Technology & Engineering - Agriculture - Animal Husbandry

One-Cow Revolution
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One-Cow Revolution: Achieving Food Independence with a Grass-Fed Family Cow

Author Beth Dougherty and Shawn Dougherty

Essential experience-based advice and instructions from the authors of The Independent Farmstead for raising a grassfed milk cow as the heart of a successful low-input, low-cost homestead.

For more than three decades, Shawn and Beth Dougherty have honed their frugal methods for managing a small-scale farmstead on marginal land. In One-Cow Revolution, they share their wisdom and affection for the blessing that is the human-dairy cow partnership, addressing key questions with clear answers for those who have just moved back to the land (or are still planning and dreaming). The Doughertys begin at the beginning, advising readers on how to find a reliable dairy cow, move her to the homestead, and settle her in. They take readers on the round of daily chores, including managing their cow’s grazing patterns and monitoring pasture health, milking a cow, and handling the milk. They explain how a solar-powered cow becomes the heart of a diversified farmstead, providing food for calves, pigs, and other livestock; milk and meat for the family; and manure for high-quality compost to build healthy garden soil. The book’s exemplary how-to content is framed by an introduction and conclusion that describes their life philosophy as “cow people” and the many benefits that manifest in communities where small, food-independent farmsteads thrive as models of sustainable human land-use.

About The Author

Shawn and Beth Dougherty are the authors of The Independent Farmstead. They have been farming together since the 1980s, for the last 26 years in eastern Ohio, where they manage 27 acres designated by the state as “not suitable for agriculture,” as well as a monastery farm of 100 acres. Using intensive grazing as the primary source of food energy, they raise dairy and beef cows, sheep, farm-fed hogs, and a variety of poultry, producing most of the food, and feed, on the farm. They have been featured main-stage speakers for major homesteading events including Homesteaders of America, Hardison Mills Homestead Festival, and the Modern Homesteading Conference. They often share a stage with legendary independent farmer Joel Salatin. Shawn and Beth have been featured in video series for The School of Traditional Skills and created online classes for the Homesteaders of America with Justin Rhodes.

  • Publish Date: November 18, 2025
  • Format: eBook
  • Category: Technology & Engineering - Agriculture - Animal Husbandry
  • Publisher: Chelsea Green
  • Pages: 208
  • US Price: $18.99
  • CDN Price: $33.50
  • ISBN: 978-1-64502-313-5
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Reviews

“Now you can enjoy the deeply practical wisdom of favorite homesteading gurus Shawn and Beth Dougherty in the comfort of your favorite reading chair with this fabulous manual about all things family milk cow. Writing in the same lively style as they speak, Shawn and Beth coach you through the problems you might encounter and offer experience-tested solutions. Even though this material is familiar to me, I couldn’t stop reading One-Cow Revolution. This is a wear-it-out book; you might want two just to be on the safe side.”—Joel Salatin, cofounder, Polyface Farm; author of Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal

“One of the hardest parts about keeping a homestead dairy cow is finding a mentor you can trust to teach you the straightforward ‘need to know’ information. In this book, Shawn and Beth bring together both their knowledge and decades of hands-on experience for the dairy cow owner. It’s as if they are your own personal mentors, sitting with you at your kitchen table. From forage and health to the great grain debate, they tackle it all. This is the homestead dairy cow book every homesteader needs!”—Amy Fewell, founder, Homesteaders of America

“What an inspiring book! As a farmer and homesteader for almost forty years who has shared what I’ve learned with many others, I find One-Cow Revolution to be eminently practical and very encouraging. Shawn and Beth Dougherty exemplify the persistence and tenacity homesteaders must have, cheerfully maintaining a sense of purpose and vision. They don’t just tell us what to do but eloquently and articulately inspire us about why we need to do it—for the love of our families, our neighbors, our animals, and the land. They make a compelling case for why we need a One-Cow Revolution!”—Charles “Butch” Tindell, The Ploughshare Institute

“Having a family cow not only allows families to achieve food independence but also vibrant health. Shawn and Beth tell you how to make the family cow a part of your family life.”—Sally Fallon Morell, president, The Weston A. Price Foundation

“Shawn and Beth Dougherty’s One-Cow Revolution has all the information the beginning homesteader needs to venture into raising a family dairy cow. Having spent all my life around the gentle bovines, the dynamics and considerations for a one-cow situation are quite different than for our fifty-cow herd. The Doughertys clearly show the way—from buying the cow to getting her bred, feeding and milking her, keeping her healthy, and other useful and needed advice. They answer all the questions you were afraid to ask.”—David Kline, editor, Farming Magazine

“Dairy cows helped create and sustain many low-input Appalachian farms fifty years ago, ours included, and Shawn and Beth do an excellent job of explaining why and how this works. Although they acknowledge that ‘the only things you really know are the ones you experience yourself,’ their book offers the inspiration for your family to make a life-changing commitment. You’ll gain the confidence you need reading the authors’ personal anecdotes and stories from other homesteaders on the wonders of improving the health of your land and yourselves with a milk cow. ‘The cows teach you, the grass teaches you . . . and observation and reason will teach you.’”—Jeff Poppen, author of Barefoot Biodynamics and The Barefoot Farmer

“In many times and places, dairy cattle have been the beating heart of healthy, productive, and sustainable local food systems. In this delightful compendium of light-touch land wisdom, Shawn and Beth Dougherty not only show us how to build such systems today, but also why we need to.”—Chris Smaje, author of Finding Lights in a Dark Age and A Small Farm Future

“Since moving to our homestead many years ago, my family and I have often wondered how our ancestors used to feed their animals without the aid of store-bought feed and other off-farm inputs. Now I know: it was the family cow. One-Cow Revolution by Shawn and Beth Dougherty is a remarkable read, beautifully written and accessible. It reconstitutes knowledge from previous generations for those of us seeking a simpler, more sustainable life. We have two bookshelves in our homesteading library: books that look pretty, and books we reference over and over. One-Cow Revolution will be on the latter.”—Rory Groves, author of Durable Trades

Author Bookshelf: Beth Dougherty, Shawn Dougherty

One-Cow Revolution
The Independent Farmstead
The Independent Farmstead