As a dairy farmer... this was a fantastic video. The explanation of dealing with having to send them off was perfect and classy. Love the channel Pete!

It'll be sad to see Patty go. She's the BOSS!!

I quite enjoy the appraoch you guys take with the farm, Its nice to see the animals have a good life for the time they are alive. The food, the open air, the various shelters, and the casual human interaction, all makes it quite clear that you care for them, despite their intended end. Giving them have a carefree and stressless life seems like the best compromise you can make when you enjoy the food they provide, and I do enjoy the food^^. Hopefully people can recognise that.

A man that truly cares for his animals...God bless you Pete

Well stated by a genuine farmer. I grew up in a farming environment in the Midwest and recall the difficulty in explaining your wise principles of the livestock business to my city friends. Most of them also had almost zero understanding of the ultimate origin of their food. All they could see were the packages surrounding the food in a supermarket. Thanks for your comments and videos, Pete. Very entertaining and instructive at the same time. Hope you and your family have a good Christmas and healthy winter.

Very well said, Pete! While I realize not everyone can, or wants to farm. I do feel that we should all have some connection to our food. That lack is, in my opinion, a big part of the problem. Thank you for showing us a window into the day to day. I really relish these types of videos. You've got a way of spinning the story that is both engaging and thoughtful.

Hi Pete. I don't usually write in comments but this time you gave a master class on ethics, respect and dignity and I really liked that, I even shared it with my students. Thanks.

What you talked about today is why your channel is so important. It is way too easy for those of us who live in cities and shop in supermarkets to forget that when we buy a chicken there was a farmer somewhere who raised it. Thank you Pete for what you do. You matter. Keep reminding us that when caring people work hard and profit from their labor all of us are better off.

"....Each has their purpose under heaven." GREAT JOB! Turn! Turn! Turn! The Byrds

Very kind and honest video! I read, in an old farm book from the mid 1800s, that you should "move among your flock as if it is you who are in the way. Never pass through the flock loudly while scattering the chickens. Your reward will be a peaceful flock that lay well.". You have that same peaceful demeanor. Your animals live such good lives. You explained farm life with compassion. I hope your video will help some people understand.

Livestock are pets with an expiration date.

Happy thanksgiving everybody! I hope you all enjoy your weekend

Agricultural Truth 101. Thanks, Pete! This will be great to watch with the guys when they're back in school on Monday. They helped with turkey processing this year and it will help them to connect the dots of the why and how we do this. It's taken a year and a half of going slow with them to get them to this point, but one actually got to use a knife when we were parting some out for vacuum packing. I've been told by other teachers that this is astounding stuff, but the best is yet to come I'm thinking. Thank you both for sticking with it and YES, thanks for including Ezra! I am 100% sure they're gonna name who you were looking for before you found him, ha!

Pete I watch your videos all the time, I love your approach to farming and more importantly to life. Thank you for always sharing the more thoughtful aspects of a farm.

I have nothing but respect for your way of life...Thanks Pete!

GOD gave us dominion over the animals an it's our responsibility to care for them in a humane way !!! You an Hillary do that an more !!! Thank You for teaching us about all aspects of farming!!! GOD BLESS !!!

Great video, I have lived long enough to know there are two types of farmers, and you & your family are the best kind. Thank you so much.

Pete , as an aging (old) woman I feel I could shed some livestock light in the world.  My grandparents had cattle, my uncle has cattle, my dad had acres and herds. I remember grandma's dairy cattle that she hand milked. Grandma and Red (dairy cows) came to our place after the auction that moved my grandparents to town. I could name every cow we milked and the bulls also to this day. I remember the big Brahma that was on open range when we pastured them and her yearly calves. She did not have our brand but we named her. Ti was my big steer on open range and if he fallowed me so did the rest of them. Perhaps you can see humor in some 8-year-old being fallowed about by 1000 lb. bottle babies. Your herd fallows you the same. We took them to the stock yards back then. Feeding was 4 am and again at 4pm. Not that much has changed I suppose. I do have an old hen that does not lay any eggs and she is 9. That could be considered a pet, maybe. Hope you enjoy the holidays

There is nobody on the earth that cares more for animals than a farmer does, whether you are just milking cows or butchering the animals you raised. There are a lot of people that will never understand this and it’s sad they don’t, but such is life. They will never know what truly giving thanks really means!

You and your family doing a great job giving the livestock Farmers a face. Thank you 🙏

As a child, I felt bad getting cattle into the cattle truck. I came to a better understanding when the family sat down to eat the beef that we raised. It was okay to feel bad, and it was okay to enjoy the dinner.

Another video hit out of the park. Thank you Pete for these much needed teachings!

Happy thanksgiving Pete it’s a blessing to have you on this platform, you always bring inspiration and ideas to the table, I am a livestock farmer and you speak for all of us in these types of videos, thank you for that voice.

A Gentleman Farmer. Healthy live Stock is a loved Live Stock.

It shows how much you care for your animals well being. Like you said, it's difficult to convey to pet owners how livestock is different, especially the longer lived ones that you interact with much more, like the sows and cows. Caring about what goes on the dinner table starts LONG before the trip to the store.

It looked like Ezra might have an injury on the side of his head, but I'm sure you're already aware of it. Thanks for another great video, Pete!

I deeply appreciate your relationship with the animals. They are certainly very well cared for, and well respected. Happy animals are tasty animals. 😊 🐄 🐖 🐓 🦃 🐈

Your wise sharing here, Pete, reminds me of a similar lesson I learned on our farm as a child. Dad had to put a little piglet out of its misery when the mother sow had stepped on and broken its back. I asked Dad about bringing out the veterinarian, but my father helped me see a similar wisdom (like yours) that dollar-wise and purpose wise........we couldn't afford the cost of time, dollars and effort to end up with an animal that could not fulfill its "job" of making our farm successful. LOVE your channel, Pete!!! I look forward to EVERY episode!! ;o)

Can't wait to see what's next! Keep Smilin!!!!

Pete, you are keeping the Dexter Bread alive without commercial breeders like yourself so many rare breads will die out. Hats off to you sir.

You make GREAT videos Pete ! We feel out west that you’re the best on you tube !

Thanks Pete. A great video for children too

We processed our pigs this week for the first time and it was hard emotionally because we left them get over a year old and became attached. I agree with your thoughts on the process and appreciate how you are able to communicate it so well! Thanks Pete!!!

I hope you, Hilarie and the Kids had a nice Thanksgiving.. You guys treat your animals well while you have them. You can't do better than that. I already bought my hat and a commuter cup. Happy Holidays

You gave them a good safe comfortable life. No reason to feel bad.

Just experienced the sadness of sending the first pig to the processor. It was donated to church for part of the Thanksgiving dinner. The joy of this was the many comments about how flavorful the pork was. In this way, it helped overcome the sadness with joy. It made me a better farmer and I prayed over him as the truck drove away. It also made me realize the importance of making their lives happy while they’re here. Thanks, Pete.

Your such a good farmer. Your animals live wonderful lives. Small operations like yours are sadly becoming fewer and fewer with factory farms taking over. At least here in Canada they are. Alos I find lots of people don't understand that by raising heritage breeds, like Dexter's and your Heritage mixed pigs, you are keeping those breeds alive! That's one of the things I love about your farm is how you use heritage cows and pigs.

As a full-time beef producer this was such a great video

It looked like Billy was taking notes. Red certainly earned some down time. Have a great weekend everyone.

Don’t feel like you have to explain your livelihood Pete. We love what you do and know you genuinely care!

That back-and-forth head motion at the Thanksgiving meal, when asked for seconds, really helps lose weight. Those at the Farmers Market thank you for raising this good food, and good meat and help create a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Good thing you're an excellent story-teller. Making other people understand your perspective has been the most contentious issue for humanity since Prometheus gave us cognition.

I was a livestock farmer, growing up in Upstate NY. I miss the farm, but, like it or not, I have to live where I currently live (medical reasons). My job is that, for all the animals in my care, that I will give them a high quality of life. I really like your description of how you feel when you send your animals off .

HAppy thanksgiving Pete and Family. As a man who spent time on an Uncles cattle farm, you spelled it out clear. As Ican see you treat your animals with kindness and respect. Good job. Love the channel.

❤Pete, your description of the working farm here is well done. I was raised around animals, butchered and otherwise. I graduated my BA, ‘77 in Tacoma, WA. There were many, many cattle farms and many chickens, pigs and other farm animals. They were all being prepared for butchering. I watched a Charlet butchered, it was a huge meat source for my friend’s family. The night it was butchered my friend cut a roast, which we roasted and since this happened to fall on my birthday he pulled out a 1968 Moldavia burgundy, which was as delicious as the meat. Lastly, no one bothered my friend about his animals. No one bothered anyone about the way one ate. It was thought rude to do so.

Side note... Judy Collins &Pete Seeger sang that song the best. Look at this,two GREAT JOB! On the same day.

My wife and I thought this was a great video. You show great care and concern for your animals, far more than a factory farm. They exist to eventually be harvested but you go far beyond most farms to raise them ethically and let them live comfortably. I hope a great number of people who are not as familiar with livestock farming watch your videos, learn about the whole process and respect it, the animal, and the meat they consume. All of us who eat meat without having to raise it and butcher it should be more grateful for the people who did the work, for the sacrifice of the animal and not waste our meat so readily. Thanks for making great videos!

Well said. Every animal has a role. Most importantly, while they are alive, you treat them with respect and love. If everyone treated animals like you do, the world would be a better place.

Keep on doing what you do best Pete, people who don't understand what live stock farming is about will be the ones that would say you are heartless. Have a great holiday season you and your family.

About 50 years ago my grandpa got a calf to raise to butcher. We all got so attached to it when he brought the meat home no one could eat it, not even my grandma. So he took all the meat out of the freezer and traded with someone else. We only found out years later that my dear grandpa had drove around the neighborhood with a trunk full of meat and brought it back home. We loved Bucky. Grandpa loved us, a lot.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. I always enjoy the small glimpses we get of your farming life. If anyone has ears to hear or eyes to see, they know your whole philosophy. To me, you and Hillary are stewards, that elite group of people that take excellent care of the things that are entrusted to them. You care for the water, land, animals and each other. You practice a style of life, that like common sense, is just not that common. All the best to you and the family. Love from Oklahoma.

Thanks pete for putting a face to farming and what we do to provide people with real quality food.

"OH, I shouldn't put that finger up" I love a good chuckle....

Glad you explained your cattle business to those who don't have or work on a farm

As has been said, There is a time to every purpose. An animal achieves its destiny when its purpose is fulfilled. We, as caretakers, have a duty to provide, as far as possible, humane treatment for the animals under our care, and not deny the animal its purpose and ultimate destiny.

I commend you for the way you 'hang in there' despite the massive production farming that is destroying the small farm industry. I appreciate you and Hillarie for sharing what you do. As for those who are against the practice; they should not eat meat, wear leather, or use leather, not take prescriptions derived from animals, not play football, not wear makeup, or have a dog....and never go to the zoo. We need animals for all of these resources, but they deserve all you give them; a stress-free life. The answer is for EVERY animal to be raised this way. Everyone worldwide should follow your example. Thank you so much for letting me share my view.

Some of us get it, Pete. Meat doesn't come from the grocery store in a package. This is why we give thanks when we put our knees under the table. We're expressing our thanks for the effort put forth in the raising of our food. We're giving thanks to the Lord for providing everything, including that animal. We're asking the Lord to bless that food to the strength and nourishment of our bodies, and asking Him to help us to represent Him better each day. I just recently purchased 1/2 a steer from a family member who raised it for a couple of years and have about 300 lbs. of wonderful food in my freezer now. I'm thankful for folks like you.

Just because you are raising them for food and profit doesn’t mean you can’t show love and compassion at them and give them the best of the animals life that what I was taught and that is what I see you and your family do love your videos

My brother was a very good Wisconsin dairy farmer until he sold his 120-head herd just a few years ago. All of his dairy-farming life, he pushed genetics and feed quality with the help of another brother or ours who was educated in animal husbandry and worked with dairy farmers throughout the State. Every cow in my brother's barn was a good producer or it was gone, and EVERY cow also seemed to be a PET. It was a very contented and relaxed herd. When he sold his herd, he sold all of the cows to a single farmer who also had a reputation for managing his larger herd much like my brother managed his herd. A year after the sale, my brother drove five hours to visit his old herd at their new farm. He said it brought tears of joy to his eyes to see his cows pretty much hanging together and looking very contented in a fresh green pasture.

HAPPY Thanksgiving!

It boggles my mind that some people don't know the origin of what they eat. I guess I'm lucky that my late grandpa ran a dairy farm, so before he retired, I was able to see how it operated. I remember eating ground beef that came back from cows he'd sent to the butcher, and even though those were older cows, that remains in my mind as some of the tastiest ground beef I've ever had in the almost 40 years since. I also credit him for my interest in machines and an understanding of what it means to work hard. I miss him. He was a man of few words, but unimpeachable integrity.

Your animals live a great life in natural surroundings. They literally have just one bad day, and that’s more than can be said for most people.

I love your philosophy! I have a ranch also and I agree with you I always give the animals the kindness and respect and care that they deserve while they're on the ranch but they do have a job. All the animals Have a purpose and their purpose in the end is food. Today I slaughtered 6 of my meat chickens and I always say a little prayer and thank you To the Creator for blessing me with this wonderful food.. I am grateful to be able to eat such clean Healthy food. The animal has served its purpose and returns from Where it came. Thank you Pete and Hillary for your wonderful channel! 😊❤🙏

Great video Pete! I can only imagine the comments! I sent this video to my wife (originally from Owego) so she knows the purpose of our livestock that she is sooo attached to. Thanks again 😂 sir

Awesome video pete boy I sure wish u were my neighbor your a great man pete!!!!!👍👍👍👍😀😀😀😀

We are thankful for ours Farmers

I grew up raising pigs, chickens, and rabbits for the table. My dad was a cow trader, so when the freezer got low, one piece of merchandise wound up taking the ice block challenge. We kept two milk cows, milked twice a day. Before school, and at 6:30 at night. I was the oldest of 4 kids, so I was in charge of feeding and milking. We all learned that the animals were to be treated well and not allowed to be hungry or thirsty. We learned early on that a steak, pork chop, or chicken leg came from an animal, not a grocery store. We also did our own processing. People now are too far removed from the source of their food.

I love seeing Ezra being around.

Love your explanation to the people who don't understand the purpose of livestock farming.

I've noticed that the older I get the harder it is. When I was 50 I never gave it a thought but now at 70 it's a lot different.

Happy belated thanksgiving to you and your family, friends

Wow, the people who don't like the way you take care of your animals should see how the meat they buy at the grocery store is raised. If ignorance was truly bliss, this world would be a happier place. Love your videos Pete, Happy Holidays to you, your family and your farm.

Thanks Pete for allowing us to see the production of the farm 😊

Our farm usually had at least 15 (and more) cats!!! Dad LOVED his kitty cats that kept down the mouse and rat population! He'd say, "Cats work for their keep, so I'm glad to give them all the milk they want to drink. Dogs? They just bark!!" ;o)

That is the most beautifully, eloquently way of discussing raising animals for food. Next to the Bible, of course.

"we make good videos here"👌....you can take that to the bank!

totally understand and stand with you. I grew up on a farm too. I love my animals. I have raised goats for dairy and meat, chickens for meat and eggs. It is a rich and rewarding life. Last year I raised my first steer. His name was Sir Loin. He was spoiled rotten and never had a day of stress. I found the only animal welfare certified processor in our area an hour away. I loved him and still do every time I create the best meal I can from his purpose. I never take our animals for granted. Your animals and mine have the BEST life they can have and they live out their purpose. I appreciate you and your wife.

Little piggies are so gosh darn CUTE!

You and other farmers feed the world. Thank you and God bless you and your family. A farmer's job is hard work, and often hazardous. They deserve our respect and gratitude. You have mine. Stay safe, well and warm. Merry Christmas!

Just like how you explain your farm. Keep going

Love your Videos Pete! Love from Germany!🇩🇪

I love how you explained it. My grandfather use to raise a few animals to butcher. The animals were well taken care of, we loved them. When it was time for them to go it was a bit hard for a moment but he made us understand that was their purpose. Happy Holidays to you and your wonderful family!

We've been on our smallholding (homestead) here in the uk for 4 yrs now and this year was the first time we kept pigs.Just 2 weaners to grow on for meat. You wouldnt believe how many times I heard "I don't know how you can eat them after looking after them" My answer every time was "They had a good life living outside,eating all the plums and pears and most of the apples from our orchard.They spent all day doing piggy things and even came for a good scratch down with a scrubbing brush now and then.More than can be said for the pigs that ended up in your supermarket trolley." They were the first thing I saw to every morning and the last thing every night and never wanted for anything.Your explanation of your attitude to your animals would have been lost on me 4yrs ago but after living it now makes perfect sense.

I remember my dad telling my much older sisters “don’t let those grand kids name that calf”. Sure enough couple years later, “ what happened to so & so?” Followed by “ I’m never eating here again!”.

Love the compassion you have. I especially love Ezra! Wish he had a friend because cats do better with one. Your videos are great!

Thanks, Peter for your video. Love seeing the cows, pigs, chickens and your #1 turkey, Benjamin. Enjoy your day. Be well.🥰🦃

I get some people on my channel asking me how can I kill one of our "pets". My response is usually exactly like what you're saying... all of our animals live an amazing life, but they are here for a reason and it's a part of farm life. Most folks just run into the grocery store and spend money on what they want or need without even thinking about how it was raised or grown, it's just magically in the store when they want it. We still try pretty hard to make all our episodes super fun and enjoyable, but every once in a while there are fewer animals. I watch your channel regularly cause to me you have so much to give and for myself I have so much to learn. We have some barn cats (The Claw Crew) and we love them all and they do an amazing job keeping the rodents down. I gotta keep an eye on our rhode islands cause out of 18 hens they're only giving a few eggs everyday, they're all almost 2 years old now and I have to start thinking like you. You say stew chickens and we love stew but we also make fresh dog food for our sheepdogs and they love it. Happy Thanksgiving Pete & Family. Enjoy some good food and good company. Cheers, Chad from up in Ontario, Canada.

We butchered our first animals this year - my pre-teen daughters and I. It was hard, we tried not to name them, etc... but we finally decided that we were going to love on them all and treat them like pets, that the more love they get, the better they taste. :) We have some indoor cats that are official "pets" but everyone else here must have a purpose and most will eventually be food for our family. We're not a freeloader farm!

I come from a 'farming' family. Both sets of grandparents, aunts and uncles. They were mostly grain from memory but had cows to milk, pigs & some sheep. Chickens for eggs and butcher. So, I understand your concept as a livestock farmer. As I have aged for some reason, I now cringe at the thought of culling due to thinking of personalities and their thinking process. When animals follow us and crave affection, I wonder. I know it may not be rational, but it bothers me. I would not visit a slaughterhouse but have seen some when young, pig & chickens. You are correct in your philosophy and demonstrate humanity. Very enjoyable presentations. Thank-you in your efforts.

The first heads of cattle my sister raised were named T-bone and Burger.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family and God bless you and your family also

Some of the people that watch this channel may have never seen a farm. Those of us from the country know where our meat comes from. Ty

Hope you had a great thanksgiving and get to enjoy some exceptional football over the holiday season. Really enjoy your videos.

This is definitely our approach. Some people will say its cruel but that's not my perspective at all. I'm giving my animals a better life and truly care about how they are taken care of but at the end of the day they have a purpose. People get bacon from the store and have no clue how that animal was treated....I'm sorry y'all bacon doesn't grow on trees. we have 2 barn cats that keep our house pest free, chickens for only currently eggs that we will eventually raise baby chicks for meat/& more eggs. Getting pigs in the spring. And will be adding goats, cows and bunnies eventually.

Agriculture is collaboration: animals and plants love to live with men, men love to live with animals and plants; we feed their and their feed we !

Really enjoy your videos, definitely animal's on the farm all have a purpose

You said it so well - these animals wouldn’t exist if it were not for the purposes you mentioned.

You don’t make „pretty good „ videos, you make excellent videos! They are informative, intelligent and entertaining. Obviously you put a lot of work into them which is probably very time consuming. So thank you😊!

Talking about the old hens reminds me of the old WB cartoons of the old hen not being able to lay eggs anymore and the other hens making fun of her.

Brill video, As a kid we had a few hens, but dad worked for a lady that kept geese and pigs for the freezer, he was heartbroken when foxes got the geese, then found out they had been butchered and his boss knew he treated everything like pets and didn't want to upset him. When the pigs were butchered, they gave him a huge hind quarter and he couldn't eat Jemima, so my husband and I did. We grew up knowing where whatever we ate came from and taught our kids the same. Enjoy all your output [including tractor repairs] and thank you for your honesty.