Mike Guebert of Terra Farma in northwest Oregon joins Cal to share how he and his wife built a multi-species, direct-to-consumer farm over more than 20 years, from early days as first-generation farmers to running meat CSA sales, improving grazing systems, and teaching others through the Oregon Pasture Network.

In This Episode, We Explore:

• Starting a first-generation farm from a blank slate with invasives, no fencing, and rough infrastructure
• Moving from vegetarian to raising and processing poultry on-farm
• Building a multi-species operation including beef, pork, sheep, goats, poultry, and more
• Managing grazing in a high rainfall, dry-summer region without irrigation
• Chicken tractor evolution, daily moves, and using a winch system for efficiency and injury prevention
• Marketing changes over time including launching a meat CSA in 2020 and the plan to transition away from it
• Stopping raw milk sales after losing liability insurance and regaining time and flexibility
• Moving toward a more seasonal, grass-only beef model to reduce winter feeding
• Teaching and producer support through pasture walks, cohorts, mentorship, and events with Oregon Pasture Network
• Conservation district work including farmland protection tools like conservation easements

Why This Episode Matters
This conversation is a practical look at how farm enterprises, marketing, and even personal capacity change over time, and why building community learning opportunities like pasture walks and cohorts can help producers avoid common pitfalls while improving grazing, profitability, and quality of life.

Resources Mentioned

• Acres USA annual conference
• Ranching for Profit School
• Executive Link (Ranching for Profit)
• Oregon State University Small Farms Conference
• Oregon Pasture Network pasture walks
• Oregon FarmLink (Friends of Family Farmers)

Find Out More

• Terra Farma website | terrafarmaers.net
• Terra Farma Instagram | @terrafarmaers
• Oregon Pasture Network | oregonpasturenetwork.org
• Friends of Family Farmers | friendsoffamilyfarmers.org
• East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District | emswcd.org

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Upcoming Grazing Events

• Noble Profitability Essentials - Jefferson City, Mo, March 24-25, 2026

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Redmond Agriculture

Grazing Grass Links
Website
Community (on Facebook)

Original Music by Louis Palfrey

Tyler Flynn runs a small beef cow-calf operation in Northern California at Farmer Tyler Ranch, where he also grows hay and raises a few pigs and chickens for family use while documenting the work and lessons learned through his YouTube channel.

In This Episode, We Explore:

• Coming back to a family ranch and building a cow-calf business on small acreage
• Northern California conditions, including irrigated pasture, rice country, and seasonal rainfall patterns
• How and why Tyler uses irrigated pasture rotation, including short rest periods in his context
• The shift from small square bales to round bales and what changed his mind
• Using hay equipment as a pasture improvement tool, including baling pastures after grazing
• Tackling smut grass by cutting, baling, and managing where those bales are fed
• Breed composition over time, including Hereford roots and adding SimAngus genetics for heterosis
• How YouTube influenced management decisions and helped drive experimentation
• Practical YouTube lessons for farmers, including audio, camera stability, and consistent posting

Why This Episode Matters
This conversation is a good reminder that management has to fit the place and the people running it. Tyler shares what works on irrigated pasture in Northern California, how he thinks through rotation length, equipment decisions, and weed pressure, and why consistency and realism matter when you are balancing time, labor, and livestock.

Resources Mentioned
- GoPro cameras
- Tripod (video stability)
- Microphone (audio quality)

Find Out More

• Farmer Tyler Ranch on YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@farmertylerranch4399

Looking for grass-based breeders?
Explore the Grass Based Genetics directory.

Upcoming Grazing Events

• Noble Profitability Essentials - Jefferson City, Mo, March 24-25, 2026

Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute

Redmond Agriculture

Grazing Grass Links
Website
Community (on Facebook)

Original Music by Louis Palfrey

Kasie Harriet is the milkmaid at Shepherd Farms, where she and her husband Jacob are building a direct-to-consumer farm business that includes raw milk, sourdough, tallow skincare, and more, while managing cows in a rotational grazing setup and learning what it really takes to run a small dairy at the family scale.

In This Episode, We Explore:

• Kasie’s path from FFA and wildlife work into farm life and dairy cows
• Why they pursued raw milk and how that led to buying their first family milk cow
• Lessons learned from a first cow that tested positive for bacteria and how they handled it
• Setting up a movable, low-cost milking stanchion and why “you don’t need a lot to do a lot”
• Hand milking vs machine milking and the real-world importance of equipment that is easy to clean
• Calf sharing, grafting a calf, and how that can add flexibility to dairy cow ownership
• Selling excess milk, managing weekly customers, and handling jars and deposits
• What to look for when buying a milk cow: testing, temperament, training, feeding history, and more
• Using Facebook to educate customers, build trust, and grow a local direct-to-consumer community

Why This Episode Matters
If you are considering a family milk cow or selling raw milk direct-to-consumer, this episode walks through the practical realities that often get skipped, including cow selection, sanitation concerns, equipment choices, customer management, and the setbacks that can happen even when you do things carefully. Kasie’s story is a grounded reminder to learn, adjust, and keep moving forward.

Resources Mentioned

• Keeping a Family Cow by Joann S. Grohman
• Keeping a Family Milk Cow, holistic and organic (Facebook group)

Find Out More

• Shepherd Farms | https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087351095567

Looking for grass-based breeders?
Explore the Grass Based Genetics directory.

Upcoming Grazing Events

• Noble Profitability Essentials - Jefferson City, Mo, March 24-25, 2026

Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute

Redmond Agriculture

Grazing Grass Links
Website
Community (on Facebook)

Original Music by Louis Palfrey