161. Harvesting Dreams and Building a Farm Together with Aaron and Stephanie Moody
Speaker: On today's show we have Aaron
and Stephanie Moody of Moody Family Farm.
We discuss their journey into agriculture,
how they got started on a budget.
They're both special education
teachers, which teachers are always
near and dear to my heart, and
we follow their journey getting
started and now into their new place
that they've recently purchased
while working off the farm full time.
I think it's a really good episode.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: So
we'll get started with the fast
five.
What's your name?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Aaron, Stephanie Moody.
We are a Moody Family Farm
in Bernardston, Massachusetts
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: wonderful.
And what year did y'all
start Grazing Animals?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: 2014.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: So just
a little bit over that 10 year
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Yes.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah.
And what kinda livestock do you graze?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Cattle.
We started with Holsteins
on Stephanie's birthday.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, yes,
there's, that's a birthday present.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Yes, it was.
I think I even said at some point,
like she always swore she'd never
live in New England and never own
cattle or livestock of any sort.
And here we are, here we're,
Cal: Welcome to the grazing grass podcast.
The podcast dedicated to sharing
the stories of grass-based
livestock producers, exploring
regenerative practices that improve
the land animals and our lives.
I'm your host, Cal Hardage and each
week we'll dive into the journeys,
challenges, and successes of
producers like you, learning from
their experiences, and inspiring
each other to grow, and graze better.
Whether you're a seasoned
grazier or just getting started.
This is the place for you.
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Speaker 2: I don't really have
anything for 10 seconds about the
podcast today, but for 10 seconds
about my farm, it is amazing how
much the grass has jumped since just
last week when we recorded this.
I know some of you are still
dealing with snow and you're not
ready to start grazing, but those
of us that's seeing some grass.
some green tent out there.
It is growing quick.
One thing I encourage you to do that
if you haven't done it, set up some
areas that animals don't have access to.
Those 20 foot, 16 foot, 20 foot goat
panels or 4x4 wire panels are great
to limit access to almost everything.
Go set up a few.
With the 16 foot or 20 foot, just make a
circle, couple T posts, hold it in place,
and do that in a couple spots and you
can see how much growth you're getting.
When your animals aren't grazing it
down, it's a real eye opener to see how
much is happening when you're not there,
or when animals are not going there.
Especially if you're not
rotating your cattle.
If you're listening, thinking,
should I rotate them, should I not?
Set you up a, an area with a panel, block
that off so no animals can graze it.
Let it grow and then move your
cattle just a little bit and you'll
be amazed at what you can see
there and as you come back around.
I encourage you to do that and
with that let's get back to
talking to Aaron and Stephanie
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Well,
that brings us to the question,
did you all expect to be here?
And it sounds like Stephanie did not.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
no, I did not.
I did not.
But I have come to love it and
appreciate it and what it's taught.
Our boys, we have two boys.
And it's Aaron's happy place.
So seeing him live out that
happiness is, is all you can ask for.
So,
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: I get that.
I'm still trying to convince my wife to,
to love it, but, but she, she's quite
happy with me getting out and doing
it.
So Aaron and Stephanie,
did y'all grow up on farms?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Go ahead.
Go for, I grew up in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
My father was an accountant for US Steel.
My mom was a housewife.
We visited farms.
My father's father had orchards and,
and horses, but nothing of great size.
Yeah.
And I my father is a truck driver
and his father was a dairy farmer
turned auto dealership entrepreneur.
But my uncle my father's brother did
stay with dairy farming and, so I grew
up visiting the farm and loving the,
the animals the tractors, the open air.
They have a farm.
They're since retired, but they
had a farm in Eastern New York.
And I always remember the family
dinners, Thanksgiving, you know,
Christmas and we'd always have to go
there 'cause they could never leave.
There was, there was
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
and my aunt and that was it.
Yeah.
So, yeah, so I didn't grow up
on a farm, but I grew up with a
love of, of farming, basically
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: So those
experiences got you there where
you're like, I wanna do this.
How'd you, how'd you end up
getting some, your first cattle?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
a long story as they say.
Growing up I you know, many interests
as a child you know, don't wanna
go in the military police work.
I went to the University of New Hampshire.
My, my grandparents, the, the dairy
farming grandparents, and as is
typical and even my uncle, were
very, oh, you don't wanna do this.
Go out, get a degree,
go do something else.
Which is, you know, life is life.
But it is one of those where, hmm,
you know, my gut at the time was
kind of saying, Hey, maybe you do
want to stick closer to the land, or
even be a truck driver like your dad.
But people wisely said, you
know, you could go to college,
you could do something different
and less arduous in that way.
So my grandmother particularly
did encourage me to, to follow
through, to go to college to get a
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
I was the first in my immediate
family to get a degree at college.
My aunt and uncle had
who had the dairy farm.
Ironically, but I did
not end up doing that.
I ended up becoming a teacher.
And
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
and that's where I met Stephanie
in Northern Virginia suburban dc.
I remember the job I had I loved
most was Herndon High School
in Fairfax County, Virginia.
And it was the furthest west
then still to be in Fairfax.
And there was actually
a silo near the school,
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Virginia,
total suburban mid nineties, Virginia.
But there was this one random
silo that was still left of what
had been the old farm country.
And yeah.
And that's where I met Stephanie.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008:
So you both were teachers?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
we still are.
So
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
we, Aaron is middle and high school
right now, and I'm elementary.
We're both special education teachers.
Mm-hmm.
So the, the little cows that came
on my birthday were affiliated
with a farm that we knew down.
The street from where we lived in New
Hampshire, and that's how they started.
They came and they never left and mm-hmm.
Others came.
And before you knew it we
had, we had quite a few.
Mm-hmm.
So,
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: You know,
it's kind of that chicken math,
you know, get a, get a few hens.
Right now they're laying gold,
but you know, typically it's just eggs
and you get a few, and then before long
you gotta get one that looks like this
and one that looks like
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Oh yeah.
Oh, that
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008:
you've got way too many
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Yeah.
I'm under a bit of pressure to get
some Hyland cattle, however, similar to
chicken eggs right now, the price ratio
on Hyland cows for show, typically the
minis does not, you gotta pull your
weight around here a little bit, and
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: my
wife has expressed that she
wouldn't mind having a Hyland.
So, so I get that.
Erin I did talk to a gentleman
actually yesterday who's got
a whole bunch of Highlands.
Doesn't mean I can afford any of
them, but He's, got a whole bunch.
he's he's like, yeah, it's totally
different than beef cattle.
And he was talking from his
childhood growing up on a, a ranch.
He's like, these, I, I don't
quite treat 'em the same way.
A lot of them are pets.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Mm-hmm.
We do have aspirations of a retail store,
so there is some value in curb appeal, and
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: oh, there is,
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
route, so if somebody drives by and
sees a cute little highland cow,
they might be more likely to stop by.
I don't know.
They would, I think.
Okay.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: I, I
think there's some aspects of that.
That's
true.
On that, I was talking to my dad
ti that there's a couple yaks
for sale, a couple hours from me.
They would be curb appeal, but you know,
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Maybe in Oklahoma.
I'm not sure about New England.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008:
they, they could handle your
weather better than they handle
Oklahoma weather, I'm sure.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: is true.
I would be worried during hunting season.
They might be in danger though.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah.
Yeah.
Dad's like, and what
would we do with them?
Well, I'm not sure, but
they, they look kind of neat.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Yeah.
Yeah.
They're kind of like the highland, right.
Long
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah.
Yeah.
They're kinda like that.
Yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: bigger.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Okay.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: So when
you first got those hostings or
hosting, did you, was it just
because you thought, oh, I want get
some cattle, I want to graze them?
Or did you buy 'em with the thought that.
They could become beef for you.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Yeah.
I, I knew enough about myself that I'm,
I'm not a dairyman, I'm not good at.
Like, to me it's even the, the
cleanliness, the, the sterilization,
like all that, gimme a tractor and
some manure and a few fence posts.
And I'm happy, but I would
worry that I wouldn't.
And all the, the, the mastitis and all
the many things we had ended up back in,
I grew up in, in this area and we ended
up back here and I'd gotten involved in
a, a local nonprofit named Stonewall Farm
that was a nonprofit dairy farm education,
agricultural education and event center.
And yeah, and I really enjoyed serving
on the board and getting to know
the, the folks and the, the farmer
and the herds woman and whatnot.
And, and through that we actually
became caretakers of a property
that had some pasture land that had
been basically abandoned from the,
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh
yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: farm.
Stonewall Farm had been a dairy farm for.
Decades.
And then when the farmer wanted to retire,
a local gentleman purchased the farm
from him and turned it into a nonprofit.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Fast forward, I'd come along and
get involved on the board and learn
about this property we could be
caretakers for and learned about.
Oh, well, when they have bull calves, they
either sell 'em for Reveal or somebody
picks 'em up, and so it was kind of a
synergy sort of thing of we happened to
be on some property, it wasn't being used.
We knew of these calves, we could get
'em for a hundred dollars a piece back
10 years ago.
Nice.
So,
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
yeah, not anymore, but yeah.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Right,
the, the price of calves.
Oh, man.
But I, I love the idea,
you know, those dairy bull
calves or dairy cross, a lot of
times they're becoming cross now
because they use that heifer semen
and get heifers out what they want.
Then they use a beef bull.
But that's a nice economical
way to get started,
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Especially as a birthday present.
It worked out well.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008:
especially as a birthday present.
Now, Aaron, were you able to get
Stephanie to feed it and take
care of it, or do you have to do
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
I have video evidence, well,
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, do you?
All right.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: God bless
her, she, we were at the sink with the
bottle, the calf starter and mixing it
and hot water and bottles and nipples
and going up and we were learning that
you don't give them a pale too early.
'cause then you just end
up mixing more calf starter
because
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
it all goes everywhere.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Yes.
I certainly don't mind the babies
when they get a little bigger.
That's all Aaron.
But the little ones I'm
happy to help with, so,
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: that, that
sounds very similar to my wife.
She goes out and drives out
there if I don't hit too many
bumps and looks at 'em and
she enjoys seeing them.
But when I was buying some bottle calves,
it's been years since I bought any
bottle calves, but she'd
get out there and help me
get 'em started because getting
bottle calves started, especially
if you have too many, or not too
many, but very many, it's a lot of
work.
'cause you don't want 'em dumping buckets
of milk replacer that stuff's like
gold
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Mm-hmm.
Yes.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008:
and getting them going.
Yeah.
She, I'm sure if I asked her,
I've gotten her into some messes
that she's had to work with me
on that she never anticipated.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Some similarities there.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah.
Yeah,
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Most definitely.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: yeah.
When you got those first animals,
did you already, were you familiar
with regenerativity practices?
Was that something you learned
about a little bit later?
What was kind of your plan and, and
I'm the world's worst about this.
I may bring something home and
not have everything set up and
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: What now?
By the book, we got
notebooks and paper and.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, oh, yeah.
I, I figured
so I thought for sure, Aaron.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Murphy's
Law definitely lives on every farm.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
If it can go wrong.
If it can get caught.
Yeah.
No.
When we moved back to, to Keen
area and I, I, I didn't know what
I wanted to do quite, you know,
for that, this next chapter.
We both had teaching jobs, but I a local
person that guided me to the board of the
Stonewall Farm, and they were, they were
getting into rotational grazing and fast
forwards a little bit to the, the book for
the is it what the, not the fast four, the
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: The
famous
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: four?
yes, yes, yes.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah.
That name is so famous.
I'm, I'm shocked you got
it wrong, but go ahead.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Salad bar, beef salad, bar beef,
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: yes.
yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: So I,
I was at a board meeting and I looked
on a shelf and I saw this book and I.
Kind of took it home, don't
tell them and read it.
And this was back in 20 13, 20 14.
I'd been interested in beef.
I had in the mid two thousands called
up my uncle, the dairy farmer at
the end of his career and said, Hey,
maybe you would want to do some beef.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh
yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
many conventional dairy farmers,
literally like, I'm too old.
I'm to, to learn something
new, to teach something new.
And and I wasn't always, you know, I
may have been known to have similar
to the calves on her birthday, have
an idea, and then not always so
understandably he was reluctant at that
time to change his whole operation at
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: of life.
And so the idea had festered in
the back of my head and we kind of
followed our, you know, internal
compass and ended up in, I.
A rural setting and then ended up at
this property and then found this book.
And the, the, the farmer there, Glen and
the Herds woman, Wendy, were wonderful.
And, and the property I lived
on, they were grazing on already
more kind of a conventional,
the summer heifers would come up
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
they'd come check on 'em and check
the fencing and stuff like that.
When I got 'em, and of course, you
know, we thought, oh, we're gonna
do this with gusto, and ran out and
bought a lot of wire and a lot of
fiberglass fencing and, and then I
thought, well, I don't wanna put 'em up.
I don't wanna move them
all the time, the fences.
So I'll put up like
semi-permanent fencing within the
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: and then
realize that that's not really good.
Rotational crazing since coiled it all
back up and pulled the post out of the
ground and all that fun kind of stuff.
But yeah, so I.
Like you said, I had an idea.
You know, sometimes you gotta
get the cows and flow with it.
And we have a great vet locally who
actually, even though we've moved,
we'll, we're still using the same vet.
So we had the structure, the
community structure to help.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh
yes.
That support system in
place.
Yeah.
And I think I failed to ask you,
where's your farm located earlier?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Beton, Massachusetts, which is
right on the corner of Vermont,
New Hampshire, and Mass.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Well, we
are so glad you're in Massachusetts.
I have a little bit of
trouble saying that.
I'm sure it's a oaky thing.
Because I, I've gotta double check, but
I'm pretty sure you're our first grazier
from there.
Yeah.
Congratulations.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
that honor.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: So I, I
think you point to a, a problem.
I know I have whenever I start
to do something new, I go out and
buy all this stuff and then later
I learn maybe I didn't need it
all, or maybe I should
have done this differently.
It's, it's really tough, but of course,
you, you've got a plan in place and you're
not gonna make any progress without a
plan.
So get that plan.
If you need to get some tools to do it so
you can implement it, that's wonderful and
chances are you'll figure out a better way
later.
But that's okay.
Getting started is the important
part.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Well,
and I think that's part of what's nice
about our story is we're teachers who love
animals and like to be outside and you
kind of take a leap of faith and with the
support of the community and a husband
who's very good with business plans and
finances and those types of things, you.
You take the leap and
I feel good in Barnton.
It's a very nice community,
very welcoming, very farm
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, very good.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: So we're
hoping to open our little farm store
and sell our very well raised loved
beef and work with different farmers
around and spread the, the goodness.
So I think that, you know, we're
not coming into this full of every
bit of knowledge, but we're, we're
figuring out as we go and mm-hmm.
I have faith in Erin and I think
we'll be, we'll be just fine.
But it is, it is quite the leap
of faith as I guess it is with
every farmer leap of faith.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Well, I think
just, just jump back and think about
your education and you got your education
degree and you decide to become a teacher.
They, they teach you a lot in
college to be a teacher, but it's
very different when you're in the
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Mm-hmm.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: and there's
lots of things you gotta learn and get.
So, so you're never gonna know
everything you need to know.
You just gotta get out there and get
started if that's something you want to
do.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Mm-hmm.
Yes.
Great point.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: So have y'all
always stuck with the hostings since?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: No,
you'll notice a theme here, Holsteins.
And then we were obviously
in New England and it's cold.
And we weren't, we're not
stanchion farmers, we weren't
interested in containment.
We wanted them to be as open and live as
natural, their best life, so to speak.
And I think we did the two Holsteins,
the initials, we made that mistake
of naming them Wendell and Norman.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: somebody
said that we should have named sirloin and
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Tenderloin or.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Actually, I, I
hate to interrupt y'all's story, but it
reminds me, so we, as a kid, we always
had a steer up for feeding and we'd feed
it, well, we always named it bull and I,
I don't know why, because as you all know,
if we're feeding it out, probably that's
not a true, accurate representation of the
calf.
It was a steer.
But that's what we, we named, I,
I get 'em where I could ride them,
but I, I knew, I knew what their purpose
was and we gave them a name of bull
and I, I just it just kind of cracks me
up.
But go ahead, Sirloin
would've been a great
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
and tenderloin.
Yeah.
And we saw, we, we, we and on the
piggyback of Stonewall Farm, you know,
they, they, they did the same thing.
They would keep a bull or they're cull
cows they would take to a local processor.
And so they took mine with them
when it was time to go and.
But then when the next time around a local
neighbor was raising belted galloways
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: and
kind of almost that highland ish, sort
of very curly, hairy well mannered for
the winter very sturdy a good ratio.
Like the Holsteins are great, like
they're big, but they're very bony,
whereas the, the galloways are a
little more stout and a little more
muscle per, you know, for their frame.
So we did those for a
number of years mm-hmm.
With a local farmer.
And I had a friend who came in where
there's a, a Dutch belted dairy
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
and he got a heifer from them
and he cross breeded with Angus.
So we had a couple of Angus and our
younger son did the four H thing
and showing the cows at the fair.
And ours were always so small 'cause they
were grass fed and just kind of natural.
We weren't trying to amp
'em up with anything,
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Right, right,
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
so it was always showmanship.
We were focused on not necessarily
the size of our animals.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: right.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: yeah,
so we did the Angus we did some Hereford
or yeah, then we moved to Herefords.
The last cows we did in Keene,
the last cow actually was a
Hereford bull who loved to wander.
And we'd find 'em in the
neighbor's orchard and
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh,
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: the
young lady there would be giving
'em some water and some apples.
And we kindly say, please
don't be kind to the bull.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: right.
We, we do not want this to be
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Yes.
And he did.
He ended up twice.
He got out through a,
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
his way down there and, but yeah,
so we've done a lot of different
a number of different breeds over
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yeah.
Did you or all those different animals
coming through, have they all been
processed and you sell the beef locally?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Mm-hmm.
Yep.
Yeah, we had a horrific experience
where we went on vacation
and our freezer had died,
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh no.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
back and had to take a whole
freezer full to the dump.
Which, talking about your
learning experiences in your
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yeah.
And that's one that
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Yes, it did.
Yes.
And then the first time we, the,
the Holsteins, when we sent them
to the butcher with Stonewall Farm,
they keep their, they kept their
meat internally, so the, all the
labels were stamped, not for sale.
And
of course, I'm all excited and I'm posting
on Facebook and a friend of a, a picture
of the freezer and a friend of mine types
in, in the comment section excuse me.
They seem to say not for sale.
Another learning lesson.
Yes.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: R Right.
R
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Which yeah, to most people wouldn't
matter, but you don't necessarily
want people exposed talking about the
fact that they're stamped that way.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: right.
It it's on there, but you don't have to
comment and point it out to everyone.
Yeah.
Right, right.
So when you all process for, in
Oklahoma, when we process meat, we
have to have A-U-S-D-A inspector
there for us to sell it from
the farm.
Is that the same case for you
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Yeah.
Yeah.
And that's, that's quite an
issue, especially locally.
Probably an hour.
There's maybe four processors
that we could use, but
they're all easy an hour away.
People have said, why don't
you build a processing plan?
Like, well, that's not my interest
at all, but there's a definite
need because of that regulation.
It's slightly different with chickens.
Turkeys, there's a little more
leeway sometimes for birds.
But Cows yeah.
To sell it publicly other than
family yeah, you do have to do that.
USDA processing.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: And, and that's
kind of an issue we have in my area.
We've got some pro, well
there's a processor 10 minutes
away from me, but he's not USDA inspected.
Up until six months ago, that was
a little over an hour for me to get
to a U-S-D-A inspected one.
However, there's a new place opened
30 minutes for me, 25 minutes,
and I'm excited to try them.
And actually I know the girl
that's managing it, so I know it'll
be great.
So I'm pretty excited about
that.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
it's a job I wouldn't wanna do,
and I definitely have a lot of
appreciation for the people who do.
And there can be some turnover
sometimes, and you go back
and it's different people or
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
you're scheduling with.
Oh yeah.
You gotta kind of reintroduce yourself
and especially if you want any
different cuts or things like that.
But yeah, that's a tough job.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: How has the
marketing of beef been for you all?
I,
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Well, I know, well, up until now,
it's been friends and family and
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: oh yeah,
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Now
we're, we're going into yet another kind
of unknown venture with a farm store
and hoping to get into the community and
meet more people that way and be able
to reach out through maybe a, a larger
venue than just friends and family.
Mm-hmm.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah.
But friends and family and that word of
mouth is a great way to build and get
started.
And now with the store, how's that
gonna work with you all teaching?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Well,
I think the nice thing about farm
stores, we're gonna try to do the
honor system for a good bit of it.
And the luxury of being a teacher
is you do have those summer months
of therapy and calming that we all need as
teachers, but we'll be in the farm store
and it'll be the perfect season for us.
So it's good timing.
Mm-hmm.
And a part of our story a bit is that
sandwich generation in that part of
what led us to this farm in Bernardin
was last winter spring we started
looking for a home that we could live
in with my mother and her husband, my
stepdad, and do that kind, you know, be
there to take care of them as they get
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: oh yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
And with the real estate price.
And this is another experience where
through my work with Stonewall Farm,
I was familiar with the USDA and
farm loans and things like that.
'cause when we looked around, you
could buy a farm literally cheaper
than some of these nice houses.
These a decent house.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh
yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: if
it's the same out there, but definitely
up around here, houses like they're
doubling in two to three, four years.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Completely
off topic for the grazing grass, but
just the, so I, I live just north of
a small town and when I say a small
town, about population, about 1800.
So, there are a number of houses for
sale that they, they've just built.
I just, and the reason this is front of my
brain someone just posted a house for
sale there and just the price,
I'm like, that is a hefty
price for Chelsea, Oklahoma.
And I
know there's people that can afford
it, but there's a lot of people that
can't.
And then I got to thinking, you know,
as I think about and look around
at the houses that's available.
A lot of them are on that high
end of the price for our
area right there.
So, that's interesting when
you think about people who, the
affordability of living places.
So
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: right.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: yeah.
Won't chase chase that tangent anymore
because we'd have to expand the
length of this podcast if we did that.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: So
the, yeah, so we kind of pooled our
resources with my mother and her.
They were ready to sell their home,
and it was a, you know, a catch 22
or double-edged sword in that they
were able to sell their house at a
significant profit, which then we
could pool some of that into buying the
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: And so
that's a long way to say they'll also be
here and you know, and they're retired.
So, my mother loves to get out there with
the cows and check on things and make
sure everything's the way it should be.
So we have some confidence there
too, that it's not just us.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yeah.
That, that really assists you in, in doing
that.
Of course, working in education, the hours
are such that a lot of times it works
really nice to, for your farm.
You know, I worked in education for a long
time and I loved having my
summers off because I could get,
well, my dad loved it more than me
because he had a whole list of things
he thought I should be doing that,
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Yes.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: I
tried to do other stuff and
that
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: yeah.
Fit it in.
Our children can relate.
Mm-hmm.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Oh, there's always a list.
Yes, always.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah.
So did you all end up getting
A-U-S-D-A loan to, to purchase the
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: We did.
We did.
And we had to there's
always complications.
We had to do a separate, so a local
community development corporation
helped as well as USDA because solar
power is getting big around here.
And agro voltaic where they're like
seven to 10 feet high and they rotate.
And then you
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, okay.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
farm ' em underneath them.
You can graze, you can hay,
you can grow vegetables.
But the USDA didn't want to be
involved with that part of it because
they have a lease on the land.
So we ended up having to split
it, which just some of the
complications when you do,
here we are, Hey, we wanna farm.
Well, okay, but we won't do this and you
gotta do that and you have to do that.
And I had a saying this whole process
ended around Thanksgiving was when
we closed and I'm working really
hard so I can work really hard.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Right?
Yeah.
Now, how long did that process take?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: It
was Mother's Day that the sellers
accepted our letter of intent.
Mm-hmm.
And it was Thanksgiving that
we closed with the attorney
the day before Thanksgiving.
Mm-hmm.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: You
know, those USDA loans are really
nice, but they have a very long
timetable to, to get through all
the hoops and get everything done.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Well, and as a result, we moved in
in the middle of winter, which for.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh,
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: For poor
Aaron, you know, in a, in a herd of cows
right now that are inside, you know,
inside and get outside a little bit.
But then it's, we've had a very
cold, snowy winter here, more
traditional New England winter.
Mm-hmm.
But unfortunately, of course it
was the year we we got here, so
that was another hurdle of sorts.
Mm-hmm.
For, for Aaron, the, who starts
a beef ranch in the middle
of winter, an old dairy farm.
So it's, we do, we do this
guy, this woman, yeah.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: you know,
it's kind of like planting a tree.
What do they say?
The best time plant a tree is 20
years
ago.
The, the second best time today.
So maybe it wasn't ideal.
But it was still the best
time.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Yes.
I figure it can't get much harder.
Hopefully So.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah.
Yeah.
So how much longer before you
all start seeing some grass out
there that you can start grazing?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
There's a good foot.
I'm looking out the window.
Window now.
We still got about eight
to 12 inches of snow,
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yeah.
Yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: it'll
be and this has been, what's it, March?
Yeah, probably April.
April.
If it warms up just a little bit,
that would be really helpful.
Mm-hmm.
But yeah, definitely an at
least another month I would say.
Yeah, before green grass of,
of green grass and then mud.
You got mud season along with all that.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yeah.
Yeah.
We're, we're kind of in that mud
season right now.
We've had a little bit of snow.
It's, it's really nice out right
now, but it's, it's, it's
muddy.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: yeah.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah.
But, but for me, I can start seeing
that green tint out there and
just know it's going to be soon.
Now, I, I have to be fully honest,
it won't be as soon as I want it to
be, but it's on the way.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
signs of Hope.
I was out earlier getting ready for
a wood pile because we bought the
house and then we realized one part
portion where my folks live is heated
with electric, just electric heat.
Which isn't ideal.
So we bought a wood insert and now typical
again of farming, just as soon as you
get it is when you don't need it anymore.
So we'll get the wood set up, we'll
get the wood pile, and then it'll
be May, and then it'll be beautiful.
Yeah,
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: But,
but Aaron, you'll be ready for
next year, so it'll be great.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: hope.
That's right.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah, yeah.
Now, how are your pastures looking?
There are, are they ready for animals
or are you gonna have to do some stuff?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: We we,
the, the blessing, like the why is I
with my family is that we're down on the
road, a state route, but then you go up
a hill and there's a 70 acre pasture.
That's been maintained by the,
a neighboring dairy farm for
the last 60 years or so when
they close the dairy here.
So it's four strand barbed wire humongous
hillside just goes and goes and goes.
And getting from getting the cows
from the dairy barn here down at the
bottom of the hill up to the top.
Yeah.
We'll take some restructuring, but, you
know, as, as a teacher, I love history and
I did get some chances in the fall before
the snow to see just, you know, when you
buy a part of the, the houses from 1790,
so they've been farming here since then.
And you see just the layers of history.
Oh, here's some fencing.
Oh, here's an old concrete,
well, oh, here's a dam you
probably could never build today.
But they were able to dam the creek
with concrete and make a catch basin in.
And so there is, I, I love restoring
or bringing things back or hopefully
making them a little better.
We both do, that's kind of part of
that teaching connection of just taking
things and trying to make 'em better.
So there's infrastructure and need of
updating, but there's old fence lines in
the woods and you can see where they go.
And there's old roads that have kind
of grown in a little bit, but you
see how over the last, you know, 150
almost, whatever, I can't do math.
200, 200 plus years, you know, you're
trotting where other farmers have walked
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
their animals.
So there's some work to be done, but
there's, there's a lot of pluses too.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yeah, yeah.
Tell me when the house was built
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: 1790.
Mm-hmm.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh
wow.
The,
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
yeah, go ahead.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: that's
just amazing for me because we
see old houses here in Oklahoma
and they're like, after 1900,
1910, 1920.
Could be 1905, but, but we
don't have that deep history
like you all do in New England.
Of course, Oklahoma became a state in
1907, and then you had the land runs
in the late 18 hundreds,
1890, somewhere in there.
So it wasn't really populated and.
With farms and stuff like,
like you all have that
history.
I think that is so cool to have a
house that old and there's gonna
be problems, but it's really cool.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: that's,
so this house is heated by oil and it's,
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
so I can't even do like a wood
boiler or anything because.
Some point along, they put in a,
an oil boiler and forced air, which
will be great in the summer for ac,
but it's not great in one of the
colder winters we've had recently
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh
yes.
Yeah, yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Well, there's been a lot of
sweater, weather, sweater, weather
and sweater wearing and bundling.
But it, the house is beautiful
and it's nice to be in that
piece of history, like you said.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
cherry on top of it all.
Yes.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah.
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cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Let, let's talk
a little bit more about our overgrazing
topic for today.
And that's renovating, renovating.
Restoring abandoned
pastures.
So did you get some of that experience at
your old farm, having to take some land
that hadn't been used and to get it ready?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Yeah, yeah.
Yep, definitely.
And, and even my uncle's farm he was
there 40 years and growing up I would
help with removing fence rows or mowing.
There's a story of how I was always dying
to get to the farm and dying to help out.
And they, they had a similar role
where my grandmother lived there.
She built a little add-on to their
farmhouse as she, after my grandfather
passed away, so she was there, my
aunt and uncle, and finally they said,
okay, you can go mow this pasture.
So I jump in the 1970 Oliver
1650 with my bush hog, and I'm
tearing through this pasture.
And then I go down and I turn around and
come back, and my grandmother's running
through the field with a bucket of water.
And a phone
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: oh, no.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
because the old tractor had sent
sparks through the muff fire
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh
no.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
and it started a little brush
fire and this old dry grass that
we'd had that I was asked to mow.
So, fortunately every we
got it, it was tamped out
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, well, good.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
But I've had a varied history
of helping restore old pasture.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: I was afraid
you were gonna say, you, you, your
brush hog found one of those old fences.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
no, no, no, no.
I did end up leaving the tractor
stuck that time though, because I
got caught in a rut and I had to
come back to Virginia at the time.
So
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh,
yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: about it.
Just leave, just leave, just go.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: right?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: And in
full circle this past winter, I went
back to that farm and took some of
those locust posts that I had dug out.
Early nineties and helping 'em move fence.
And I brought 'em down here
to then use on, on this farm.
But yeah, when we moved up to
the caretaking position near
Stonewall Farm there were a lot
of fields that had not been used.
Like, she's like, oh, just
mow it every couple years.
And I kind of thought,
well, that's kind of silly.
You've got these old pastures
here, some old fence line.
I was interested in SVO pasturing, and I
don't know if that came from Joel S's book
as well, or not, but somewhere along the
line we're, we, we're very much like, like
using things as they're meant to be used.
Like with, with the least
we have to do the better.
So if we can add some trees and some
shade and some grass and that's all good.
So we would, we would, I.
Clear pasture with a mine to
keeping some trees in place even
if we had to mow around them
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
around them or whatnot.
So, yeah, that, that's where
kind of that part did start.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: And going
through the, the process of getting those
pastures a little bit more productive.
Did you ever introduce any other species
in, did you pasture drill anything
or did you use what was already there
in that seed bank to let it flourish?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
We used the, the seed bank.
We really felt like our beef raised
on natural native species was.
Tasty.
You know, we got very good reviews on
the quality of the beef, so we really
didn't wanna mess with anything.
And, and you know, I'm a fan
of, you know, native American
history and stuff like that.
And, and the one culprit, and I forget
always the name of 'em, but at some
point there was a government program to
plant hedge rows of a type of Rose Bush.
I don't know if you know that.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: oh.
Yeah,
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Yeah.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: moto
flora.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Which
around here now, they just grow randomly
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
So you have to cut 'em back, you
have to mow 'em, you have to dig
'em out and just get rid of 'em.
But other than that, yeah,
we tried to leave it.
And then I would find sometimes the
cows would actually gna on them if they
were along the fence line or something.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: I don't
know how or why, but no cow we're big
fans of as much as we can keep it.
You know, was native and varied.
That was one of the things I enjoyed
about the, his name escapes me, but
the gentleman who talked about natural
herd behavior and how herds will seek
out what they need and if they need a
little magnesium from this plant, or they
need something else from another plant.
Versus if you have, you know, alfalfa
or Timothy or some monoculture and
you're moving them along and there's
pros and cons to everything, but
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yeah.
Daniel from
wildland.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: yes, yes,
yes.
Yep,
yep,
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah, he his
book's really interesting that he talks
about that journey and I think he's
got another book coming out pretty
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Oh, great.
Now I'll have to look that up 'cause
I would, I would appreciate that.
Enjoy that.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah.
Now, with your,
your animals in greasing, have you
always just had beef cattle or cattle?
Have you thought about adding
any species, any other species?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Getting back to the leap of faith.
So when I first when we learned about
this farm was available last spring and I
learned about the solar farms going in, I
thought maybe sheep, I should try sheep.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
And the neighbors kindly didn't
laugh in my face, but Right.
It was pre became pretty clear pretty
quickly that you don't just try sheep.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: cows
'cause they're bigger and you can kind of
see them and, and yes, they'll get out.
That's the thing.
But yeah, we briefly considered
cheap, we raised chickens.
Where we're at turkeys we, we do
wait maybe when we retire from
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Maybe we, right.
And Stephanie, you bring up a great
point there that I struggle with.
We don't have all the time in the world,
especially if you're working off the farm.
You gotta be conscious of
how much time that's going
to take because you don't come home from
school each day refreshed and ready to go.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: No.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: That's
a very demanding job, and
especially working in sped ed or,
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Mm-hmm.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah, sped
it, it is, it's very demanding.
I never taught sped and,
and, I thought my job was
demanding, but I know SPEDs even more so.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Well, there, it's, there's no easy
job, certainly anymore in education.
But I live with a dreamer and I think it,
it's what Aaron does, he always does well.
So before we bring in something new, we'll
get our feet settled here and get going.
And then we have, what,
another 10 years of teaching.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
And then maybe we'll try that,
but I would wanna do it well.
Mm-hmm.
So.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah.
With, with the move to the
the new farm, are you going
to have to increase your herd?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Yeah, we've we, we have had to the
most we'd had up in Keene was five,
and there's kind of a variety of
a few belted and a couple Angus.
We right now have 10 on
the hoof every, every time.
Seems like there's another one
that comes around the corner,
so think at least 10 know.
Yeah.
That one
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: I
love Aaron's plan with this.
He's like, if I can get him to look
enough different and all different
colors out here, I slip in
another one.
She'll never
know,
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
know that was there.
They shuffled back and forth.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: right?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: yes.
Yeah, no.
Yeah.
So we with a 70 acre pasture or
so, we planned to maybe get, I'd
like to be able to process one a
month or two every other month.
So somewhere 1824.
At some point, and we ventured into,
we had been raising steers, but we
ventured into cow calves and open cows,
which I found much more pleasant than
steers.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Well,
actually you, you read my mind
because that was my next question.
Are you doing any cow calf, or are you
still just raising steers for Butcher?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Now.
We just quite a bit given the market.
I, I, I try and there's an
auction maybe 15 minutes away.
Going from a hundred dollars for a couple
of Holstein bull casts to a thousand.
Sometimes they're getting very, the
local dairies are selling 'em there
and getting a much higher premium
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
could buy 'em for.
But I've met some local,
back to the community piece.
You know, you start to say,
okay, here's the property,
or I don't wanna populate it.
How do I get some animals?
And there are some local closed herds
and some gentlemen and women that you
meet that have been running animals,
and you kind of wait and you're like,
oh, do you think you'll have any pears?
Or, you know, any older
opens or things like that.
And you just make relationships and
get to know 'em, and they get to know
you and, oh, sure, I'll sell you these.
And there are people who truly
care about their animals.
There's not, it's not the auction.
Ah, yeah, gimme the highest price.
It's who are you, what
are you gonna do with it?
How are you gonna take care of it?
If I drive by, I wanna see that
they're, you know, being treated well.
Right, right.
Versus yeah.
Kind of the commodity approach.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Right.
You, you, you know,
some background on those
animals as opposed to, to, you know,
Dave Sparks, I've mentioned him
a time or two on the podcast, big
into to Kiko Goats here in Oklahoma,
and he passed away a few years ago.
But he always wanted to say, you know,
you buy a goat at the sale barn, you
spend the next year finding what the
problem was, why the past owner sold
it.
So yeah.
building those relationships and,
and getting back those relationships
are so important in everything we
do.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: And
that's something I learned from my aunt
and uncle and just watching them in their
agricultural community and, and it's like
the Amish or all these stories of people
who, you know, you support each other.
And to us, that's the ideal.
That's what we wanna pass on to our kids.
That's what we try to teach our students.
We're all in this together.
Nobody gets outta
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: we are.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
alive, so to speak, so you
might as well work together.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Exactly right.
I, I couldn't agree more.
Now, as you think about expanding, you
talked about building those relationships.
Are there certain types of
animals you're looking for?
And, and I know Highlands
made that list, but is there
anything else that you're looking
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
We may have different lists.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, maybe so.
Yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: mine.
I wanna put a scarf on at Christmas.
His probably not so much.
So
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: you
know those Highlands are fair.
Very photogenic.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
they are, they can be
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah.
There's a Christmas card right
there for you.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: marketing.
You don't see the guy chasing after
it with the shovel in the bucket, the
water or and we, ironically, we, one
of the gentlemen I bought a couple,
some Herefords from, had a, he had
a, a belted Galloway Highland cross.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh
yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
black and white Oreo, but with the
long hair over the eyes, like you
can never tell where her eyes are
or where she's looking because it's,
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: yeah.
Well, Aaron, no offense, but people
don't have to question us about that.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
there you go.
That's true.
See, you can always
see what we're looking.
We're not
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Right, right.
Yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Great point, great point.
I, I, the herefords I've, I've
liked, 'cause they're kind of,
they're not, they're not completely
small like the Galloway, but
they're not huge like the Holstein.
And there's a community of
folks around who have been
raising them for a long time.
And one gentleman does give them corn
and, and they're kind of noticeably
bigger than another farm I buy
from that's straight grass fed.
But we really kinda like them.
We like their look, their
appearance, the calves.
And we do have three.
So that leap of faith, we have
three bred cows and coming up
here in March, we're, we're, we're
keeping a close eye because we we're
expecting some calves pretty soon.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, right.
That's very exciting.
And what, what kind of bull
did you have to breed him to?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Well,
given all I just said one of the pregnant
Herefords was bred to a Devon and I picked
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, yes,
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Christmas Eve in a snow storm down
the, down the road aways and, sorry,
the other two that are pregnant.
The Galloway, I think she was bred
to a herford bowl 'cause the guy has
Herefords and then another Hereford cow
who was bred to the same Hereford Bowl.
So it'll be a mix.
We'll see.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: but
the, but that's exciting.
Yeah.
Little suspense about what
it's going to come out looking
like.
Yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: yeah.
That's a leap of faith there.
'cause I've always kind of dreamed
I, to me it's that full circle.
It's great to produce your own
calves and, and they certainly
make much easier handling cows than
bringing in a bunch of random steers.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, yes it does.
Yeah.
That's a excellent
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: it is
our first time the vet's been out, he had
some ideas for our facility and whatnot,
and there's an old horse barn that I
wasn't sure what to do with, I had my
lawn tractor in there, but he said, this
would be perfect for your calving area.
And you can kind of, there's a
door out and how to structure it.
So you get 'em in and they
think, oh, it's great.
And then you can kind of
contain 'em and keep 'em safe.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, yes.
Yeah.
Well, very good.
I, I think it's really exciting
to, to have a new farm.
See where it's going to go.
I think the I.
Farm store.
I love the idea.
I I want to do that really bad.
But we're not quite there yet.
My wife and I talk about it though, but
it'd be really nice to do, do something.
I love the honor system.
I think that I see some of
these little farm stands pop
up and I'm like, oh, that's so
nice.
Makes me wish I didn't live out
in the middle of nowhere on a
dirt road.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
that could be a hurdle.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah.
Yeah, it could be, but I mean, I
could go out twice a day in dust,
but yeah, I, I really like that.
So I'm excited for you
all.
I'm excited to see how this goes.
Before we go to those famous four
questions, do you all have anything else
you'd like to add that I didn't ask?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
I know, I, I, I hope that in our
learning experience, we could encourage
other people to do what we're doing.
It's, it does range from completely
gut shaking, nerve wracking to this
is the best thing we've ever done, and
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: it feels
so good to, to do what we're doing.
But I hope it's, I hope we can
inspire other people to try this
lifestyle and you never know the way
the world will go and being a little
self-sustaining would, is another comfort
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: a bad idea.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: it brings.
So
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: yeah.
Anything else well put.
Okay.
Thank you.
That sounds good.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Well, it is
time for our famous four questions.
Speaker 3: Today's Famous Four questions
are sponsored by Grazing Grass Insiders.
Our Grazing Grass Insiders have
greater access to behind the scenes
on the podcast, as well as some
other benefits, and they support this
podcast, making sure it goes further.
And to be honest, the behind
the scenes and access to other
things we're working on here has
not been very good in the past.
I have a couple things in the works.
And hopefully those will be out
soon and our insiders will reap
the benefits from that first.
But insiders, I appreciate
you supporting the podcast and
helping us keep this going.
If you'd like to be an insider,
you can go over to grazinggrass.
com and click on insiders.
It has it there and you can join and
help us get these episodes out each week.
I appreciate each and
every one of our insiders.
Thank you.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Same four
questions we ask of all of our guests and
Stephanie and Aaron, as I tell all the
other guests that come on here together.
You both have to answer all the questions.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
I'm looking forward to this.
I.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, okay.
Okay.
Our first question, what is your favorite
grazing grass related book or resource?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Oh, oh, do you want to think?
Will I give mine?
Yes.
Notice you said resource too.
Yes.
It doesn't have to be that.
Okay.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Stephanie,
I've got a great idea for you
if you, if you run into trouble,
but let's hear, hear from
Aaron first.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: So
for me it was the salad bar beef
with Joel Salaton and I'm kind of a
doer more than a reader, but I enjoy,
like, that really gave me hope that,
hey, you can put cows out in fields.
And growing up with my uncle was
a conventional farmer, so I had
that whole chop the corn process,
the corn store, the corn, feed the
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
the poop, repeat.
So, that was a huge encouragement for
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
Excellent resource
there.
Stephanie, did you think
of one or do you need my
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
I need your help.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Well,
I'm thinking you're setting
right next to a great resource
for you and that's Aaron.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: was gonna
say that, but I didn't wanna be too mushy.
But yes, I have total faith here, and
he, he is the wealth of knowledge for me.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: and I'll give
you a little heads up, Stephanie, on our
second question.
He may be your answer
there
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: oh,
she, gosh, you don't want him to
think he's the answer to everything.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: We,
we will not let him be the
answer to question three and
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Yeah.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: just, yeah.
Yeah.
He's about to outgrow his hair now.
Yeah.
Question two, what what's your
favorite tool for the farm?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Oh, go ahead.
I love let's see, sixties to
eighties, John Deere tractors, when
you could still work on 'em and.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Again, my uncle once said, well,
I thought if it's good enough for
John Deere, it's good enough for me.
And he's got old, like, 40 10 and
29 40 and some older machinery
that you can just work on.
And it's very basic and safe.
And I water tanks, you know,
mowers, nailers, everything.
That's, and I still, you get that
little kid inside, like get to get
on the tractor here when you get
home after a long day at school.
It is sometimes it is like a, a re
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: decompressor.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Yeah.
Get on here.
The pop, pop, pop pop up.
And
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
I liked the Oliver.
Oh, you did?
I did.
Like the Oliver.
Yeah.
What was the, you can give the
letters and the numbers to the Oliver.
1650.
1650.
And the reason I liked the Oliver
was because that was a family.
Mm-hmm.
Tractor that, that we had.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh
yeah.
yeah.
My,
um,
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Yeah.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: my uncle
has the Farmall that my grandpa had.
I'd love to have that and, and restore it.
There, there they have
ideas of restoring it as
well.
So so maybe if they don't get to
it, I'll have the opportunity.
I don't know, as long as it
stays in the family, I just
think that thing's great and
I'd love to see it restored and
running,
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Mm-hmm.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: so.
Yeah.
And I'm not mechanically climb inclined,
so that would be quite a mountain to
climb, but I like the idea.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Yeah.
Can I give another resource that we both,
right.
When you mentioned farm Pete,
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, I love Pete.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
the YouTube guide, just a few
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Just a few acres.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Farm.
And his book, actually, I should
have mentioned is she bought his
book, she gave me a card two years.
So she can't, she's not
completely innocent in this.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
years ago with his book.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: She's encouraged
you?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
has, she's funny that way.
Okay.
Yeah.
Pete makes me feel like
this will all be okay and
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, well,
good.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
his YouTube stories and his wife
and how they work together, that's
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, they do.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
we've got going on.
So, I That was a good, I was
just thinking about that.
Yeah.
For Pete and his dad, jokes are perfect.
Oh,
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh yeah, I
watch Pete every Saturday morning,
or, no, it's Sunday morning.
He releases this episode.
So Sunday morning.
If I start watching too early, they're not
out yet, so I,
but they get out.
I try and catch his videos every
weekend.
In fact, I watched one earlier,
I think his, from this weekend.
It wasn't last weekend's that I
was behind on, but yeah, I would
love to get Pete on the podcast.
I've, I've not had any luck yet,
but I've also heard him say on his
videos that he doesn't, he is not
going worry about comments, his
email, you know, because
there's a lot of negativity out
there, and you have to protect
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Yes.
Mm-hmm.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008:
however you need to do that.
So.
I've thought I'm gonna sit
down and write him a letter,
but I haven't done it yet.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
a old school.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008:
that'd be a little creative.
Well, it'd be a little bit of a job
for me to write a letter, but I think I
could probably work through it and, and,
do
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Well, let us know if you need help.
You know, that's we're teacher.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, okay.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: We
could do some remedial writing work and
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008:
There, there we go.
Perfect.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: well
graphic organizer to get 'em started.
Give you a little dotted
lines for the letters.
Here we go.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: There we go.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Our third question.
What would you tell someone
just getting started?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Just go.
You know, I, I think when we went
through the USDA loan process.
I thought this is gonna be crushing for
Aaron if this doesn't come to fruition.
And I had
plan B, plan C, plan D in mind.
And I, I think we just put our
heads down and, and went, and
that's my, you have to have support.
You have to trust who you're
working with completely.
Mm-hmm.
And just go, just do.
If it's what your heart is
pushing, then hopefully it'll work.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Right?
Yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
that's what I got.
I would say.
Yeah, it, it can't
happen without the other.
And whatever you're gonna do,
make sure you're both in it to go.
'cause if you're constantly
pulling, it's not fair to either.
And Stephanie's always
been very supportive.
And when I started this process in New
Hampshire, the New Hampshire loan officer
said, when I was talking about sheep,
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh, yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: do you
ever know, have you ever known anybody to
just like, get a loan and get some sheep?
And the USDA is wise in saying we wanna
know that you know something what you're
doing before we give you the money.
And she had said, and substance,
use this word, follow your passion.
If beef are your passion, do beef.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh
Yeah.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
it'll, it'll work, but don't try to
like, do something because of that.
Well, sheep could be a
path to the farm, but
it wouldn't have gone well and they'd be
all in the road and people would be angry.
And, and that's the yin and the yang.
So if you have a yin and a yang
to, to support you, whether it's a
community member or a local farmer
or, or wife, or a really patient,
loving wife, and an awesome husband
who knows a little bit about every
single thing, I think you just go, just
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah.
Excellent advice.
And you know, that ying and yang of it.
If I didn't have my wife to keep me
in check, there would probably be some
yaks out here, and I'm not sure what I'm
doing with those and who knows what else.
She does a wonderful job keeping me
grounded
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: yes.
We went,
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: me from
putting all kinds of irons in the fire.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: we
went through our Mustang horse phase.
Hey, now
Covid ruined that.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: oh yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
They stopped bringing 'em
to Swansea, New Hampshire.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Oh
yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
pick one up at the fair.
ride the wave, ride the waves.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008:
Well, yeah, there you go.
And lastly, where can others
find out more about you?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Well, we are just starting out
on our social media platforms.
Moody Farm, moody Farms, LLC
on Instagram and Facebook.
And we're working on a website.
And our email is Moody
Farms llc@gmail.com.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: perfect.
We'll put those in our show
notes.
A and I may a fibbed just a little bit.
I said that was the last
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Oh.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008:
I didn't even warn you
all, so I apologize
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
fast five we got.
It's not the famous four.
That's all right.
We'll get it.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah, well the
last episode, we tried something, so
we're gonna try it for a few months.
But we're turning the tables.
What question do you have for me?
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: What would
be your pearl of wisdom for a new farmer?
Family farmer.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: I think, I think
if it's a passion, you, you gotta get
started.
And when we talk about it on the podcast,
we've talked to an individual that
was in California with his backyard.
He was grazing two
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Hmm.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008:
using electro netting.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Yeah.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: If, if
you wanna do it, there's, there's
ways, there's if you don't
have the land and can't do it.
My, my nephew, he's got a few head
of sheep that he's gotten from us.
He got 'em as orphan
lambs.
He's bottle fed 'em,
he's got 'em super tame.
Not like ours, but he's
rotating them around his yard
because he just wants to do it.
If you have a small area, small animals
are a better bet than cattle.
So poultry is always a good
choice, especially with egg prices.
Now it's not, you know, it's, it's tough
to make money with eggs, with layers, but
you can do it, especially in the current
climate.
Processing, you could do meat
birds and process 'em and sell birds.
If you wanna do more mammals, obviously
sheep, but if you don't have that much
area, you could do rabbits just to,
just to get started and try that.
Each area is gonna be a little
bit different depending on your
market, but not always.
I think it's important, you know,
there's a market, but just the
act of managing some animals
for grazing will help you out.
Even if, like for here, the
rabbit market would be very small.
There's not too many people having rabbit.
There's, you could gain
some experience there.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Yep.
Mm-hmm.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: And if you,
if you wanna get started with cattle
and you have a little bit more land,
I think dairy cross calves are a
great way to get started.
You're working with a small animal
and, and they're growing as your
knowledge grows if you don't have
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Right, right.
Right.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: I, I just
think you get started wherever
you are and work towards that
goal, just like you all
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: you.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Can I ask a question?
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yes.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
What have you learned?
You're, I think you're 150, 160 episodes.
Can you, I'm sure like what has
that experience done for you, this
podcasting, and what have you learned
from all these different folks?
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008:
It, it is, is amazing.
I started the podcast with the
idea to talk to people that were
doing what I was trying to do
as well because I wasn't seeing them in my
community.
Now, since I've been on this path, I
found people nearby that are doing it.
Just I didn't see 'em
before, and, and in that sometimes it's
just you just don't travel that way.
You know?
We're very much creatures of
habit and we take the same way
to work, and if they're not
along that way, we don't see
'em.
So it's been really nice to open my
eyes and find some more people, but I
also think the regenerative movement
is growing and we've got more farmers
doing it, so that's great.
But just the, I can't even put
into words how much it
has affected my practice.
It's made me such a better
grazier and, and I love hearing
these stories and building these
connections and, and going forth.
I think I put out at a hundred episodes,
I put out a episode, things learned in a
hundred well, I don't even
remember what I said at the time.
I, I probably ought to
go review it and see,
uh,
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
the filter's out through the head.
We don't have the hair to keep it in
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: yeah, yeah.
Nothing to keep it there.
It, I just feel like it motivates
me hearing these stories
and just hearing what people's
gone through has given me new
ideas, ways to do things that I
probably wouldn't have found on my
own.
Maybe I would've
found a YouTube channel
that's, that did it.
But just having these conversations,
energized me, gives me new perspectives,
and it's improved my practice greatly.
And I hope that's, that's happened for our
listeners as well.
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010: Yeah.
Well, I would that Yeah, you're,
there's a lot of podcasts.
Obviously everybody and their
brother has a podcast of some sort.
But you are,
you remind me of Pete in a very good
way, and now you are both very calm,
steady, you're accepting, you're
open, like you're, you, you take
people in and, and you make 'em feel
comfortable and no matter how big or
small they are, and we appreciate it.
Yes.
Very much.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Well, well,
thank you that, you know, I, I'm a big
fan of Pete's, so I take that as a huge
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
It, it's meant that meant to be.
Yes.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, Aaron and Stephanie, I really
appreciate you coming on and sharing
the-moodys_1_03-02-2025_164010:
Thank you for having us.
Yes, thank you.
cal_1_03-02-2025_154008: Yeah.
Cal: Thank you for listening to this
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where we bring you stories and insights
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