Homestead choices

[Great-Kazoo]

So working on figuring out use on my 5 acres here in east OK. Need to get dirt tested at extension office etc, but should be decent, used to be farmland.

Some thoughts I was a little lost on. Trying to decide if it's better to have back 2-3 acres as grazing land for a beef cow/goats vs keep them penned into an acre and try to grow grass out to cut for them. I've seen a few people claim that you actually can do better just buying an auction cow, finishing it a bit a few weeks, then slaughtering more cost effectively than raising a calf these days? Trying to decide if I do a beef cow or two weighed against all my chickens and wanted to do some dairy goats. (not sure I can bring myself to eat a bunch of goat)

Still have a full time job until collapse of society, so part of me has wondered in my front few acres, if it might be better to plant a orchard of mixed fruit and nut tree's as possibly being lower maintenance than trying to do multiple acres of crops.

Goat is exceptionally tasty, providing, like lamb, you don't over cook it. Honestly it taste like pot roast. But w/out a binder, ground makes terrible burgers. We use goat for chili verde, barbacoa, stews, chili con carne and getting ready to do a few doz tamales with shredded goat leg.

I'd keep the entire pasture open for a few, let cattle graze

Another item to consider, is. With the price of hay and feed grass. You're pasture is worth more as it is, in the long run.

Try crops in smaller areas, so you have an idea what will grow, or doesn't do well, in that area.