Grazing Grass Podcast | Rotational Grazing, Soil Health & Profitable Livestock Farming 212 | Mike Guebert, Oregon | How Two Former Vegetarians Built a Multi-Species Direct-to-Consumer Farm
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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