised on a sheep farm before technology and electric fencing was in. I really love your channel and encourage you to keep up the wonderful work. God bless.
Thank you, Lloyd!
Powerful video. I love your content not only for how informational it is, but how real you are with your messaging. Keep up your amazing work.
Sending you positive vibes as always…stay encouraged, you have inspired others
Found your channel while doing research on starting my own ranching venture, thinking of pastured poultry and alpaca breeding stock. Your videos are very helpful and insightful for what the process of getting started looks like, which is currently my biggest hurdle/fear. There’s so much to think about when getting started..
If you get a tiller attachment for your sideby truck you can dump slowly while pulling the tiller you can mix it in the soil pretty easy and have a better result
we raised sheep when I was a kid and then as I was older I had some mini wool sheep, once again I am returning to farm life and looking at the lovely sheep:)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences. Your videos are fascinating and I look forward to them!
Thank you, Shepherdess! I, too, am running head first into agriculture. I'm helping a Cattle Rancher to gain experience and build a network, but I can't wait to see if the hard work and relationships made fill me with the purpose I think it can. I'm going to follow your plan and give myself 7 years. At that time I'll reassess and determine how to move forward.
You are an absolute inspiration. Love your positive energy. I have a couple more years to get my daughter through HS, then I'm moving to the country and starting whatever sized ranch I can afford. I was planning to do cattle, since that is what I grew up on, but after watching your videos, strongly considering doing sheep. I will always do at least some cows as my first love is horses, specifically cow horses and need cows to train on, but seems like sheep are a better way to fund the lifestyle. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for sharing!! I have got a small flock of ducks that I am caring for and learning about. This was inspiring message to me to press forward!
You do such a great job. I’m glad I found your channel about six months ago. I wish you the best of luck on your seven-year journey. With all your continued hard work and strong faith there’s no way you won’t be successful. 💪
Thank you, George!
This video has so much in it. I'm going to read your book recommendation. Thank you... But, what really struck me was the emotion in your voice and on your face as you spoke about your "hard months." I don't walk in your shoes, but I know what you are talking about. I have owned and operated a small dairy farm in Central Illinois for the last 32 years. I have milked twice a day for probly 99% of those 32 years. Small scale farming takes alot of dedication. I would not trade a million dollars for all the time I have been able to spend doing honest work with my wife and 4 daughters over this time.... It is worth it.... I think you are wise for your age and I appreciate your videos. Thanks.
I would have to say that February and march are the worst. We start calving then and it seems the wind never stops that time of year. 12 years back i purchased farm and run cattle on the side. we grow our winter feed (alfalfa) and move the cattle to summer lease pasture so we can farm. In Northeast California its so dry that Mr. Salatins ideas just wont work. 4 inches of rain a year. Some farms have Surface water rights but it never last more than 6 to 8 weeks then the irrigation wells are turned on. After 12 years of growing our calving operation its time to start a grass fed operation. I did a search for that and you showed up in the feed. Ive sold half my breeders as pairs and will be contacting you on your web site for your online business info. talk to you soon. Love your videos!! great info.
Thank you for your transparency and the book referral!
Thank you for watching, Jami!
Why would anyone want to skip 2 min 28 seconds of invaluable awesomeness? Keep it coming and good luck!!
Haha… This made me smile. Thanks Phillip!
This is a great video. I learned a lot, and I wish you success with the venture.
I really enjoy your videos, you are an inspiration. Hang in there, the first few years of any worthwhile endeavor are always the toughest. Cash may not flow quickly, but you are growing your infrastructure and more importantly your knowledge base.
Thank you, Matt. Great advice.
Very inspiring. Your videos help me stay motivated. Keep it up!
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for your video! Very inspiring and I'm going to get that book! I wish you all the best! God Bless!
Little sister another good thing to add to your place would be a fish pond. I am also build a catfish farming with processing. It’s a good market also
3:23 this mulching is such an underated thing that I wish more farmers were doing. It's a cheat step with huge yields. I highly recomend mulching with meat chickens/ducks/geese. (geese, and ducks ) being highly more profitable if you can find the market. Also think about mulching and keyline plow and getting that air down there. Don't be afraid of deep mulching a pasture if you have the chickens. It will shock you how much more carrying capcity you hold even in droughts. Also, make sure to check your dung beetle population. Make sure you have no seasonal holes. We have the vastist amount of dung beetle spieces in the world. It reaches through the whole season. If you need a dung beetle you can pick them up at someone elses farm who is into rotational grazing. Look for organic farms because they don't use the stuff that kills the dung beetles. In most cast the dung beetles will show up if you are in a solid rotational grazing area naturally.
Very encouraging. That book looks interesting
Awesome video sheperdess I found it to be very informative and its nice to see you sticking with it. All you need is faith and family and you'll keep going far. Can't wait to see where your at in 2027.
Thank you, sir!
I do like your videos Grace as your example encourages your generation to try something different and its the difference that makes the world go around. As I have said oh to be a bit younger and healthier but thank you for sharing your dream with us and leading us along your path. Thanks for posting
Really encouraged by your comment! Thank you for being here from the beginning.
Amen sister, I love your 7 year philosophy, much luck. We have 2 dorpers, but not going at it like you....sounds awesome!
I love your content. Very inspiring and great information. I'm hoping to give sheep a try this season. As far as the income goes, I'd be willing to bet your channel grows to the point it will earn you far more than farming will. 🍻
For me this is my favorite video that you have put out that I have seen so far. I love your determined humble approach to this chapter in your life especially when you put Perspective through a Godly mindset. I hope this season of life brings you closer the the creator and blessings in your life and work
Thank you, Shaun! This was a real encouragement.
I really enjoy your movies, I'm quite certain that you could do anything with your attitude and professionalism! Glad it's livestock, greetings from Poland :)
Great video! Your lambs look fantastic. Thanks for the book recommendation.
Thank you so much! That means a lot.
You not only make a great shepherdess but philosopher as well. Keep pursuing balance.
Dear Shepherdess, thank you so much for all your very good videos. What you said in this video was so great. Ill take that with me. I learn a lot from you, thank you. With kind regards Torben Gram from Denmark, a small homesteady
Thank you, Liliana!
Great video! I have seen other farmers that raised vegetables, beef, hay, grain crops, plowed snow in winter(I am in Michigan). The point is diversity is key.....over the last few years I have built my farm which now includes, beekeeping (my initial agriculture venture which started in highschool), raising Berkshire hogs, and some cattle. Sheep are on the horizon I believe demand is high in my area. Diversity creates steady cash flow. I spoke with a local sheep farmer who also watches your channel, great content thankyou
Tons of great insight in this comment! Thank you, Paul,
Keep up the great work dear !
oh wow... i guess im officially a subscriber.. ive been binging old videos this week and interviews.. didnt realize i was gonna catch up to new uplaods.
Welcome aboard!
I feel you there at the end. I own my own HVAC business. Me myself an I. Service, sales, an installation. Oh an office work lol. But I would really like this farming thing to be my full time an not have to worry about chasing work. It makes things complicated when your gone for 8-10 hours a day, kids in sports, an then trying to rotate an take care of 80 some head. Best of luck to you
Good luck in your seven year plan! Sounds like you're headed in the right direction.
Thank you!
excellent comments. WE finally had to get out of our sheep business after 8 years.The work load was enormous like trimming hooves, lambing in terrible weather and no USDA meat processors within driving distances. WE could not market our meat to the public and even selling to friends at $15-20 lb did not let us break even. Throw in pasture management, irrigation, carrying water which froze solid at -30 and the electric heaters, predators , vaccinations and sudden clostridia death.......too much. We now do pigs which do far better in our harsh winters and require far less work and yield large carcasses which pay the bills. I miss our sheep however . They are lovely animals to have around and we now fatten a few lambs and calves for our food security.
Wisdom beyond your years. God bless your present and your future.
Thank you, Mary!
Thanks for the video. You have a great plan!
Thanks for watching!
Nice work!!!!!! I breed Dorper and White Dorper here in Brazil.
Loved your videos The other day I turned the goats loose in an area of my back pasture. And surprise the treasures I found 🤗 Ok my dilemma , at 62 with my mortgage to be paid off in 4 months. Do I stay here and fight the clay and rocky low wet conditions. Or sell and make a new start on better ground. I found land that is perfect for a farm/ homestead. There’s other factors involved. And yes I gave a young kids first choice on my place. Who are going to be married this summer.
Thanks for the great videos. May God bless your efforts.
Good content today..thx..what you're saying is you must create a balanced life. Passionate things vs must dos. For 32 years my additional income stream has been rental properties. Your content is helping me determine if i should try sheep farming.
Yes, the balance I have with my job in marketing really helps me through these challenging seasons. It's good to know that I have a safety net in that primary income!
I love your vision, your clear thinking &your heart for God-honouring Him by making sure you allow His lead . I’m inspired by your wise words & looking forward to hearing more. Thanks for such helpful & encouraging information !
May God lift you up and give you energy beyond your understanding. Wisdom beyond your years. You were given this mission for a reason that may not reveal itself for many years. God speed.
I was very blessed by this comment! Thank you!
Where can I find a good woman like you? Dayum, keep up that good grind!
Please can you release more videos on farm and animal management, things like lambing, weaning, dosing, mating and so on. Love your work from South Africa.
My hardest time is during maple syrup season. March and April. Between working a job, and keeping the maple sap boiled, Its nearly a hundred hours per week for a month or so. We start the season, "im so excited!, then near the end, sleep deprived Im like, "What the hell am I doing?"
Your strength gives me strength.
Thank you, Justin!
Thanks so much for the encouragement! As another young woman starting a farming enterprise with no previous experience, while also working a full-time off-farm job, it means a lot to me. I love seeing a new Shepherdess video in my notifications--thanks for always inspiring me to keep after it! James 4:13-15
Thank you so much for this comment and the encouraging scripture. ❤️❤️ Keep up the great work!
Thank you so much for this comment and the encouraging scripture. I really appreciate you. ❤️❤️
I sticked with sheep cause of listening to you i was having a hard time but listening to you i felt i could do it.
Keep up the great work! It is hard sometimes but very rewarding.
One important aspect of the multiple sources of income often overlooked is the stability of the family. When you have only one job/skill, economic shifts can often dictate short notice major geographic moves. This of course can be very stressful and a major disruption to family life. With multiple income sources you have a cushion to redirect your income efforts without uprooting your family. This stability I believe is a significant aspect of defining success.
Wow...That was amazing..❤❤
Thanks so much. Learnt a lot
Best channel on KZhead. You continue to give many of us hope to continue on in these difficult times. I absolutely love your bible quotes and your message incorporated into your videos.
Thank you, Robert!
Have you ever done a video with your parents to talk about how they made the decision to start, what their struggles were, how they decided to sell out to you, etc.?
I did at one point, but they decided they wanted privacy. I try to use videos like this to pass on the advice they gave me :).
@@theShepherdess The perils of having a famous daughter. 😀
Outstanding! Proverbs 3:5
5:19 don’t worry, in my mind it is a success already! 1. your provide me and i am convinced to many other people valuable information on how to start/fun a sheep farm biz 2. during a year that i watch you channel, i learned that you are good in marketing and presentations as well 3. end of your videos allayed strengthen my faith. I pray God is with you and one day your children will support you as well with all their heart🙏🏻 Bless you
Thank you!
God Bless you, believe in yourself 👍🏼
❤️❤️❤️ your videos!!
Thank you 😊.
Be sure and pull those strings off the bales before feeding them. Great video, thanks!
Thank you for your videos Grace! I have learned a lot from you. You encourage me to start raising sheep; I cannot start right now, but I am focusing on learning as much as I can within the next year. I have a question, how old are the first ewes one have to buy and what is the average price? Thanks again for all you are doing!
Your method of laying old hay infused with animal manure and urine onto bare patches in the pasture I have seen work before. It is an excellent method for regenerating a poor pasture.
I'm glad to hear this! Thank you!
Hi Grace, I enjoyed this video and want to share the following two with you. It encouraged me: Thought For The Day, 1 September 2022, and High Places - Family Time with Angus Buchan.
Congrats i love your channel
Even harder first two years for those who don’t have mom and dads barns, farm equipment, etc. or for those that don’t have the $$ mom and dad had for their two years.
Try using lamb weaning nose rings. These are inexpensive, reusable, safe, and effective. They eliminate the need to separate the ewe from lamb.
Hi i wanna wish you the best of luck on your future goals you got this. Greatings from LA :)
Thank you so much!
Hello, when I was active with my Sheep business in seven years my total sales was a million dollars. I rented 100% of the land I used. I wanted my sheep to lamb early for the fall and winter holidays. From September to January, I only weaned lambs I weaned for breeding stock or show lambs. We sold are lamb and sheep meat under our own label and it was marketed to the top 10 % percent of the gourmet market directly to gourmet grocery stores, to high end wine shops.We sold are lambs to restaurants that where in the top 10% of the gourmet industry. The carcasses we sold 100% replaceable if the quality for the carcass was not in our quality range. What hurt us and killed our sheep business was three brush firers that where in a three month period. The first two firers where in a 30 day period back to back. I still have people who want to buy lambs from me to eat, because are quality was great, and we sold to Chiefs that where from Europe or American’s who where trained to be Chiefs in Europe. We had are own line of sheep genetics that we where using and we wanted to produce lean and meaty carcasses with little fat and no waste. We also had a few cows and we also did breed for very lean carcasses for the top 10% of the gourmet market we did sell beef under our own label and under a well know U.S. well know national label that only sells beef from genetically lean cattle breeds. We used 100% A.I breeding on our cows. The problem in the past most people who raise sheep have never tasted the lambs they produce. I would breed my few cows to calf in calving groups and I had four to six calving groups from August to January so calves that I wanted to keep as breeding stock I could turn out on spring pasture or spring range and they where weaned at the same time. I produced my own lambs and calves for the off season I did buy lambs and calves from other breeders who used are genetics for the normal lambing and calving season. I got in to fall and winter calving and lambing when I was a child in grade school so I could and would have some free time in the summer. The county where I was raised as a child I A.I.ed my own cows and my beef cows where the first herd of beef cattle that county where 100% A.I. breed.
This is a lot of great insight! Thank you for sharing your experience.
Really good insight! Thanks for sharing. Where was this ranch located at?
Australian here, I spent 3 months in Arizona earlier in 2023, I found it almost impossible to buy Lamb or even Mutton! Let alone Goat! I suspect I would have done better in Chicago or any area with a significant Moslem population. When we did find it, racks, we had BBQs to “teach” US people both how good eating it was and how to cook it. Funnily enough, previously (years before) I had found very educated gourmets in Boston who really appreciated Lamb. Btw, has anyone explained the advantage of Black Headed Dorper over white headed?
Good day I am surprised and also happy that Dorpers do well in Europe. They were developed in South Africa and are great sheep.All success to you. On the subject of dying, yes sheep can be n bit sensitive but not nearly as bad as Turkeys. I am convinced these birds will just flock together one morning and decide to keel over all at once and that would-be that
Thank you for commenting, Eric!
Words of wisdom…👍
Work full time as a welder. Also do corn and soybeans raise pigs for butcher. Also hair sheep.
Great video, if your back is feeling broken you need an Infrared/Heat Lamp. I’ve always done blue collar work and (especially outside of tourist season when sunlight is a RARE treat) it works wonders. I gave my first lamp to my friend after a grief fuelled suicide attempt led him to crash his car into a lamppost. And since you do laptop work so long as there’s a nice seat without a back support, something to place the lamp on like a bar stool and some measure of privacy you can radiate the bare back while being productive. But I would strongly recommend veiling the webcam with a bandage (plain tape mucks up the optic) for obvious reasons males never need to worry about.
The inflammation disappears with carnivore diet
@@safffff1000 I am also a carnivore, a hard days work still a lot less harsh with a lamp session after.
June to November, during that time its dry and cold up here in the northern parts of south Africa I try not to sell any livestock during that time due to their weight loss
You're an amazing woman!
I suggest that education will or can be another revenue stream. Farm tours, which can be done by someone else besides you, is common to answer questions of potential farmers. Other ideas can be soil, water, parasite management, fence management, etc. Things that are routine to you are new and interesting to others who want to find out if farming is for them. School field trips for introduction to farming and offering a "petting" interaction with the lambs could be arrranged with schools from your surrounding counties.
Good job. I am trying to do the same as you but with goats. I believe they are about the same
You Go girl. 👍
I love your hard work. Keep on winning. #kenya
Thank you!
You djust covered the intire dilemma many farmers have al over the world but remember in the slow and havy periods you have an experiance 99 % of people dont have. ... you have the freedom girl !!
The Ole Summer Slump
Ty
You rock !!!
Yes yes. So true. Take care of what you are blessed with and it’ll take care of you. In those times of back breaking work remember. The good Lord will not ever give you more than you can handle. He may stretch you but you will be able to handle it. Good lesson.
I think you got it right I think now is definitely the time to get back to nature and self sufficiency I think it has gone way too far the other way never seen so many unhappy angry non fulfilled people in my life
Amen. God bless
Que mulher guerreira.💅💪
Huge $2 per pound dip in the market this week, goats are seeming more and more stable market.
I'll be interested to see how fall and winter play out. Droughts are driving many operations to thin out their herds over summer. It's a good time to buy if you know how to navigate the market!
@@theShepherdess I don't sell this time of year anyway, but it is a good time to add to the weed eating crew. We haven't had any problems with too dry, grass and weeds are booming here in northeast Missouri
@@theShepherdess I still think you can greatly benefit from some hybrid vigor in your herd unless you only desire to sell registered breeding stock. Too much of a good thing is never a good thing.......
@@hillbillywisdom777 I raise pure hair sheep. Sometimes we don't like fixing what ain't broke.
Have you considered planting some orchard trees in your fields, like apples? Or raising multiple other animals, like chickens or alpacas (might add too much work, I don't know)?
Just wondering what was the fencing cost ?