The Shepherdess

Resources for Beginner Sheep Farmers, Dorper Sheep for Sale in Texas!

farming for profit

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Why I’m BUILDING WEALTH WITH SHEEP.

FREE Sheep Farming E-book: https://bit.ly/SheepEBOOK

Join my Newsletter: http://bit.ly/ShepherdessNWSLTR

$100K Farm Business Plan: http://bit.ly/farmprofit

FOLLOW MY INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/ShepherdessIG

Today’s Livestream is intended to kick off season 3 of the Shepherdess.

THIRD LENSE:

Over the past two years I have used my videos to share my story through different lenses. In my first season I shared my day to day routine through the lens of a first time sheep farmer. In Season 2 I shared with you the data behind my decision to pivot from beef cattle to sheep as a primary enterprise for my micro ranching enterprise.

In season 3 I am going to share with you the real economics behind my decision to use sheep as a means of building wealth.

I am getting ready to share with you real information on how my sheep are a wealth building tool, but none of it is true unless you can keep a sheep alive. That free e book is going to walk you through basically the 13 things you need to hedge your investment in sheep.

As I kick off season 3 with this livestream, I am going to share a story.

THE UNTOLD STORY:

I have told you before that I am a digital marketer by trade. In May of 2020 my team and I had just finished one of our largest marketing projects ever. With the money I made there, I paid off my car, I put 10 months of rent and living expenses into savings. After I had done that, I had $11,000 leftover.

At the time, I was watching the US spend it’s way out of an economic crisis. I watched the government issue consent to put TRILLIONS of dollars into the economy through various means of stimulus.

I am not an economist, but I knew that under such conditions, money in the bank would quickly lose it’s value.

So I prayed. I asked the Lord if He would show me a way that I could invest this $11,000 and have it hold it’s value, or even increase.

Specifically my prayer was “for eyes to see an undervalued asset”.

From what little I knew of investing, I knew that the most successful investors were ones that saw value in something before anyone else did and took a risk by investing in that thing before anyone else.

Being from the digital industry, being that my jobs was in an office, I naturally expected the Lord would direct me toward a company to invest in, or precious metals, or possibly even real estate.

But He didn’t.

Instead He directed my attention to agriculture… and more specifically low-input agriculture with an emphasis on soil health.

This unyielding interest was a shock to me, this was a shock to my family, but it was something I could not shake. That interest segued into open doors. The Lord provided me with the education I needed to walk through those doors.

So long story short, I took that $11,000 and instead of buying silver or crypto, I bought 26 sheep and the fencing I needed to contain them on 30 acres.

If you are interested in what happened after that, the 100+ videos on this channel are chapters chronicling various aspects from that moment in 2020 to today,

but….

Since that moment in 2020 when I prayed for an investment opportunity for that $11,000, the United State’s cumulative rate of inflation hit 15.1%, US National debt increased by 30%.

Should I have left that that $11k in the bank it would only be worth $9,500 today. 

But by investing it in sheep and zeroing in on my marketing of them, that $11K has seen an increase of roughly 40%.

Through the sale of surplus ram lambs I have sold enough livestock to cover 1/2 of that initial $11,000 investment all while my flock size has increased by 40% through the ewe lambs I have retained.  

While some are pushing silver, or gold, or real estate; it is my goal in my third season of content to encourage you through what I have seen firsthand THE VALUE of using livestock as a means of building wealth.

You have to be wise about how you build your farm and you have to know how to care for sheep, or you’ll end up like everyone who invested in FTX last year.

But the dollar alone is no longer a valid measurement of wealth. We all need to be considering alternative means of storing our wealth. Even if it is small. $11,000 is not a lot of money, but I want to encourage you that even if you only a small

If you have debt, you don’t have wealth; so do everything you can to pay it off. But if you have any cash, you need to make sure you have enough in the bank to cover 6mos-1 year of expenses, and pray for ways to invest whatever is leftover.

HISTORICALLY DURABLE FORMS OF WEALTH:

Land (REAL ESTATE), Livestock, and precious metals.  Sheep are DYNAMIC, precious metals are static.

One thing I want to bring to light is that modern America has severely undervalued agriculture. In fact we have shot ourselves in the foot with this.

America is about to lose 1/3 of it’s farmers.  The average age of the American Farmer is 54 years old.  1/3 of farmers in America are over 64 years old. Within the next 15 years we will lose 1/3 of our farmers through either retirement or death… UNLESS.

UNLESS people like you and like me take up this mantle and on whatever scale we can and begin growing food.  First taking responsibility for our families needs, then branching out into our community, and beyond.

IF you have no land, find your local farmer.  Eatwild.com is a good place to start. You are going to pay more with your local farmer than you will at the grocery store where all of the food on the shelves is the product of industrial agriculture, but view the extra money as an investment in your future, your children’s future, and food security.  You do not have to buy all of your food local, but try and replace one item on your grocery list with a local source.

I want people to understand that agriculture is a historically proven means of building wealth.

I want people to begin investing in it with the same energy and innovation that we give to tech startups Silicon Valley.

Because our need for real food is growing faster than our need for software development.

Our reliance on GMO’s and industrial agriculture is killing our bodies and depleting our natural resources.

We are self-destructing and I believe that those with eyes to see agriculture as an undervalued asset, and the bravery to invest in it when no-one else will will be greatly rewarded.

THERE IS SOMETHING THAT I UNDERSTAND HERE:

I UNDERSTAND A VALUE IN WHAT I AM DOING THAT GOES BEYOND DOLLARS AND CENTS. And this is what you need to get into agriculture… because there will be months and years where you make very little of either one. We need to diversify as farmers, we need to be extremely creative with the revenue streams we build on farm, and the markets we pursue and establish ourselves in.

While I intend (should the Lord allow) to make a significant amount of money off of what I am doing, I would do this whether I made money or not. I know too much to do otherwise.

We need more farmers.

-the Shepherdess

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Creating a $100K Farm Business Plan (with Worksheet)

Here is a link to input your email and receive the printable worksheet that accompanies this video!

Are you looking for a Small Farm Business Plan? I have created an easy to follow $100K Farm Business Plan Worksheet that will get you on your way to profitable farm life!

When I ran a poll on the Harmony Farms Instagram page I was excited to find that 83% of voters want to make farming their full-time job and 100% of voters were interested in knowing how I created my small farm business plan.

While $100K may sound like a lot of money, a gross sales goal of $100,000 per year is almost essential for those wanting to make a profit from their small farm. This $100K sales goal is needful because, as the farmer, you will only be left with around 30% after all of your farming expenses are paid.

Farming was not going to be a hobby for me, I set out from the start to make my small farm a serious business… with real profit. As such, one fo the first things I did was create a farm business plan. I established a gross-sales goal of $100,000 for my small farm and began to explore ways that I could stack various types of farm enterprises to maximize my relatively small acreage.

My success here will be a result of the Lord’s blessing, but having a solid plan to profit helps me to maintain my focus in the day-to-day.

I have set a 7-year timeline for taking my farm from zero to $100,000 in annual sales. If you are setting out to make farming a significant source of profit, I encourage you to pace yourself for the long run. It has been said that the average person overestimates what he can do in one year, but even more so underestimates what he can do in 5 years.

But first, why do you want to be a farmer?

Why do you want to be a farmer? Your answer to this question will be your foundation as you set out on the journey toward small farming for profit.

If your answer is simply “I want to make money” you are going to have a weak foundation. There are a million other ways to make this kind of money and, 999,000 of them will be easier than farming.

As a small farmer (especially a first-generation farmer) you are going to encounter a lot of challenges. Farming is not easy. You must have an anchor-point for difficult and discouraging times.

My anchor point is, quite simply, the Lord. I believe He has lead me to this very place in both time and location. It is no mistake that my family exchanged life in the big city of San Antonio for 30 acres of pasture in an East Texas town; and it is no mistake that my unshakeable interest in raising beef cattle resulted in a personal awakening to the urgent need for continued growth in the Regenerative Farming Movement. Modern convention is failing, and it is failing in one of the most essential areas of life: our food supply chain.

I believe that the Lord is leading me to utilize my experience in business to maximize the resources He has placed me in the midst of. This is my why, and this (plus a good support group) keeps me anchored on bad days.

Now we can get started.

Small Farm Business Plan Worksheet PDF

Create a $100K Farm Business Plan by Answering 7 Questions:

(Download the worksheet here)

Outline:

  1. Why do you want to be a farmer? (above)
  2. Who will buy my farm goods? (Market Analysis)
  3. What do you have to start with? (Evaluate your resources)
  4. What are you Going to Farm? (Find the best fit)
  5. How much do I need to sell? (Aiming for $100k)
  6. When will you reach this goal? (Establish a timeline)
  7. Where are you going to get the money? (Counting the Cost)

Question 2: Who will buy my farm goods? (Market Analysis)

The first step in creating a Farm Business Plan is Market Analysis. Market Analysis is just a fancy way of saying: make sure there are people out there who want to buy your potential farm goods.

Using the Harmony Farms $100K Business Plan Worksheet list as many ways you can think of to sell your farm goods. Brainstorm and don’t put any limits on yourself. Will you sell your farm goods to friends and family? Will you market to your local community? Will you sell at a metro area farmers market? Will you sell to farm-to-table restaurants? Will it be all of the above?  Try to list at least 10 potential customer-groups for your (hypothetical) farm products.

QUICK TIP: Most successful Market Farmers live within 2 hours of a largely populates metro area.

Question 3: What do you have to start with? (Evaluate your resources)

Step 2 in the $100K Farm Business Plan Worksheet is take a thorough inventory of existing resources. Take this resource inventory before you make a final decision about what animal or produce to farm.

In order to minimize startup costs, it is important to make sure your resources closely match the product you decide to farm. 

For example: if I wanted to farm gourmet grass-fed beef; but my primary resource is a 3-acre land base that grows nothing but ragweed, my resource does not match my desired finished product.  I probably need to think about farming something like gourmet goat’s milk instead.  

Go to your Harmony Farms $100K Business Plan Worksheet list as many existing resources as you can think of. List things like acreage, grass quality, rainfall, average days of sunlight, human resource (aka, free help!😂), fencing, and so on.

QUICK TIP: For maximum profitability, make sure the animals or produce you want to farm closely match existing resources. Don’t cling to your ideals at the expense of profitability!

As an example: I thought I would be farming primarily grass-fed beef cattle, but after a thorough inventory of my resources, sheep are a 3x more profitable fit for my operation! I’m still farming beef, but on a much smaller scale than sheep.

A key to profitability in any business is minimizing inputs ($$) by maximizing existing resources!

Invariably there will be that person who says: “What if I don’t have any existing resources??” Well, maybe you aren’t looking hard enough. You don’t need much to farm for profit. I’ve heard story after story of farmers who earn $100K per acre growing specialty products; things like roses, micro greens, and high end organic veggies.

Look for opportunities, not obstacles.

Nuf said.

Question 4: What are you Going to Farm?

Now that you have taken an inventory of what you have to get started with (existing resources), it is time to do your research. What are you going to farm?

Determine what species, or what variety of species, will give you a good profit-per-acre. Research what goes into raising these animals or this produce. Then, go to your local Farmer’s Markets and check out what other farmers are charging for their farm products.

Grass fed beef cattle was my initial goal in farming, but after running the numbers, visiting local markets, and counting the cost of raising sheep, my Grass Fed Lamb will actually be 30-40% more profitable than my Grass Fed Hereford-Angus Beef.

Using your Harmony Farms $100K Business Plan Worksheet, brainstorm again. This time, brainstorm on what you could farm, given your existing resources. Pigs, goats, chickens, beef steer, sheep… make a list and research the needs associated with each class of livestock to determine the best fit for your resources. Also, fill in the “Retail Price Per Pound” field beside each farm product.

QUICK TIP: Visit your local Farmer’s Market. What are the locals farming? What are they charging? How much competition is there for the product you want to farm? Is there a gap in the Market that you could fill with a more unique farm products?

Question 5: How much do I need to sell reach $100K?

Now that you have determined what you will farm, you need to calculate how many units you need to sell to reach $100k in gross sales. In this Harmony Farms $100K Business Plan Worksheet, we are defining a unit as 1lb of meat or produce.

Let’s use Grass-Fed Lamb as an example. A very safe estimate on the price of Grass-Fed Lamb is $11 per pound. To find out how many pounds you need to sell, divide $100,000 by $11. This divides out to 9,091 pounds of lamb. Each lamb on your farm will yield around 40 pounds of meat, so if you choose to only farm sheep, you will need to produce roughly 228 marketable lambs every year.

This will be another point at which your resource inventory comes into play. Do you have the resources to produce the units necessary to reach $100k in annual sales?

Make stocking decisions based on a responsible evaluation of your land base, not desired income.

If, at this point, you realize you do not have the resources to reach this $100K sales goal, don’t worry. You do not have to reach this goal in one year. Start small. Diversify. Rethink your main enterprise… But don’t give up. Do what you can and grow from there.

Question 6: How long will I give myself to reach this goal?

It has been said that the average person overestimates what he can do in 1 year, but underestimates what he can do in 5 years.  

My timeline for reaching $100k in annual sales is 7 years. This timeline allows for an incremental increase in stocking density. It allows me to guard against overgrazing, over-stocking, and so on. My 7-year timeline gives me the ability to grow in a way that prioritizes the regeneration of my land base, as opposed to suddenly stocking 100 ewes + 20 cows and entering a degenerative land-management tailspin.

Establish a timeline that will allow you to grow your farm in a way that benefits your land base.

In addition to benefitting my land base, incremental growth also keeps me from having to go into debt to build my farm.

Question 7: How much will this cost?

With steps 1-5 in place, it’s time to make a list of what it will take to equip your farm for production. Make it your goal to buy as little as possible. Be resourceful and use what you have whenever possible.

Profitability is taking an existing resource and converting it into a product that appeals to the masses: but only if the cost of conversion does not exceed the sale price of your product.

I am using a simple spreadsheet to track my farm expenses, as well as list projected expenses. Keep it simple: record what you have spent and when you spent it. Then record any expenses you see on the horizon. Recording these projected expenses allows you to begin strategizing in advance (i.e. what will you sell on Facebook Marketplace to pay for your upcoming farm expenses… 😂).

Two free spreadsheet resources I use are Google Drive and One Drive. Both platforms function the same, but One Drive is more privacy-oriented. Both platforms allow me to access my spreadsheets across all my devices.

Focus.

The analogy of light is so applicable to the different ways we can approach our goals.

On one hand you have a search-light:

A searchlight is equivalent to someone setting out with tons of energy but no real focus. This massive light flashes everywhere, all the time and uses a ton of energy. It does not stay focused on one thing long enough to even illuminate, a path to the end goal.

On the other hand you have a laser-light.

A laser-light is the equivalent of a person setting out with an intense focus on his end goals; he is going in one direction with a clear goal in mind.

In both instances, we are working with the same element (light), but it is the intensity of your focus that proves the game-changer.

By establishing this Farm Business Plan upfront you will have the opportunity to begin with the intensity of focus you need to accomplish your goals.

And to bring it all back to real life: at the end of the day you have to do the work. Plant the seeds, take care of the animals, do the dirty work. Roll up your sleeves and whatever team or support group you accumulate in this farming journey, lead them by your example.

“…but God gave the increase. · So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” 1 Corinthians 3:6-8