It's EASIER & CHEAPER on a Vegetarian Homestead
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- Опубліковано 21 вер 2024
- Homesteading is hard, what if there was an easier way? Vegetarian homesteading is actually easier & cheaper, find out why. Featuring some of your favorite homesteaders, DaddyKirbs, Gold Shaw Farm, Wholesome Roots, and Mother Udder.
DaddyKirbs Farm: / daddykirbs
Gold Shaw Farm: / @goldshawfarm
Wholesome Roots: / @wholesomeroots
Mother Udder: / @motherudder
About the Sunshine Farm
We're Jenn & Chris. We are millennial homesteaders on a small plant based hobby farm and modern homestead in Upstate NY, where we focus on sustainability, loving on all our animals, and enjoying wide open spaces. We're in our mid-twenties, balancing full time jobs, and also trying to share our lives with you along the way. Thanks for joining us for this video, we're excited to have you along for the ride.
Follow our Adventure!
Blog and website: sunshinefarmny...
Facebook: / sunshinefarmny
Instagram: / sunshinefarmny
Pinterest: / sunshinefarmny
Our Amazon Wishlist: a.co/bqsq245
Thank you for making this video, that voice very much needs to be heard. No abuse, no harm, feels good, no guilt, blessed life, easy on the mind and heart. Thank you 🙏🏽
I retired a year ago and just moved into this house with one acre of beautiful flat fertile land. I have absolutely no desire to raise, eat or house any animals. This will become a vegetarian homestead. I may get some hives for pollination purposes, but that’s it. I moved here in October, so I was able to plant the garlic, transplant some perennial herbs and rhubarb and dig out and fertilize a massive garden. I planted an espalier apple tree in the front yard, and am planning to start a tea garden, and I have also ordered my fruit trees for the spring for my orchard. I also have wild blackberries growing at the back of my property that backs onto a forest. There is no need for me to go crazy with an animal farm. All these vegetables will keep me plenty busy and I am guessing I will be at war with every plant munching bug out there. I will not be using any pesticides unless it’s organic and homemade. The goal here is to grow as much food as I can freeze, dehydrate, store in the cold room and pressure can and regular can. Lots of work, but doable. Especially since I live alone. I am super excited about my veggie farm of one acre. Maybe I will do a UA-cam channel, just for fun and to spread the word. Peace and love to you both. ☮️💕
That sounds wonderful
Heck yes to plant based homestead!
I got about 2 minutes in and was chuckling because I felt like this was sneaky undercover journalism =] loved it!
🤣🤣🤣 to be fair, most of them knew what kind of angle I was taking hahaha. They’re also all friends.
@@SunshineFarm Yeah ahah I had no doubt, they're great people!
She totally gave us a heads up but for me personally, I value her vegetarian viewpoint so much that I was happy to give an honest perspective. Having a plant based Homestead is very admirable! ❤️🧡
Wholesome Roots when i was living alone in Cincinnati i was 90% vegetarian. Dropped a lot since bring back in NY but i hope to eventually be
100% vegetarian minus what I raise myself.
Have seen a lot of sucess having a vegan garden with no animal manure or animal products brought onto the property the last 4 years. Looking for acreage to build a homestead. Love your channel! Great interviews!
That’s amazing!! I would love to learn from you, I get a lot of questions about that, but I don’t have a good answer because we have companion farm animals and we use their manure.
@@SunshineFarm just for an experiment I started it and really all I did was replace manure for alfalfa. If you got it I say use it! You two are living your dream which I admire, also you have a talent for making awesome videos!
@@SunshineFarm green cover crops and alfalfa pellets are amazing. That's all I have been using, with great success. Also invite the birds and beneficial insects, they will take care of pests. The other thing I use is leaves in the fall as mulch around my fruit trees. I drive through the neighborhoods and pick up leaves in the paper bags, that people put at the curb. The bag is compostable, and smothers the weeds.
Love the plant based homestead💖
I’m so glad to hear that!!
This was so interestig. I'm so happy that I am a Vegan Homesteader!
I like that you interviewed your hubby too. ~Heather
Thanks Heather!! So glad you enjoyed that. 😀
Morgan literally can't talk about his farm without doing the hand thing 😄
Hahaha I notice that too. He’s a hand talker for sure
😂🤣
Great confirmation that I can have a homestead with no animals!
I totally agree! People could live on much less land and be closer to their community, if they'd not keep livestock (or anything bigger than ducks or chickens).
Vegetarian homestead off course!..
We are with you!. I hope people can see that!.. Healthy, simple and Easy!..👏👏👏
Exactly!! Thanks for your support Patricia!
Animals are definitely a huge cost/investment, but they are also hugely rewarding even outside of the monetary reward. I totally support a plant based way of life as well though. My daughter is a 12 year old vegetarian and we support her 100%! She’s been doing it for over a year now, closer to two years.
They are very rewarding!! Easier & cheaper isn’t always better 😋🤣
Wonderful video!!!! Just found out about you and hope to see more videos from your vegan homestead. This is what I am doing on a smaller scale. It's a wonderful life to live as a veggie homesteader :)
You know I love you guys, this video was very well done and put together. I think the one big difference for most of those other homesteaders is that the money they invest into those animals is recouped in the form of food or income so the cost isn't as much as you would think because they are getting something back for it. If you raised animals and didn't use them for meat or milk then the cost is way higher. I totally support you guys and what you do so this video was interesting. I mean I have no animals so technically I have a plant based homestead 😄. Keep the great videos coming and keep showing people it can be done differently I think that's important to share.
Thanks for your comment and consistent support, we appreciate it so much! It's true, for other homesteaders they do cut costs by consuming animal products. BUT I still feel it is cheaper to eat most of your food from the garden then to pay for the cost of animal feed, infrastructure, vet visits, etc. to have animals on a homestead. The input cost vs. how much output you have is something to consider, and I think you get more bang for your buck in the garden!!
Awesome and encouraging to find a fellow vegetarian homesteader. Subscribed and look forward to more of your vids.
I have two Labs, two cats and that’s the right amount of animals for me.
I work full time (luckily from home) so ease, freedom and not being a prisoner are super important to me. During the growing season, I fill the water tanks once a week or so and open a water valve every two or three days. I weed very little and mow the orchard/garden area once or twice a year. Once the infrastructure of fencing and water system were in place, have had very little work/expense over the years.
In my situation, we have elk/deer so fencing has to be tall, but using high tensile strength wire, posts are far apart and the expense/maintenance is very little.
Huge to me is once winter sets in, tanks are drained and a little winter prep done, I’m free until spring. I’ll go out tomorrow or the next day to finish putting a few tubes on fruit trees and won’t see the orchard/garden again until spring.
With respect to predators, I actually support and encourage them. What most consider a nuisance/are afraid of, work for me by eating rodents. We had two families of coyotes running around this year and they did a great job. Have a little vid on my channel of what I call Coyote Rodent Control.
We had at least one mountain lion this season as well. A neighbor saw it cross a road to my place and sent out an email blast to the 20 or so of us in the area to warn everyone. I replied all that it was “my” cat and that I expected everyone to leave it alone.
;-)
And it is morally right. Good on you. I'm Vegan and proud of it.
The morals are the reason we do it for sure!! The rest is just bonus. 😊 I want to make more videos on the ethical side of it in the future.
i love this thank you ! i too ama vegetarian homestead in progress. i do want ducks and maybe chickens. i have alpaca and horses for manure and fiber and i make all my own compost, plant medicine, food and more from wild native and grown food plants. This was a great video to encourage what i am already doing and nails it home! thank you again! ( I've been a vegetarian since 1986 so it just made since)
I know people like meat but I just don’t see what the hell you’re gaining in a “simple” homestead life when considering animal feed, vet bills, predator protection, every day animal care, noise control, animal waste/feces, animal shelter/fencing, and animal babysitting when you actually want to leave home, just to have a piece of chicken every night and some cheese. It just doesn’t seem worth it... and like almost as expensive as just going to the store to buying store bought meat or local farmed meat, just with the added labor. I’d run a veganic permaculture homestead, just for the convenience of no serious animal responsibilities, and being able to just leave my homestead. Once you have your garden set up (water catchment methods, interplanting, food forest garden) it’s mostly hands free. You can humanure and use green manure for compost and attract certain wildlife for pest control. I’d supplement my diet with fishing and a tiny bit of fair chase hunting (adjusted to the bioregional area and their rules on conservation). Eating steak every night is not worth the responsibility of taking care of a herd of cows for 4 years. At least for me... to each their own.
Absolutely, very well said
Yes! Thank you for doing this video. My experience is the same. The animals are the biggest worry, the hardest work, and the big expense. Plant based homesteading is where its at!
So glad I found you! We aren't off grid at least yet but learning and doing as much as we can. Bit by bit.
LOVED this video!!
This was awesome! Very well done! Thank you for including me in this important discussion.
Thank you for your support Rose! We love you!
Love it. ❤️
Love it Jen!!! You are so right. If you dont use an animal's by products then they are a pet and an additional expense.
Thank you for watching & commenting! I’m glad you enjoyed it! 💛
Thanks so much for this vlog in particular. We are starting out on our off grid adventure in southern Tasmania and will be growing veganically ( no intentional animal inputs). We are starting with Hazlenuts and industrial hemp. Enjoying your channel as it is the only one I’ve found with a similar perspective. Keep up the good work! Cheers from the little heart shaped island way down under ❤️
Thank you so much Natalie. Comments like these really encourage me to keep being bold and sharing what I’m truly passionate about!
love this ♡
Glad you made this video, you made some great points and your garden looks amazing! You can focus on your garden so much more when you aren’t stretched thin. ~ Katie
Thanks Katie!! I appreciate you for the encouragement to make it!
Love this video!!! 💗 watching this I had the realization ... I think we are a plant based (not vegetarian) we don’t raise any animal for meat on our homestead either 🤣
Thank you!! that’s actually how it started for us (kind of) we knew we wanted a no-kill Farm and so we decided to change our appetites to match what we would grow on the farm!
I couldn't agree more! We keep toying with the idea of ducks or goats on our homestead (companion animals that would also help with compost & pest/forst control), but I don't know if I want the added cost or stress. I'd rather diversify our profits in other ways - honey, maple syrup, mushrooms - what better to do with 10 mostly wooded acres? Lol... & of course, produce! ❤
It’s definitely good to consider beforehand! I bet you could find some rescue ducks though, and then maybe even when it gets stressful, the joy of rescuing them will make it easier. Mushrooms sound awesome! I want to try next year. We love making our own maple syrup!
You are my absolute heroes. I have endless respect and admiration for you guys.
If you ever need a vet for free, you call me, i'll gladly give you my number and i would never charge people like you.
What a kind comment! Thank you 💛💛
@@SunshineFarm I am the one who must thank you, you guys are tremendous. I gave on patreon (can't believe you don't have one) to people like you and will keep on giving as much as i can to support vegetarian/vegan homesteaders. Just keep up the good work, because you are making an enormous difference, and make no mistake, YOU are the future of this planet if this planet is ever to have a future. Please be safe in this period of time. We'll get over it eventually. And get a patreon account , i am sure your animals could use a little extra cash !
And i am serious about the vet support thing. contact me anytime.
Total honesty from a meat eating homestead: the hardest part for us was butchering our meat. We choose to eat meat, but we also choose to be responsible for our meat. I'm not going to lie, it was hard, and it was a lot of work. We don't have a lot of disposable income for the expensive aspects of homesteading so every aspect that involves animals are always more work, but it has been worth it for sure. We grow vegitables and try to be responsible for our food consumption as much as possible, and as meat eaters, responsible meat is very important to us. I like that you're making homesteading seem more attainable for those who choose not to eat meat, as I'm sure a lot of vegitarians feel they can't have a real homestead, and as you've shown that is not true. I continue to enjoy all your videos and you're perpetuating positive and encouraging attitude. Stay gold!
Thank you for sharing your perspective! & for your support 😊
I went half way through the video and figured out that people who raise animals for meat challenges are 80% higher than those that only plant veg, fruit, nuts, seeds, legumes, herbs.
Its amazing than when one realise that peoples taste and obsession with meat and animal products drive them in every way to self-destruction (and they dont realise it while they are doing it) is the greatest brain washing or veil that humans are living under. Let me explain why I say this:
To farm animals is super expensive and time consuming (plants are 80% easier & require less attention)
The stress around farming animals, the slaughter, blood, derivatives.
The diseases (zoonotic & other bacterial diseases eating animals and their products cause) is detrimental. Humans eat animals and eventually the animals eat them in return from the inside (through disease and sickness)
Raising animals for meat takes FAR more land than plant-farming - also these animals need to be fed whilst plants receive their food from free rain
Raising animals for meat destroys and pollutes the planet, the rivers, oceans, lakes.
How is it possible that people dont understand and believe that animal consumption and farming is self-destructive in every way
There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says “Morning, boys. How’s the water?”
And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes “What the hell is water?“
Plant based homestead! Subscribed!
Welcome to the farm family!!
And, vegetables can be stored in the basement. Meat eaters who stock a freezer full of dead animals freak out when there’s a power outage and no, a gas power generator can’t sustain for lengthy periods. Vegetarians don’t have to worry about stuff rotting in our refrigerators. I’ve been vegetarian for 40 years and know that you will hear the questions of where do you get your protein? I have never grown my own lentils, chickpeas. And I have nut trees on my property but processing seeds and nuts is much easier to do with the equipment I do not have.
So is it expensive to maintain your rescued animals in comparison to the Homesteaders who keep them for food? Cool video BTW.
Yes it is very expensive because they live full lives. Many meat animals will be killed between 10-16 weeks of age, so they are only a couple months old making feed costs low. Dairy animals on the other hand are expensive, especially a cow because they consume so much feed. Infrastructure costs are pretty much the same. Whether rescue or meat/dairy, they still need good fencing/housing/etc.
No animals is the cheapest option! A great option for someone who wants to grow food, but doesn’t want the stresses, costs, and obligations of having lots of animals.
Not only are animals costly but they require someone there 24/7. We can go on vacation and not worry about the animals not being cared for properly by the pet sitter. Plants, well they can survive without 24/7 watch
Do you plan to be "self-sustaining"? In this case I am talking about growing all the food you eat. I often try to figure out what percentage I am growing. Recently I went to a "regular" grocery store and realized that I hadn't been to one in about 6 weeks, if I am remembering correctly. I get a fair amount of stuff online (like tea comes to mind, sometimes weird stuff like pb), and from the local Amish. I trade eggs for raw milk. It is the abundant time of the garden. My freezer is full of my own meat products, grass-fed in the case of ruminants. So, right now, we are doing pretty well. I buy more in the winter, maybe 50%? It is more of a feeling, who knows. Now cost wise, it would be hard to under estimate. We grow our own hay, so we have equipment and fuel and so. much. time. We have lots of factors like that (taxes in NYS, need I say more). So we are producing a lot of food, the things we want to eat to be healthy (my husband's vegetarian heart doctor asked about buying grass-fed meat from us. That was pretty interesting). We are doing it in a way that is good for the land (we believe). I don't eat out and I don't buy junk food. So - we are not eating cheaper by any method of calculating.
Self sustaining, cost, contentment. I guess that is the winner for me right now. My soul is generally at peace with our lifestyle, though it is costly and time consuming and isn't completely sustainable. Of course, with most of us this is a long journey, and has it's ups and downs. On the day (for example) that our LGD died or our tractor needed a $5000 repair or our chicken hatched out a dozen surprise eggs or we took the grandkids on a walk through the woods or or or - different answers :)
Back to my question for you, do you plan to grow all the food you need to eat? and a follow up, do you plan to ever homestead "full time", ie, have the homestead provide income to the extent that you don't work off-homestead? I am trying to get my husband to retire and our goal is to break even. (whatever break even means, ha)
Our goal is not 100% self sufficiency because I love bananas, avocados, and cashews, among some other things! Our goal is to do as much as we can without being too obsessed when it’s not perfect. We want to enjoy life too!
One day we hope to be on the farm full-time, but that’s not happening any time soon!
We do want to grow a lot more beans (soy & dry beans) and also quinoa. 👍🏻
Animals as food is almost always orders of magnitude less efficient (harder) than growing plants.
I really enjoy watching you folks, though I am definitely a meat-eater. Taking care of animals in a way that is not natural is always difficult. And hunting feels much more natural than raising them in pens where disease is more likely. Or feeding them things they would not be able to forage for themselves. I'm not being a troll here, I do understand your plant-based take.
I completely understand people have different perspectives!! I love creating content that gets people talking about these things, even if their opinions are different than mine. Thank you for your comment & your support!
That was great! Thank you.
You’re so welcome! Thank YOU for watching!
Nice.
That's why I only have chickens. They are easy to care for and gives me compost material.
Chickens are great!! They are fairly easy for the most part, although we've had our fair share of challenges with them. We love having them regardless.
Do you know anyone who does plant based homesteading? I would love some resources as that is what we are doing ❤❤
Family life is way easier without kids, too. 😉😂
I’m not sure how this relates, but I imagine you’re right on that!! We’re not at that point quite yet 😊
@@SunshineFarm Oh, I didn't mean it that way, sorry! It just struck me that just like animals are more complicated to care for than plants, children are more complicated than animals, and I thought it was funny. They're still worth it, of course... despite the lack of profit. 🤣
Hahaha very true!! Children are the biggest responsibility but also the best!
Comment is a little strange than I thought about it and was laughing a little bit it would be easier without kids but not as rewarding
@@Citystead Haha! Does it help to know I have five kids and a "vegetarian" homestead? Lol. Just speaking from experience... no judgment. 😉
Your red-pill for today: If you need to eat the flesh of animals and they're byproducts, as homesteaders, it will probably be very expensive and stressful and a LOT of HARD WORK.
what is the most profitable part of your homestead? probably the animals with out risk there is no reward
The animals make us zero profit, I have made some money from selling produce though!
@@SunshineFarm i was not taking about you i know you do not sell your animals i was talking about the other people you interviewed they would not put all that money in to raising animals if it did not give them a profit i do agree that it is cheaper and takes less space to grow produce only though
Gotcha! Thanks for clarifying
You're just guessing. Prove it.
@@andreawisner7358 she never asked the question to the farmers that she interviewed. she never interviewed them about profitability or why they do it she only asked one side of the conversation. i do not expect her to be a full journalist but i just thought that i would add that to bring further context to the situation and that thought process.