There is less waste with square bales, but you have so much handling involved. Then the cost of everything he is talking about. The the time involved into doing hay. It makes little sense to bale your own hay. It's about dollars and time.
The main advantage I see in square bales is that you don't own a tractor. You're not making a payment, and you're not compressing your soil with a 4,000 lb machine. All you really need is a four wheeler and a utility trailer.
Good explanation. I’ve been on this farm 55 years, never owned any haying equipment. Wanted to be a cattleman rather than a equipment operator/mechanic.
Wow brother you’ve done your homework for your land! Your farm will make it because of your knowledge. I think that’s why some farms fail, just because making hay is something a lot of farmers do doesn’t mean it is good business for your farm.
You remind me of my grandfather. He was an all natural farmer and quite successful at it. He didn't need government to tell him to rotate crops to sustain the soil and his cows were always plump and happy. He also had his own call that brought them running.
I think it all comes down to how much you have built up the top soil. Say 5-10 years from now you have worked on building up that soil so the land produces much more grass then your cattle can keep down. Then it might be something to consider. I watch another channel where he both grazes the land and get 2 cuttings of hay. But he has lived on the farm for a long time and has really good top soil now. Still a small farmer with around 20 heads.
I am not a farmer, I am just a guy who loves your channel and channels like this. I find this very educational and potentially useful if ever I decide to branch out. Thanks for your vids...please keep them coming sir.
All your video i never really knew your from stoneville i work for asplundh tree expert and we trimed the power lines thru your farm few years back and couple of storms tree that took the lines down so awesome
you got that right, why spend all that extra money for frustration and anger? its less expensive to buy hay than it is to cut, bale, and store it, i dont know how many farmers i saw that went through this when i was growing up,, just resubscribed
Good video talking about facts and numbers. To many times people just talk about their thoughts or what they have always done. You took the business approach. Thanks fire the info.
Dang Josh, you are looking great! I haven’t watched you in a while due to lack of time, we have a homestead we are setting up, while renovating the house. Congratulations on the weight loss!
I agree. We had thought on doing it for ourselves and it becomes way dumber than to plant it to sell. LOL I'm glad I watched this because I really want my land more fertile not less.
Glad to see your explanation of how you determine what you're going to do on the farm and how you're going to get it done. 100% agree that bringing IN biological material is better than sending it OFF the farm! Keep doing what you're doing amigo!!
Stoney, it depends on the number of acres you have and the number of head you need to feed. Another factor is if you have equipment and time to put it up. We had a total of 155 acres and we always contracted to have hay put up for us as we did not have the equipment. One baking usually gave us enough hay to feed the cattle, plus extra we sold off.
Sanity brought to the issue. One comment..consider applying crushed limestone instead of lime. It will help get the soil composition away from all clay and limestone is a more permanent solution. Grass grows so much better over limestone
You can almost always buy cheaper than you can cut and bale by the time you figure time, repair, maintenance, fuel, oil ect. So many people, including me at times, fail to figure ALL the cost involved in something. The reason that lots of the folks I know do it is because they need the reliability that comes with doing it yourself. Absolutely great explanation Josh!
Gyday from Western Australia Josh. We are on 75 acres with horses & Cattle and we both work full time. I liked the idea of growing our own hay, but We came to the same conclusion as you about over capitalising on equipment on a small acreage and the time required. For our land & climate it would also take out land from a pasture rotation to grow the volume of hay required. Neighbours grow hay for sale and we simply work out our seasons requirement with them, always good quality imported carbon 👍. Thanks for another great discussion.
Great video, I have been struggling with this very question. I am just starting to put together a small Sheep, Cow ranch on 35 acers. I have 5 acers fenced now and will start with about 20 sheep this year. Watching this I have made my decision to buy square bales. I know square bales will be more work on my part but I think I can adjust the feed as I go with less waste. Thank you for doing this. It was very helpful for me.
Must be a very regional thing, that math is completely different here in Iowa. Small squares bales at 50 lbs are from 4 to 6 bucks or 200 or more per ton. Round bales I haven't seen anything under 100 a ton unless it's junk hay. Since I own my equipment outright and need it for more than just making hay I can make a small square for maybe $1 a bale and maybe $40 per ton for rounds. Now if I were to rent land it'd be more. That said, breakdown 180 days of feeding hay at 30 pounds of hay per cow is 2.7 ton so if I'm buying hay that's too expensive. However if I had massive equipment payments it'd be different. Buy right and maintain pays off if you need the equipment. However the big question is time, it takes time to do all this so that's another topic for discussion.
When you break everything down in great detail financially it's hard to justify getting out of bed😄 Honestly though great information. Many times people get into a business venture and don't think things like this through enough and end up under water
At $18/round, you are getting a great deal. It is close to $150/round in the west. I can’t question your figures, as those are common in your area and it’s also different equipment than I’d purchase. I do spread compost (mostly free), manure (local dairy), and currently pay to cut and bale (will likely purchase a sickle/disc mower, ground drive rake, and small square baler sometime) small squares (love squares for space, convenience and waste control), plus I also feed on field (like you). My equipment cost will be sub $10K for hay, yes, some costs extended over property management, tractor, etc too. Thanks for outlining your position. It’s good to hear and process from other perspectives.
$60 a ton for lime? .........hmmmmm ........here in Sw mo its $7 (and you apply it usually once ever 4-5 years) and you apply it on pasture or hay fields so its a cost no matter what..you might want to rethink the 20k+ a year for lime figure .....but $18 a bale certainly is a no-brainer......here custom harvesters will do round bales on your land for $10 a bale cost
Good information and cost comparison Josh. Seems like common sense when you look at it that way. A dollar saved as they say! Hope your doing good! Wooooo!
Makes perfect sense Josh. I agree with what you said. Hey fields are the same up here in W.Virginia as well. The Bible even says to give your harvests a break every seventh year. You can't keep taking, and not put anything back.
I like your thought processes. The only way it would make sense to bale your own hay is if you kept that hay on your farm and fed it to your own cattle. That way the butt fertilizer stays on your land as well. A new farm like yours doesn't have the rich soil necessary to grow hay to sell. It will take several more years of doing just what you are doing to build enough good topsoil to fully sustain the pastures.
Josh, I've seen other small farmers do what's called, on the half. They have a company cut, and bale hay on their land, and as pay, the company keeps half, and the owner keeps half. I'd be interested to know your thoughts. Thank you for this excellent explanation.
I have seen it work both ways but it all depends on weather and location. Currently I buy some hay and sell around 40 calves a year off 80 ac in S. Tx. In the old days I was selling 500 calves off of 6000 acres in a good year,a lot less in a dry year.I am old now but still love the life and that is the biggest factor, ranching and farming is a way of life.
I agree. From watching the deer ravage my garden. The very top of whatever is growing is what they eat. Mowing before rain and grazing cattle on new growth seems to mimic nature. Not bad for a nurse lol 👍🏻
You definitely have to find your own path to success in the cattle business. Some parts of the country hay goes for a higher prices and the yield on the land is higher. We have a backgrounding operation so we dont have to feed hay in the winter. Great vid
The third option that people have -assuming they have the acerage available - is contract cutting. My uncle used to pay for his hay equipment by putting up hay for a number of farms around him. There was no way he could justify the cost of the equipment for his needs alone. He even had several properties where he was given the hay as a means of keeping the property mowed. He certainly didn't get rich doing it, but at the time it was much needed income.
You should definitely get that hay tested. As an extension agent, I regularly test hay for people and a lot of the hay we test is subpar because most people won’t spend the money on the land in fertilizer and lime to produce top quality hay like you’re talking about. I bet that $18 hay is sub 8% protein and sub 45% TDN. It’ll require lots of supplemental feed and minerals through the winter to keep those cattle where they need to be, especially if they’re bred and/or nursing calves. Just something else to consider while trying to save money. I like what you’re doing but definitely test that hay and find out what it really is if you haven’t already.
Hey Josh! Even, and maybe especially on a small scale, farming/ranching is a business and the profit margins are tight enough as is. The bottom line only cares about being in the black! So, as much as we idolize the idea of making a living off of the land, in a sustainable way... if there is a more efficient way to get the same result... why not keep the overhead as low as possible and move on to the next chore? You have obviously put a lot of thought and effort into this; and I think that you are on the right track!
What kind of lime are you applying twice a year? It takes longer than that for lime to break down so you can get any benefits. Unless you are using the very expensive pelletized lime or "quick lime" as it is referred to here in Indiana. Regular ag-lime is not nearly as expensive as the pelletized version. Also, isnt grazing just another way to harvest your grass crop? Wouldn't it still benefit from fertilizer and lime even if you dont put it up for hay? Would you be able to handle a higher stocking rate ? I farm in Indiana, and pretty much agree that you can buy your hay about as cheap as you can make it, IF you can find quality hay.
He gave away a thousand year old practice , Mow before the rain , best practice , cows need minerals , if the soil is dead [4 PH] it's dead , cow peas and sorghum grass , could do well there , drilled into the pasture for organic on fields fenced or not , throw a few sugar beets in the mix it will crack the clay deep down , aeration, I think your doing the best U know how and what makes sense 4 Ur gold =Goal , For a first cattle ranch in those parts I:d say good Job . Nurse the land
Is it easy to find hay that hasn’t been grown with commercial fertilizer and pesticides? Looking to buy land and animals soon. Wondering where in NC to find that.
That 2 tons of lime is that every year or just once to get your base saturation’s up where they need to be and then you can use less to maintain, just curious 2 tons seems like a lot for every year to me
Joel Salatin has some great tips for raising Cattle and Land biodiversity sustainability, while being profitable. Very Nice to see how Stoney Ridge has progressed over time
Thanks Josh! Miracle just started her little herd and is leasing a farm. We have been working on improving the perimeter fence all summer. We were very sad this week to find out that our other land owner where we cut hay is selling. Makes me feel better to know we could be doing just as well buying it. Our problem is finding hay with no herbicide it. What's your thoughts on that? Blessings
I have rolled bails on my tiny paddock, along with grass / clover mix, then a bag of Dalkeith clover and the place is doing well. Next season I’ll have alpacas and it should be nice. Hay = cheap seed bank!
Buying hay is cheaper and easier than bailing your own if you can get it. What you also have to consider is what quality hay are you getting. In a dry year hay will be short and prices go way up.
I have 42 acres that is mostly pasture that I rotate my small dairy herd on and have access to almost 200 acres that I bale hay off of and spread manure on and a 40 acre corn field and I do all my hay in small square bales
Hey Josh really liked this video man really informative information for guys like me who are new to this farm stuff. Would like to see how well your little tym handles the bales was looking for a small tractor for moving and unloading hay for the farm.
Josh you have to add in your time and fuel and equipment costs for you to mow your fields. Would you let strangers feed your cows? That's who you are depending on when you buy your hay. How do you know if chemicals were used on the hay you are buying? It makes no sense to buy hay when you can bale it yourself. As far as putting something back on the land your still rolling out the hay wether you buy it or bale your own. Farmers have been haying for century's and never considered buying it.
I have come to the same conclusion as you have on our farm in WV.We run 8 head over winter each year right now. Use about 6 4x5 per cow per year. At $20 a bale it just don’t pay to put up hay ourselves. The only way I can see it being worthwhile to cut is 1)hay price go way up or hard to find available hay 2) you have other farms around you that want their field cut to just keep it clean. We have a few farmer who go around the area cutting land they do not have to pay anything for just to keep it clean up. The hill leach off nutrition so lime and fertilizer is not used much. We do a share crop on our one hayfield that has had nothing put on it for seven plus year and still produces good hay. In time we probably turn the hay field in pasture but I just don’t have the heart to stop cutting it till the old farmer (who help us so much) is done doing hay.
Would you have to cut the hay on your entire farm? I don’t think you would for 30 cows. You probably only need 100-120 rounds to keep that many cows for the winter right?
I'm curious. With the intensive grazing you do, do you even have enough excess land available to cut for hay? How much would you have to set aside as hay fields in order to meet your needs?
Josh, Is Herbicide free hay readily available to you, or is it a consideration for your farm and are you able to not worm your cattle at this point of your operation? Thanks! Tom
When I was younger we had horses and cut our own hay as far as equipment we got lucky 3,500 for the tractor and equipment my g dad was a farmer and retired so we had fields with plenty of grass we also cut hay for other people on halves I have to admit when I was younger I hated it but being older now I miss it
Hi Donkey. When I was a kid my father would "horseplay" and fool around. I would respond HEY and he always came back - Hey, horses eat hey. I might also say Hey Donkey. Thanks, take care.
Can't think of anything less I want to do on my sheep farm than make hay. The neighbours all have "hay for sale" signs up. I'll leave the hay making to them.
That’s why we cut hay for the public also. We will roll 2000 rolls a season about 300 is for our on cows and the rest is for the public. What we make on the hay pays for our fertilizer and feed. Been doing it for 26 years works out good lol
So.... why is the hay super cheap? Must be local. If they are amending the soil as you described the hay should cost a lot more. ......... Edit- I listened to the end low profit margin part. Good video.
Stoney, you need to go back to the square bales. They are so much easier. You can get some really cheap of these square bales in Hendersonville.
If everyone listen to you where would you buy your hey
There is less waste with square bales, but you have so much handling involved. Then the cost of everything he is talking about. The the time involved into doing hay. It makes little sense to bale your own hay. It's about dollars and time.
The main advantage I see in square bales is that you don't own a tractor. You're not making a payment, and you're not compressing your soil with a 4,000 lb machine. All you really need is a four wheeler and a utility trailer.
@@PatrickKQ4HBD Hi with a baler unroller you Can handle up to 1400lb round bales with a pickup or quad. Cost- about $2,200
Square bales need dry storage to prevent rot. Round bales are safer for storage on the field.
Good explanation. I’ve been on this farm 55 years, never owned any haying equipment. Wanted to be a cattleman rather than a equipment operator/mechanic.
I watch your channel for that exact reason. To get away from the stress of what our country and govt is becoming. I appreciate your channel.
Wow brother you’ve done your homework for your land! Your farm will make it because of your knowledge. I think that’s why some farms fail, just because making hay is something a lot of farmers do doesn’t mean it is good business for your farm.
You remind me of my grandfather. He was an all natural farmer and quite successful at it. He didn't need government to tell him to rotate crops to sustain the soil and his cows were always plump and happy. He also had his own call that brought them running.
I think it all comes down to how much you have built up the top soil. Say 5-10 years from now you have worked on building up that soil so the land produces much more grass then your cattle can keep down. Then it might be something to consider.
I watch another channel where he both grazes the land and get 2 cuttings of hay. But he has lived on the farm for a long time and has really good top soil now.
Still a small farmer with around 20 heads.
Great video and explanation! Good to see you didn't exaggerate the numbers to make a point too. Keep doing what you're doing!
I am not a farmer, I am just a guy who loves your channel and channels like this. I find this very educational and potentially useful if ever I decide to branch out. Thanks for your vids...please keep them coming sir.
All your video i never really knew your from stoneville i work for asplundh tree expert and we trimed the power lines thru your farm few years back and couple of storms tree that took the lines down so awesome
Michael, did you ever work for industrial air in Greensboro? The name sounds familiar.
@@billmccandless1916 no sir been work asplundh tree expert since i was 18 and im 23 now
Thank you the education. Very helpful in determining a direction of my 33a homestead.
That's great with what your doing...working with the health of your land. Lots of people don't think that way
Josh... one of your better videos! Very fair and educational! Thank you!
you got that right, why spend all that extra money for frustration and anger? its less expensive to buy hay than it is to cut, bale, and store it, i dont know how many farmers i saw that went through this when i was growing up,, just resubscribed
Good video talking about facts and numbers. To many times people just talk about their thoughts or what they have always done. You took the business approach. Thanks fire the info.
Dang Josh, you are looking great! I haven’t watched you in a while due to lack of time, we have a homestead we are setting up, while renovating the house. Congratulations on the weight loss!
Hi Josh, thank you for the info. For those of us hoping to start our own farms one day, the cost breakdowns are really helpful. Appreciate it!
I agree. We had thought on doing it for ourselves and it becomes way dumber than to plant it to sell. LOL I'm glad I watched this because I really want my land more fertile not less.
Glad to see your explanation of how you determine what you're going to do on the farm and how you're going to get it done. 100% agree that bringing IN biological material is better than sending it OFF the farm! Keep doing what you're doing amigo!!
Hello from Minnesota. I don't have a horse in this race. I brush hog my fields every year and just leave it be. No baling.
Stoney, it depends on the number of acres you have and the number of head you need to feed. Another factor is if you have equipment and time to put it up. We had a total of 155 acres and we always contracted to have hay put up for us as we did not have the equipment. One baking usually gave us enough hay to feed the cattle, plus extra we sold off.
Sanity brought to the issue. One comment..consider applying crushed limestone instead of lime. It will help get the soil composition away from all clay and limestone is a more permanent solution. Grass grows so much better over limestone
You can almost always buy cheaper than you can cut and bale by the time you figure time, repair, maintenance, fuel, oil ect. So many people, including me at times, fail to figure ALL the cost involved in something. The reason that lots of the folks I know do it is because they need the reliability that comes with doing it yourself. Absolutely great explanation Josh!
Thanks Josh
Gyday from Western Australia Josh. We are on 75 acres with horses & Cattle and we both work full time. I liked the idea of growing our own hay, but We came to the same conclusion as you about over capitalising on equipment on a small acreage and the time required. For our land & climate it would also take out land from a pasture rotation to grow the volume of hay required. Neighbours grow hay for sale and we simply work out our seasons requirement with them, always good quality imported carbon 👍. Thanks for another great discussion.
Great video, I have been struggling with this very question. I am just starting to put together a small Sheep, Cow ranch on 35 acers. I have 5 acers fenced now and will start with about 20 sheep this year. Watching this I have made my decision to buy square bales. I know square bales will be more work on my part but I think I can adjust the feed as I go with less waste. Thank you for doing this. It was very helpful for me.
Great rundown! I agree, we buy 100% of our hay too. #GrazingAcresFarm
woah! a few acre farms.. shots fired!
Thumbs up from the Dooleys of Michigan Enjoyed The Video
Must be a very regional thing, that math is completely different here in Iowa. Small squares bales at 50 lbs are from 4 to 6 bucks or 200 or more per ton. Round bales I haven't seen anything under 100 a ton unless it's junk hay. Since I own my equipment outright and need it for more than just making hay I can make a small square for maybe $1 a bale and maybe $40 per ton for rounds. Now if I were to rent land it'd be more. That said, breakdown 180 days of feeding hay at 30 pounds of hay per cow is 2.7 ton so if I'm buying hay that's too expensive. However if I had massive equipment payments it'd be different. Buy right and maintain pays off if you need the equipment. However the big question is time, it takes time to do all this so that's another topic for discussion.
When you break everything down in great detail financially it's hard to justify getting out of bed😄
Honestly though great information. Many times people get into a business venture and don't think things like this through enough and end up under water
This is true but I sure don’t want to go underwater intentionally.
At $18/round, you are getting a great deal. It is close to $150/round in the west. I can’t question your figures, as those are common in your area and it’s also different equipment than I’d purchase. I do spread compost (mostly free), manure (local dairy), and currently pay to cut and bale (will likely purchase a sickle/disc mower, ground drive rake, and small square baler sometime) small squares (love squares for space, convenience and waste control), plus I also feed on field (like you). My equipment cost will be sub $10K for hay, yes, some costs extended over property management, tractor, etc too. Thanks for outlining your position. It’s good to hear and process from other perspectives.
$60 a ton for lime? .........hmmmmm ........here in Sw mo its $7 (and you apply it usually once ever 4-5 years) and you apply it on pasture or hay fields so its a cost no matter what..you might want to rethink the 20k+ a year for lime figure .....but $18 a bale certainly is a no-brainer......here custom harvesters will do round bales on your land for $10 a bale cost
Same price in central Missouri too
I have all the equipment to put up hay on our 185 acres but I have a distant neighbor do all the work and split it 50/50 makes us both happy 👍
what's your fertilizer bill?
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer We don’t fertilize ever, in fact here in Minnesota I don’t know anybody that fertilizes there hay fields only crop fields
Good information and cost comparison Josh. Seems like common sense when you look at it that way. A dollar saved as they say! Hope your doing good! Wooooo!
👍👍
Have a good evening 🌻🌻🌻
I’ve got a small farm and your figures and suggestions make perfect sense.
Makes perfect sense Josh. I agree with what you said. Hey fields are the same up here in W.Virginia as well. The Bible even says to give your harvests a break every seventh year. You can't keep taking, and not put anything back.
Great video man!!! Thats a lot of information I haven't even thought about. Thanks again for the knowledge.
I like your thought processes. The only way it would make sense to bale your own hay is if you kept that hay on your farm and fed it to your own cattle. That way the butt fertilizer stays on your land as well.
A new farm like yours doesn't have the rich soil necessary to grow hay to sell. It will take several more years of doing just what you are doing to build enough good topsoil to fully sustain the pastures.
Love the numbers. Thank you!
Josh, I've seen other small farmers do what's called, on the half. They have a company cut, and bale hay on their land, and as pay, the company keeps half, and the owner keeps half.
I'd be interested to know your thoughts. Thank you for this excellent explanation.
Love the video Josh!
I have seen it work both ways but it all depends on weather and location.
Currently I buy some hay and sell around 40 calves a year off 80 ac in S. Tx.
In the old days I was selling 500 calves off of 6000 acres in a good year,a lot less in a dry year.I am old now but still love the life and that is the biggest factor, ranching and farming is a way of life.
I agree. From watching the deer ravage my garden. The very top of whatever is growing is what they eat. Mowing before rain and grazing cattle on new growth seems to mimic nature. Not bad for a nurse lol 👍🏻
You definitely have to find your own path to success in the cattle business. Some parts of the country hay goes for a higher prices and the yield on the land is higher. We have a backgrounding operation so we dont have to feed hay in the winter. Great vid
Thought provoking content Josh - thank you for the figures and a common sense point of view. 👍🏻
Very interesting video and shared infos here Josh!!👌
I appreciate your knowledge and research, Thank you for sharing it. I like the drone footage too👍
It's all about the research. Cost analysis.
Thanks
Good morning Josh. I hope your day goes great.
Watching and learning the science from Ndola Zambia 🇿🇲🇿🇲🇿🇲
The third option that people have -assuming they have the acerage available - is contract cutting. My uncle used to pay for his hay equipment by putting up hay for a number of farms around him. There was no way he could justify the cost of the equipment for his needs alone. He even had several properties where he was given the hay as a means of keeping the property mowed. He certainly didn't get rich doing it, but at the time it was much needed income.
I enjoy my farm and ranch channels. Both my parents were farm kids.
Hey Josh 🇺🇲 great video I really appreciate you sharing this information 🇺🇲 WOOOOOO 🇺🇲
You should definitely get that hay tested. As an extension agent, I regularly test hay for people and a lot of the hay we test is subpar because most people won’t spend the money on the land in fertilizer and lime to produce top quality hay like you’re talking about. I bet that $18 hay is sub 8% protein and sub 45% TDN. It’ll require lots of supplemental feed and minerals through the winter to keep those cattle where they need to be, especially if they’re bred and/or nursing calves. Just something else to consider while trying to save money. I like what you’re doing but definitely test that hay and find out what it really is if you haven’t already.
Round bales all day! Here just west of Stoney Ridge Farmer square bales are anywhere from 5-12 dollars a bales depending on quality you want.
Hey Josh! Even, and maybe especially on a small scale, farming/ranching is a business and the profit margins are tight enough as is. The bottom line only cares about being in the black! So, as much as we idolize the idea of making a living off of the land, in a sustainable way... if there is a more efficient way to get the same result... why not keep the overhead as low as possible and move on to the next chore? You have obviously put a lot of thought and effort into this; and I think that you are on the right track!
What kind of lime are you applying twice a year? It takes longer than that for lime to break down so you can get any benefits. Unless you are using the very expensive pelletized lime or "quick lime" as it is referred to here in Indiana. Regular ag-lime is not nearly as expensive as the pelletized version. Also, isnt grazing just another way to harvest your grass crop? Wouldn't it still benefit from fertilizer and lime even if you dont put it up for hay? Would you be able to handle a higher stocking rate ? I farm in Indiana, and pretty much agree that you can buy your hay about as cheap as you can make it, IF you can find quality hay.
I totally agree with you
He gave away a thousand year old practice , Mow before the rain , best practice , cows need minerals , if the soil is dead [4 PH] it's dead , cow peas and sorghum grass , could do well there , drilled into the pasture for organic on fields fenced or not , throw a few sugar beets in the mix it will crack the clay deep down , aeration, I think your doing the best U know how and what makes sense 4 Ur gold =Goal , For a first cattle ranch in those parts I:d say good Job . Nurse the land
Hey buddy!! I'm tuning in from North Dakota this week.
I think you have explained it all very well
Excellent video thanks!!
Is it easy to find hay that hasn’t been grown with commercial fertilizer and pesticides? Looking to buy land and animals soon. Wondering where in NC to find that.
you won't find hay that hasn't been fertilized...at least quality hay around here
Seems as though you've done all the math for us. Thanks Josh. Have a Safe Day
Alot of the soil depletion is also due to wide spead tobacco and corn farming in the Piedmont.
That 2 tons of lime is that every year or just once to get your base saturation’s up where they need to be and then you can use less to maintain, just curious 2 tons seems like a lot for every year to me
Joel Salatin has some great tips for raising Cattle and Land biodiversity sustainability, while being profitable. Very Nice to see how Stoney Ridge has progressed over time
Thanks Josh! Miracle just started her little herd and is leasing a farm. We have been working on improving the perimeter fence all summer. We were very sad this week to find out that our other land owner where we cut hay is selling. Makes me feel better to know we could be doing just as well buying it. Our problem is finding hay with no herbicide it. What's your thoughts on that? Blessings
Are you buying hay or alfalfa?
Awesome!
@@ks_hunter7327 hay
I have rolled bails on my tiny paddock, along with grass / clover mix, then a bag of Dalkeith clover and the place is doing well. Next season I’ll have alpacas and it should be nice. Hay = cheap seed bank!
Well said. We need to heal our NC land.
Baling hay makes sense for us!
We'll put bro.
Buying hay is cheaper and easier than bailing your own if you can get it. What you also have to consider is what quality hay are you getting. In a dry year hay will be short and prices go way up.
One real bad drought and this practice will end in misery. Cannot put all your eggs in one basket.
You’re on the right track Josh…….😎
I have 42 acres that is mostly pasture that I rotate my small dairy herd on and have access to almost 200 acres that I bale hay off of and spread manure on and a 40 acre corn field and I do all my hay in small square bales
Hey Josh really liked this video man really informative information for guys like me who are new to this farm stuff. Would like to see how well your little tym handles the bales was looking for a small tractor for moving and unloading hay for the farm.
Josh you have to add in your time and fuel and equipment costs for you to mow your fields. Would you let strangers feed your cows? That's who you are depending on when you buy your hay. How do you know if chemicals were used on the hay you are buying? It makes no sense to buy hay when you can bale it yourself. As far as putting something back on the land your still rolling out the hay wether you buy it or bale your own. Farmers have been haying for century's and never considered buying it.
I have come to the same conclusion as you have on our farm in WV.We run 8 head over winter each year right now. Use about 6 4x5 per cow per year. At $20 a bale it just don’t pay to put up hay ourselves. The only way I can see it being worthwhile to cut is 1)hay price go way up or hard to find available hay 2) you have other farms around you that want their field cut to just keep it clean. We have a few farmer who go around the area cutting land they do not have to pay anything for just to keep it clean up. The hill leach off nutrition so lime and fertilizer is not used much. We do a share crop on our one hayfield that has had nothing put on it for seven plus year and still produces good hay. In time we probably turn the hay field in pasture but I just don’t have the heart to stop cutting it till the old farmer (who help us so much) is done doing hay.
Would you have to cut the hay on your entire farm? I don’t think you would for 30 cows. You probably only need 100-120 rounds to keep that many cows for the winter right?
I'm curious. With the intensive grazing you do, do you even have enough excess land available to cut for hay? How much would you have to set aside as hay fields in order to meet your needs?
Josh, very interesting and informative!
Love the common sense, I did the same with firewood your better off getting a good deal on fuel than buying spliters Cain saws and axes etc.
Good stuff. Waiting for the grass stimulation video.
Even though I live in the city that was good information, thank you
Josh, Is Herbicide free hay readily available to you, or is it a consideration for your farm and are you able to not worm your cattle at this point of your operation?
Thanks!
Tom
When I was younger we had horses and cut our own hay as far as equipment we got lucky 3,500 for the tractor and equipment my g dad was a farmer and retired so we had fields with plenty of grass we also cut hay for other people on halves I have to admit when I was younger I hated it but being older now I miss it
Farmers often have to wear their accountant hat many times to make decisions for the farm...good stuff thanks
How much topsoil do you think you're making a year ? Thanks.
Very informative. Thanks for sharing
Great video.. keep them coming!
Josh,I've tried buying hay and also, and still baling hay and have never made a profit,off of cattle.
Hi Donkey. When I was a kid my father would "horseplay" and fool around. I would respond HEY and he always came back - Hey, horses eat hey. I might also say Hey Donkey. Thanks, take care.
Most sense I have heard.
Excellent presentation on cost worthiness of producing hay. Love it. Please try to find a new partner, you deserve it.
If you buy hay that is a year old you get even better deals.
Can't think of anything less I want to do on my sheep farm than make hay. The neighbours all have "hay for sale" signs up. I'll leave the hay making to them.
That’s why we cut hay for the public also. We will roll 2000 rolls a season about 300 is for our on cows and the rest is for the public. What we make on the hay pays for our fertilizer and feed. Been doing it for 26 years works out good lol
Sw Iowa hay is going for 100-125 a bale this year
If you have land that can support hay, you can often find someone that will cut and bale for you, for a share of the hay.
So.... why is the hay super cheap? Must be local. If they are amending the soil as you described the hay should cost a lot more. ......... Edit- I listened to the end low profit margin part. Good video.