Winning, Losing, and Moving Forward in Homesteading (and Life)
Hey everybody—Graham Judd here with Judd’s Quail. I was just in the quail barn in front of my GQF brooder, watching the little guys inside curiously eye the outside world like, “Hey, what are y’all doing out there?” It’s moments like this that remind me how far I’ve come in homesteading, in business, and in life.
Today, I want to talk about winning and losing—in homesteading, business, and even raising quail.
The Only Way to Truly Fail? Quit.
There’s a quote I love that says, “The only way to fail is to quit.”
Another one, from Derek Jeter (and no, I’m not a Yankees fan), sticks with me. When asked during his retirement about how he handled failure, he replied:
“I play a sport where if you get a hit three out of every ten times at bat, you're considered Hall of Fame material.”
Think about that. Seven out of ten times, even the best fail—and they’re still celebrated.
Homesteading Comes With Losses
I’ve had folks reach out saying their incubators didn’t work, their birds died, or predators got into their coops. Just recently, a friend lost his entire flock to neighborhood dogs.
It’s heartbreaking. But it’s part of the journey.
Whether it's a failed hatch or a garden that doesn’t thrive, failure in homesteading isn’t really failure. It's learning. It’s growth. You have to keep showing up, every day.
Don’t Believe Everything You See Online
Social media can be brutal. I posted a photo a few weeks ago of a snake that got into a quail cage—wasn’t even my snake, my quail, or my cage—and people came at me like it was my fault.
Online, everyone’s an expert. When the economy tanks, suddenly everyone’s an economist. When your garden fails, everyone’s a master gardener. But the truth? Most of them are keyboard warriors.
If you saw their setups in real life, you’d probably feel pretty proud of your own. So don’t let those voices get to you.
My Story: From Doubt to Determination
When I was in high school, a guidance counselor told me that if I didn’t take Algebra 2, I’d never amount to anything. Well, at 18, I was managing a retail store. At 22, I was running a photo operation for Disney World—the highest volume single-manager Kodak site in the world.
Later, I became a paramedic and faced more obstacles. A medical director (for political reasons) once said he’d make sure I’d never work in EMS again. Yet here I am, nearly 20 years later, still in the field. I’ve been an EMS manager for a university health system, directed a college EMS program, and even created a college degree for emergency medical services.
That high school kid with no Algebra 2? I’ve got a master’s degree—and I’m just four assignments away from a doctorate.
Homesteading Isn't Instant
You see those glossy YouTube videos—"We sold everything, moved to 5 acres, built a dream homestead..." That didn’t happen overnight.
Fifteen years ago, my first garden was 10x10 feet. It looked green in the photo, but everything died not long after. Last year, I had a quarter-acre garden. That’s progress. That’s persistence.
Your Mindset Is Everything
There was a time I was so broke I couldn’t pay attention. I worked two full-time jobs, had help from food pantries, and the church was paying my light bill. But even then, I refused to quit.
Whatever you do, don’t let someone else’s opinion stop you. Not a Facebook comment, not a TikTok critique, not even a neighbor’s doubts.
There are over 330 million people in this country. Are you going to let one of them ruin your day?
Nope.
I’m going to get up, take care of my birds, and keep working toward doing this full-time—because my family needs me, and this farm matters.
Let’s Grow Together
I don’t know what your goals are—but I’d love to hear them. Drop them in the comments.
If you watch YouTube, please like and subscribe to our family YouTube channel.
If you’re on Facebook, follow Judd’s Quail.
Have questions? Reach out. Head over to www.judsquail.com—my personal cell number is listed there. Call me. I’ll do my best to help. And if I don’t know the answer, I’ll tell you that, too.
God bless y’all—thanks for reading. Until next time, keep moving forward.