Joel Salatin

Yes.

Jury's out on that. I mean, there are certainly people who have planted things in their fields. In general, if I'm going to convert, for example, a a cornfield into pasture, I'm going to plant. I don't have time. Time to wait. I don't have time to wait. In 20 years, yes, it'll be a pasture, but I don't want to wait 20 years. So in that case, I would certainly plant. You would plant what?

Jury's out on that. I mean, there are certainly people who have planted things in their fields. In general, if I'm going to convert, for example, a a cornfield into pasture, I'm going to plant. I don't have time. Time to wait. I don't have time to wait. In 20 years, yes, it'll be a pasture, but I don't want to wait 20 years. So in that case, I would certainly plant. You would plant what?

Jury's out on that. I mean, there are certainly people who have planted things in their fields. In general, if I'm going to convert, for example, a a cornfield into pasture, I'm going to plant. I don't have time. Time to wait. I don't have time to wait. In 20 years, yes, it'll be a pasture, but I don't want to wait 20 years. So in that case, I would certainly plant. You would plant what?

Alfalfa, maybe? What do you plant? No, I would plant a cocktail. Two clovers, three grasses, some plantain. You just sprinkle that together? Yeah. I see. So you'd make an artificial diverse plant. Artificial cocktail. Yeah, yeah. Okay. And then it'll gradually diversify over time.

Alfalfa, maybe? What do you plant? No, I would plant a cocktail. Two clovers, three grasses, some plantain. You just sprinkle that together? Yeah. I see. So you'd make an artificial diverse plant. Artificial cocktail. Yeah, yeah. Okay. And then it'll gradually diversify over time.

Alfalfa, maybe? What do you plant? No, I would plant a cocktail. Two clovers, three grasses, some plantain. You just sprinkle that together? Yeah. I see. So you'd make an artificial diverse plant. Artificial cocktail. Yeah, yeah. Okay. And then it'll gradually diversify over time.

And what else do you raise? More than that, we went... Two things. One, we went multi-species. So we have cows, chickens, both meat and eggs, pigs, lamb, rabbit, duck. So multi-species. Okay, okay.

And what else do you raise? More than that, we went... Two things. One, we went multi-species. So we have cows, chickens, both meat and eggs, pigs, lamb, rabbit, duck. So multi-species. Okay, okay.

And what else do you raise? More than that, we went... Two things. One, we went multi-species. So we have cows, chickens, both meat and eggs, pigs, lamb, rabbit, duck. So multi-species. Okay, okay.

Yeah. I mean, well, it's for eggs and meat. Mm-hmm. That's a small—we won't do a lot of those. Our main is beef, pork, and chicken. I mean, that's our main thing. Rabbit, duck, lamb, those are all kind of peripheral things. But the other part of this is that we elected to direct market. Yeah, okay.

Yeah. I mean, well, it's for eggs and meat. Mm-hmm. That's a small—we won't do a lot of those. Our main is beef, pork, and chicken. I mean, that's our main thing. Rabbit, duck, lamb, those are all kind of peripheral things. But the other part of this is that we elected to direct market. Yeah, okay.

Yeah. I mean, well, it's for eggs and meat. Mm-hmm. That's a small—we won't do a lot of those. Our main is beef, pork, and chicken. I mean, that's our main thing. Rabbit, duck, lamb, those are all kind of peripheral things. But the other part of this is that we elected to direct market. Yeah, okay.

So remember, Dad was an accountant, and he understood very early on that as a small farm, the commodity margin—the commodity business— The whole goal is to become the least cost producer. Yeah, at high scale. At high scale. Yeah, yeah, right. Okay? Right. And as a small farm, he understood we can't compete at that. So I'm sure you've heard farmers say, well, the middleman makes all the money.

So remember, Dad was an accountant, and he understood very early on that as a small farm, the commodity margin—the commodity business— The whole goal is to become the least cost producer. Yeah, at high scale. At high scale. Yeah, yeah, right. Okay? Right. And as a small farm, he understood we can't compete at that. So I'm sure you've heard farmers say, well, the middleman makes all the money.

So remember, Dad was an accountant, and he understood very early on that as a small farm, the commodity margin—the commodity business— The whole goal is to become the least cost producer. Yeah, at high scale. At high scale. Yeah, yeah, right. Okay? Right. And as a small farm, he understood we can't compete at that. So I'm sure you've heard farmers say, well, the middleman makes all the money.

Exactly. So— He realized, well, in order for us to compete to actually make a living on this small farm, we need to become a middleman. We need to own that. So basically, the retail dollar is divided into producer, processor, marketer, distributor. Those four basic— Say that again. Producer, processor, marketer, and distributor.

Exactly. So— He realized, well, in order for us to compete to actually make a living on this small farm, we need to become a middleman. We need to own that. So basically, the retail dollar is divided into producer, processor, marketer, distributor. Those four basic— Say that again. Producer, processor, marketer, and distributor.

Exactly. So— He realized, well, in order for us to compete to actually make a living on this small farm, we need to become a middleman. We need to own that. So basically, the retail dollar is divided into producer, processor, marketer, distributor. Those four basic— Say that again. Producer, processor, marketer, and distributor.

Right, of course. So it's got to get to the retail interface somehow, okay? So the retail dollars divided those four ways in different commodities. There are different percentages in each of those four categories. And tremendous competition between them. Yes, tremendous competition.