A Meatsmith Harvest
A Meatsmith Harvest

A Meatsmith Harvest

Farmstead Meatsmith

Overview
Episodes

Details

This podcast is for anyone desiring to learn more about the human process of traditional, ethical, economic and delicious livestock processing and eating. Brandon and Lauren Sheard, co-hosts and owners of Farmstead Meatsmith--their small-scale, custom processing and education business--talk all things meat related: from practical knowledge to the philosophical inspiration behind growing, harvesting and eating meat.

Recent Episodes

Episode 111: Milking Dairy & Meat Sheep with Rachel & Kyle Hester, Part 2
SEP 4, 2025
Episode 111: Milking Dairy & Meat Sheep with Rachel & Kyle Hester, Part 2
→ In this episode, Brandon asks Rachel and Kyle all his questions about sheep milking, sheep breeds, wool processing, minerals used for health, dewormer, and fencing for sheep. They also discuss sheep harvesting and how mutton is more nutritious and flavorful than lamb. → Timestamps/Topics for Episode 111 0:00 Intro 1:02 How much milk can you expect when things are going well? 4:54 How long will you milk a sheep after she freshens? 7:58 Are there any dairy breeds that are hair sheep?/Mulching with wool 13:25 Is someone processing the wool for you? 16:28 What kind of minerals do you put out for your sheep? 27:15 Do you use any dewormer? 29:57 Following sheep with pigs 33:14 What kind of fencing do you use for your sheep and pigs? 40:26 Harvesting the first dairy sheep 46:14 Mutton is more nutritious and flavorful than lamb → Links for Episode 111 Whoopsy Daisy Farm https://www.whoopsydaisyfarm.com/ The Guide to Homestead Dairy Sheep by Rachel Hester https://sawdustpublishing.com/product/the-guide-to-homestead-dairy-sheep/?v=0b3b97fa6688 Natural Sheep Care by Pat Coleby https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1302660.Natural_Sheep_Care Much Ado About Mutton by Bob Kennard https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21814351-much-ado-about-mutton The Nordic Cookbook by Magnus Nilsson https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25208269-the-nordic-cookbook The Eco Flock: Small-Scale Shepherding for Uncertain Times by N S Rose https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/102016416-the-eco-flock → Looking for more Meatsmith knowledge? Join our online membership or come to an in-person class: Hands-On Harvest Classes - Join us for a hands-on harvest experience on our homestead in Oklahoma. We offer classes on harvesting pork, beef, lamb, and poultry in the Spring and Fall. Spots are limited to just eight students per class to maintain an undiluted hands-on experience. Jump on this chance and sign up today! Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/upcoming-classes/ Meatsmith Membership - We created an online community and resource for homesteaders and farmers. It serves all those who want to cook and eat well. We offer the fruits of our labor (and our kitchen) from more than fifteen years of experience, and our Membership community of over six hundred is an invaluable digital resource. The only one of its kind in the country, Meatsmith Membership provides an earnest and winsome approach to domestic livestock raising, slaughter, butchery, curing, cookery, and charcuterie. Join us today and partner in growing your home around the harvest. Monthly memberships are $17.49 per month, plus a one-time sign-up fee of $29.99. Or purchase an Annual membership for $189.49 per year with no sign-up fee, saving you $50.38. Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/membership/
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58 MIN
Episode 110: Milking Dairy & Meat Sheep with Rachel & Kyle Hester, Part 1
JUL 11, 2025
Episode 110: Milking Dairy & Meat Sheep with Rachel & Kyle Hester, Part 1
In this episode, Brandon chats with sheep homesteaders Rachel & Kyle Hester about Romanian placinta cake, how the Hesters got into raw milk for health, sheep breeds for milking, how to start milking a meat sheep, what a milking session looks like, drinking the delicious milk, and making sheep cheeses. Timestamps/Topics for Episode 110: 0:00 Intro 3:13 Romanian placinta cake 5:49 How the Hesters got into homesteading with sheep 13:39 Milking meat sheep breeds during lockdown 16:50 Brandon asked about how to start milking his meat sheep 28:12 Herd culture and family groups 34:21 What a milking session looks like 38:00 Teat placement and selecting for good milkers 44:27 Sitting behind the sheep when milking 47:19 Milking just once a day & milk as the main product for a while 53:58 Making sheep cheese 59:46 Experimental cheese making Links for Episode 110: Whoopsy Daisy Farm https://www.whoopsydaisyfarm.com/ The Guide to Homestead Dairy Sheep by Rachel Hester https://sawdustpublishing.com/product/the-guide-to-homestead-dairy-sheep/?v=0b3b97fa6688 Placinta cake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pl%C4%83cint%C4%83 Weston A Price Foundation - https://www.westonaprice.org Joel Salatin https://polyfacefarms.com/ Babraham Institute https://www.babraham.ac.uk/ David Asher https://www.milklab.ca/ Natural Sheep Care by Pat Coleby https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1302660.Natural_Sheep_Care Much Ado About Mutton by Bob Kennard https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21814351-much-ado-about-mutton The Nordic Cookbook by Magnus Nilsson https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25208269-the-nordic-cookbook The Eco Flock: Small-Scale Shepherding for Uncertain Times by N S Rose https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/102016416-the-eco-flock Looking for more Meatsmith knowledge? Join our online membership or come to an in-person class: Hands-On Harvest Classes - Come to one of our harvest classes on our homestead in Oklahoma. We offer classes on harvesting pork, beef, lamb, and poultry in the Spring and Fall. Spots are limited to just eight students per class to maintain an undiluted hands-on experience. Jump on this chance and sign up today! Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/upcoming-classes/ Meatsmith Membership - We created an online community and resource for homesteaders and farmers. It serves all those who want to cook and eat well. We offer the fruits of our labor (and our kitchen) from more than fifteen years of experience, and our Membership community of over six hundred is an invaluable digital resource. The only one of its kind in the country, Meatsmith Membership provides an earnest and winsome approach to domestic livestock raising, slaughter, butchery, curing, cookery, and charcuterie. Join us today and partner in growing your home around the harvest. Monthly memberships are $17.49 per month, plus a one-time sign-up fee of $29.99. Or purchase an Annual membership for $189.49 per year with no sign-up fee, saving you $50.38. Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/membership/
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67 MIN
Episode 109: Getting a Dairy Cow With the Dougherty's, Part 2
JUN 27, 2025
Episode 109: Getting a Dairy Cow With the Dougherty's, Part 2
In this episode, we chat with Shawn and Beth Dougherty about offering liberty and experiences to homeschooled teenagers, why the Doughertys stayed in Appalachia, the Dougherty's house fire and rebuild, proximity to community as the next obstacle, starting with trash land and building up the soil, rotational grazing, turf grasses, and hay, our milking routine and dairy cow domestication, and the Dougherty's Farmstead Butcher Trailers business. Timestamps/Topics for Episode 109: 0:00 How to offer liberty and experiences to homeschooled teenagers 9:50 Why the Doughertys stayed in Appalachia - to homeschool, homestead, homebirth, and go to daily mass 19:20 The Dougherty's housefire and rebuild 21:18 Proximity to community is the next obstacle 30:15 Starting with trash land and building up the soil 34:55 Our first dairy cow, Georgie 42:30 Rotational grazing, turf grasses, and hay 1:02:46 Brandon's milking routine 1:05:00 The dairy animal is a different order of domestication 1:08:00 Brandon's break from Evolution Biology & God created cattle on the 5th day 1:11:37 Dougherty's Farmstead Butcher Trailers 1:15:30 Planting on a moon cycle Links for Episode 109: Homestead Heritage https://www.homesteadheritage.com/ The Ploughshare http://sustainlife.org/ The Liturgy of the Land: Cultivating a Catholic Homestead by Jason Craig & Thomas D. Van Horn https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203018472-the-liturgy-of-the-land Wendell Berry https://berrycenter.org/ Kaleb Handshaw https://coalfield-development.org/bio-kaleb-hanshaw/ https://www.thewildc.com/ Allen Savory https://savory.global/history/ Keeping One Cow https://a.co/d/i8Astv6 The Dougherty's website https://one-cow-revolution.com Dougherty's Farmstead Butcher Trailers https://www.doughertysbutchertrailers.com Looking for more Meatsmith knowledge? Join our online membership or come to an in-person class: Hands-On Harvest Classes - Come to one of our harvest classes on our homestead in Oklahoma. We offer classes on harvesting pork, beef, lamb, and poultry in the Spring and Fall. Spots are limited to just eight students per class to maintain an undiluted hands-on experience. Jump on this chance and sign up today! Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/upcoming-classes/ Meatsmith Membership - We created an online community and resource for homesteaders and farmers. It serves all those who want to cook and eat well. We offer the fruits of our labor (and our kitchen) from more than fifteen years of experience, and our Membership community of over six hundred is an invaluable digital resource. The only one of its kind in the country, Meatsmith Membership provides an earnest and winsome approach to domestic livestock raising, slaughter, butchery, curing, cookery, and charcuterie. Join us today and partner in growing your home around the harvest. Monthly memberships are $17.49 per month, plus a one-time sign-up fee of $29.99. Or purchase an Annual membership for $189.49 per year with no sign-up fee, saving you $50.38. Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/membership/
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77 MIN
Episode 108: Getting a Dairy Cow With the Dougherty's
MAY 30, 2025
Episode 108: Getting a Dairy Cow With the Dougherty's
In this episode, we discussed small-scale vs. industrial-scale meat production, the ontological shift of food, the Dougherty's first dairy cow, a Catholic's view of suffering, the natural state of cows and humans, asking God what's next in the playbook, and how farming won't make you money. Timestamps/Topics for Episode 108: 0:00 Intro & Ash Wednesday 2:40 Our upcoming classes - small-scale vs. industrial-scale 5:40 Example of the ontological shift of food - salami 18:40 Marketing has made a joke out of things being "real" 24:38 Problems with grain-feeding lamb 30:01 Intro to the Doughertys and their first dairy cow 40:12 Catholicism, suffering, & farming 45:00 Catholic converts longing for a natural way to live and farm 50:15 A cow's natural state is health, and so is a human's 57:00 We inhabit a suburban technological wasteland only by Grace 1:02:00 From homebirth to homeschooling to farming 1:04:00 Asking God what's next in the playbook 1:12:00 Farming doesn't make you money, so how little can you live on? Links for Episode 108: The Dougherty's website https://one-cow-revolution.com Dougherty's Farmstead Butcher Trailers https://www.doughertysbutchertrailers.com Marcus Grodi - The Journey Home https://chnetwork.org/ Justin Rhodes' visit to the Dougherty's farmstead https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CyVWQZAygI Dietrich von Hildebrand https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietrich_von_Hildebrand Living the Good Life: How to Live Sanely and Simply in a Troubled World by Helen & Scott Nearing https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2829865-living-the-good-life Looking for more Meatsmith knowledge? Join our online membership or come to an in-person class: Hands-On Harvest Classes - Come to one of our harvest classes on our homestead in Oklahoma. We offer pork, beef, lamb, and goose harvest classes in the Spring and Fall. Spots are limited to just eight students per class to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/upcoming-classes/ Meatsmith Membership - We created an online community and resource for homesteaders and farmers. It serves all those who want to cook and eat well. We offer the fruit of our labors (and our kitchen) from more than fifteen years of experience, and our Membership community of more than six hundred is an invaluable digital resource. The only one of its kind in the country, Meatsmith Membership provides an earnest and winsome approach to domestic livestock raising, slaughter, butchery, curing, cookery, and charcuterie. Join today and partner with us in growing your home around the harvest. Monthly memberships are $17.49/month plus a $29.99 sign-up fee. Or purchase an Annual membership for $189.49/year with no sign-up fee, saving you $50.38. Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/membership/
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76 MIN
Episode 107: Our New Dairy Cow & the Stages of Pertussis, Part 2
APR 19, 2025
Episode 107: Our New Dairy Cow & the Stages of Pertussis, Part 2
In this episode, we discuss how we treated Pertussis in our family with vitamin C, how there's no one person or group we turn to for health advice, and the power of nutrition. Timestamps/Topics for Episode 107: 0:00 Intro & the paroxysmal stage of Pertussis 8:08 Staying up every night to get our baby through the paroxysmal stage 11:57 Vitamin C vs antibiotics 14:17 The paroxysmal cough & immunity to Pertussis 16:34 Our Pertussis timeline 19:57 Recommended vitamin C and how we administered it to our kids 37:58 Record keeping during Pertussis 40:12 Helping our baby cough efficiently & our oldest was most affected 47:14 It's hard work, but stay the course 52:14 Healthy Home Economist & there's no one person or group we turn 59:04 We just need to eat well - the power of nutrition Links for Episode 107: Vitamin C for Whooping Cough by Dr. Suzanne Humphries https://deeprootsathome.com/vitamin-c-for-whooping-cough-by-suzanne-humphries-md/ Vitamin C gel - Lypo–Spheric Liposomal Vitamin C https://a.co/d/fsZIM9p Sodium Ascorbate Buffered Vitamin C https://a.co/d/j7Nk6Y2 Sufficient-C (flavored) https://a.co/d/cz46h4b The Healthy Home Economist https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/ The Everlasting Man by G. K. Chesterton https://a.co/d/2C6u4Pw Looking for more Meatsmith knowledge? Join our online membership or come to an in-person class: Hands-On Harvest Classes - Come to one of our harvest classes on our homestead in Oklahoma. We offer pork, beef, lamb, and goose harvest classes in the Spring and Fall. Spots are limited to just eight students per class to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/upcoming-classes/ Meatsmith Membership - We created an online community and resource for homesteaders and farmers. It serves all those who want to cook and eat well. We offer the fruit of our labors (and our kitchen) from more than fifteen years of experience, and our Membership community of more than six hundred is an invaluable digital resource. The only one of its kind in the country, Meatsmith Membership provides an earnest and winsome approach to domestic livestock raising, slaughter, butchery, curing, cookery, and charcuterie. Join today and partner with us in growing your home around the harvest. Monthly memberships are $17.49/month plus a $29.99 sign-up fee. Or purchase an Annual membership for $189.49/year with no sign-up fee, saving you $50.38. Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/membership/
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68 MIN