ItвЂ™s a good idea to call your local processor and schedule time slot.вЂќ вЂњHomesteaders will buy a calf in the springtime, it will get big enough to slaughter in the fall and the slaughterhouses are all booked up through the season. вЂњWe have very few meat processors in the state of Maine, so facilities fill up quickly,вЂќ Knight said. It may be challenging to find a qualified processor depending on where you live. Knight explained that if you plan on keeping meat for your own consumption, you can use a custom slaughter facility, but if you are hoping to sell some meat, the facility must be state or federally inspected depending on whether you plan to sell in-state or across the border.Д®ven if you are not going to sell the meat, you need to know who is going to process your animal. вЂњIt will put weight on through the summer, and come fall, you can take that animal to the meat processor and theyвЂ™ll cut it up for you.вЂќ вЂњIf you just want to keep an animal for yourself in a freezer, buy stocker or a heifer 600 and 700 pounds,вЂќ Knight said. If you are raising a cow for beef, Robbins said that grass-fed cows will be ready to eat at around 28 to 30 months, while grain-fed cows can be ready by 15 to 16 months. Butchering cows, however, is complicated and requires a specific skill set and tools, so it is important to know where you will process your beef. Many farmers and homesteaders purchase a cow to raise for fresh, homegrown beef. If you are raising cows for beef, know where you will process your meat. вЂњYou could also turn the milk into butter and cheese, and cut out having to buy butter and milk and cheese.вЂќДЈ. вЂњIf you were to raise that calf that sheвЂ™s feeding and sell it, youвЂ™d be able to make money on that,вЂќ Robbins said. Robbins said you could get creative to make money or save additional dollars on your grocery budget from your dairy cow. вЂњYou wouldnвЂ™t have to buy any more milk, but thatвЂ™s only $3 a gallon, so if youвЂ™re only buying two gallons of milk a month, youвЂ™re not saving money.вЂќ

вЂњA cow is going to give you way more milk than you can consume,вЂќ Robbins said. If you plan to use your cow for personal milking and do not plan to eventually slaughter it, just know that you will likely be spending more money than you save. вЂњThe milk would probably just be for your personal use.вЂќ вЂњIn North Carolina, you canвЂ™t sell raw milk, so thatвЂ™s not feasible,вЂќ Robbins said.

However, it is still illegal to sell raw, unpasteurized milk straight from the cow in 20 states, including Alabama, Colorado and Virginia. Eight states allow the sale of raw milk only through вЂњcowshare agreements,вЂќ where cow owners farmers are paid to board, feed and milk their cows. Some states - 13 in total, including Maine, California and Pennsylvania - allow the sale of raw milk in retail stores, while 17 others allow for raw milk-producing farms to sell the product on their premises.

Black baby cow