C. Hunter

If you're used to pin looms and needleweaving, you might enjoy Rebecca Metzoff's 4 Selvege Tapestry technique.

https://rebeccamezoff.com/fringeless/

You can basically build any shape you want with supplemental warps.

I would LOVE to help - I adore video editing and am trying to build a portfolio. But I'm nto on site, and as much as I want to visit the lab at some point, I'm having some mobility challenges that are limting me right now

Let's talk!

*waves* I'm south of y'all down in the Gila There are definitely some interesting challenges.

I've been absent from the site for a while, my life got turned upside down with the move and I'm getting married in May, so not sure I'm going to be here long term and debating how much to really put into the current property. This spring's #1 project is to clear the bindweed and junk out of the creek and at least put in a few raised beds.

I'm not sure I'd go automatically to a specific breed. Hit up the local sales, see what shows up there and looks good- and what sells well. Talk to people about what their inputs are.

My family has grassfed, mostly Angus and hereford/black baldie types, in central texas, for my whole life, although the property is leased out now since my grandad passed. It is pretty dang hot and humid.

IIRC, there's a couple of Florida breeds that might suit, if you are into rare breed genetic preservation.

I think having access to- and critters used to- both is a ideal.

Machine milking is undeniably faster. It may also be easier to find a farmsitter who can (or is willing) to use a milker than to milk by hand, in the event you need to be gone.

Your time is valuable- don't forget to factor that in.

The simplicity is appealing, but I don't think I know ANYONE with dairy animals who doesn't long-term end up with a milking machine or at least talk about wanting one.

Marc = yeah, I'm pretty familiar with ATBA

Working BCs on out of site stuff means 'sending them over the next hill (or three hills) to lift the sheep. It's not really comparable to tending unsupervised- the jobs are really different. I've only worked a little with BCs, started out with one GSD (who we didn't take as far as we wanted for a variety of reasons, but did a LOT of studying and listening and learning from folks in the process), and most of my herding experience is with driving breeds who are mostly companion/show bred. They train REALLY DIFFRENTLY, especially on out of sight stuff.

I do think tending dogs are vastly underutelized, especially in large open range situations, but I think an awfully large amount of farmland is too close to roads/fields too small for tending dogs to be used to best advantage.

Most of the pyrs I've met here in Texas range from 'okay' to 'exceptional' with kids- I honestly don't think I've seen more than a handful who were BAD with kids.

I have, however, seen a lot of social butterfly temperaments who really wanted to be with people more than livestock, even when raised with them. So buy carefully and raise sensibly. Seriously, we don't have human predators of a number or risk that justifies NOT socializing your LGD. Get them comfortable on leash. Let them ride along to the feed store, especially as a young dog and meet weird people wearing hats.

Your vet will thank you down the road when it's time for rabies shots. (And your groomer, too, if you end up needing to have the dog clipped down!)

You know tha tending dogs generally worked in concert with a human shepherd, right? (Generally a kid.) THey're not a substiute for fencing.

How does having it's own personal source of disgusting rotting necklace make a dog reconsider it's relationship with humans? Most dogs would consider this a benefit, not a deterrent?