They use A.I. once on all cows and then rely on a clean-up bull to service any animals that remain open. Livestock genetics are selected to produce offspring with a smaller stature and high milk components. Calf rearing has been simplified with barrel feeders and young animals are turned out on grass as soon as possible. The Shearer's herd average is around 16,000 lbs. Milking and clean-up take one person about two hours in early lactation.
Pastures contain a mix of orchardgrass, bluegrass and white clover.
Eight acres of perennial ryegrass and 12 acres of corn for silage are also used. The perimeter fencing is one strand of high tensile wire with one-acre interior subdivisions fenced with polywire. Buried plastic pipes provide water access in every paddock. The milkers are usually in each paddock for 12 to 24 hours, but the Shearers try to maintain a flexible grazing strategy that varies throughout the year. The Shearer's have fewer cows than the other farms in this study, but with no debt, TMR feeding, and an efficient production system, they have been successful in generating enough income to support two families.