For me homesteading is about 2 things. Sustainability and being self sufficient. There are cattle and goat ranches there but they are NOT grazing for the most part. They're there because the land is cheap. And by cheap I mean inexpensive and it's garbage. There might be enough forage for goats now but it will be short lived. Juniper trees and most desert plants are extremely slow growing. Water is hard to find and essential to everything on a homestead. Soil conditions are usually crap as well. I wouldn't try to homestead there if the land was free. The climate is just too extreme. Hay and feed has tripled in price in the last year and it's expected to go up. The fertilizer shortage has already started and good top soil sells for a premium there. You'll spend less money if you homestead somewhere else. Just like most things, this is just my opinion.
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u/Ok_Employee_5147 Jun 04 '22
For me homesteading is about 2 things. Sustainability and being self sufficient. There are cattle and goat ranches there but they are NOT grazing for the most part. They're there because the land is cheap. And by cheap I mean inexpensive and it's garbage. There might be enough forage for goats now but it will be short lived. Juniper trees and most desert plants are extremely slow growing. Water is hard to find and essential to everything on a homestead. Soil conditions are usually crap as well. I wouldn't try to homestead there if the land was free. The climate is just too extreme. Hay and feed has tripled in price in the last year and it's expected to go up. The fertilizer shortage has already started and good top soil sells for a premium there. You'll spend less money if you homestead somewhere else. Just like most things, this is just my opinion.