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Homesteading with Dr. Taylor Marshall
415 Plays14 days ago
On this episode of the Cottager's Podcast, Mathew met with Dr. Taylor Marshall to discuss homesteading, family life and more.
For more information about Dr. Taylor Marshall:
Dr. Taylor Marshall's YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@DrTaylorMarshall…
Website: http://taylormarshall.com
Pre-Order Dr. Taylor Marshall's Upcoming Book: "Christian Patriot: 12 Ways to Create One National Under God" https://ChristianPatriotBook.com
For more information about Cottage Pastures and the Cottager's Podast visit https://www.cottagepastures.com.
Please direct all inquiries to hello@cottagepastures.com.
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Transcript
Introduction to Cottagers Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to the Cottagers podcast, a production by Cottage Pastures. On this podcast, we discuss rural living, homesteading, and small-scale farming. You'll hear conversations and interviews about the realities of modern life and returning to the land.
00:00:15
Speaker
I'm Matthew. And I'm Carissa. We're the founders of Cottage Pastures and your hosts on the Cottagers podcast. Well, welcome to the podcast, Dr. Taylor Marshall. Thank you for being here.
00:00:26
Speaker
Matthew, great to be here. Let's talk about healthy cows and farms and ranches and living a good life. I love it. It is a good life. Well, let's
Dr. Taylor Marshall's Homesteading Journey
00:00:35
Speaker
start right there. um You know, I don't know a lot of people know this about you, but it seems you're pretty active on the homestead front ah right now. What's going on? What do you guys do?
00:00:43
Speaker
Well, we've we've dreamed about this for many years, and we're shopping for two or three years just trying to find the right piece of land. We have eight children, and we're very busy in the city.
00:00:56
Speaker
And we really balanced and measured and debated whether we should just do a full move or we should try to straddle and do both. And so for over a year now, we've straddled and done both.
00:01:08
Speaker
And it it has its pluses and minuses. Maybe we can talk about that today. So I think last year I probably, family and I probably we spent about 100 days on the farm and then the rest of that in the city. So we go back and forth.
00:01:24
Speaker
And it's been good. You know, we're we're just doing cows and bees. We're not doing things like chickens or we don't have any horses or anything that's requiring a lot of day to day upkeep.
00:01:34
Speaker
um And it's gone. It's gone well so far. So it's been an experiment. And so far, it's it's working out pretty good. You know, that that's interesting. I don't know that that comes up as often for people that they recognize that that's an option is that, you know, some of the food that you're producing, whether as an enterprise or even for your family, doesn't necessarily have to be right where you live.
00:01:55
Speaker
What I am curious, you know, what what have been some of the challenges or even some of the benefits that you guys have kind of you know figured out as a result of having them separated in that way?
The Importance of Community in Homesteading
00:02:05
Speaker
I'd say the biggest challenge is it It definitely eats up your weekend, but I enjoy it.
00:02:12
Speaker
You know, I like being out there. I like being, you know, with the animals. I've learned a lot. I've watched, you know, tons of YouTube videos and read lots and lots of books. It's been a crash course.
00:02:24
Speaker
There's no way I was prepared for this whatsoever. And I think the challenge is, is like, you know, if, if there is an animal that needs care, having ah to synchronize that time with a vet,
00:02:35
Speaker
um Getting to know people in your community that are local who can run over and do something for you if you can't get there, because that's going to happen, you know, if you're if you're a distance homesteader like we are.
00:02:48
Speaker
So building those friendships and, you know, I have some friends out there where if we can't get out there, like right now it's winter, um, to put out some hay, I can ask them, Hey, can you go over and put out some hay for me? And they're like, no worries.
00:03:02
Speaker
So, you know, that, that's, I think you kind of have to build that community and Hey, can I borrow your livestock trailer? You know, all these things that come up, there's a lot of, um, tools and implements and and things that you don't know that you need that you end up needing. And I think if if someone was getting started in it, um my main advice would be immediately invest in a community to help you. And I think that would be the case if I lived out there 24 seven or if it was more of like a one third arrangement right now, that's that's kind of what I'm learning.
00:03:35
Speaker
Yeah, i I would echo that. I mean, even even from our experience, we've been doing this for a few years now and have started to build a a scaling farm as a result of it. But the reality is, and I try to talk about this with folks, too.
00:03:46
Speaker
um I don't know if I've ever put it as eloquently or just succinctly as you did, which I think is really good, is you invest in the community. I've been bailed out of so many situations out here, whether a truck got stuck and I certainly don't have the equipment to pull you know this truck out out of the mud and a neighbor will come down with a tractor and pull me out or you know just even um you know today. i don't i still don't own a tractor right now. And so I rely on a neighbor to support me with moving hay bales around.
00:04:10
Speaker
And I looked out the window yesterday and you know a neighbor came by, didn't call me, didn't let me. just He's just you know in goodwill, just brought over a hay bale because he knew I needed it. So I really think for a lot of people, they're starting this so fresh and so new with so little experience, if any at all.
00:04:26
Speaker
And ultimately, it really points to the reality that you need community around you in some ways or a whole lot of equipment and note and education on your own part already. So... That's a great point. And part of that is, is, is the barter system, which is so like old or medieval or whatever. But, you know, like I worked out, I have a friend out there and he needed a place to put a tractor and some hay and he's out there all the time. And, you know, he can put hay out for me and and there's, there's no money exchange, but there's definitely a barter system there and it's all based on friendship.
00:04:59
Speaker
um And just like you, I've asked, Hey, can you put out, Hey, i already did, you know, like, Just kind of looking out for each other and and being, you know, I guess vulnerable in a way. And I guess you could be taken advantage at some point. But I think people, especially in in the agricultural space or the farming or the ranching,
00:05:19
Speaker
If you're a new guy and you're humble and you're like, I need help. Or just as we got into the winter, I noticed my cows weren't as fat as they used to be. and Like, hey, could you just come and look at them? And like, yeah, they look fine. It's winter. You know, like this is yeah normal. So, yeah. And then just get getting connected with a vet and, you know, trying to locate hay and just you need you definitely need people. This is this is not a solo sport.
00:05:45
Speaker
Yeah, entirely. How has it been? What's the transition been like involving the family in it? You know, eight children, your wife there. I mean, has everyone adopted it in the same way? Is everyone as excited about it or is this a new experience to everyone?
00:05:59
Speaker
i you know, it's still, we're we're just over one year doing this and i think we're still in the honeymoon
Family Involvement and Learning on the Farm
00:06:05
Speaker
period. And I would say everyone in the family loves it. um my sons have really gotten into the, you know, hay element and mending fences and learning about grass and soil and tractors and machinery. And it's, I've realized as a father, it's, we live when you live in the city,
00:06:32
Speaker
your entertainment gets squeezed down to television and movies and, you know, going to places on the weekends and certain amusements. And, you know, a lot of families do camping and do outdoors activities.
00:06:46
Speaker
I think for young people, a lot of that is moved into sports, which is great as well. But there is, you cannot replace, you know, being out in July, sweating, mending a barbed wire fence with your teenage sons.
00:07:00
Speaker
And there's just this great feeling of, you know, working two hours or like replacing a gate or hanging a gate and then stepping back and being like,
00:07:11
Speaker
We did this, you know, it's very tangible, it's very real. And you know, mom has some lemonade and waiting. Like it's it's it's amazing, you know, it's just, there's these moments where you're actually doing work with your family and it's extremely rewarding because you see it and and oftentimes you do work and it doesn't work and you're like, wow, we messed that up. We gotta redo it or we misunderstood what was going on. So I think from a family point of view, I'm so glad, and it's one of the, that was kind of the urgency you know We were trying to find the right piece of land for a couple years. And I think that's an important thing too, is finding the right land.
00:07:47
Speaker
And we kind of we got to a point, my wife and like our kids are getting older. like If we don't pull the trigger, they're going to be gone. And we want them to experience this. We want them to learn this. So that that put a little pressure on us to just go ahead and work hard and try to find something that fits. And and we were very blessed. We found a wonderful piece of property. So I think...
00:08:11
Speaker
It's amazing to have your own food, to produce your own food, to work outside, to just be in, ri like, I am so into, oh, look at this ryegrass or what's the clover doing? Or let's look at this soil. How's the soil in this pasture compared to that soil? Like, i' I'm really geeking out on on all of that, you know, agricultural soil health. and And my kids are too. And it puts you in a rhythm of life of the seasons. I constantly check the weather. I'm, you know, wondering about rainfall, rain amounts.
00:08:45
Speaker
It puts you in touch with nature in a way that you would never experience if you're not doing this. And it's, like i was just telling a friend at lunch today, I said, you know, Being out there and you go, you could go eight hours and not look at your phone.
00:09:01
Speaker
And i I think to myself sometimes when I'm out there, i like, this is what it was like in the 80s and 90s where you would do something with someone for hours on end and and there wouldn't be a little buzz in your pocket.
00:09:13
Speaker
There wouldn't be a ding. There wouldn't be like, oh, I got to answer those emails. And it allows you and your kids and your family to focus in on doing something.
00:09:25
Speaker
accomplishing something and you're in, and you're in, you're in connection, you're in, you're synced into the natural four seasons and the land. You're looking at the birds, you're seeing migration and you're watching cows and all that one, is that one sick or, you know, is that, is that an infection right there? It's just, it's a very human experience. Yeah.
00:09:50
Speaker
And I realize now that I'm doing it, how much we as human persons have been detached from the natural rhythm. And I'm not saying that that's required to be a good person or a moral person or a virtuous person, but there is something very freeing about it, very noble. And and I think deeply religious, deeply spiritual and being in contact with nature regularly.
Spirituality and Nature in Homesteading
00:10:15
Speaker
Yeah, I agree. i Now, is this all new to you? as it I mean, did you grow up in an agricultural space? Is this familiar or is it newer? So my my father has a PhD in meat science and he's very he's been very in touch. He's owned businesses, meat businesses, and he pretty much paid his way through college as a slaughtering and butchering cattle. So he's very much like in touch with the beef industry. But growing up, I mean, we did a lot of...
00:10:47
Speaker
I was an Eagle Scout, you know, going on camp outs every week, every month. um We did a lot of like hunting and outdoors activity. We went to Africa. So I've had a lot of outdoor activity. We were definitely raised like you need to be outdoors doing these things. But when it comes to actual farming or raising animals, you know, other than having a cat or a dog, not at all.
00:11:12
Speaker
Sure. Did you find anything, you you know, particularly interesting in the very beginning, like that, like you didn't realize that this was how agriculture worked and then you get out there and you start working with cattle and, you know, you start learning how even, even basic fundamentals of nature work, whether soil composition or how the weather impacts s things like, were there anything in the very beginning that was just completely novel and ah even inspirational to you?
00:11:39
Speaker
I think, yeah, We had 39 calves born over the last year. And the first time that happened and the calf got up and started sucking on his mother and it was all normal and natural and there was no crisis. Because, you know, you you watch...
00:11:59
Speaker
TV shows or some of these reality shows or videos on YouTube and they're like getting chains and pulling calves out on these devices and you think like this, but just to to watch um how natural, and i mean, thanks be to God, we didn't lose any calves.
00:12:18
Speaker
and We had a great set of mothers. Everything went well. We didn't have to get, we didn't even have to call out a vet once. Yeah. ah That was, I think, the most magical element of seeing you you know that process, watching the mothers, you know watching cows eat placentas and and some calves being very kind of small and sickly, others being very strong, but they all made it.
00:12:44
Speaker
um I think for me, that's been my favorite part is to is yes, I'm there all the time. Yes, I'm working all the time, but also just to realize that You do need a veterinarian for things, but how how strong and and normal animals are and God made them to thrive if they have the proper environment.
00:13:08
Speaker
And to be sort of the Adam over the garden and seeing them thrive and grow and develop and get strong and healthy, that's extremely rewarding.
00:13:21
Speaker
Yeah. for For us, I've actually noticed that that same, a similar experience in seeing the way that animals thrive given the right conditions and then recognizing that we are in a position to steward these animals, to provide them with those conditions while they're under our care. And then it's prompted me more so to start thinking, well, what does what does that look like for my children?
00:13:43
Speaker
Like, how do I provide the right environment for my children and for my wife and for even myself to thrive not just temporally, but also you know spiritually. like Is our house in order to orient ourselves towards God regularly?
00:13:56
Speaker
being Being amongst agriculture, has it's kind of helped teach us these little natural lessons that I think often because we're not around agriculture, we do become detached from it, but also ignorant in a way.
00:14:10
Speaker
like We just don't even know. you know, you mentioned the weather. I talk about the weather all and the weather never mattered to me ever before. It was either hot or cold. And if it was hot, I went inside a cooler environment. And if it was cool, I turned the heat up.
00:14:23
Speaker
That was it. Aside from maybe inconveniences like it's raining, so we don't go do this or it's snowing, so we can't leave. But then you learn like these are natural things that have a purpose. And, you know, there's obviously and clearly a design behind them. And it's beautiful and it's illustrative of the faith in so many ways. And I think that we lose that by not being a part of it.
00:14:42
Speaker
Not necessarily, again, saying you have to, but at least understanding it or being near it or on the peripherals in some way. think it's important. Really neat. Yeah, I agree. and And, you know, like when calves started being born, people, our friends would like, oh, did you call a vet? You know, and like it was this big crisis. Like we didn't, like, why didn't you? You know, and do you have to like, do you need to disinfect the mother's udders and all these? And you realize that, you know, whether it's animals or even humans, God has in a miraculous way equipped us to thrive.
00:15:18
Speaker
and And like you just said, the lesson here is, and I think it goes back to Adam and Eve and the garden, is we as humans, are we cultivating the environment for optimal outcomes?
00:15:32
Speaker
And that that applies to our kids, applies to our marriage, applies to our churches, applies to farm animals. and And again, it's just not like it's not like forcing your your will over the animals. It's creating the habitat.
00:15:49
Speaker
the soil, the water, the grass, and then trying to work with the seasons. And, you know, sometimes bad things happen in weather and nature. But that's another thing is as we got into the cold, I'm in, I mean, I'm in Texas, so it's not freezing, but you know, as we started getting into the twenties, I started worrying about them and you go out there and they're just frolicking around having the best time, you know, it rains on them and they're there.
00:16:15
Speaker
And I think to myself, know, You know, we mostly have Angus and I'm thinking, you know, these, these cows used to live in Scotland. This is Texas. They probably think this is like a walk in the park. Like they're loving this.
00:16:27
Speaker
um Yeah. So it's just, it's, ah it's amazing to watch. And I think it does foster in you a spirit of worship. I, my mind often goes to God when I'm out there.
00:16:39
Speaker
ah It is meditative and,
00:16:45
Speaker
you You know, they always talk about how farmers always pray so much because they're dependent on the weather. And I find myself every evening like praying for the cows, praying for the bees, you know. And yeah,
00:16:57
Speaker
yeah like I kind of wonder if city life has been a detriment to religiosity, you know, to Christianity. And you look at, you know, Christian culture before 1900 and how even the church calendar and the seasons and the Holy days and all that did have an agricultural exterior rhythm And we don't have that anymore. Like you said, like it's cold. I'll turn on the heat.
00:17:27
Speaker
You know, it's hot. Turn on the air conditioning. There's not that connection there. So again, and and I'm not saying that everyone has to do this, but I think for those of us that do get involved in it, it reveals something that's been lost.
00:17:40
Speaker
Sure. Well, that kind of brings an interesting topic, one that we realize that has become more important to us, too, is, again, looking at the traditions and prayers of the church.
00:17:51
Speaker
And many of them do seem to at least be inspired by or center around certain agricultural experiences that I have to believe were commonplace, and that's why that is. Things like the ember days, the rogation days. um You know, there are certain prayers for, you know, we had a ah priest come out and bless our fields.
00:18:10
Speaker
And there are certain prayers that that kind of are just a part of the tradition, the pause of the church. what What are your thoughts or or what experiences you have or what comments you have about, you know the way the church calendar even historically has been in its relationship to agriculture?
00:18:25
Speaker
Yeah, i mean, you named the Ember Days, which marked the four seasons. This time around, I'm starting to understand um the place of Lent for Catholics in the spring, because I'm thinking about if you don't have freezers to preserve meat, and you're just thinking about when you would slaughter animals, when you would eat them, how you would preserve them,
00:18:49
Speaker
um you know, the traditional examples of making sausage and hanging it up and drying it. This is all this kind of stuff I learned from my father. And mean, my father like innovated and created all these ways about how to cure pepperoni and all these things. And you think about if you don't have modern technology, how that would work and you would, you would start running out of things.
00:19:08
Speaker
ah you know, in the spring and that would naturally feed into Lent. And then you'd get to Easter and everything is producing again. And it's a great time of feasting. And there is this this nice rhythm that goes along with it. And I'll tell you another thing is the parables and the teachings of Christ in the Gospels are are in more vivid color.
00:19:31
Speaker
because so much of them have to do with agrarian, farm, animals, sheep, you know all these things. And one of the ones that that's really, i think I saw a YouTuber talk about this, but and and we have a bull and he's impregnated again, most i think all of our cows, all the ones we've checked.
00:19:50
Speaker
And a bull will go into, let's just say you have, I don't know, 30 cows. cows A bull, just like a human man, will perceive, I guess, cattle beauty, which is really fertility.
00:20:06
Speaker
and And he will, in a way, somehow rank that herd of cow. And he will breed the the most superior cow all the way down to the most inferior cow, right? Like the ugliest cow or the ut most unhealthy cow.
00:20:23
Speaker
And what's interesting about that is in the Old Testament, you had to give your first fruits to God. You had to offer back your first fruits. So you would give your first born calf or sheep to God.
00:20:35
Speaker
Well, when you think about it like that, that means genetically you're giving your best calf from the, but the first one born is going to be the first one bred. So you're giving your optimal genetics to God.
00:20:49
Speaker
And that's a sacrifice, right? The first, first five calves born are probably from the first five mothers who the bull thought were the five alpha females.
00:21:01
Speaker
And when you think about that over year after year, after year, that is an actual sacrifice to God. That's something I never knew or thought about when I'm reading the Bible. Well, even if you look back at the Old Testament and you consider you you know sacrificial offerings and you're looking through and thinking, oh my gosh, a bull offering.
00:21:19
Speaker
Well, if you don't have any interaction with bulls or cattle ever in your life, you can almost gloss over that as just yes you know an animal offering. And it is. And I don't in any way mean to diminish that from someone reading it. What I mean is if if you're around cattle and you are dependent on your livestock and to feed your family, you are giving up temporal security.
00:21:40
Speaker
And the only way that you can do that, even rationally, is if you really trust that what God says is what God says, and he will do what he says. Yeah. I mean, imagine you, you commit a heinous sin in the old Testament, like murder or adultery or something like that.
00:21:55
Speaker
You, you go bring a bull and that's a financial sacrifice. Yeah. that's a That is a big deal. And and i reading the scriptures, I never associated that. Or when you look at how many cattle Solomon sacrificed at the dedication of the temple when he built the temple, we're talking like, I don't know the exact numbers, but multi-millions, right?
00:22:20
Speaker
of Of cattle slaughtered um in worship and in sacrifice and propitiation. So yeah, you you realize, and that's the other thing is, We were talking about praying for animals. And when you when you see this as not just food, but it's also a financial investment, people today, i don't think they're like, man, I need to pray over my 401k or have my priest come out and bless my 401k.
00:22:45
Speaker
But when you're looking at the land and you're looking at animals, you do pray. Like there's something about that. I think, again, i think this goes back to something more archaic. modern man sort of sees his finances in terms of, you know, a stock portfolio or dollars in a bank.
00:23:04
Speaker
And this is redefining wealth, uh, in an older way. And it's, it's more, well, it is natural. It's, these are actual animals that are alive.
00:23:15
Speaker
And if all of them breed and give birth, that's more success. And if for some reason, none of them breed or you don't have a bowl this season, that's bad. That's not good.
00:23:26
Speaker
Yeah. And it's not just checking the S and P 500 every week, you know, it's a little bit more difficult just to grab, you know, secure another bowl that's ready, you know, or suitable too. But,
00:23:40
Speaker
so So it's cattle and bees. um what I think you mentioned already Angus cattle, but what does this look like for you all right now? Is it just homesteading? Is it a future you know potential enterprise?
00:23:52
Speaker
What's the intention with the cattle? Yeah, so we want to do we want to sell the meat, and we're going as regenerative and organic as we can.
00:24:02
Speaker
ah so far, no vaccines. They only eat grass. They've never seen grain ever. They just eat grass, and they drink spring water. And we move them once a week.
00:24:16
Speaker
So we're doing rotational. It's not every day. It's not your Joel Salatin just because we're not there as much, but we're able to move them and get them on to different paddocks and ro rotate them around. That gets them off of their dung. It gets them on the fresh gar grass.
Organic Practices and Catholic Interest in Homesteading
00:24:32
Speaker
We kind of try to do the third, third, third, where they eat a third, trample a third, leave a third. With a week, you know, space, it's a little bit harder to do, but... you know I'm out there measuring and looking at the grass and making those decisions. And sometimes I'll say, oh we can keep them here a few more days or, oh man, we really need to move them on.
00:24:51
Speaker
A lot of it depends just on what's in that field and how big it is and how it's shaped and are there trees and whatnot. um So, yeah, I think we we're going to try to do direct sales of beef.
00:25:04
Speaker
um We did Slaughter One at Thanksgiving, which was really sad, actually. yeah And we've been we've been eating him. He was a steer. And um the meat's amazing. It's way better than I... I was kind of, like, preparing myself for the worst. Like, what if this is not good?
00:25:22
Speaker
You know, because it's grass-fed. It's not corn-fed. it does It's not going to have this, like... bright white marbled texture and all that. But it's, it's really amazing. We we enjoy it. And, um, we're just kind of, we're learning it. and I think this year we're going to do some direct to market beef sales.
00:25:40
Speaker
That's why so it's, it's not going to be our, our number one income, but, I think it's a great way to pay for costs on the ranch, and I think it will bring income. um It's going to be in the black, and that just makes it, I think, all the better.
00:25:58
Speaker
do you Are you planning to do the same thing with the bees? Yes. So we started we started small. We did two hives, and we had one hive that was just producing tons of honey. We actually took – um a good amount of honey. And I went back in there and there was even more. I mean, they had like eight large frames of honey. I just couldn't believe it. And the other hive was maybe had one frame of honey, just wasn't producing.
00:26:23
Speaker
And that first hive was a little bit more exposed. It didn't have as much wind block, but I figured we're in Texas, no problem. And in January we had a cold snap. It went from like 60 something to like low twenties.
00:26:37
Speaker
And just a few days earlier, I was out there and they were thriving and I could see them coming in and out. and And I went out there and I saw no bees. This is early January on that, on the good hive that produces amazingly.
00:26:49
Speaker
I sort of tapped on the hive, nothing. Tapped on it again, went to the other hive. It had bees in it. Came back, tap, tap, tap. I said, this is not good. Came back later and started taking the hive apart and found no bees, got all the way to the bottom and they were just clumped in a giant ball.
00:27:07
Speaker
And I opened up that ball and the queen was in the middle and they were, they froze. Wow. In the bottom box. Yeah. What a bummer. Yeah. Big bummer. It's to hear that. Now there was a ton of, there I think there was, there was, uh, over eight frames of honey in that hive.
00:27:22
Speaker
So we still have the honey from that hive. And then the other hive that was weaker, I didn't open it up. I didn't want to bother them. Um, but I did buy some, um, some feed for them.
00:27:34
Speaker
I opened the top, put the feed in there, and then I wrapped it with blankets and put a tarp around it. But they could still get in and out. And I was just there a couple days ago, and they're still going in and out. And it's a little warmer now.
00:27:45
Speaker
So that hive is still good, but i'm really i'm I'm really upset with myself because I didn't locate that hive with windbreak. And I didn't insulate it. I just thought in Texas we don't need to.
00:27:59
Speaker
sure And i I don't know if it just got, it just, the temperature changed that fast and they weren't winterized. I really don't know, but and don't know. What do you think? I don't know. um I'm not the best beekeeper, ah to be honest. the last We have bees currently.
00:28:15
Speaker
um i had a ah ah friend of mine who does beekeeping full time, and he came over about a year and a half, two years ago. It was in the autumn time. He looked at my hive and he just shook his head, took the top box off and said, they're they're not going to make it. They didn't make enough.
00:28:30
Speaker
yeah And so I forgot about that hive. And then the next season, it swarmed and a neighbor called me and said, hey, you're the only person. And we live in, we'll call it a neighborhood. There's sure we live in a very relatively but pretty rural area. The neighborhood is like 12 people. I mean, it's very, very small.
00:28:48
Speaker
Yeah. And he reached out to me and he's like, hey, there's bees swarming. Are these yours? And I went over there and sure enough, they they were mine. So I'd never done this before, but I put a suit on and grabbed him off the pole, which was just a what a mesmerizing experience.
00:29:01
Speaker
I actually had a neighbor stop on the road. He kind of he's a older, older gentleman. He's farms. He's been farming his whole life. And so he's always kind of taking a liking to me. But I think he always he thinks I'm a little odd because it's like the soy free, the regenerative, like it's just different.
00:29:16
Speaker
And he stopped in the middle of the road to watch me take these bees off a highway post the middle the road. And um anyway, I guess my point with that is I really don't know because my bees apparently were not going to make it. And they're thriving so well that I think they might have become two hives. Yeah, pretty wild.
00:29:34
Speaker
Yeah, that's awesome. That's great. i I was really looking forward to like trying to catch a swarm. Now, I did buy some more nukes um going into the spring. And I think that second hive is going to make it.
00:29:46
Speaker
And I've learned a lot. So, um, have you been stung? Oh yeah. Yeah. So I, I used to always wear the suit and I wore the full suit, you know?
00:29:59
Speaker
And one day i it was early on. i took off the suit I was with a buddy of mine and he's like, let's have a Copenhagen. So we just kind of laid in the grass. There was flowers and we had a dip, which I i hadn't done since i was like 19. And we're hanging out there. And then I feel this sting on my back inside my shirt. I'm like, what the, I just got stung. there was And there was a bee in there.
00:30:20
Speaker
That was my first one. And then, so I always wore my suit. And then I started watching YouTube. There's all these people on YouTube and they have like just a bonnet on. no gloves, or maybe no bonnet. I'm like, you know, I'm being way too sensitive. I need to be a real beekeeper and not wear the suit all the time. So I went out there and had no suit on. And I, what did I drew ah I dropped the lid and it kind of pounded on the hive. And I was like, oh no. And I could hear them i could hear him buzzing up. And I go, oh, here they come.
00:30:50
Speaker
And immediately I had like five stings on my hand and four arms. I just ran away. They were chasing me. And I've been stung, I've probably been stung this year, maybe total of 10 times.
00:31:02
Speaker
And it hurts, but it's not a big deal. But that time with five stings for over 24 hours, I just felt sick. Like it was too much for my body. Well, it sounds like you've had that experience too. I had this where you're being chased and then you totally like you go into fight or flight mode and you start running and you can hear the buzzing behind you.
00:31:23
Speaker
You totally can. Yeah. It's wild. And you just keep running. You just keep running. I jumped in a truck and drove away from mine actually. Yeah. That's funny. It hurts.
00:31:34
Speaker
It hurts. and And I was worried after that experience of the five stings. I was like, man, what if I develop an allergy from all that? But I've been stung a couple times since then. And actually, the reaction was less than before. So I guess sure it actually helped me. I didn't get more. Because they say you can either get more allergic or less allergic.
00:31:53
Speaker
Right. Fortunately, I think I got less allergic. And it doesn't, yeah, it doesn't. The first time you get stung, you kind of freak out. But I think, I still don't know how the people on YouTube...
00:32:04
Speaker
are just going nothing at all and they're not getting stung. i just don't get that. I haven't figured that out. I have no idea. I've seen it, but don't know. Maybe they're not dropping the lid on the...
00:32:17
Speaker
Well, you you know, one thing I was... I don't know if you're aware of this. You you probably are, but there there's seemingly a resurgence or a strong interest. I don't know if we could call it a resurgence, but a strong interest amongst ah Catholics right now in homesteading and and agriculture and the trades.
00:32:34
Speaker
it seems to be popping up more and more. And i wonder if you have any thoughts on that and you know maybe why that is. Is it just people are, they feel that detachment, they feel disconnected, they're looking for meaning and they see it in the natural.
00:32:47
Speaker
um Or if it's just something of, you know maybe it's just inspirational, maybe it's, so I suspect there's a variety of reasons for it, but you're probably aware of it. What what do you think? Oh, it's it's definitely a big part, I think, in Texas, where I'm at, with Protestants, but I think even more so with Catholics. And I think there's a few reasons for it. First off, ah Catholics tend to have a higher birth rate.
00:33:15
Speaker
So, you know, just like my wife and I have eight kids, you're sitting in a three bedroom house with all these kids and you're like, these kids need to go run around. You know, these kids need to go milk a cow. They need to do something. And I think by having a lot of children, it opens up your mind to how broken and unchild friendly the world has become.
00:33:40
Speaker
You know, I know there are people in Manhattan, they have one or two kids, they take them to Central Park every day and they kick soccer balls. But, you know, is that really enough? And when you when you multiply that and you have four kids or five kids or something like that, you realize that family life needs, like we were saying earlier, a certain environment to thrive and be natural. And that has to do, I think also with teenagers and and what they're able to do and what they want to do. I mean, my sons, since we've been out there, I've been, I've taken up carpentry and they're building all kinds of amazing things. You know, I'm just buying them tools and they're just building and building and building. And it's, it's fantastic to watch. I think that's one thing is the larger family.
00:34:22
Speaker
I think the second thing is conservative people. And i think this is all kinds of Christians, but Catholics in particular, are now feeling betrayed by the university collegiate system.
00:34:37
Speaker
It's very woke. It's very liberal. It's very expensive. And they're like, what is the point of going into debt for this or paying for this for our children? And we spent 18 years raising them in Christ and in 18 weeks they're heathens.
00:34:53
Speaker
You know? Yeah. and And so they're they're rethinking what does it mean to be successful and is a four-year degree part of that process.
00:35:03
Speaker
And for many of them, that has to do with the trades, like you just mentioned. Like, why not become a plumber, have a plumbing business, and make six figures? People are doing that.
00:35:15
Speaker
um And so I think people are looking at the alternative ways, and that's that is more of a rural agrarian approach. life It can be done in the city, but I think, you know, it has it has to do with rethinking vocation, earning power, et cetera.
00:35:33
Speaker
Also, agrarian lifestyle is less expensive than city style, a city lifestyle. um Food production, cost of living, cost of, i mean, you can, for the price of a mcmansion in the city you can buy ah a pretty nice house with a bunch of acres on it and you get a little bit more value and i'm sure there's some other reasons but i think those three right there are definitely pointing people to the homesteading life and then i guess the fourth reason is on social media there is definitely a trend that
00:36:15
Speaker
Cowboys are cool. um What's her name?
The Reality of Agrarian Life
00:36:18
Speaker
Ballerina Farms girl is milking her cows and selling butter. And there is this bucolic fantasy of just living on the land and and being out there. And it's it's kind of, I think, maybe a flex for some people too.
00:36:36
Speaker
ah There's something romantic to But I think that that shows that people deep down know that there is something wholesome about this. So i think do you think the same? i Do you think it's kind of become trendy in a way?
00:36:48
Speaker
i think it I think it definitely is trendy in many ways. I always try to caution people when you see these social media videos or pictures, there's realness there. you know The fields are beautiful. The animals are gorgeous. I mean, there this is all really beautiful.
00:37:03
Speaker
But I think that there's a danger there for a lot of people in that it's it's often an ideological dream, you know pretending that hundreds of years ago, nobody died of dysentery or nobody died of... you know you know very simple things that that really aren't an issue now.
00:37:19
Speaker
But i I see that on both sides, and people will seemingly call that out like, oh, it's just a fantasy. And then you have people like yourself, like art myself, my family, where we're saying it's not a fantasy.
00:37:30
Speaker
There's a realness to this. you know It's not... The vision is beautiful. The way that it can support a family and create this productive household, not even just around economic things, but just the family working together for things that aren't made up.
00:37:45
Speaker
You like if you mend fence, it's not there's no blue ribbon trophy for men men's fence. It's congratulations. Now the cattle won't get out. Like, good job. You did you did something real. Yeah. And I think that there's a ah delicate balance, but a really good situation right now to bring people in this and you can be inspired and draw wisdom from the past.
00:38:07
Speaker
You can talk about these visions that are coming up in social media, and then you can kind of meet somewhere in the middle where you say, look, it's not always going to smell pretty. it's It's not always going to look the best.
00:38:18
Speaker
Sometimes there's a lot of mud out there. It's not always perfectly green fields and cattle grazing. Sometimes a cattle falls over and won't get back up. And that's a really bad situation.
00:38:29
Speaker
Sometimes you step in manure and it just is what it is. Sometimes, all the time. Yeah. I mean, all the time. Yeah. i mean, it's, it's, I would say just like you, it, it is a fantasy in a way. And it also is hard.
00:38:44
Speaker
And I don't think people on Instagram are posting the, yeah, here's my sick cow with mastitis. Yeah. You know, maybe somebody are, but that's, maybe you know, it's always, and that's Instagram. Like Instagram is always like, here's my awesome beach vacation. And here's all my kids dressed up at Christmas.
00:39:02
Speaker
Nobody's posting reels of, you know, all the kids with diarrhea screaming, you know, and when that bug comes through in January or or whatever. And I think that's the same thing here, but.
00:39:14
Speaker
There is a unrest in the modern mind. I think a lot of it has to do with phones and screens and video games and all this synthetic entertainment.
00:39:27
Speaker
And people know they should be doing something. I mean, that's the other thing I've realized too, is that, you know, I've been going to ah a gym to work out for as long as I can remember. And when I'm out there, i don't want to go to a gym.
00:39:39
Speaker
No. Like I'm lifting wood, I'm carrying posts, you know, and unraveling barbed wire, ah moving hay rings. I mean, you you really sleep well when you're out there.
00:39:52
Speaker
That's the other thing. I wear this Ura ring and it it does like my heart rate and my breathing and my temperature. It's like a health thing, but it's a ring. And I've noticed over the year,
00:40:04
Speaker
When I'm out there, all my vitals are better. My heart rate, my sleep, my temperature, my breathing, my heart rate value variability. When I'm back, they go a little bit ne in the and the wrong way.
00:40:18
Speaker
And that's just kind of taught me over the years. At first I was like, is this for real? but It's definitely for real. um I am more at peace and I'm probably getting consistent exercise, consistent steps, walking throughout the day um and more relaxed and less stressed when I'm there.
00:40:34
Speaker
And I think just that's a that's a scientific it might be anecdotal just me, but to me, that's like 52 weeks of scientific data that my sleep, my heart rate, my breathing, my stress, all of that is better when I'm out there.
00:40:52
Speaker
Right. That's wonderful to hear. Yeah. You know, I think ah a lot of this conversation it centers around a few different groups of people who are interested in the agricultural space or in the homesteading life.
00:41:05
Speaker
You kind of took this on when you already had a family well established. And I think often online you see it from you know people who are nearly pining for it and they're younger adults, maybe newly married, one child or no children, and they're just kind of dreaming of it.
00:41:19
Speaker
do you think it's, you know, you guys are doing it, but for a lot of people, just maybe a moment of encouragement. I mean, is it possible for someone who's, you know, a family that's already well-established, is it reasonable for them to make that move or make that decision to bring agriculture into their life?
00:41:35
Speaker
Like, do you think it it has a positive impact on them? Absolutely. Yeah. And, and again, I don't, I don't think it's an all or nothing, nothing like we're straddling it. Um,
00:41:46
Speaker
you know, we so our parents are still alive. We still have young children. um We have, you know, with my work, I'm very much attached to city. i could, I do have a studio out there and I do do writing and and recording out there, but you know, to make the full move is just not, we could do it, but it's just not very feasible for us. And so, you know, honestly, when we went onto this journey,
00:42:13
Speaker
i was Now that we've passed over a year and although there's been some setbacks, it's gone pretty good. It was an experiment. You know, I was in the back of my mind. i was completely open to the idea that this could be a complete disaster, ah big mistake, and we might just need to sell it and give up.
00:42:35
Speaker
You know, and I think that's a reasonable approach to it. it It is, it is biting off a lot. But I think for us so far, it's been, it's been worth it. It's been a great experience. and i mean, talk to me in three years from now i'll be like, yeah, I just got way out of hand.
00:42:51
Speaker
We're out. We're not doing anymore. But I think our family has taken to it. I think our temperaments are right for it. um The snowball is rolling. The snowball is growing. And I think we're going to stick to this. And I could see maybe in 10 years time,
00:43:07
Speaker
maybe moving out, doing this full time. Sure. That's great to hear. Gradual. I think people should be gradual. I think, you know, also I have friends who are interested in this and I'm like come on out, you know, you're going to work, you know, but, and they come out and, and they, they can, I think that'd be good for people who, who are interested is, is just become a buddy with someone and go and work on their ranch and look at their sheep or help them with their chickens or beehives, cows, goats, whatever they're doing.
00:43:36
Speaker
ah farming, agriculture, and just go check it out. And maybe if you can bring your family and just see if it's a good fit before you buy acres. That's great.
00:43:47
Speaker
It's all good advice. Truly. Well, Hey, I'm really glad to ah have the opportunity to meet you here. You know, this is a great conversation. I really hope it's encouraging to more and more and people who are, you know, entering this space or interested in it.
00:44:01
Speaker
um And appreciate you taking time out of your data to meet with us here and, And sincerely, thank you for that. i don't know if you have any other you know final words or lasting things you want to share with anyone. but Yeah, I think one thing we didn't cover, and that is the local church.
00:44:15
Speaker
in in the agrarian rule life. It's been a really cool experience. Talk about that. Yeah, that's actually important. Because you have a lot of people doing the same thing.
00:44:28
Speaker
And, you know, I'm a Catholic, so everyone's Catholic. And you're like, hey, do you know someone who can weld or can I borrow this? The church is just an immediate network.
Role of Church Communities in Rural Life
00:44:40
Speaker
And I think in the city, when you go to a Catholic church and there's like a thousand people there, People come in, they hit the parking lots, maybe they get a cup of coffee and they're out. In the country life, it's a little bit more old school, like people hanging out.
00:44:53
Speaker
you know Maybe that's because people are separated by land and ranches, but there's a little bit more of a community and willingness to help each other. And so I would say if you're going to embark on this journey, i think having an amazing parish, amazing church is ah is a big key to having that initial network to plug you in. Yeah.
00:45:19
Speaker
I think that's actually, it's, it's, it's really important for people who are discerning where to move to or where they're going to do this at, because the reality for a lot of people is that it was just historical, you know, people move from the countryside and they, you know, congregated around cities for a variety of reasons, you know trade reasons, river fronts, you know, various reasons that are just really practical. And, and,
00:45:43
Speaker
for a lot of people, I think that they'll find that there's not easy access to the sacraments in the country where land may be accessible because of costs or for whatever reason. And it's just something they really need to consider as they make that decision, because you're right.
00:45:58
Speaker
We've learned, you know, time time is different in the country. um You know, if if you're when you come in the country and you're talking to someone and you got a cell phone on you because you're used to, you know, folks from the city calling your work calling you.
00:46:11
Speaker
um It's not that people are rude. It's just that they're there in front of you. So they it's almost like, you know, the priority is the person in front of you, even if the phone is ringing. Or if you ever go and visit someone, it can be very difficult to leave because it's just not, you know, it's times different. Like it's community. You made the trip out. Let's have a conversation.
00:46:31
Speaker
We had to get really used to people just showing up at our house neighbors. Yeah. I asked like that too. Yeah. Yeah. Just people just showing up cause it's just, they're just in the neighborhood or in the area. So, yeah.
00:46:43
Speaker
and And, and, and, and that can be good too. would think that kind of maybe, uh, breaks up some of our inherited metropolitan, ah isolation, you know, like when you're in Manhattan and three people get on the elevator, don't say, Hey, how's it going? Where are you from? Like people are just stoic and quiet.
00:47:03
Speaker
In the country, people are... and I think part of it's necessity. like You need other people. And your neighbors are really important. They're much more important. In the city, you might not talk to your neighbor for 10 years. Right.
00:47:15
Speaker
It is interesting. It's um it's almost like... It almost seems backwards. When you're in the city, there's so many people around you that you can almost take it for granted that you and because your your needs are almost provided for. So why would you need to rely on someone else? And if you do, it almost makes you vulnerable.
00:47:32
Speaker
In the country, by virtue of you being so far out in the country, you are temporarily vulnerable. You may not have access to EMS services. like you need to You need to have a good community around you.
00:47:46
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, example of that is I went talked to one of my neighbors that was on a property that comes up to ours. We were just talking, like you said, going on. And then at a certain point she said, Oh, um, about a month ago, one of your calves got out and I called my son. He came and got and put it back in. and To me, that's a big deal. Like, Whoa, you know, but to her, it was just like, it's the neighborly thing to do. Like one of your calves got out. They didn't even like call me. They just,
00:48:13
Speaker
took care of it and put it back in. And I was like, thank you so much. You know, I really appreciate that. So that's just an example of you need a community. Yeah, we definitely feel it for sure. We've been incredibly thankful for those around us. And, you know, you just start to look out for each other.
00:48:30
Speaker
I wish I had better ways to describe it because I think we're describing a common experience that people have had and have probably in some ways, just it's been a part of the human condition for millennia.
00:48:41
Speaker
And yet then we lose it because we've supposedly solved, you know, temporarily all these things. And now we're, you know, just pursuing entertainment for entertainment.
00:48:52
Speaker
And then you come back out here and it does kind of reset that experience. Yeah, definitely. a life. It is. It is. And again, we're not in it like you are 100%, but we're we're able to experience it in increments.
00:49:08
Speaker
And I think it's it's good for us. I think that's encouraging to people. I appreciate you sharing that. That's great. um Well, good deal. Well, thank you for being here. i really appreciate it. It's a great conversation. And I look forward to seeing how beef sales go in the near future.
00:49:21
Speaker
Yeah. Well, thanks, Matthew. Keep up the good work and keep the great podcast. Thank you. Thank you for joining us on the Cottagers podcast. For more information on today's episode, check out the show notes or visit us at cottagepastures.com.
00:49:35
Speaker
We look forward to you joining us on the next episode.