Well, I’ve been saying it for over a year +/-. This is one of the best farm channels on TH-cam. A no BS approach to livestock farming. It’s also a space where products aren’t being pushed or “advertised.” Thank you.
I remember when I fenced a 3/4 acre behind our house for raising a beef cow people told me it couldn’t be done, that the cow would eat the grass down to the dirt. Well, it can be done, and we never see dirt. Yes, we do supplemental feed including lots of hay during the winter but I only take 1 cow through the winter each year. I buy a calf each Feb and I take a cow to butcher each November. Takes 2 years to grow a beef cow to slaughter weight but I’m still saving money over grocery cost and nothing beats growing your own food in my book.
Exactly! Have a small farm of only 5.3 acres. Raising for pigs, have 20 laying hens, growing our own garden, and in the process of fencing in 4.5 acres to have about 3-4 cows. One of which will be for food for the family and the other 3 I will sell the calves to help make some of my money back. It’s time the world gets back to those roots! Raising my kids to not depend on getting everything they need to survive from a grocery store! Def makes it taste better knowing you invested your hard earned time, money, and work to make it happen!
@crimsonwizard01 well we normally have 2 except for those 3 months of winter between when 1 gets taken to butcher around 1st of Nov and late February when I pick up another calf. But we also keep chickens on the pasture with our cows and they can keep them company. The goat suggestion may work also but goats can be escape artists.
Good stuff, And you don’t have to worry about grocery store meat and what the cows that provided it were fed or injected with, including growth hormones, GMO grain, insecticide sprayed fields, etc.
@@Billy_Ruck Homegrown vegetables actually do taste better than store-bought. Most store-bought vegetables are grown in greenhouses and is not as nutritious.
When I first started in the cattle buisness a old timer told me. Figure out the carrying capacity of your place. stock it with half as many as that. And you will be about right. It was real good advice.
Hey sir I hope that you're all good I'm derick from Uganda and I'm currently looking for any agriculture activity I don't care what activity. I'm flexible and reliable because I can adopt to any environment
Its nice to watch a truly honest and faithful to proper farming and animal husbandry on a farming TH-cam channel. Keep up. And we will keep learning an enjoying.
A-A-Ron I agree with you...this was simple math and very useful. Doug, I beg to differ with you. My statement was not just a chance to complain about young people as you suggested but it was based upon my husband’s 25 years experience as a math teacher in High Schools.
Great explanation of feeding costs and analysis, As I have mentioned before I used to be a Hay dealer, and not all my customers were Horse stables. I have quite a few Dairy Farmers that needed good quality 2nd cut hay to get through. and believe me finding that kind and quality of hay in mid winter is no easy task even for a dealer. fact on the contrary. so I know what it is for both the farmer and the dealer to scramble mid winter /end of season needs. good sound advice Pete thanks for taking the time I'm sure you opened a lot of eyes with your info. thanks for sharing.
Such a great video for ppl to think about! I'm not sure what it's like there as far as farmland, but my dad will actually "Volunteer" to cut older farms pastures for them and they split the hay (at no cost other than his time, labor, machine) or he gets to keep all the hay outright just for helping the land owner have it cut each year. He's got MULTIPLE farms in our community that he does this for. Might be another thing you could look at doing--working out a deal with land owners who aren't raising livestock/need the hay themselves. :D
Thank you Pete. Seeing that we're in the dry Southwest,, elevation 7800'. always enjoy looking at the Green New York Countryside. This may be hard for you to believe but our first rain was this week so that brings our entire total for the year 2 in. But in the high plains mountain regions 2 in is enough to get our grasses growing quickly. We calculate in typical years one cow per 35 to 50 acres..
Ever thought of buying even more bales now at $35 and selling them in the winter for +$100? Extra protection for yourself and potential profit when your neighbors need it.
I have similar acreage as you now. Spent most of my life running cattle, but decided to run hair sheep instead. Best decision I could've made for my operation.
Great info that you are putting out. I just finished mowing and raking my hay on 35 acres. Did it with a haybine and an old 256 New Holland rake. Bought them for $3200, put $300 into them, and they survived the first cutting! Great advice on that old equipment. Now for the baling . . . we'll see how that goes. Thanks for giving me a direction to go in! Don't want someone to do it for me but needed someone to show me which way to go. Very odd on the numbers . . . when I have 52 Angus, I'd feed 100 lbs of grain every three days and the cows would only eat 1.5 bales (5x5) per day. $140 a month for grain, 45 bales, which I got some off my land and bought some. In MO, we only feed hay Nov through Apr.
Hey Pete, Love your videos. I'm a newer small herd beef producer and you've provided me with good info and things to think about. Happy 4th of July to you and your family and God Bless America!
Last year we started high density stock grazing moving the herd everyday. All hay fields are fenced in and we graze all 2nd crop and 75% of 3rd crop. Got us to thankgiving last year in a dry year. I think Pete your farming practices and management over longer period of time will get you where you want to be. Thanks for informing us on your operation. Keep up the good work.
I really enjoyed your explanation of how you arrive at the number of cows per acre that you can sustain. That is a struggle for all cattlemen. Have you looked at more efficient feeding systems to ensure you are not wasting hay? When we made the switch to more efficient feeders we saw about a 30% decrease in the hay we fed. That was several years ago and I am sure the technology has improved. We found the feeders where the base was wider than the feeding area did the best job and were still easy to use. The old bale rings with vertical sides are inexpensive and easy to use but they waste a lot of hay.
I too am a big believer in minimizing hay waste. As I often say, it's better to run it through the cow and then use it to fertilize the field rather than having the cow waste it on the field. The bale ring you saw in the video is only used for occasional summer feeding. We store and feed our hay indoors for the winter.
Thank you Pete for clarifying in the winter stock pill of forage I've have learned over time what you are saying is exactly right for me here in east Tennessee thank you for sharing
Hey, A fellow East Tennessean. I too was looking into winter stock piling and what Pete says is true. It's extremely less productive because you have to keep the cattle off that land until winter...it takes way more land to do this and most people like myself didn't realize that's why the operations that do this lease land to stock pile and graze.
@@hollienguyen5222 Ha Hollie thank you its taken me years to learn this thing I Agree with Mr Judy on alot that he shairs I know it works for him and many others. But it just cant for me . Alot of the land i use is small tracts and rent free. Not all can be pastured so my hay equipment has cost me less than 12 thousand dollars that way I can utilize that land what works for me won't work for others have a wonderful day and pray you get the rain you need
Thanks for the Math-Lesson :) It's really helpful. I'm not looking to support kettle but it certainly is informative and I like how you and some other channels are actually getting into the the "Small Farm" business case. Lots of people don't do that.
I have a small farm in Cornwall, I am always out to get what hay I can on the farm. I only have 35 acres, and a buy in stock, and have 18 cattle. I restock this farm last year, got about 170 bales. This year I keep moving them, over about 9 acres. I have a John Deere 580 round baler, and do all the work myself here in the UK.
Thanks Pete for taking us along on the ride to discover your farms capacity. You do the calculations and run up to that then adjust to find the sweet spot. AND THEN every season throws something at you that could not be ever be expecting. Thanks again for a carefully put together video and putting out your own situation for us all to see. Dave.
That was a great video, Pete. Downsizing is a tough decision to make but it sure seems to make sense in your case. Good for you for being able to make it.
I love watching your Sunday videos. I’ve dreamed of starting a small farm and watching these really give me the tips and tricks to hopefully one day fulfill my dream of starting a small farm. Keep it up and I love the jokes haha
This was a very informative video.I enjoys your videos, your passion for your animals, and you are a self sufficient individual. You fix your own equipment, build your own structures for the chickens , turkeys and the pigs. You are an inspiration to the small farmers striving to accomplish what you do on your farm. Aloha from Honolulu, Hawaii
Thank you for the info Pete. I love seeing you explain how it all works. And to me you can’t get any better information than real world EXPERIENCE. You have farmed the same land for years and can speak specifically for your property. I learn best from those experiences as well. Believe they call it trial and error. Lol. Thanks for the video Pete. Favorite channel on TH-cam.
I love the way you explained you use of hay and how to figure out the math behind you calculation. I love your videos keep up with your enjoyment of farming
Knowing a man’s limitations is one of the secrets to life. You sir appear to know yours clearly and put a lot of thought into it. I enjoy your videos and your approach to maximizing what you have to work with! I grew up on a small farm in Northeast ND and I appreciate what you do! Have a great Sunday!
Love small farm Sunday. We’ve been reevaluating our plans as we build up our infrastructure. We only have about 8-9 acres of grazing land, but we’re in Florida so our grazing season is longer than yours. We planned on keeping a bull but reconsidering that due to the concerns you talked about here. I’d rather buy as little hay as possible.
Pete thank you for running through a video like this. I wonder how many homesteaders know about this basic cow unit calculation.?? Happy 4th to you, family and the herd. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Great video Pete, not naming no names but just saying other TH-cam farm channels could learn a LOT from you ! thanks for making quality informative entertaining videos for us !
Happy 4th to you and your family Pete. Thanks for taking us through the numbers for running a sustainable cattle operation. It sucks that you'll need to buy hay for two years until you are back to where your herd size matches your field capacity. Some times you got to have the tail wag the dog.
I'm sorry, I know you are humble and I love that about you, but your channel is simply the best. So interesting and knowledgeable!! Way to hit it out of the park every time, at least for me. God Bless!!
Thanks for another SFS video Pete! I've been planning on moving from our 3 acre home to a 40+ acre property sometime in the next few years to expand our Maple operation and introduce cattle to our operation. Your videos are always very helpful in helping me plan this project!
Thanks for explaining the numbers. Helped me to run the math. I have 3-acres here high desert of So Calif. Got garden going, chickens, meat chickens, started planting more fruit trees. I started working out my land to raise a meat cow for my family. Been trying to figure how much hay to grow for 1 cow. I set aside 1 to 1.25 acre for grazing.
I've stumbled upon your channel and have watched a few of your videos. You seem to know quite a bit and you're a respectable teacher. I wish you and yours well on your journey. Peace.
Our agrarian ancestors are cheering from Heaven, Pete!!! You've again hit it on the nail.......self-sufficiency is the backbone of the American spirt. HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!! ;o)
This is why I follow your channel. Excellently presented, easily understandable information on how to operate a farm in today's environment. Plus your entertaining amd you tell dad jokes. 😃👍🦅🇺🇸
You are one of my favorite vids because of your size, old equipment (like me) and your jokes. One thing some people do in my part of the country is grow barley indoors. I've been doing a little studying on it with LED lights.
Hello Peter. Your own method of farming, raising cattle and knowing their need for hay sounds right on. We're not farmers but enjoy following you on your channel. You make great sense when figuring what you need. Others could learn a lot from you & your family. Be well.
Hey. I hope that you will be able to sustain your farm with a smaller herd. It isn’t easy but then we must realise the reason you started in the 1st place. I love your videos and your work ethic.
That answered my question from the last video. I won’t say it is simple but the way to figure your farm and herd size is straight forward for sure. You already have a good idea on the amount of hay you will need to buy to make it to next spring. Just like any business here is it July of 2021 and your forecasting or budgeting out for the next year, just like all businesses. The one question you may have missed. After figuring you need to reduce your herd size for the land you have when do you figure if that size herd will make you a profit or close enough to support your family? Farmers have to be the most innovative people on the planet. To always be figuring out how to save money, making a machine to save time or a process to save time. Really a good video
First of all I love your channel. It gives me hope I can run a small farm someday. Quick question have you thought of tree fodder? Adding trees you can pollard, and feed the foliage to your dexters. Maybe you could plant a row of trees along your fences. Incorporate a little agroforestry. Keep up the great work, and best of luck in the future.
Curious if you have considered fertilizer for your hay ground? "The Rest of the Story" fertilizes his hay ground to bump his yield. Or are external inputs like that something you are avoiding? Love the channel.
That was a great video that put information in black and white. There is 1 other option in our area of West Tennessee. There are lots of folks that have land and don't have haying equipment. Some of them need hay and others need the fields mowed once or twice a year so it doesn't turn back into woods. It's fairly common for people to split the hay with the guy that bales it and either keep or sell the rest. Admittedly we don't have dairies competing for the feed.
Hey Pete, diversify the forage options with c4 plants! Eastern Gamagrass if you are up for a rewarding perennial challenge or warm season annuals like cowpeas and sunn hemp w/ buckwheat no tilled into an intentionally overgrazed paddock. The latter would also serve as a nice opportunity to "renovate" the pasture with korean/kobe lespedeza or birdsfoot trefoil since they use the same innoculant :)
Thanks. I'm on the regenerative road but I've been trying to get my head around winter grassing and if I can do it . You have just answered my question.
I very much appreciated your video as I want to take my next step in life as a small cattle rancher, Thank you, and ironically, exactly 1 year later, it's the 4th of July today. Happy Independence Day!
We stacked small squares in the loft for a small dairy herd. We were careful to stack each layer, and take them out a layer at a time so Dad could keep track of it. I should say I live in a similar climate. Dad occasionally purchased alfalfa, but he was reluctant. Interesting to hear it explained as a science. Thanks Pete.
Happy independence day to you and your family ! I just ordered your book. I would like in the next five years to start my own farm and trying to pick up as much knowledge as possible so thank you for everything.
Wow!! I am not sure if I am smart enough to be Farmer. Excellent video. Thank you very much for making it. Btw I believe your philosophy is the correct one. Self sufficiency would be my main goal. I am glad I have found your Channel.
Look up Alan savory that's the guy who can save us, do it Pete, Alan savory, I have been watching this gentleman, 44 years, watch a few shows you will be smart to watch, thanks for your time
I'd love to one day have enough land to be fully self sufficient as in baling hay, growing crop, etc. Not just surviving but making money from the land and doing it efficiently. But right now I'm stuck buying hay and limited to my numbers on just 10 acres. Thank so much for the education and sharing your strategies. And happy 4th!!
Great, informative video. It is always a shock to see the numbers after going with gut and emotional feeling. Depending on others for hay or help makes me very nervous. That's why I downsized my flick of sheep so that I can sleep better.
I have 9 head on two pastures. A 25 and a 15. Works great for a spring and winter pasture with 6 round bales during winter. These are natural grass pastures. Cows are medium size Red Devons. They thrive on less than ideal pastures. East Texas weather.
Very informative for those who want a self sufficient operation.. I don’t like depending on circumstances,so buying hay to support more can be a risk..
Pete I don't know if you have thought about growing, if your growing season allows, but what about growing more then 1 species of hay that have different harvest times. This would allow you to increase your hay yields and diversify your cattle's diet. I have an organic garden and I am able to maximize land usage by this method. Just a thought!
Pete, could you talk in a video about taking hay and not only rotationally grazing. That's all the TH-cam farmers talk about. I think people don't realize that where you are and me(Ontario, Canada) we have snow so we need hay. I like how you rotate the hay fields. Also do you think Highland cattle are similar in size to Dexter's, as far as the math goes. That are good browsers I hear, so they might do well with worse land. I am interested in Highlands. Glad you are a farmer who makes video's, not someone buying crap and peddling products to make a video. Great job sir.
I’m in Nebraska, and I’ve slowly been having my cattle grazing my alfalfa fields. Last year I grazed third cutting, 42 acres. Extended grazing into first part of winter, and I had left over hay this spring. Increased to grazing one field for the entire season this year and getting 2 cuttings of the other fields. Grazing alfalfa in winter is a great feed source, along with our cornstalks. I didn’t start feeding hay until the end of February…and we have hard winters (-30 this last winter)
@@michaeldunagan8268 nope. A few days on bloat blocks, wait for the crop to be in full bloom. To be extra careful have straw, grass hay, or baled cornstalks available so they can self balance.
All of those math problems that were taught in school that as a kid you thought I will never need this. Well you find out in the real world you do need them. 66 year old man here thanks to all the math teachers out there.
I tried buying hay, could not find enough,so bought hay equipment back and put up about 30 of my 62 acres and 30 acres of neighbors,then intensive graze everything on my 62 the rest of the year with 20 head of Momma's and calves. Might need 10 or 15 bales to bridge the gap next year. We are running Angus/Limousine and Hereford crosses. Fed about 65 this year and our bales are 5*6
My parents and me had 140 acres ran 40 head of black Angus and 70 and 70 on the other side of the road and we had to hit 3500 square bales had the smallest tractors but we got it done... Steve from WV
Man you made me feel dirty with the large dairy reference. I wish I could make it with 12 cows! The sad reality is it takes 240 times more cows than that for us to make it. Great video and breakdown, well stated.
Well, I’ve been saying it for over a year +/-. This is one of the best farm channels on TH-cam. A no BS approach to livestock farming. It’s also a space where products aren’t being pushed or “advertised.” Thank you.
I can second, Peter Baez.
Yep that’s what I always do at my farm
Exactly. Most people on TH-cam push their ways or thoughts but Pete gives opinions and advice.
Agreed
An absolute education..love it.❤❤❤❤❤
I remember when I fenced a 3/4 acre behind our house for raising a beef cow people told me it couldn’t be done, that the cow would eat the grass down to the dirt. Well, it can be done, and we never see dirt. Yes, we do supplemental feed including lots of hay during the winter but I only take 1 cow through the winter each year. I buy a calf each Feb and I take a cow to butcher each November. Takes 2 years to grow a beef cow to slaughter weight but I’m still saving money over grocery cost and nothing beats growing your own food in my book.
Exactly! Have a small farm of only 5.3 acres. Raising for pigs, have 20 laying hens, growing our own garden, and in the process of fencing in 4.5 acres to have about 3-4 cows. One of which will be for food for the family and the other 3 I will sell the calves to help make some of my money back. It’s time the world gets back to those roots! Raising my kids to not depend on getting everything they need to survive from a grocery store! Def makes it taste better knowing you invested your hard earned time, money, and work to make it happen!
@crimsonwizard01 well we normally have 2 except for those 3 months of winter between when 1 gets taken to butcher around 1st of Nov and late February when I pick up another calf. But we also keep chickens on the pasture with our cows and they can keep them company. The goat suggestion may work also but goats can be escape artists.
Good stuff, And you don’t have to worry about grocery store meat and what the cows that provided it were fed or injected with, including growth hormones, GMO grain, insecticide sprayed fields, etc.
@@Billy_Ruck Homegrown vegetables actually do taste better than store-bought. Most store-bought vegetables are grown in greenhouses and is not as nutritious.
This makes me feel better. We have a little over one acre and were wanting a longhorn. We're in TX.
When I first started in the cattle buisness a old timer told me. Figure out the carrying capacity of your place. stock it with half as many as that. And you will be about right. It was real good advice.
Hey sir I hope that you're all good I'm derick from Uganda and I'm currently looking for any agriculture activity I don't care what activity. I'm flexible and reliable because I can adopt to any environment
My favorite farming channel to learn from. No BS, real world, no nonsense and straight forward information. Thank you and keep it up Pete!
Pete, I don't know how to Thank You! What you just did is valuable!
You're welcome Tim!
Its nice to watch a truly honest and faithful to proper farming and animal husbandry on a farming TH-cam channel. Keep up. And we will keep learning an enjoying.
Happy Independence day to Your Family and You.
And some of our young adults don’t think “math knowledge “ is necessary in their lives. A very interesting episode. Your farm looks so beautiful! ❤️
A-A-Ron I agree with you...this was simple math and very useful. Doug, I beg to differ with you. My statement was not just a chance to complain about young people as you suggested but it was based upon my husband’s 25 years experience as a math teacher in High Schools.
Abraham Lincoln read his geometry textbook every year. His stated reason? Math teaches us to think. That's reason enough for me.
@@A-A-RonDavis2470 ohhh unit circle 😆
@@A-A-RonDavis2470 "I've worked 20 years in the inner city" one of their best episodes
Great explanation of feeding costs and analysis, As I have mentioned before I used to be a Hay dealer, and not all my customers were Horse stables. I have quite a few Dairy Farmers that needed good quality 2nd cut hay to get through. and believe me finding that kind and quality of hay in mid winter is no easy task even for a dealer. fact on the contrary. so I know what it is for both the farmer and the dealer to scramble mid winter /end of season needs. good sound advice Pete thanks for taking the time I'm sure you opened a lot of eyes with your info. thanks for sharing.
Very informative!! You are a well of knowledge and buffer that with common sense......Thank you so much and Happy fourth
Such a great video for ppl to think about! I'm not sure what it's like there as far as farmland, but my dad will actually "Volunteer" to cut older farms pastures for them and they split the hay (at no cost other than his time, labor, machine) or he gets to keep all the hay outright just for helping the land owner have it cut each year. He's got MULTIPLE farms in our community that he does this for. Might be another thing you could look at doing--working out a deal with land owners who aren't raising livestock/need the hay themselves. :D
Thank you Pete. Seeing that we're in the dry Southwest,, elevation 7800'. always enjoy looking at the Green New York Countryside. This may be hard for you to believe but our first rain was this week so that brings our entire total for the year 2 in. But in the high plains mountain regions 2 in is enough to get our grasses growing quickly. We calculate in typical years one cow per 35 to 50 acres..
Ever thought of buying even more bales now at $35 and selling them in the winter for +$100? Extra protection for yourself and potential profit when your neighbors need it.
A very interesting way of looking at small farming regards N Ireland
I have similar acreage as you now. Spent most of my life running cattle, but decided to run hair sheep instead. Best decision I could've made for my operation.
Great info that you are putting out. I just finished mowing and raking my hay on 35 acres. Did it with a haybine and an old 256 New Holland rake. Bought them for $3200, put $300 into them, and they survived the first cutting! Great advice on that old equipment. Now for the baling . . . we'll see how that goes. Thanks for giving me a direction to go in! Don't want someone to do it for me but needed someone to show me which way to go. Very odd on the numbers . . . when I have 52 Angus, I'd feed 100 lbs of grain every three days and the cows would only eat 1.5 bales (5x5) per day. $140 a month for grain, 45 bales, which I got some off my land and bought some. In MO, we only feed hay Nov through Apr.
Hey Pete, Love your videos. I'm a newer small herd beef producer and you've provided me with good info and things to think about. Happy 4th of July to you and your family and God Bless America!
In farming, most everything seems to be a compromise between what you would like to do, and what you have to do ( reality ).
Last year we started high density stock grazing moving the herd everyday. All hay fields are fenced in and we graze all 2nd crop and 75% of 3rd crop. Got us to thankgiving last year in a dry year. I think Pete your farming practices and management over longer period of time will get you where you want to be. Thanks for informing us on your operation. Keep up the good work.
I am not a farmer/rancher but I really enjoy your business approach and how you help others.
Another awesome Sunday video. Thanks for taking the time to break this important aspect of heard management down for us.
I really enjoyed your explanation of how you arrive at the number of cows per acre that you can sustain. That is a struggle for all cattlemen. Have you looked at more efficient feeding systems to ensure you are not wasting hay? When we made the switch to more efficient feeders we saw about a 30% decrease in the hay we fed. That was several years ago and I am sure the technology has improved. We found the feeders where the base was wider than the feeding area did the best job and were still easy to use. The old bale rings with vertical sides are inexpensive and easy to use but they waste a lot of hay.
I too am a big believer in minimizing hay waste. As I often say, it's better to run it through the cow and then use it to fertilize the field rather than having the cow waste it on the field. The bale ring you saw in the video is only used for occasional summer feeding. We store and feed our hay indoors for the winter.
Thank you Pete for clarifying in the winter stock pill of forage I've have learned over time what you are saying is exactly right for me here in east Tennessee thank you for sharing
Hey, A fellow East Tennessean. I too was looking into winter stock piling and what Pete says is true. It's extremely less productive because you have to keep the cattle off that land until winter...it takes way more land to do this and most people like myself didn't realize that's why the operations that do this lease land to stock pile and graze.
@@hollienguyen5222 Ha Hollie thank you its taken me years to learn this thing I Agree with Mr Judy on alot that he shairs I know it works for him and many others. But it just cant for me . Alot of the land i use is small tracts and rent free. Not all can be pastured so my hay equipment has cost me less than 12 thousand dollars that way I can utilize that land what works for me won't work for others have a wonderful day and pray you get the rain you need
Well Pete, that was a very good explanation of what a person has to figure on before one starts getting into cattle raising.
Thanks for the Math-Lesson :) It's really helpful. I'm not looking to support kettle but it certainly is informative and I like how you and some other channels are actually getting into the the "Small Farm" business case. Lots of people don't do that.
I love these Sunday videos. Great idea Pete!! Thanks for this one in particular. This is something we were trying to figure out. :)
I have a small farm in Cornwall, I am always out to get what hay I can on the farm.
I only have 35 acres, and a buy in stock, and have 18 cattle.
I restock this farm last year, got about 170 bales.
This year I keep moving them, over about 9 acres.
I have a John Deere 580 round baler, and do all the work myself here in the UK.
Thanks Pete for taking us along on the ride to discover your farms capacity. You do the calculations and run up to that then adjust to find the sweet spot. AND THEN every season throws something at you that could not be ever be expecting. Thanks again for a carefully put together video and putting out your own situation for us all to see. Dave.
That was a great video, Pete. Downsizing is a tough decision to make but it sure seems to make sense in your case. Good for you for being able to make it.
I love watching your Sunday videos. I’ve dreamed of starting a small farm and watching these really give me the tips and tricks to hopefully one day fulfill my dream of starting a small farm. Keep it up and I love the jokes haha
This is the BEST explanation of 'cow days' I have ever heard! I just subscribed, thank you!
I love how you calculate everything. In my opinion that is the way to do it. Happy Independence Day from My farm to yours!!
This was a very informative video.I enjoys your videos, your passion for your animals, and you are a self sufficient individual. You fix your own equipment, build your own structures for the chickens , turkeys and the pigs.
You are an inspiration to the small farmers striving to accomplish what you do on your farm.
Aloha from Honolulu, Hawaii
Thank you for the info Pete. I love seeing you explain how it all works. And to me you can’t get any better information than real world EXPERIENCE. You have farmed the same land for years and can speak specifically for your property. I learn best from those experiences as well. Believe they call it trial and error. Lol. Thanks for the video Pete. Favorite channel on TH-cam.
I love the way you explained you use of hay and how to figure out the math behind you calculation. I love your videos keep up with your enjoyment of farming
Thanks for everything buddy hope you guys are having a wonderful 4th god bless everyone
Knowing a man’s limitations is one of the secrets to life. You sir appear to know yours clearly and put a lot of thought into it. I enjoy your videos and your approach to maximizing what you have to work with! I grew up on a small farm in Northeast ND and I appreciate what you do! Have a great Sunday!
Love small farm Sunday. We’ve been reevaluating our plans as we build up our infrastructure. We only have about 8-9 acres of grazing land, but we’re in Florida so our grazing season is longer than yours. We planned on keeping a bull but reconsidering that due to the concerns you talked about here. I’d rather buy as little hay as possible.
Pete thank you for running through a video like this. I wonder how many homesteaders know about this basic cow unit calculation.?? Happy 4th to you, family and the herd. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Great point about stock piling grazing forage. Most people don’t want to talk about the quality. I like your hay setup
Great video Pete, not naming no names but just saying other TH-cam farm channels could learn a LOT from you ! thanks for making quality informative entertaining videos for us !
Happy 4th to you and your family Pete. Thanks for taking us through the numbers for running a sustainable cattle operation.
It sucks that you'll need to buy hay for two years until you are back to where your herd size matches your field capacity. Some times you got to have the tail wag the dog.
I'm sorry, I know you are humble and I love that about you, but your channel is simply the best. So interesting and knowledgeable!! Way to hit it out of the park every time, at least for me. God Bless!!
You my friend have inspired me to get back into growing food for my family I love it thank you for igniting that spark In me since I loss my dad
Thanks for another SFS video Pete! I've been planning on moving from our 3 acre home to a 40+ acre property sometime in the next few years to expand our Maple operation and introduce cattle to our operation. Your videos are always very helpful in helping me plan this project!
Thanks for explaining the numbers. Helped me to run the math.
I have 3-acres here high desert of So Calif.
Got garden going, chickens, meat chickens, started planting more fruit trees. I started working out my land to raise a meat cow for my family. Been trying to figure how much hay to grow for 1 cow. I set aside 1 to 1.25 acre for grazing.
I've stumbled upon your channel and have watched a few of your videos. You seem to know quite a bit and you're a respectable teacher. I wish you and yours well on your journey.
Peace.
Our agrarian ancestors are cheering from Heaven, Pete!!! You've again hit it on the nail.......self-sufficiency is the backbone of the American spirt. HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!! ;o)
This is why I follow your channel. Excellently presented, easily understandable information on how to operate a farm in today's environment. Plus your entertaining amd you tell dad jokes. 😃👍🦅🇺🇸
You are one of my favorite vids because of your size, old equipment (like me) and your jokes. One thing some people do in my part of the country is grow barley indoors. I've been doing a little studying on it with LED lights.
Hello Peter. Your own method of farming, raising cattle and knowing their need for hay sounds right on. We're not farmers but enjoy following you on your channel. You make great sense when figuring what you need. Others could learn a lot from you & your family. Be well.
Thanks Pete, you explained it very well and I was hoping someone would. Jim
Hello Pete, for us city folks could you explain the importance and difference between 1cut, 2nd cut and 3rd cuttings. Thanks
Hey. I hope that you will be able to sustain your farm with a smaller herd. It isn’t easy but then we must realise the reason you started in the 1st place. I love your videos and your work ethic.
That answered my question from the last video. I won’t say it is simple but the way to figure your farm and herd size is straight forward for sure. You already have a good idea on the amount of hay you will need to buy to make it to next spring. Just like any business here is it July of 2021 and your forecasting or budgeting out for the next year, just like all businesses. The one question you may have missed. After figuring you need to reduce your herd size for the land you have when do you figure if that size herd will make you a profit or close enough to support your family? Farmers have to be the most innovative people on the planet. To always be figuring out how to save money, making a machine to save time or a process to save time. Really a good video
First of all I love your channel. It gives me hope I can run a small farm someday. Quick question have you thought of tree fodder? Adding trees you can pollard, and feed the foliage to your dexters. Maybe you could plant a row of trees along your fences. Incorporate a little agroforestry. Keep up the great work, and best of luck in the future.
Another great video Pete. You should consider a side consulting business for start up farmers.
Curious if you have considered fertilizer for your hay ground? "The Rest of the Story" fertilizes his hay ground to bump his yield. Or are external inputs like that something you are avoiding? Love the channel.
I've really enjoyed your channel!
That was a great video that put information in black and white. There is 1 other option in our area of West Tennessee. There are lots of folks that have land and don't have haying equipment. Some of them need hay and others need the fields mowed once or twice a year so it doesn't turn back into woods. It's fairly common for people to split the hay with the guy that bales it and either keep or sell the rest. Admittedly we don't have dairies competing for the feed.
Hey Pete, diversify the forage options with c4 plants!
Eastern Gamagrass if you are up for a rewarding perennial challenge or warm season annuals like cowpeas and sunn hemp w/ buckwheat no tilled into an intentionally overgrazed paddock. The latter would also serve as a nice opportunity to "renovate" the pasture with korean/kobe lespedeza or birdsfoot trefoil since they use the same innoculant :)
Thanks. I'm on the regenerative road but I've been trying to get my head around winter grassing and if I can do it .
You have just answered my question.
You made it simple???? Yes still working getting a Dexter!! You did make it easier!!! Thank you. I really love your channel!!!
Great lecture. Thanks. Cow weight for hay vs. cows art per acre, it makes sense, cows are different. Take care.
Wise words from a person who is actually making it work!
Great information thanks Pete.
I very much appreciated your video as I want to take my next step in life as a small cattle rancher, Thank you, and ironically, exactly 1 year later, it's the 4th of July today. Happy Independence Day!
THANK YOU. for years i have been looking for the numbers u just put out.
We stacked small squares in the loft for a small dairy herd.
We were careful to stack each layer, and take them out a layer at a time so Dad could keep track of it.
I should say I live in a similar climate.
Dad occasionally purchased alfalfa, but he was reluctant.
Interesting to hear it explained as a science.
Thanks Pete.
Hi Pete, I love your approach and philosophies.
The best part of farming is the simplicity. Feed, water, butcher, sell. Sounds so easy but never is.
Thank you for sharing.🐂
Happy independence day to you and your family ! I just ordered your book. I would like in the next five years to start my own farm and trying to pick up as much knowledge as possible so thank you for everything.
I appreciate all the info - thanks for sharing! I'd be curious to see how the costs of production compares to the revenue from a cow. Thanks!
Wow!! I am not sure if I am smart enough to be Farmer. Excellent video. Thank you very much for making it. Btw I believe your philosophy is the correct one. Self sufficiency would be my main goal. I am glad I have found your Channel.
Look up Alan savory that's the guy who can save us, do it Pete, Alan savory, I have been watching this gentleman, 44 years, watch a few shows you will be smart to watch, thanks for your time
Great video! You're a superb teacher. Thank you!
When do you plan to begin that next tractor project you were leaning on?
I'd love to one day have enough land to be fully self sufficient as in baling hay, growing crop, etc. Not just surviving but making money from the land and doing it efficiently. But right now I'm stuck buying hay and limited to my numbers on just 10 acres. Thank so much for the education and sharing your strategies. And happy 4th!!
You do a great tutorial Pete, Thumbs Up
Great, informative video. It is always a shock to see the numbers after going with gut and emotional feeling. Depending on others for hay or help makes me very nervous. That's why I downsized my flick of sheep so that I can sleep better.
Thanks, have a great Independence day
I have 9 head on two pastures. A 25 and a 15.
Works great for a spring and winter pasture with 6 round bales during winter. These are natural grass pastures. Cows are medium size Red Devons. They thrive on less than ideal pastures.
East Texas weather.
Thanks Pete great video and you also have a wonderful 4th of July
Very informative for those who want a self sufficient operation.. I don’t like depending on circumstances,so buying hay to support more can be a risk..
With irrigation or some elefant grass that support your weather or proteins bank or trees , for incraise your hay production.
I love your channel and love videos like these. Thank you again for sharing your wealth of knowledge and animal husbandry.
Pete I don't know if you have thought about growing, if your growing season allows, but what about growing more then 1 species of hay that have different harvest times. This would allow you to increase your hay yields and diversify your cattle's diet. I have an organic garden and I am able to maximize land usage by this method. Just a thought!
Pete, could you talk in a video about taking hay and not only rotationally grazing. That's all the TH-cam farmers talk about. I think people don't realize that where you are and me(Ontario, Canada) we have snow so we need hay. I like how you rotate the hay fields. Also do you think Highland cattle are similar in size to Dexter's, as far as the math goes. That are good browsers I hear, so they might do well with worse land. I am interested in Highlands. Glad you are a farmer who makes video's, not someone buying crap and peddling products to make a video. Great job sir.
Great video. Lots of food for thought. We have country that runs 1 cow unit to 20acres, so absolutely poles apart from your lush “few Acres”
I’m in Nebraska, and I’ve slowly been having my cattle grazing my alfalfa fields. Last year I grazed third cutting, 42 acres. Extended grazing into first part of winter, and I had left over hay this spring. Increased to grazing one field for the entire season this year and getting 2 cuttings of the other fields. Grazing alfalfa in winter is a great feed source, along with our cornstalks. I didn’t start feeding hay until the end of February…and we have hard winters (-30 this last winter)
Your cattle do not bloat when they exclusively eat alfalfa for a prolonged period of time?
@@michaeldunagan8268 nope. A few days on bloat blocks, wait for the crop to be in full bloom. To be extra careful have straw, grass hay, or baled cornstalks available so they can self balance.
Just waiting for this from the morning :)
Where I live people are looking for people to cut there hay so me and my dad are starting a small farm and planning on getting Dexters.
All of those math problems that were taught in school that as a kid you thought I will never need this. Well you find out in the real world you do need them. 66 year old man here thanks to all the math teachers out there.
Thanks
I tried buying hay, could not find enough,so bought hay equipment back and put up about 30 of my 62 acres and 30 acres of neighbors,then intensive graze everything on my 62 the rest of the year with 20 head of Momma's and calves. Might need 10 or 15 bales to bridge the gap next year. We are running Angus/Limousine and Hereford crosses. Fed about 65 this year and our bales are 5*6
My parents and me had 140 acres ran 40 head of black Angus and 70 and 70 on the other side of the road and we had to hit 3500 square bales had the smallest tractors but we got it done... Steve from WV
Man you made me feel dirty with the large dairy reference. I wish I could make it with 12 cows! The sad reality is it takes 240 times more cows than that for us to make it. Great video and breakdown, well stated.
It is how you manage your land that is important, which from what I have seen you do well.
Great analysis on cow units. Very professional.👍👍👍🐂🐮