How Much Money Do Sheep Farms Really Make? PROFIT PER ACRE?

Can you make a living raising sheep, or should you just buy cattle? In this video, sheep rancher Randy Davis puts one beef cow next to six ewes on the same pasture and compares them with real numbers from university budgets, USDA prices and farm records. What does each one sell in a year? How soon does the money come back? What does it cost to start, and what does it cost to keep them? Which one left more profit over the last three years? Then the part that decides whether sheep pay at all: lambs per ewe, lamb losses, feed, equipment, where you sell, drought, fence and water. Stay to the end for what sheep farms of different sizes actually make in a year, from real farm books. This is for anyone with a small place who is deciding between sheep and cattle, or who already keeps a few ewes and wants them to pay their way. My book “Your First Year with Sheep”: https://sheepwithrandy.com/ Chapters: 0:00 Can you make a living with sheep, or should you buy cattle? 0:20 Why compare one cow with six ewes? 1:05 What do a cow and six ewes sell in a year? 1:49 How soon does the money come back? 2:27 How much money does it take to start? 3:05 What does it cost to keep sheep compared to a cow? 3:52 Do sheep or cattle make more profit? 4:42 Why do lambs per ewe matter so much? 5:25 What do lamb losses really cost you? 6:08 How do you cut your feed bill? 6:45 How do you get more out of the land you have? 7:25 Should a small flock buy a tractor? 8:09 Where should you sell your lambs? 8:52 What should you do when drought hits? 9:29 How do you save money on fence and water? 10:10 What does one ewe really cost you? 10:49 How much do sheep farms really make? Sources: 18 sources with links (университеты Айовы, Техаса, Пенсильвании, Миннесоты, Корнелла, Вайоминга, Южной Дакоты, Оклахомы; USDA NASS, ERS и NRCS) — полный список в файле. Prices and costs change every year and from county to county. The numbers in this video come from the sources above; keep your own records and run your own numbers before you buy. If this helped, subscribe for more practical sheep-keeping tips. #sheep #sheepfarming #raisingsheep #cattle #homestead