Justin Frye of JMR Farm in Baker, West Virginia joins the show to talk about building a farm from scratch on a family property that's been in his family since 1847. He and his wife Maggie custom graze cow-calf pairs, run a Katahdin hair sheep flock, and buy and finish feeder lambs — all while working off-farm jobs and figuring out what enterprises fit their operation best.

Justin shares the story of how his grandfather's surprise offer to sell the family farm set everything in motion, how a connection through a mentor led to their first custom grazing arrangement, and what three consecutive years of drought have taught him about managing grass for someone else's cattle. He also walks through the sheep learning curve, going from 89 ewes down to 30 through hard culling, and explains their feeder lamb protocol from receiving through market.

Topics covered:

• Growing up on a family farm in West Virginia and the influence of mentors at Potomac State College
• Buying the family farm (in operation since 1847) and what made it financially possible
• How a mentor connection led to their first custom grazing opportunity
• What services JMR Farm provides under the custom grazing agreement, daily moves, pink eye treatment, weaning and vaccinating calves, getting them started on feed
• Managing three consecutive drought years while grazing someone else's cattle
• Moving toward 60-day rest periods and what they've learned about residual sward height
• Building 13,000 feet of exterior and cross fence with just Justin and Maggie
• Silvopasture plans: thinning wooded areas and controlling multiflora rose and autumn olive
• Why they chose Katahdin hair sheep, the profitability case, and the steep learning curve
• FAMACHA scoring, dewormer resistance, and culling hard for a parasite-resistant flock
• Grazing sheep with cattle: their plan for this season
• The feeder lamb operation: buying 40-60 lb lambs, feeding to 80-100 lbs, sell-buy marketing
• Cattle handling with a Bud Box, the DS Livestock sheep system, and tips for low-stress flow-through
• Freeze branding: liquid nitrogen vs. dry ice, container options, and offering it as a service
• Cattle breed direction: Leachman Stabilizer genetics and why it fits their marketing channel
• The sentimental story of buying back Maggie's heifer (M005) on Valentine's Day

Find Out More
JMR Farm on Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550043373027

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• Regenerative Agriculture Deep Dive: 3 Day Holistic Managment - Kamas, UT, April 22-24, 2026. https://3springsutah.com
• Noble Land Essentials - Ardmore, OK, May 12-13, 2026. https://noble.org

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Apr 22-24 3 Springs Utah

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Dakota Finch didn't grow up planning to be an organic grass-fed dairy farmer. He grew up on his grandfather's conventional dairy in upstate New York, left for the Air Force, started researching nutrition for his family, and found himself reading about the organic dairy market on a computer in Korea during downtime. That curiosity eventually led him back to farming — on his own terms.

In this episode, Dakota shares how he went from a six-year Air Force career to launching Finch Family Farm in 2017, milking 40–50 grass-fed organic cows in central New York, and recently opening a farm retail store selling raw milk, beef, pork, chicken, and eggs.

He's honest about where things are working and where they're not — from the farrowing struggles with his son's pig operation, to the challenge of making quality hay on marginal ground nobody else wanted, to the marketing learning curve that comes with selling direct. This is a practitioner's episode: real questions, real tensions, no pretending it's all figured out.

What we cover:

• How Dakota got his start through an internship on a grass-fed organic dairy and the relationship that made his first herd purchase possible

• Fall seasonal vs. spring seasonal dairying — and why his milk market actually pays a premium for winter milk

• The 10-and-7 milking schedule he tried to protect time for coaching his kids' sports teams

• Balage, native grasses, and the ongoing question of whether to make his own hay or buy it

• Breeding decisions: Jersey AI, Ayrshire bulls, the Black Angus that timed out perfectly with the calf market, and why he's now using AAA mating

• Opening a farm retail store with Barn2Door and a small business grant — and why raw milk is the lead product that brings customers to the farm

• His son's pig operation (currently a train wreck, honestly) and the real math on whether farrowing-to-finish pencils out

• First year with 100 meat birds and 100 egg layers — lessons learned, losses included

• The Gallagher eShepherd virtual fence collars: what worked, what didn't, and why he's still excited about them heading into this season

Find Out More
Dakota: Facebook (Dakota Finch)
Finch Family Farm on Facebook
finchfamilyfarmny.com

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Community question this week: What did the younger you dream of that you're doing today? Share in the Grazing Grass community.

• (00:00) - Start

Looking for grass-based breeders?
Explore the Grass Based Genetics directory.

Upcoming Grazing Events

• Regenerative Agriculture Deep Dive: 3 Day Holistic Managment - Kamas, UT, April 22-24, 2026. https://3springsutah.com
• Noble Land Essentials - Ardmore, OK, May 12-13, 2026. https://noble.org

Visit our Sponsors:
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Redmond Agriculture
Grassroots Carbon

Grazing Grass Links
Website
Community (on Facebook)

Original Music by Louis Palfrey

Brett Chedzoy is a Cornell Extension Forester and co-operator of Angus Glen Farms in upstate New York, where he and his wife Maria graze over 100 cow-calf pairs across 600 acres with much of it wooded. He's also been ranching in central Argentina since the mid-1990s, where he first discovered his love for cattle after heading there as a Peace Corps volunteer fresh out of graduate school.

In this episode, Brett breaks down silvopasture and how to evaluate existing woodland and open it up for productive grazing. He explains why thinning your woods isn't just about letting in light, it's about protecting the long-term value of your timber while growing more forage.

Topics covered:

• Brett's background: Kansas wheat farming roots, a Welsh sheep-herding grandfather, Peace Corps in Argentina, and what the gauchos taught him about the difference between working hard and working smart
• What silvopasture looks like in the forested Northeast vs. the savanna-style systems common in other regions
• Why cool-season forages like orchardgrass can actually thrive in light shade and how silvopasture extends your grazing season on both ends
• The 10-question site evaluation tool Brett developed to assess whether a piece of woodland is a good silvopasture candidate
• How to find the right logging crew for silvopasture thinning (hint: it's a very different operation than high-value timber harvest)
• The forester vs. farmer timescale problem and how to find the middle ground
• Who to call first: land grant extension, state forestry agencies, and your local soil and water conservation district
• Why Brett recommends starting small and getting your first experience before tackling a 50-acre project

Resources mentioned:

• Cornell Silvopasture resources — search "Cornell silvopasture" or visit forestconnect.info
• Brett's 10-question silvopasture site evaluation tool
• National Agroforestry Center
• University of Missouri silvopasture resources

Looking for grass-based breeders?
Explore the Grass Based Genetics directory.

Upcoming Grazing Events

• Regenerative Agriculture Deep Dive: 3 Day Holistic Managment - Kamas, UT, April 22-24, 2026. https://3springsutah.com
• Noble Land Essentials - Ardmore, OK, May 12-13, 2026. https://noble.org

Visit our Sponsors:
Noble Research Institute

Redmond Agriculture
Grassroots Carbon

Grazing Grass Links
Website
Community (on Facebook)

Original Music by Louis Palfrey