Tara Pilonero on Wooly Miniature Donkeys, $30K Sales, and the Online Auction Playbook

Lindsey Daugherty with the Real Numbers on Mini Cattle & Multi-Species Farming

Lindsey Daugherty is the founder of Seven Daugherty Farm in South Carolina, where she breeds miniature Highland-cross cattle, Nigerian Dwarf goats, pasture-raised chickens, and Siberian cats imported from Russia. She also works full-time in senior living tech and partners with Family Circle Farms on a shared mini cattle operation. Coming up Mother's Day weekend, she's hosting her first multi-farm online auction on Creatures with 50 animals from 10 small farms across the East Coast. In this episode: * Lindsey's four-year revenue arc from $20,000 to over $100,000 * The personal loss during COVID that brought her family back to the land * The unusual partnership with Family Circle Farms where they share bulls, embryos, mamas, and calves * Where her farm dollars actually go (42% animal purchases, 17% feed, 15% repairs, 12% vet, the rest in supplies) * The Mother's Day Weekend Auction: 50 animals from 10 small farms * Building toward roughly 100 calves a year between two farms * What most people get wrong about why anyone is in mini cattle * The story behind the "Seven" in Seven Daugherty Farm Find Lindsey: * Website: sevendaughertyfarm.com [http://sevendaughertyfarm.com] * Facebook: Seven Daugherty Farm [https://www.facebook.com/people/Seven-Daugherty-Farm/100089209852446/] (over 50,000 followers) * Instagram: @seven.daugherty.farm [https://www.instagram.com/seven.daugherty.farm/] Mentioned in this episode: * Family Circle Farms * Farm Bright (farm accounting software) * Bring a Trailer (collectible car auction inspiration) * Murray McMurray Hatchery * Weaver Leather (halters) * Mini Moo Crew, Jamie (Lindsey's recommended next guest) Mother's Day Weekend Auction on Creatures: May 9-10, 2026. 50 animals across 10 small farms. Cattle, donkeys, sheep. No buyer fees, no reserves. Find it at: https://creatures.com/marketplace/events/rbRmt184 [https://creatures.com/marketplace/events/rbRmt184] About the show: Creatures: Where Animal People Talk Business is a podcast about the people building real businesses with animals. Hosted by Dr. Elliott Garber, veterinarian and founder of Creatures, the all-animal marketplace at creatures.com [http://creatures.com]. Chapters: 00:00 Cold open 00:18 Welcome and episode preview 01:25 How Elliott and Lindsey connected 02:00 The 60-second farm tour 02:48 Animal kid origin and first animal sales 04:50 From senior living to the farm: COVID losses and return to roots 08:05 Mini cattle, Nigerian Dwarf goats, and Siberian cats from Russia 13:42 The revenue arc: $20K to over $100K in four years 24:14 The most ever paid (and sold) for an animal 28:39 Auctions, private sales, and the Creatures vision 40:20 The Family Circle Farms partnership 47:59 The mini cattle market and family life 53:05 The Mother's Day Auction and the story behind "Seven" 56:10 The Squeeze Chute 58:58 Meeting the animals and outro

Tara Pilonero on Wooly Miniature Donkeys, $30K Sales, and the Online Auction Playbook

Tara Pilonero is the owner of Stay A While Farm in Hinton, West Virginia, and one of the leading breeders of wooly miniature donkeys in the country. She has grown her herd to 60 donkeys over the last 20 years, shifted to online auctions in 2023, and nearly doubled her revenue two years running. In this conversation we get into the economics, the marketing, the genetics, and the myths. In this episode: * Growing up as an animal kid and getting into vet school * The $26,000 wooly donkey at the Elm sale in 2007 that changed her path * How her wait list got so long she needed a wait list for the wait list * The move to online auctions and what it did to her pricing * Exporting donkeys to Australia, France, the UK, and the Netherlands * The FGF5 gene and what we know (and don't) about the genetics of wooly coats * The record $30,000 sales and the $40,000 wooly jack that raised the ceiling for the breed Find Tara: * Website: stayawhilefarm.net [http://stayawhilefarm.net] * Facebook: Stay A While Farm * Spring 2026 auction: Saturday, April 25, 10am to 3pm Eastern: https://saw-donkeysales.w2auctions.com/home [https://saw-donkeysales.w2auctions.com/home] Mentioned in this episode: * MGF herd (Barb and Jerry McRoberts, Nebraska) * UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory * Megan Hensley's donkey farrier courses * Josh Mathias / HQ Ranch (Tara's recommended future guest) About the show: Creatures: Where Animal People Talk Business is a podcast about the people building real businesses and lives around animals. Hosted by Dr. Elliott Garber, veterinarian and founder of Creatures, a software platform and marketplace for animals at creatures.com [http://creatures.com]. 00:00 Cold open 00:44 Welcome and episode preview 01:59 How Elliott and Tara connected 03:08 Animal kid origin, vet school, and the first horse 04:49 Starting with Luigi the rescue gelding in 1996 08:25 The $26K wooly donkey at the Elm sale 10:53 Exporting donkeys to Australia, France, and the UK 14:21 The shift to online auctions and the wait list for the wait list 19:48 International bidders and revenue growth 23:32 Marketing on Facebook, consignments, and record sales 29:56 What makes a donkey "wooly" and the FGF5 gene 35:45 Running a 60-donkey operation 41:24 The Squeeze Chute 47:19 Meeting the weanlings and outro

From Trace Adkins' Drummer to the Texas Camel Corps: Doug Baum on the Modern Camel Business

"Literally every dime I make is derived from camels." That's Doug Baum, who left a career drumming for country star Trace Adkins and opening for Brooks & Dunn to create a life and business centered around camels that has endured for decades. In this episode, Doug breaks down what it actually costs to keep a camel ($300 to $350 per month), what schools pay, how film work lands in the tens of thousands, why December is his biggest month with 2 to 3 dozen live nativity events, and how camel prices have changed over the years. A rare inside look at whether an unusual animal business can really pay the bills. In this episode: * Why Doug left a drumming career for full-time camels * Real monthly costs per camel and the hidden ones (tires, permits, insurance) * What schools, nativities, and film shoots actually pay * The camel market: $4K in the 90s to $30K today * Vision Quest, international treks, and saddlery as extra revenue streams * Marketing lessons borrowed from the music industry His under-$100 game-changer and advice for aspiring animal entrepreneurs Chapters: 00:00 Cold open and intro 02:46 From drumming for Trace Adkins to camels 08:49 Leaving the tour bus for Texas 12:47 Vision Quest: camels and adjudicated youth 14:35 The first paid gig: a 7-degree nativity 16:09 Building a business on the US Army Camel Experiment 21:59 The real economics: truck, trailer, and hidden costs 23:57 International camel treks and other revenue streams 30:48 The family nativity business at Christmas 35:00 Film work and the modern camel market 41:42 Marketing lessons from the music industry 45:39 The Squeeze Chute (rapid fire) 54:55 Where to find Doug Resources: * Texas Camel Corps: https://texascamelcorps.com [https://texascamelcorps.com] * Camelot Camel Dairy (Kyle and Holly Hendrix, Wray, Colorado): https://www.camelotdairy.com [https://www.camelotdairy.com] * North American Camel Ranch Owners Association (NACROA): https://nacroa.com [https://nacroa.com] * A Texas Funeral (film, 1999, with Martin Sheen): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0180242/ [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0180242/] Connect with Doug: * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/texascamelcorps/ [https://www.facebook.com/texascamelcorps/] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/texascamelcorps/ [https://www.instagram.com/texascamelcorps/] Creatures: Where Animal People Talk Business * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CreaturesShow [https://www.youtube.com/@CreaturesShow] * Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creatures-where-animal-people-talk-business/id1888794488 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creatures-where-animal-people-talk-business/id1888794488] * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4GY8JuWFRwbZXBCfHYiRaJ [https://open.spotify.com/show/4GY8JuWFRwbZXBCfHYiRaJ] * Web: https://creatures.com [https://creatures.com]

A Podcast for Animal People Who Take the Business Side Seriously

Creatures: Where Animal People Talk Business is a new podcast for breeders, farmers, breed associations, animal nonprofits, conservation organizations, and anyone building something around animals. We're not afraid to talk about money, what things actually cost, what animals sell for, and what it takes to make the numbers work. We'll also dig into the topics many people avoid: controversial breeding practices, regulation, industry politics, and the real tensions between conservation, commerce, and animal welfare. Host Elliott Garber is a veterinarian, Army officer, and small-scale breeder of highland cattle and miniature donkeys in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. He's also the founder of Creatures, the software platform to help animal businesses. Each episode features conversations with breeders, farmers, rescue founders, conservationists, and animal entrepreneurs who've figured out how to find buyers and donors, grow an audience, and turn their passion for animals into something that supports their mission. Topics include livestock marketing, animal sales, breeding programs, farm business strategy, fundraising for animal nonprofits, wildlife conservation, social media for breeders, and building a brand in the animal world. Subscribe now. First episodes coming soon.