We have 53 black Angus. We graze and move everyday. We graze the home farm and cut our own hay on rented land. We mow the residual grass off then drag the paddock to spread the manure. We can usually get 4 rotations per season. However, We live 1/2 hr from Canada. Farming in the south is different than way up north, just like southwest would be different as well. Here in the north, we have to feed cattle for 220-230 days. Grazing up here begins in late may until late September maybe October. We figure feeding from October to mid May. People watching videos need to realize that there are geographical differences in farming practices. We can get to -30 in the winter but 10-20 below zero would be a more typical winter cold spell. We feed hay on pasture, but sometimes we get 20" of snow or brutal wind chills. Then we feed the cattle in a open barn setting and any hay they don't eat becomes bedding. We leave the pack until spring then compost it through the spreader 3 times and we have spreadable fine compost in 3 months. I just wanted to point out that even similar operations can be very different practices based on location.
Good morning! I don’t have my own farm or cattle but I’ve worked for a lady who took over her dad’s farm when he passed. I’ve been running it for about 4yrs and I’ve learned so much from watching your content. Keep up the good work and let’s get’er done!
Live and learn. I’ve been running a small herd and custom grazing between 25-40 pairs on 135 acres for a few years. Came to the realization I was over stocking and now I’m taking a couple years running way less animals .. my goal is to leave a healthy stockpile in every pasture by end of September. I’m thinking 15 pairs and 12 stockers should be my max .
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer I've watched your farm grow from beginning and you've done a awesome job explaining how to do things I still don't know how you do it by yourself but you find a way sadly we got the government against farmers we got to stick together and protect our way of life
I am guilty of this too! Oh, they can graze 1 more day, then the next day something comes up and I don't get them moved and next thing you know we have grazed it too much.
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer When you talked about eat a 3rd,leave a 3rd and trample a 3rd you made me think of Greg Judy. I've watched plenty of his video's. Maybe more than I should considering I don't even have a farm, well I don't have a farm other than my dreams.
I am glad you caught on to this. All of your fields are definitely over grazed. There wasn't enough left behind from trampling to cover the bare ground. That is the fodder that feeds the worms that feed the soil and the roots of the plants. It also retains the moisture which in turn waters the plants for better growth while making your farm drought resistant. It keeps your topsoil from washing away due to erosion and prevents flash flooding. Essentially, the more carbon you leave on the ground the more it feeds the soil. Great job!
When I mow my grass once a week, on the highest setting, my grass is really healthy. When I let it go too long, and it bolts, it doesn't grow as lush. I get it now! Thanks! It's just that simple!
Same here, I take off a third or less and it's thick and healthy. Where I work the landscape crews scalp the grass badly, and it's mostly patchy dirt now that they keep dumping fertilizer on. Another advantage is my grass is so thick I barely have any weed load anymore and don't use weed killer anymore.
Yep, the overgrazed part gets hit with 90degree heat and no water, takes forever to repair. We have also had over grazed areas get hit with a heavy rain and there is no where for water too drain or get absorbed and stays muddy, also not great for recovery.
You'll never quit learning! You get to learn and adapt then make things better! It's one of the glorious things about doing this I love, uncharted territory. Thanks for doing what you do and getting the word out there.
My family would run cattle sorta like this but would rotate them on 12 acre tracks once a week. The land would have a month to rest before they got back to it.
That was one slick little girl! Right now we are blessed with too much grass and the cows can't keep up, but this pasture had gotten to rest for a year before we put our cows on last fall. Right now we bush hog high behind them. Blessings friend!
Get Sta-bil additive for gasoline storage or K&W Stor-x at NAPA 5:09 AND Cap off the hose to stop evaporaton and moisture getting into the storage tank. 6:47
I'll go through that gas in about 2 months...and I only burn non-ethonol fuel in the machines around the farm...if it's over winter I'll use StaBil but otherwise I burn through it way too fast
That much gasoline in your shop will probably get you insurance to not pay off if there is a fire. Put it outside under cover. Cannot believe that vents don't have moisture absorbers built in.
I am a grass producer ... livestock are my harvest machines. With good nutrients, livestock are more than protected from the elements ... only needing protection from the winds
a true rancher (or grass producer) once they learn the etymology of the term are greatly insulted being called a farmer. farmer is from old German meaning renter ... a rancher or more properly called grass producer despises in deed or mentality despises being called a renter
If you graze to low you slow the regrowth. If ground drys out that just makes the slow regrowth problem worse. I suspect your breaks are on the small side for the 12 hr breaks you are running. You only graze "down to the boards" as you setup for the fall grass growth, the aim is remove the old summer growth for the fall grass to grow without being shaded. In spring you are grazing to stop the grass going to seed. Suggestion: learn use a rising plate meter to measure to grass before and after. This will educate and clibrate your eye. The residual Dry Matter (DM) is important Tip: avoid pugging the ground in winter as this is next summer's weed patch. Try finding out from New Zealand primary industry training organisation (primary ito), or maybe NZ federated farmers some contacts on "rotational grazing" (NZ term) there are different terms to mean the same thing. What you are just learning we have been doing since the 80's.
I think it’s an excellent idea, I just don’t have access to enough land to keep them off it for 45 days. I do my best to rotate and give it as much a break as possible.
We make 3 or 4 rotations across our farm. We are getting ready to get in the dry season so we will go from fast rotations and slow them down buying time for rain. We don’t unroll hay in the winter do to our fields are wet and don’t want to rut them up.
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer we tighten them up when it gets dry. We move fast while the grass is growing fast and tighten up paddocks when the rain stops over summer to buy time for rain.
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer how tall is your grass when you’re moving to a fresh paddock? I know your grass is different where you’re located versus me. Just a curious question
Over grazing is only an issue if it does not totally recover before you graze next time. If you let it fully recover it will replenish root reserves to get it going again. The problem with leaving a 3rd is that what is left is mostly stems and not much solar panels and so it still needs root reserves to get it going again until new leaves come back from root reserves to make new solar panels. By far most important thing is to make sure roots are fully replenished before next graze
you dont want to over graze as that can add anywhere from 14 - 21 days extra time to get the pasture back to the same condition it would of been if you had rotated the cattle out of there on time.
totally not my experience...overgraze it once in the spring and you'll be fighting it all summer long brother...you've gotta keep them moving....if you graze it down to the "nub" you'll dry out the root system and fight it all season...ask me how I know! Especially when it's dry
nope....if you overgraze on my farm, it ruins the entire summer in most cases! All summer long!! Grazing it down to the "nub" in May will ruin your grass for the rest of the season....on this farm it simply won't recover unless we get a pile of rain or really cool temps...this year has been great for cool temps and rain so hopefully I didn't ruin this paddock by overgrazing
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer well you are probably correct but because you are still in process of building up your soil that the tobacco people had totally ruined and I applaud you for that. Explanation would be your soil has no reserves or I should say not much and once you get reserves built back up I do believe grazing short is not considered over grazing as long as it fully recovers. Over grazing is when cattle stay on for an extended period of time
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, ideas and videos. Have you ever looked at the process where they sprout seeds to feed cows. It’s done mostly in areas that can’t grow enough grass. The sprouts are grown in trays inside a custom container setup with grow lights and watering. Interesting tech but I’m sure what you are doing is far better for you.
we don't feed the cattle any grain....imagine feeding this many cattle grain alone...you'd go totally broke ....now for chickens and pigs...heck yes! We've done it with the chickens and it works awesome !
Just luv watching the moo cows , especially the babies 🐮-yes since I don’t know much bout cows ( never had any ) sounds very wise to have learned bout moving them sooner so want damage ur land all the way down then longer to replenish !! GREAT LEARNING VIDEO !! 👍🏼👊🏻
good job josh.. we did years ago have cow's . If all goes right and we get the back farm behind us(we rented years ago for cow's) then it's game on again. Ill be clearing about 30 more acures as well. very good soil. I'm very exsighted..
I agree 100%. As a former mechanic I have seen the horror of what ethanol gas has done to the small engine world. It eats rubber lines and gaskets, and as you said attracts moisture to the fuel. I have a fuel station in my area that sells ethanol free Super Unleaded for people like me who like driving old cars and trucks and have small gas engine equipment.
The issue with elevated water/moisture in your fuel is due to not using an ethanol free fuel. Ethanol and water live to mix together, which is why a back before the oil companies were required to add 10-80% ethanol to fuel to make it more environmentally friendly,,gas stations would sell “ Dry gas” which was 90% ethanol that would combine with the water and increase the evaporation of both, but generally wasn’t all that effective.
I agree bro...but it's also in modern diesel fuel.....condensation in large fuel tanks is a huge problem for modern fuels.....now.....all the gasoline on the farm is ethanol free....I'm totally with ya on the garbage fuel we get nowadays...if ya don't burn the ethanol fuel within about a month it starts to break down
I do have a couple of question tho, do you spread your cow manure while doing type of grazing or let them dry out, and for the number of cows you have and the number of paddocks you can create to keep moving them to fresh pasture, what do you do when you run out of fresh pasture, and it has not had the required 40-45 days require to let the pasture rest?
you keep them moving so you always have recovered pasture my brother....that's the rub....as for manure...we'll typically drag the pastures after they move...and this time of year we'll mow behind them. Video coming soon. If you get into a dry season then you'll have to feed hay sometimes to let a pasture catch up
it is a factor for sure....more animals...faster moving...however it's not so much about animals per acre...it's more about time per acre...get them on it and off it fast!
Hi Josh. Love Your Content. You got a nice Beard growing. I Retired a Year & A half ago. Now 64 Years old. Have not Trimed my Beard since. It feels really good to have a Long flowing Beard.
can't go too quickly in this case...the more you leave behind...the faster it grows back for the next time around. I'm finding that moving them frequently and moving them before I think it's time is the very best method. Amazingly enough...I'll go right behind them, mow and in 2 weeks the grass is knee deep again and in much better condition with fewer weeds. This is totally working great!
Hi JOSH, The only people who DON'T make mistakes are people who are NOT doing a D@MED THING or they are DEAD! Smart people try NOT to make mistakes, but when they do, they try to learn what went wrong so as NOT to repeat! BLESSED BE! Batman
no way brotha...increase your paddock size unless you're really targeting the idea of trampling weeds down. The only reason these areas were overgrazed was I got home after dark and they got a full 24 hours on the badly overgrazed paddocks. I move every 12 hours and that's plenty enough for the land here. I did use a fertilizer product on the pastures this year and it's done fantastic...more to come on this soon!
From my understanding by moving the cattle more the cattle don't have to deal as much with the flies. The flies probably stay behind to play with the manure patties the cattle leave behind when the cattle move onto clean pasture.
GoodHello Mr. StoneyRidgeFarmer, have you thought about, or possible done before, adding biochar to your soil? I believe it's just using wood to make your own Char and then mixing it into the soil or compost or fertilizer?
remember scale is everything....think about how large this property is. It takes me 6 mins to empty a 7 yard manure spreader...that's 8 tons of manure in 6 mins! It's simply not feasible to try biochar on this scale my brother
Yep...I know Greg very well...but there's alot more freedom grazing 4 acres to a cow v/s .75 acres to a cow like we're doing....overgrazing is particularly devastating on a small farm
try to break the habbit brother! You'll thank me for it! I moved the cows this morning on a paddock that they'll only get for 6 hours...because I overgrazed it a month ago!
about 50 cattle, paddock size depends on the forage quality. Typically 1-3 acres depending on forage...only 12 hours per grazing cycle also! It's work!
It seems to me that "over-grazing" is much the same thing as "over-stocking". Ever since the post Civil War cattle boom, over-stocking has been the cause of the boom & bust nature of cattle ranching. When savvy ranchers started to learn from the example of the buffalo herds, the system of rating pastures in "cow-calf" units began to emerge.
Over grazing is a function of time not density or utilization. Too grazing is a joke and a lie. Look into Total grazing. Happy to help however I can. You can have it both ways.
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer if you do that in a single day, with a long recovery period it’s perfectly fine (actually it’s preferred). I’m happy to share my experience with you. @reverentwildranch on all socials (I just don’t post on YT)
yeah....evidently lol.... One of my best buddies has decided to become VEGAN...now he thinks cattle are destroying the earth too....when I asked him about ecology and whether we needed grazing animals, keystone predators and other creatures....he had no answer....I told him...If ya wanna see no life...go to a soy bean field!
So I'm trying to do the math in my head with 12 hours per paddock and letting each paddock recover for 45 days. Does that mean you have 90 paddocks of about 5 acres each? I'm wondering if a larger field would allow for longer time before over grazing would occur? Also, doesn't some of the pasture have to be set aside for growing hay? Just some questions around the 12 hour rotation method. Thanks and love seeing the cows as always.
I agree, I’m not understanding how you have anything less than 90 paddocks, and graze them half a day, and get 45 days rest. I think you’re doing the right thing with the grazing and bale unrolling, but I’m afraid you’re overstocked.
Hi a there Josh... Would love to share a local news clip on dune beetles.... It has some great numbers, i have them on my property... They work great.... Would save you a load time and money not having to drag the paddocks.... Plus, a load of other great beneficials.... But i cannot send you a youtube link without a email... Can you help me, help with your daily learning.... I must say, just to let you know... I'm not much of tec guy, so if you know a another way to share the link from TH-cam... Let me know... woody
Glad to not see any Teletubbies on those grazed grass fields! LOL How do you get them to graze that whole space to the degree you want in 12 hours? I saw the high speed part they were pretty spread out. Anyway...
A little over-grazed? Your toast come August you have no grass already in May. I would seriously destock and let the farm rest for 6 weeks maybe more. Didn't you go to Gregg Judy's class?
Greg Judy's class is great....but you've gotta realize that if I leave the cows on a spot for too long...they will overgraze it...that's what I'm talking about here....now...if a guy can't ranch with a stocking rate of 4 animals to the acre...then he should hang up his spurs...our stocking rate is about 1.54 animals to the acre....we aren't ranching like Greg here...there is no "one fixes all" solution and our grasses on this farm without fertilizer are better than all of the neighboring properties with fertilizer! Ya just can't "let the farm rest" when you have livestock to feed...that's simply not an option....I just showed you the poorest paddocks....the grass is nearly chest high on the rest of the farm. I think sometimes people watch folks on the internet and think that everything they say and do is the appidimy of perfection...I"m here to tell you it's not...and I'm here to share my experience with ya my friend. Greg's operation is vastly different from mine.....we push the land much harder
I'm not trying to insult you but are you winging this or is this a model you're following? I'm sure someone has raised cattle like this somewhere and they could help you. I'm a city boy and that was probably a dumb question but I learn from others.
just like with anything in life, we take all the information we can gather, the experience in life and apply it. I've been reading and following other's grazing techniques over time, however every property will be different, we all learn from other's but sometimes we have to learn from our own experience. What I've learned over the past few years is overgrazing kills your pastures...and it sets them back all season long...especially if it's dry. Most folks run about 1 cow to 2-3 acres around here...I've got 50-55 cows on about 85 acres....I'm learning how to intensively graze and keep the cattle well fed, grass growing and never worry about running out of forage. So...it's a combination of time, experience and education my brother
bro...you have to remember what I do for a living here....I'm building a farm and the cattle earn, but creating content around everything with wheels on this farm is what earns the income it takes to build the farm. I have 9 cars/trucks currently....but again...think of it like the motor trend channel brother....we're gonna get the Willys Jeep restoration back rolling soon!
When I mow my grass once a week, on the highest setting, my grass is really healthy. When I let it go too long, and it bolts, it doesn't grow as lush. I get it now! Thanks! It's just that simple!
@@charleswise5570that was also the hardest lesson is cutting to short so I wouldn’t have to cut as often but I saw it was so much healthier looking after I Didn’t cut to close ! 👍🏼
We have 53 black Angus. We graze and move everyday. We graze the home farm and cut our own hay on rented land.
We mow the residual grass off then drag the paddock to spread the manure. We can usually get 4 rotations per season.
However, We live 1/2 hr from Canada. Farming in the south is different than way up north, just like southwest would be different as well. Here in the north, we have to feed cattle for 220-230 days.
Grazing up here begins in late may until late September maybe October. We figure feeding from October to mid May. People watching videos need to realize that there are geographical differences in farming practices.
We can get to -30 in the winter but 10-20 below zero would be a more typical winter cold spell. We feed hay on pasture, but sometimes we get 20" of snow or brutal wind chills. Then we feed the cattle in a open barn setting and any hay they don't eat becomes bedding. We leave the pack until spring then compost it through the spreader 3 times and we have spreadable fine compost in 3 months.
I just wanted to point out that even similar operations can be very different practices based on location.
most certainly!! Great points thank you for sharing!
Love to see more folks sharing their regenerative journeys! Would love to see how your latent seed bed does as you let the grasses grow !
I have always tried to look at it as how animals grazed before fences. They traveled which helped manage parasites and only clipped natural forage.
Good morning! I don’t have my own farm or cattle but I’ve worked for a lady who took over her dad’s farm when he passed. I’ve been running it for about 4yrs and I’ve learned so much from watching your content. Keep up the good work and let’s get’er done!
Thanks so much! Glad this is helping ya
Live and learn. I’ve been running a small herd and custom grazing between 25-40 pairs on 135 acres for a few years. Came to the realization I was over stocking and now I’m taking a couple years running way less animals .. my goal is to leave a healthy stockpile in every pasture by end of September. I’m thinking 15 pairs and 12 stockers should be my max .
Pete with just a few Acres Farm does a great job explaining the mob grazing technique it's an awesome Channel
I'm glad Pete has explained it too....everyone's approach is a little different
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer I've watched your farm grow from beginning and you've done a awesome job explaining how to do things I still don't know how you do it by yourself but you find a way sadly we got the government against farmers we got to stick together and protect our way of life
I am guilty of this too! Oh, they can graze 1 more day, then the next day something comes up and I don't get them moved and next thing you know we have grazed it too much.
yep...and it really sets ya back doesn't it!
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer When you talked about eat a 3rd,leave a 3rd and trample a 3rd you made me think of Greg Judy. I've watched plenty of his video's. Maybe more than I should considering I don't even have a farm, well I don't have a farm other than my dreams.
I am glad you caught on to this. All of your fields are definitely over grazed. There wasn't enough left behind from trampling to cover the bare ground. That is the fodder that feeds the worms that feed the soil and the roots of the plants. It also retains the moisture which in turn waters the plants for better growth while making your farm drought resistant. It keeps your topsoil from washing away due to erosion and prevents flash flooding. Essentially, the more carbon you leave on the ground the more it feeds the soil. Great job!
I wouldn't say all of them....but I will say it's a tough habbit to break....keeping the cows on the land too long
Great video Josh. I really enjoyed watching. Thanks for sharing. Take care and God Bless.
Glad you enjoyed it
When I mow my grass once a week, on the highest setting, my grass is really healthy. When I let it go too long, and it bolts, it doesn't grow as lush.
I get it now!
Thanks!
It's just that simple!
Same here, I take off a third or less and it's thick and healthy. Where I work the landscape crews scalp the grass badly, and it's mostly patchy dirt now that they keep dumping fertilizer on.
Another advantage is my grass is so thick I barely have any weed load anymore and don't use weed killer anymore.
@@franciscodanconia4324 It's probably the customers wanting it cut short, to save money.
Yep, the overgrazed part gets hit with 90degree heat and no water, takes forever to repair. We have also had over grazed areas get hit with a heavy rain and there is no where for water too drain or get absorbed and stays muddy, also not great for recovery.
exactly!
You'll never quit learning! You get to learn and adapt then make things better! It's one of the glorious things about doing this I love, uncharted territory. Thanks for doing what you do and getting the word out there.
My family would run cattle sorta like this but would rotate them on 12 acre tracks once a week. The land would have a month to rest before they got back to it.
That was one slick little girl! Right now we are blessed with too much grass and the cows can't keep up, but this pasture had gotten to rest for a year before we put our cows on last fall. Right now we bush hog high behind them. Blessings friend!
What another great video from Josh. This is a learning lesson that hit homes to save your soil and grass.
That paddock in the background at 13:50 is nice!
Get Sta-bil additive for gasoline storage or K&W Stor-x at NAPA 5:09 AND Cap off the hose to stop evaporaton and moisture getting into the storage tank. 6:47
I'll go through that gas in about 2 months...and I only burn non-ethonol fuel in the machines around the farm...if it's over winter I'll use StaBil but otherwise I burn through it way too fast
That much gasoline in your shop will probably get you insurance to not pay off if there is a fire. Put it outside under cover. Cannot believe that vents don't have moisture absorbers built in.
I am a grass producer ... livestock are my harvest machines. With good nutrients, livestock are more than protected from the elements ... only needing protection from the winds
yeppers....grass farmer and the biproduct is beef and cattle
a true rancher (or grass producer) once they learn the etymology of the term are greatly insulted being called a farmer. farmer is from old German meaning renter ... a rancher or more properly called grass producer despises in deed or mentality despises being called a renter
@@michaelsallee7534don’t pay your taxes and you will see that you are still only a renter. Being called a farmer in America is not slanderous.
Beautiful calf,talk about sleek and slick!
If you graze to low you slow the regrowth. If ground drys out that just makes the slow regrowth problem worse. I suspect your breaks are on the small side for the 12 hr breaks you are running. You only graze "down to the boards" as you setup for the fall grass growth, the aim is remove the old summer growth for the fall grass to grow without being shaded.
In spring you are grazing to stop the grass going to seed.
Suggestion: learn use a rising plate meter to measure to grass before and after. This will educate and clibrate your eye. The residual Dry Matter (DM) is important
Tip: avoid pugging the ground in winter as this is next summer's weed patch.
Try finding out from New Zealand primary industry training organisation (primary ito), or maybe NZ federated farmers some contacts on "rotational grazing" (NZ term) there are different terms to mean the same thing. What you are just learning we have been doing since the 80's.
I think it’s an excellent idea, I just don’t have access to enough land to keep them off it for 45 days. I do my best to rotate and give it as much a break as possible.
Great video Josh, really appreciate the information. 👍🏻
Thank you. This was an extremely enjoyable start to my morning.
Thanks for the great info Josh!
Makes sense, same with mowing, can't cut too close or it will stunt the growth.
We have 9 different pastures that we rotate cows on and hay cutting works very well for us
Live and learn! 😉👍
Hey Josh congratulations with the new little cow and thank you for the video Woo
Thanks 👍
You should make a video with all the bloopers you’ve done. It’s so funny.
We make 3 or 4 rotations across our farm. We are getting ready to get in the dry season so we will go from fast rotations and slow them down buying time for rain. We don’t unroll hay in the winter do to our fields are wet and don’t want to rut them up.
try tightening up your paddocks...you'll be pleasantly surprised!
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer we tighten them up when it gets dry. We move fast while the grass is growing fast and tighten up paddocks when the rain stops over summer to buy time for rain.
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer how tall is your grass when you’re moving to a fresh paddock? I know your grass is different where you’re located versus me. Just a curious question
Over grazing is only an issue if it does not totally recover before you graze next time. If you let it fully recover it will replenish root reserves to get it going again. The problem with leaving a 3rd is that what is left is mostly stems and not much solar panels and so it still needs root reserves to get it going again until new leaves come back from root reserves to make new solar panels. By far most important thing is to make sure roots are fully replenished before next graze
you dont want to over graze as that can add anywhere from 14 - 21 days extra time to get the pasture back to the same condition it would of been if you had rotated the cattle out of there on time.
totally not my experience...overgraze it once in the spring and you'll be fighting it all summer long brother...you've gotta keep them moving....if you graze it down to the "nub" you'll dry out the root system and fight it all season...ask me how I know! Especially when it's dry
nope....if you overgraze on my farm, it ruins the entire summer in most cases! All summer long!! Grazing it down to the "nub" in May will ruin your grass for the rest of the season....on this farm it simply won't recover unless we get a pile of rain or really cool temps...this year has been great for cool temps and rain so hopefully I didn't ruin this paddock by overgrazing
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer well you are probably correct but because you are still in process of building up your soil that the tobacco people had totally ruined and I applaud you for that. Explanation would be your soil has no reserves or I should say not much and once you get reserves built back up I do believe grazing short is not considered over grazing as long as it fully recovers. Over grazing is when cattle stay on for an extended period of time
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, ideas and videos. Have you ever looked at the process where they sprout seeds to feed cows. It’s done mostly in areas that can’t grow enough grass. The sprouts are grown in trays inside a custom container setup with grow lights and watering. Interesting tech but I’m sure what you are doing is far better for you.
we don't feed the cattle any grain....imagine feeding this many cattle grain alone...you'd go totally broke ....now for chickens and pigs...heck yes! We've done it with the chickens and it works awesome !
I enjoyed this video thank you
You learn from lessons of life!!!
Good afternoon Josh great advise
Just luv watching the moo cows , especially the babies 🐮-yes since I don’t know much bout cows ( never had any ) sounds very wise to have learned bout moving them sooner so want damage ur land all the way down then longer to replenish !! GREAT LEARNING VIDEO !! 👍🏼👊🏻
good job josh.. we did years ago have cow's . If all goes right and we get the back farm behind us(we rented years ago for cow's) then it's game on again. Ill be clearing about 30 more acures as well. very good soil. I'm very exsighted..
Find a station with ethanol free gas. It’s worth the effort. Ethanol is a water magnet.
I agree 100%. As a former mechanic I have seen the horror of what ethanol gas has done to the small engine world. It eats rubber lines and gaskets, and as you said attracts moisture to the fuel. I have a fuel station in my area that sells ethanol free Super Unleaded for people like me who like driving old cars and trucks and have small gas engine equipment.
Awesome 👍👏, Josh, Awesome 👍👏
I had the same boss that told me that about the gas. Paul was my favorite boss!
The issue with elevated water/moisture in your fuel is due to not using an ethanol free fuel. Ethanol and water live to mix together, which is why a back before the oil companies were required to add 10-80% ethanol to fuel to make it more environmentally friendly,,gas stations would sell “ Dry gas” which was 90% ethanol that would combine with the water and increase the evaporation of both, but generally wasn’t all that effective.
I agree bro...but it's also in modern diesel fuel.....condensation in large fuel tanks is a huge problem for modern fuels.....now.....all the gasoline on the farm is ethanol free....I'm totally with ya on the garbage fuel we get nowadays...if ya don't burn the ethanol fuel within about a month it starts to break down
hi there good show , best to all john
Keep up the hardcwork😊
Mr Blacky is here watching you with me. Miss Patches (hiss mum) is sitting next to me watching you.
Good morning!
🌹🌹🌹🌹
👋
Morning Josh from Sc old fan
welcome back!
My retired air force husband always reminds me to fill the tank before half empty!!
lol...must have been in Civil Engineering like me.....now...funny enough...I honestly run my tanks dry! Almost every time!
I do have a couple of question tho, do you spread your cow manure while doing type of grazing or let them dry out, and for the number of cows you have and the number of paddocks you can create to keep moving them to fresh pasture, what do you do when you run out of fresh pasture, and it has not had the required 40-45 days require to let the pasture rest?
you keep them moving so you always have recovered pasture my brother....that's the rub....as for manure...we'll typically drag the pastures after they move...and this time of year we'll mow behind them. Video coming soon. If you get into a dry season then you'll have to feed hay sometimes to let a pasture catch up
Animals per acre has to be a factor also.
it is a factor for sure....more animals...faster moving...however it's not so much about animals per acre...it's more about time per acre...get them on it and off it fast!
Think “cut and come again” style if you think crop.
Josh have you ever looked into drive through gates. Sonne Farms use them.
Wooooo for the Moooooo 🐮
Hi Josh. Love Your Content. You got a nice Beard growing. I Retired a Year & A half ago. Now 64 Years old. Have not Trimed my Beard since. It feels really good to have a Long flowing Beard.
I can see why you have lots of calves
Bull is is very happy
I'm not a cattleman, but surely you can rotate your heard too quickly and be back as the first pasture again before it's had time to fully re-grow??
can't go too quickly in this case...the more you leave behind...the faster it grows back for the next time around. I'm finding that moving them frequently and moving them before I think it's time is the very best method. Amazingly enough...I'll go right behind them, mow and in 2 weeks the grass is knee deep again and in much better condition with fewer weeds. This is totally working great!
Hi JOSH, The only people who DON'T make mistakes are people who are NOT doing a D@MED THING or they are DEAD! Smart people try NOT to make mistakes, but when they do, they try to learn what went wrong so as NOT to repeat! BLESSED BE! Batman
I’d say you are not moving often enough. I’m in similar climate and conditions and I’m up to 3-4 moves a day
no way brotha...increase your paddock size unless you're really targeting the idea of trampling weeds down. The only reason these areas were overgrazed was I got home after dark and they got a full 24 hours on the badly overgrazed paddocks. I move every 12 hours and that's plenty enough for the land here. I did use a fertilizer product on the pastures this year and it's done fantastic...more to come on this soon!
why would you have less flies if let the grass grow?..... Love your videos keep them coming!!
From my understanding by moving the cattle more the cattle don't have to deal as much with the flies. The flies probably stay behind to play with the manure patties the cattle leave behind when the cattle move onto clean pasture.
GoodHello Mr. StoneyRidgeFarmer, have you thought about, or possible done before, adding biochar to your soil? I believe it's just using wood to make your own Char and then mixing it into the soil or compost or fertilizer?
remember scale is everything....think about how large this property is. It takes me 6 mins to empty a 7 yard manure spreader...that's 8 tons of manure in 6 mins! It's simply not feasible to try biochar on this scale my brother
Greg Judy's rule of thumb for mob grazing cattle....
Ideally, you want 1/3 of the grass to be grazed, 1/3 ungrazed, and 1/3 trampled by the animal.
Yep...I know Greg very well...but there's alot more freedom grazing 4 acres to a cow v/s .75 acres to a cow like we're doing....overgrazing is particularly devastating on a small farm
Yes. Unfortunately I am over grazing. Bad boy
try to break the habbit brother! You'll thank me for it! I moved the cows this morning on a paddock that they'll only get for 6 hours...because I overgrazed it a month ago!
You can consume all of the grass only if they won't be back to that spot for a year.
Wow Josh you are going gray in the beard
yep...I'm not 22 anymore lol
How large are your paddocks? Also how many head do you graze on each paddock?
about 50 cattle, paddock size depends on the forage quality. Typically 1-3 acres depending on forage...only 12 hours per grazing cycle also! It's work!
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer Thank you for the information. Getting setup on my average to implement this style of grazing to help the land heal.
Question. Do you still use your mineral feeder? I saw the salt lick and was just wondering? I am thinking about building one.
I still use it...but I need one for each side of the farm...it's tough to move minerals every time ya move the cattle
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer I hear ya. I was thinking about building one but I have the same concern.
Thanks man!
What time do you divide the day? 12:00 AM and 12:00 PM? Or a more manageable 7:00 AM and 7;00 PM?
What do you use for mosquitoes and ticks. I missed it if you already covered this subject.
Josh. What happened to that Jeep. Did you get rid of it?
the willys jeep? It's still in the shop ready for assembly
Was hear. Wooooo
how much total invested do you have ? in the farm
Could we use a couple of those fuel pumps on the farm.
Do you mow any of your pastures
yessir....vid coming soon on what i do a week after I move the cows...you'll love it!
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer where balls deep in making hay I have 15 acres on the ground
It seems to me that "over-grazing" is much the same thing as "over-stocking". Ever since the post Civil War cattle boom, over-stocking has been the cause of the boom & bust nature of cattle ranching. When savvy ranchers started to learn from the example of the buffalo herds, the system of rating pastures in "cow-calf" units began to emerge.
Over grazing is a function of time not density or utilization. Too grazing is a joke and a lie. Look into Total grazing. Happy to help however I can. You can have it both ways.
over grazing in my experience isn't "time" it's devastating the crop by getting it down to the nub!
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer if you do that in a single day, with a long recovery period it’s perfectly fine (actually it’s preferred).
I’m happy to share my experience with you. @reverentwildranch on all socials (I just don’t post on YT)
You're killing the planet with cow farts ...😅
Keep up the great videos.
yeah....evidently lol.... One of my best buddies has decided to become VEGAN...now he thinks cattle are destroying the earth too....when I asked him about ecology and whether we needed grazing animals, keystone predators and other creatures....he had no answer....I told him...If ya wanna see no life...go to a soy bean field!
So I'm trying to do the math in my head with 12 hours per paddock and letting each paddock recover for 45 days. Does that mean you have 90 paddocks of about 5 acres each? I'm wondering if a larger field would allow for longer time before over grazing would occur? Also, doesn't some of the pasture have to be set aside for growing hay? Just some questions around the 12 hour rotation method. Thanks and love seeing the cows as always.
I agree, I’m not understanding how you have anything less than 90 paddocks, and graze them half a day, and get 45 days rest. I think you’re doing the right thing with the grazing and bale unrolling, but I’m afraid you’re overstocked.
Hi a there Josh...
Would love to share a local news clip on dune beetles.... It has some great numbers, i have them on my property... They work great.... Would save you a load time and money not having to drag the paddocks.... Plus, a load of other great beneficials.... But i cannot send you a youtube link without a email... Can you help me, help with your daily learning.... I must say, just to let you know... I'm not much of tec guy, so if you know a another way to share the link from TH-cam... Let me know... woody
we have dung beetles on the farm, wherever there is manure..you'll find them in most cases
Glad to not see any Teletubbies on those grazed grass fields! LOL How do you get them to graze that whole space to the degree you want in 12 hours? I saw the high speed part they were pretty spread out. Anyway...
they'll graze it my friend....trust me they eat all day and all night!
A little over-grazed? Your toast come August you have no grass already in May. I would seriously destock and let the farm rest for 6 weeks maybe more. Didn't you go to Gregg Judy's class?
Greg Judy's class is great....but you've gotta realize that if I leave the cows on a spot for too long...they will overgraze it...that's what I'm talking about here....now...if a guy can't ranch with a stocking rate of 4 animals to the acre...then he should hang up his spurs...our stocking rate is about 1.54 animals to the acre....we aren't ranching like Greg here...there is no "one fixes all" solution and our grasses on this farm without fertilizer are better than all of the neighboring properties with fertilizer! Ya just can't "let the farm rest" when you have livestock to feed...that's simply not an option....I just showed you the poorest paddocks....the grass is nearly chest high on the rest of the farm. I think sometimes people watch folks on the internet and think that everything they say and do is the appidimy of perfection...I"m here to tell you it's not...and I'm here to share my experience with ya my friend. Greg's operation is vastly different from mine.....we push the land much harder
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer I hope to get updates showing the improvements after you quit overgrazing.
Its a little scary storing gas inside 20 feet from a wood stove
The Buffalo Ststem
Josh, I was thinking maybe put a donkey with your chickens.
there is a reason weeds grow so prolific
takes grass to grow grass........no grass no growth.
Your cattle doing the cha cha? dancing with the bovines
He has calves !!!
I'm not trying to insult you but are you winging this or is this a model you're following? I'm sure someone has raised cattle like this somewhere and they could help you. I'm a city boy and that was probably a dumb question but I learn from others.
just like with anything in life, we take all the information we can gather, the experience in life and apply it. I've been reading and following other's grazing techniques over time, however every property will be different, we all learn from other's but sometimes we have to learn from our own experience. What I've learned over the past few years is overgrazing kills your pastures...and it sets them back all season long...especially if it's dry. Most folks run about 1 cow to 2-3 acres around here...I've got 50-55 cows on about 85 acres....I'm learning how to intensively graze and keep the cattle well fed, grass growing and never worry about running out of forage. So...it's a combination of time, experience and education my brother
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer Ok I was curious and good Moo to you.🤣
Well said Josh ! That pretty much sums it up there is no one size fits all ya gotta learn what work on your land keep up the good work!
have you noticed the plants farthest from the magnetic natural God given magnatism that comes from the earth show the most stress
Need a recap of your vehicle buying obsession…losing track of your inventory. (That FJ ?) Are you overbuying?
bro...you have to remember what I do for a living here....I'm building a farm and the cattle earn, but creating content around everything with wheels on this farm is what earns the income it takes to build the farm. I have 9 cars/trucks currently....but again...think of it like the motor trend channel brother....we're gonna get the Willys Jeep restoration back rolling soon!
When I mow my grass once a week, on the highest setting, my grass is really healthy. When I let it go too long, and it bolts, it doesn't grow as lush.
I get it now!
Thanks!
It's just that simple!
there ya go...and when ya mow it way too short...it encourages weeds and poor/sparse growth
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer I absolutely agree! I haven't had a weed in a couple years, because I'm letting my grass grow taller.
@@charleswise5570that was also the hardest lesson is cutting to short so I wouldn’t have to cut as often but I saw it was so much healthier looking after I Didn’t cut to close ! 👍🏼
Simply observation and it works for a lush lawn!