Uploaded January 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The family milk cow is quickly becoming the new backyard flock of chickens. More and more people are realizing the amazing benefits of adding a dairy cow to their homestead.
This month on the podcast, we are focusing on all things dairy cow. Shawn and Beth Dougherty are the perfect couple to lend their voice to this conversation as they have over four decades of experience farming and perfecting the art of grass conversion through dairy ruminants.
If you are considering adding a family milk cow to your homestead or are new to the world of home dairy, this discussion is for you. We dive into the most commonly asked questions when it comes to getting started with dairy cows: breed, acreage, feed, health, and more. If a dairy cow is in your future, start here!
In this episode, we cover:
Making the switch from dairy goats to dairy cows
What breeds make the best dairy cows
Other factors that may be more important than breed
What’s the big deal about A2A2?
Is your land appropriate for a milk cow?
The practicals of feeding a 100% grass-fed cow
Top features to look for when purchasing a dairy cow
What makes a perfect milk cow for a first-time owner
How important is disease testing?
ABOUT SHAWN & BETH
Shawn and Beth Dougherty have been farming together since the 1980’s, for the last twenty-six years in eastern Ohio, where they manage 90 acres, much of it designated by the state as ‘not suitable for agriculture’. Using intensive grazing as the primary source of food energy, they raise dairy and beef cows, sheep, farm-fed hogs, and a variety of poultry, producing most of the food, feed and fertility for humans and animals, on the farm. Concerned that farming is so often dependent upon multiple off-farm resources, from feed, fuel and fertilizer to water and electricity, their ongoing project is to identify and test the means by which farming was done for centuries with a minimum of off-farm inputs. Their research has led them to identify grass conversion, especially the daily conversion of grass into milk by dairy ruminants, as a key to whole-farm sustainability, combined with the integrated nutrient feed-backs that are possible with a community of diverse animal and plant species, domestic and native. They are the authors of The Independent Farmstead, Chelsea Green Press 2016.
RESOURCES MENTIONED
The Independent Farmstead by Shawn & Beth Dougherty: amazon.com/stores/Beth-Dougherty/author/B01ELVA710?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
Independent Farmstead Field Guides to Inputs-Free Farming and Homesteading by Shawn & Beth Dougherty: lulu.com/search?contributor=Shawn+and+Beth+Dougherty&adult_audience_rating=00
How to Raise a Dairy Cow on Pasture by Beth Dougherty: homesteadersofamerica.com/how-to-raise-a-dairy-cow-on-pasture
CONNECT
Shawn & Beth Dougherty
Website: onecowrevolution.wordpress.com
The Healing Land Conference: thehealingland.com
Homesteaders of America
Website: homesteadersofamerica.com
Instagram: instagram.com/homesteadersofamerica
Facebook: facebook.com/homesteadersofamerica
YouTube: youtube.com/homesteadersofamerica
Pinterest: pinterest.com/homesteadersusa
Join us at the Homesteaders of America Conference in October 2023: homesteadersofamerica.com/homesteaders-of-america-conference
GET MORE FROM THIS EPISODE
View full show notes and transcript on the blog: homesteadersofamerica.com/how-to-get-started-with-your-family-milk-cow-shawn-amp-beth-dougherty
Listen to this podcast episode: https://anchor.fm/homesteaders-of-america/episodes/E8-How-to-Get-Started-with-Your-Family-Milk-Cow--Shawn--Beth-Dougherty-e1svsqj
The family milk cow is quickly becoming the new backyard flock of chickens. More and more people are realizing the amazing benefits of adding a dairy cow to their homestead.
This month on the podcast, we are focusing on all things dairy cow. Shawn and Beth Dougherty are the perfect couple to lend their voice to this conversation as they have over four decades of experience farming and perfecting the art of grass conversion through dairy ruminants.
If you are considering adding a family milk cow to your homestead or are new to the world of home dairy, this discussion is for you. We dive into the most commonly asked questions when it comes to getting started with dairy cows: breed, acreage, feed, health, and more. If a dairy cow is in your future, start here!
In this episode, we cover:
Making the switch from dairy goats to dairy cows
What breeds make the best dairy cows
Other factors that may be more important than breed
What’s the big deal about A2A2?
Is your land appropriate for a milk cow?
The practicals of feeding a 100% grass-fed cow
Top features to look for when purchasing a dairy cow
What makes a perfect milk cow for a first-time owner
How important is disease testing?
ABOUT SHAWN & BETH
Shawn and Beth Dougherty have been farming together since the 1980’s, for the last twenty-six years in eastern Ohio, where they manage 90 acres, much of it designated by the state as ‘not suitable for agriculture’. Using intensive grazing as the primary source of food energy, they raise dairy and beef cows, sheep, farm-fed hogs, and a variety of poultry, producing most of the food, feed and fertility for humans and animals, on the farm. Concerned that farming is so often dependent upon multiple off-farm resources, from feed, fuel and fertilizer to water and electricity, their ongoing project is to identify and test the means by which farming was done for centuries with a minimum of off-farm inputs. Their research has led them to identify grass conversion, especially the daily conversion of grass into milk by dairy ruminants, as a key to whole-farm sustainability, combined with the integrated nutrient feed-backs that are possible with a community of diverse animal and plant species, domestic and native. They are the authors of The Independent Farmstead, Chelsea Green Press 2016.
RESOURCES MENTIONED
The Independent Farmstead by Shawn & Beth Dougherty: amazon.com/stores/Beth-Dougherty/author/B01ELVA710?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
Independent Farmstead Field Guides to Inputs-Free Farming and Homesteading by Shawn & Beth Dougherty: lulu.com/search?contributor=Shawn+and+Beth+Dougherty&adult_audience_rating=00
How to Raise a Dairy Cow on Pasture by Beth Dougherty: homesteadersofamerica.com/how-to-raise-a-dairy-cow-on-pasture
CONNECT
Shawn & Beth Dougherty
Website: onecowrevolution.wordpress.com
The Healing Land Conference: thehealingland.com
Homesteaders of America
Website: homesteadersofamerica.com
Instagram: instagram.com/homesteadersofamerica
Facebook: facebook.com/homesteadersofamerica
YouTube: youtube.com/homesteadersofamerica
Pinterest: pinterest.com/homesteadersusa
Join us at the Homesteaders of America Conference in October 2023: homesteadersofamerica.com/homesteaders-of-america-conference
GET MORE FROM THIS EPISODE
View full show notes and transcript on the blog: homesteadersofamerica.com/how-to-get-started-with-your-family-milk-cow-shawn-amp-beth-dougherty
Listen to this podcast episode: https://anchor.fm/homesteaders-of-america/episodes/E8-How-to-Get-Started-with-Your-Family-Milk-Cow--Shawn--Beth-Dougherty-e1svsqj
