I'll look forward to spring update. While enjoy seeing the cattle, I really like to see what people are doing to improve their land and the reuslts! Thanks for taking the time to video.
Will this work with horses in pasture? I know I need to put up some more fence due unable to rotate the way it should be with my current configuration. I wanted to say too and I apologize for being off topic but, Dr Gilbreath worked on our big Black and White paint, Gypsy Drum Horse with osteomyelitis last May. Hes healed and full of himself again, we thought for sure we was going to lose him. We really appreciate you more than words can say! Super impressed with your facility and staff! Thank you Doc!
Thanks Mike! It will only work with horses if they leave some hay (or you pull them off when some remains) so it can decompose. Horses are hard on property. Really hard.
Have you tried chipping all that brush, branches, and trees in an area and spreading it to see what it would do to improve the soil instead of burning it? It would be an interesting test to place it in one area and not another.
I have in a sense….I spread all the wood shavings from bedding horse stalls on my hay field for 7-8 years. We measured the pH of that field this last spring and it was 7.4. Takes awhile to decompose but probably worth the effort.
Good for you! I put wood shavings on my clinic hayfield for 5 years. Nothing else. When we tested the soil pH last year, it was 7.4. It grows a lot of grass!!
@cliffhonnasregenerativerancher I haven't had that much luck that way, they leave too much. But it does break down eventually, yr/2. Not quick like yours does. Thanks for the answer. Fej
Your soil is probably too sandy to aerate but have you considered spraying some diluted compost tea on it? I’m going to gravity drip some behind my aerator as I go over my coastal Bermuda
@@cliffhonnasregenerativerancher I have a 50 gal plastic tank that is plumbed for aeration with a small pump and pvc with holes in it for the air to permeate the water. I add rain water and a large coffee grounds holder with about 10# of worm castings in it and aerate for 24 hours adding some food for the fungi etc. after it “cooks” I take 5 gal of the mixture and add to a 50 gal tank of rain water drip plumbed on top of my pasture aerator. The drips are located at each of the knives on the aerator so it hopefully will go down into the soil. Hope it works. Guess it can’t do anything but help
Interesting tour. I looked at a couple of past videos but quite honestly I'm not seeing the "regen" part. Yes, I see yaupon thickets cleared, dead trees toppled & burned and Bermuda seeded down but those pastures simply look like thousands of other acres of "improved pastures" all over Texas (lifelong resident). But are new problems created? How was the yaupon cleared?herbicide & heavy equipment? Sure that gets it done fast but its so intensive that it probably introduces otger problems/issues not immediately known. Why did the trees die out? Soil compaction from heavy machinery? Was soil biota destroyed by herbicide used on yaupon leading to soil life dysfunction? Maybe soil hydrology disrupted from dramatic alteration from yaupon clearing? What & how did that brush interact below ground with the trees? Did possible massive fungal intrusion from dying brush roits contribute to killing trees? Why seed down a short rooted non native grass ? You know all those bermuda varities are created and bred under the context of using synthetic N to extend growth and improve palatability & feed value, right? Bermuda might take the heat but its far more drought prone than natives....sure, its productive but is it sustainable with minimal inputs?⁹ Why not leave scattered brush piles for nesting/resting spots for threatened ground nesting birds line meadowlarks h, quail etc?..... I mean thousands of sq yds of pretty much Bermuda & bahia isn't exactly diverse or species friendly. You've had a lot of work done but rotationally grazing & unrolling hay (fertilized/herbicide sprayed Bermuda??) doesn't seem to meet definition of regeneration compared to other places. Bamberger Ranch is a better example, imo
Appreciate the comment. A little of the “backstory” on my journey so you can maybe understand the genesis of where I came from and where I currently am now. When we bought our first piece of property, it was 35 acres of solid yaupon and oak savana. The soil was a very sandy loam (almost like beach sand) and had zero grass in any of the small open spaces (just weeds in the summer). The yaupon was so thick you couldn’t walk through it. When I bought it, my dad told me I had bought a worthless piece of property. I was 30 years old and just starting my career. We had no money but were fortunate to have a good job and a monthly wage. There was no extra money to use to attempt to make the land useable. I had a 1953 Farmall H that my dad gave me and every evening I would take the tractor and pull yaupon up by the roots with a chain. One at a time. I did this for years and made a small dent in the project. Fast forward 20 years and I finally had the money to intermittently hire a guy with a track hoe to make some progress. I sprigged Coastal and Jiggs Bermuda as I was able to afford getting pastures started. The old timers near me told me native grasses wouldn’t grow in the beach sand soil and if they did, they wouldn’t provide much feed. There was zero organic matter in the soil. At that point, I had never heard of regenerative agriculture. I started watching Greg Judy a few years ago and was intrigued with what he was espousing. It made sense. So I did the things that I could do as I was able to do it. Provide organic matter and nutrients for the soil flora by unrolling hay, rotational grazing etc. The land is slowly responding. I don’t use fertilizer and the cows recycle nutrients. I have planted a lot of Ball and Blackhawk Arrowleaf clover and have gotten pretty good stands. Is this a finished product?….no way, it’s in its infancy, but I’m trying and I’m continuing the journey. Now to answer some of your questions: As I said, the yaupon was cleared with a track hoe. No herbicides were used. These were 10-15’ or taller yaupon. From my vantage point, I don’t see another way to do it. If you have a better idea, please share it. Not sure what other problems the clearing introduces (your question) but once in good grass, there’s no erosion (even with hard 3-6” rains). Periodically, there have been trees dying, presumably because of several droughts over the past few years. You see them dying in the midst of uncleared yaupon thickets. No machinery or herbicide has been close to the trees in these thickets. Trees (and humans) have a life cycle. Is that part of what I’m seeing? This soil doesn’t “compact” because it’s so sandy. Could the track hoe have nicked the bark on some trees or interfered with the roots when taking out yaupon….sure, and that may have contributed to some loss. Again, no herbicide was used, so we did not create soil life dysfunction. I don’t have an answer other than the above regarding trees dying and can’t speak to the other conjecturing you listed but I’m all ears if you know. Have you had the opportunity to take a yaupon thicket and turn it into productive grasslands? If so, how did you do it and having had that experience and learning from it, how do you now recommend doing it? When I sprigged the Bermuda grasses, I was doing what I was advised by other ranchers to do. Regenerative ranching wasn’t on my radar. I must say though that the Bermuda grasses are thriving without exogenous fertilizer. Also, the roots of coastal Bermuda have been identified as far as 30’ deep, so I still think it’s a good choice. Sprigged Bermuda grasses and Bahia grow well in this sandy loam soil and I make no apology for employing them to grow forage for the cattle. In this area, they out produce most if not all native grasses. These grasses seem to be sustainable with minimal inputs based on what I’m seeing. I have meticulously mapped out what to clear and what to leave in native habitat. I have swaths of yaupon and oaks in every pasture that hasn’t been disturbed. It’s great habitat for all creatures. Since getting this property in grass, the deer population has exploded. I’m providing lots of forage for the deer. Quail have been killed out by fire ants but squirrels, possoms, foxes, coyotes, other birds are plentiful. Lastly, Bamberger Ranch is an outstanding property. If you read his bio, he spent 25 years slowly and intentionally trying to make it in sync with nature. He has a quote in his website that is noteable…"The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary." He’s put a lot of money and effort into his ranch, as have I. Have I arrived…no, am I trying my best….yes! Since you are in Texas, I would invite you to come visit and share your wisdom and experience. If you have property you have developed using the principles you alluded to, I would like to visit the property and learn from you! My journey isn’t complete and I don’t have all the answers, but I have work ethic and try…that’s all I know to do. Have a great evening!!
They are huge and I can’t find anyone that will touch it with the equipment that goes on front of a skid steer (which is all I can find to try that in this area). Do they make something that will handle these big oak logs?
I'll look forward to spring update.
While enjoy seeing the cattle, I really like to see what people are doing to improve their land and the reuslts!
Thanks for taking the time to video.
I go in spurts lol. I really enjoy improving the land.
I'm watching you improve your land while listening to a good slow rain on my metal roof. I hope you are finally getting some rain too
Nothing better than that! I love rain on a metal roof! Enjoy!!
Doc you doing a great job keep it up it will look like the pasture beside it in no time with your care.
I’m trying to get it there!!
Will this work with horses in pasture? I know I need to put up some more fence due unable to rotate the way it should be with my current configuration. I wanted to say too and I apologize for being off topic but, Dr Gilbreath worked on our big Black and White paint, Gypsy Drum Horse with osteomyelitis last May. Hes healed and full of himself again, we thought for sure we was going to lose him. We really appreciate you more than words can say! Super impressed with your facility and staff! Thank you Doc!
Thanks Mike! It will only work with horses if they leave some hay (or you pull them off when some remains) so it can decompose. Horses are hard on property. Really hard.
Have you tried chipping all that brush, branches, and trees in an area and spreading it to see what it would do to improve the soil instead of burning it? It would be an interesting test to place it in one area and not another.
I have in a sense….I spread all the wood shavings from bedding horse stalls on my hay field for 7-8 years. We measured the pH of that field this last spring and it was 7.4. Takes awhile to decompose but probably worth the effort.
Doing the same in south Florida, everyone around me says put chemical fertilizer on it. I want to see it change naturally.
Good for you! I put wood shavings on my clinic hayfield for 5 years. Nothing else. When we tested the soil pH last year, it was 7.4. It grows a lot of grass!!
Yup i did lime went from 4.0 to 6 ph now its all Down to rotation and unrolling hay.@@cliffhonnasregenerativerancher
Good video, after un rolls the hay. Do you leave it thick or spread it? If spread, how do you do that? Frank Johnson
I unroll it thick (as you saw), then the cows eat 90%+ of it and tromp on the rest, which then decomposes.
@cliffhonnasregenerativerancher I haven't had that much luck that way, they leave too much. But it does break down eventually, yr/2. Not quick like yours does. Thanks for the answer. Fej
Your soil is probably too sandy to aerate but have you considered spraying some diluted compost tea on it? I’m going to gravity drip some behind my aerator as I go over my coastal Bermuda
I’ve read a bit on it but unsure how to make it in bulk. Help me.
@@cliffhonnasregenerativerancher I have a 50 gal plastic tank that is plumbed for aeration with a small pump and pvc with holes in it for the air to permeate the water. I add rain water and a large coffee grounds holder with about 10# of worm castings in it and aerate for 24 hours adding some food for the fungi etc. after it “cooks” I take 5 gal of the mixture and add to a 50 gal tank of rain water drip plumbed on top of my pasture aerator. The drips are located at each of the knives on the aerator so it hopefully will go down into the soil. Hope it works. Guess it can’t do anything but help
Hey doc, quick question for you. How many head do you have in that pasture, and how long does that roll of hay last them?
I have 75 cows and 45 calves. They eat 2.5 rolls/day.
Interesting tour.
I looked at a couple of past videos but quite honestly I'm not seeing the "regen" part.
Yes, I see yaupon thickets cleared, dead trees toppled & burned and Bermuda seeded down but those pastures simply look like thousands of other acres of "improved pastures" all over Texas (lifelong resident). But are new problems created?
How was the yaupon cleared?herbicide & heavy equipment? Sure that gets it done fast but its so intensive that it probably introduces otger problems/issues not immediately known.
Why did the trees die out? Soil compaction from heavy machinery?
Was soil biota destroyed by herbicide used on yaupon leading to soil life dysfunction?
Maybe soil hydrology disrupted from dramatic alteration from yaupon clearing? What & how did that brush interact below ground with the trees? Did possible massive fungal intrusion from dying brush roits contribute to killing trees?
Why seed down a short rooted non native grass ? You know all those bermuda varities are created and bred under the context of using synthetic N to extend growth and improve palatability & feed value, right?
Bermuda might take the heat but its far more drought prone than natives....sure, its productive but is it sustainable with minimal inputs?⁹
Why not leave scattered brush piles for nesting/resting spots for threatened ground nesting birds line meadowlarks h, quail etc?..... I mean thousands of sq yds of pretty much Bermuda & bahia isn't exactly diverse or species friendly.
You've had a lot of work done but rotationally grazing & unrolling hay (fertilized/herbicide sprayed Bermuda??) doesn't seem to meet definition of regeneration compared to other places.
Bamberger Ranch is a better example, imo
Appreciate the comment. A little of the “backstory” on my journey so you can maybe understand the genesis of where I came from and where I currently am now. When we bought our first piece of property, it was 35 acres of solid yaupon and oak savana. The soil was a very sandy loam (almost like beach sand) and had zero grass in any of the small open spaces (just weeds in the summer). The yaupon was so thick you couldn’t walk through it. When I bought it, my dad told me I had bought a worthless piece of property. I was 30 years old and just starting my career. We had no money but were fortunate to have a good job and a monthly wage. There was no extra money to use to attempt to make the land useable. I had a 1953 Farmall H that my dad gave me and every evening I would take the tractor and pull yaupon up by the roots with a chain. One at a time. I did this for years and made a small dent in the project. Fast forward 20 years and I finally had the money to intermittently hire a guy with a track hoe to make some progress. I sprigged Coastal and Jiggs Bermuda as I was able to afford getting pastures started. The old timers near me told me native grasses wouldn’t grow in the beach sand soil and if they did, they wouldn’t provide much feed. There was zero organic matter in the soil. At that point, I had never heard of regenerative agriculture. I started watching Greg Judy a few years ago and was intrigued with what he was espousing. It made sense. So I did the things that I could do as I was able to do it. Provide organic matter and nutrients for the soil flora by unrolling hay, rotational grazing etc. The land is slowly responding. I don’t use fertilizer and the cows recycle nutrients. I have planted a lot of Ball and Blackhawk Arrowleaf clover and have gotten pretty good stands. Is this a finished product?….no way, it’s in its infancy, but I’m trying and I’m continuing the journey. Now to answer some of your questions:
As I said, the yaupon was cleared with a track hoe. No herbicides were used. These were 10-15’ or taller yaupon. From my vantage point, I don’t see another way to do it. If you have a better idea, please share it. Not sure what other problems the clearing introduces (your question) but once in good grass, there’s no erosion (even with hard 3-6” rains).
Periodically, there have been trees dying, presumably because of several droughts over the past few years. You see them dying in the midst of uncleared yaupon thickets. No machinery or herbicide has been close to the trees in these thickets. Trees (and humans) have a life cycle. Is that part of what I’m seeing? This soil doesn’t “compact” because it’s so sandy. Could the track hoe have nicked the bark on some trees or interfered with the roots when taking out yaupon….sure, and that may have contributed to some loss. Again, no herbicide was used, so we did not create soil life dysfunction. I don’t have an answer other than the above regarding trees dying and can’t speak to the other conjecturing you listed but I’m all ears if you know. Have you had the opportunity to take a yaupon thicket and turn it into productive grasslands? If so, how did you do it and having had that experience and learning from it, how do you now recommend doing it?
When I sprigged the Bermuda grasses, I was doing what I was advised by other ranchers to do. Regenerative ranching wasn’t on my radar. I must say though that the Bermuda grasses are thriving without exogenous fertilizer. Also, the roots of coastal Bermuda have been identified as far as 30’ deep, so I still think it’s a good choice. Sprigged Bermuda grasses and Bahia grow well in this sandy loam soil and I make no apology for employing them to grow forage for the cattle. In this area, they out produce most if not all native grasses. These grasses seem to be sustainable with minimal inputs based on what I’m seeing.
I have meticulously mapped out what to clear and what to leave in native habitat. I have swaths of yaupon and oaks in every pasture that hasn’t been disturbed. It’s great habitat for all creatures. Since getting this property in grass, the deer population has exploded. I’m providing lots of forage for the deer. Quail have been killed out by fire ants but squirrels, possoms, foxes, coyotes, other birds are plentiful.
Lastly, Bamberger Ranch is an outstanding property. If you read his bio, he spent 25 years slowly and intentionally trying to make it in sync with nature. He has a quote in his website that is noteable…"The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary." He’s put a lot of money and effort into his ranch, as have I. Have I arrived…no, am I trying my best….yes!
Since you are in Texas, I would invite you to come visit and share your wisdom and experience. If you have property you have developed using the principles you alluded to, I would like to visit the property and learn from you! My journey isn’t complete and I don’t have all the answers, but I have work ethic and try…that’s all I know to do. Have a great evening!!
Why don’t you chip/shred the trees rather than burn ??
They are huge and I can’t find anyone that will touch it with the equipment that goes on front of a skid steer (which is all I can find to try that in this area). Do they make something that will handle these big oak logs?
@@cliffhonnasregenerativerancher have you looked at hiring a pto mulcher like the seppi m and hooking it to your tractor?