A Look Back at Everything We Built This Year

In partnership with

We Started With Cows

Early on we talked cattle. Dexter cows, why they made sense for our land, and why we eventually decided to move away from them and plan for Red Angus down the road.

That series was less about breeds and more about scale. Matching animals to land. Making decisions that make sense long term, even when they’re hard.

One big takeaway: a good animal can still be the wrong animal for your season of life.

Do red cars cost more to insure?

You may have heard the myth that red cars cost more to insure, often with varying reasons why. The truth is, the color of your car has nothing to do with your premium. Insurance companies are more interested in your vehicle’s make, model, age, safety features, and your driving history. What’s not a myth, though — is that people really can save a ton of money by switching insurers. Check out Money’s car insurance tool to see if you could, too.

SEE IF YOU COULD SAVE

Egg Layers: Chick to Fried Egg

This was one of the most practical series we’ve done.

We went step by step from picking breeds, setting up a brooder that actually works, feeding stages, coop setup, nesting boxes, and finally collecting eggs.

A lot of people told me this was the first time chickens felt simple instead of overwhelming. That’s exactly what I wanted.

Meat Chickens: Chick to Freezer

Then we switched gears.

This series got real fast. We talked broilers, pasture raising, processing day, packaging, and the true cost of raising your own meat.

Not the highlight version. The honest one.

It opened a lot of eyes to the fact that raising your own food isn’t always cheaper, but it is clearer. You know what went into it, and that matters.

Feed, Ingredients, and Why It Matters

This one surprised a lot of people.

We dug into feed labels, ingredients, quality, and why feed affects everything from growth to health to long-term costs. A lot of folks said this was the first time they’d ever thought about what was actually in the bag.

Feed isn’t just feed. It’s the foundation.

Goats, Burnout, and Hard Decisions

The goat series might have been the most honest.

We talked dairy goats, parasites, culling, burnout, and the reality of turning animals into pets. We also talked about selling our goats and why that decision made sense at the time.

Not every chapter lasts forever. That doesn’t mean it failed.

Silvopasture: Turning Woods Into Working Land

This was the deepest series of the year.

We covered what silvopasture really is, which trees help and hurt, how animals move through the woods, grazing lanes, water, fencing, common mistakes, and how to start small.

A lot of people told me this series changed how they look at their wooded acres. That might be my favorite feedback all year.

What This Newsletter Became

Somewhere along the way, this stopped being just emails.

It became a place to talk honestly about land, animals, mistakes, and learning without pretending everything is perfect.

I’m 20 years old, still in college, and still figuring things out. I write this because I want to inspire more people, especially people my age, to reconnect with the land and build real skills.

What Comes Next

Next year we go deeper.

More land management.
More animals.
More experiments.
More lessons learned the hard way.

And more voices from you.

If you’ve got a topic you want covered, or an idea to make this better, reply back to this email. I actually read them, and they shape what comes next.

Thanks for being here.

– Tim Parker
Start My Homestead