As a proud cattle owner i would say cattle is the way to go, especially if you raise them from calfs. Ain't nothin like some fresh cut beef. I raise Santa Gertrudis at the moment, but also have raised Polled Herefords, Brahmans/brangus, and Charlais crosses. Herefords always brought the best money, but my current SGs are alot more dependable with their young. Lost alot of Brangus cows to late bornes. Then get you some chickens (very low maintenance), and maybe some pigs if you don't care about the mess they can make.

I don't know about up there, but down here molly faces sell for the most.

 

How about Llamas/Alpacas?

The wool is the BEST.

 

Shovelhead...those alpacas are getting pricer than high dollar show cattle and horses!!! Read the sale results for a sale out east this past fall, cheapest any of them brought was a hair under $2000.00! Several sold for over $25,000.00. I raise hereford cattle and sometimes a couple of market lambs. I love having the cattle around other than when the weather is nasty as all get out and I am out trying to get a tractor started to feed round bales or cow is trying to drop a calf out when it is 15 degrees and snowing!

 

There are a couple of farms near my house in the country that raise Llamas/Alpacas.
One guy has ~ 100 of them.
I had no idea they were that expen$ive.

 

Yeah they are the new trendy thing for those yuppy types retiring early to move to the country. Around here in Missouri they ain't worth that much but I guess it is the going thing out east. I will admit that Llamas are good to have around if you raise sheep and goats and you have a coyote /stray dog problem. They will stomp the stuffing out of those yotes if they chase the sheep, I have seen it happen at a buddys farm, I was trying to line up a shot with the 22-250 and that Llama wouldn't get far enough away from the yotes for me to make the shot, once the Llama was done with the yote we went out to check on him and he was flat out dead! Only took 1 month of that Llama hanging around and he hasn't lost any sheep to animals anymore. He said it is was the best $100.00 he had ever spent for the farm!

 

An added bonus is some have found a ready market for Alpaca wool.

My wife is from Peru, (as a matter of fact she's there for the holidays) and we have several alpaca blankets and I have an alpaca sweater.
Sheep's wool can't hold a candle to alpaca wool for keeping you warm.

 

I was wondering if you were going to read this thread.. I shouldnt have worried

For my money--and on 10 acres, I would start with Nigerian Dwarf goats (just to get into the swing of having farm animals). Look em up. My sister has between 20 to 35 of them at any time (she is in OR) and actually makes a profit even though she buys most of her feed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_Dwarf_(goat)
http://www.ndga.org/

Oh, and at least one sheep.

 

My buddy got a couple Llama's this summer, one had a baby already. I guess they're allright, if you don't mind a loogy now and then. They haven't had them long enuff to process the wool yet. They seem pretty easy to maintain though and can take the cold.