Does clipping pastures pay?
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- Опубліковано 29 лип 2020
- Does clipping pastures pay? It depends on several factors whether clipping is needed or not. Is the ground moisture sufficient to grow back mature plants after clipping? Do you have brush encroachment? Did the livestock refuse to eat the over mature plants? etc.
G'day from Northern Australia. Greg we call brush hogs slashers here. Same bit of kit, different name. During the rainy season slashing tall grass that has limited feed value puts extra carbon onto the soil and triggers the grass to produce new growth. It's just another land management tool to have in the toolbox. It's preferable to burning which exposes soil and kills soil life. Besides Mother Nature is a modest lady. She prefers to be clothed. Regards, ~D
Sweet words lady!
Love your reply. Words of wisdom for sure!
Love it. All about context. Well done Greg. Thanks for sharing.
Looking great Greg! Thanks for sharing info on the equipment, you use!
Nice to see trees in the fields..
Have a good evening 🌻🌻🌻
Thanks Gregg, that surely clears a few of my questions!!
God bless.
Great video, I have the same tractor, absolutely love it, I'll never be without a cab tractor again!!
Just bought 45 acres here in the Arkansas Ozarks. I will be using your videos as my guide. Guy had 8 cows on it and in decent shape to get started. I never farmed or raised anything bigger than a dog.
What is land going for up there? Im in South Florida. Land is way out of control here. And you're limited on what you can do reguarding selling from your farm. I know one guy has 37 acres (plant nursery) and the county won't let him put a sign out front.
@@fed9186 I am getting a 45 acres, with 2 spring fed ponds that stay filled year around, with a 2k sqft 4 bed house for $250k. Property has 8 cows and a bull on it with a good standing perimeter fence. No barn but a nice metal holding pen.
Steven - good ranching and enjoy.
@@infantryblack that's a great deal.
Congrats !!! New farming is a actual job. Has lots of benefits seeing land improve, and sometimes falling backwards. But always pushing towards getting better. Time mgmt. Helps allot, and putting goals that can be achieved in increments helps too. Good luck, and Happy farming... Richard
Good information . Thanks for sharing! Good hear your mindset on brush hogging.
Thank you for this, as always answers a lot of questions
Very informative video n glad u showed your tractor
please talk about seasonal pressure and when to put them on hard "tight" and when to move them through fast to avoid overgrazing. Summer is the challenge on my farm- no water to regrow the paddocks means fast rotation to avoid stressing the grass. Thank you as always for all the great info!
My Tractor is a 1951ford 8n with a 5foot brush hog and I keep it clean and well maintained, I mow about 3 acres with it. I enjoy running it but I wish I had a cab and a.c in the summer here in Kansas.
Looking great Greg! We have had good luck backing into modest cedar trees with a similar brush hog, but you are correct that there are more appropriate tools for the job.
I have backed into a few trees myself. It mulches them pretty nicely.
WE usually run our cattle through the pasture, followed by some MOB grazing of our sheep and lamb. Seems to clean the pasture up pretty good and keeps the ground and area fairly clean. Cheers 🍻from Prairie Sunset Ranch☀️
Thank you for all your info and encouragement. I know your main thing is animal grazing. But it'd be nice to see some tractor work you do. How - why's.
Land clearing techniques etc....
Even if just setting up tripod.
Plz. Thank you
P.S.
DLH farms does tractor work and shop talk. Its refreshing, entertaining, and learning.
Man it sure is beautiful!!!! We’re ab to turn some of our farms into pasture. Row crop farming is just a losing game now. I enjoy your vids
Check out Gabe Brown's video's
By God I wish we were neighbors.
Your good people.
Greg .I top after grassing to get the thistle and docks and ragweed out .and to get the stemmy grass out .
It also let's the white clover come back stronger and it spreads to cow pads .
We paddock graze.
Some of the fields hasn't been reseeded in years but the lime made a great job of it .
It gets some slurry as well
Thank you
Nice tractor and the tip on rubber filled tractor tires is good.
I started clipping mine a couple days ago but I got rained out...and I'm not complaining, lol. My pasture is getting really trashy with briars and serecia. What I got mowed looks amazing now after the big rains we've been getting. I wish I'd have gotten it all mowed but I'll be back at it in a couple days.
Any tractor bigger than 75hp is mandated to use a DEF system with DEF fluid. It's a pain in the butt. I run mostly older stuff that came out before DEF systems. I've ran a lot of dozers and excavators that use that crap and it sucks to have to deal
with one more fluid all the time, at least it's not expensive.
I have the 18’ 5075E with the cab and between my allergies and bees, the cab is the way to go. Seeing the bees ticked off attacking the tractor instead of me was worth the cab upgrade price. Lol.
.. It is nice that you can afford to buy a new tractor .. I've never owned a new vehicle .. I've always saved lots of money buying a "slightly used" vehicle .. You make very, very helpful and instructive videos ..
An MX10 is a medium duty brush hog. I had an HX10 Deere brush hog and it was only rated for a 3 inch tree. Mx10 mowers are only rated for a 2 or 2 1/2 inch tree. I got rid of the HX 10 and bought a 15ft batwing which was the best thing I could have done. I can mow a lot more in less time with it. And its rated for a 4 inch tree.
That intern is a Journeyman welder/fabricator!! That brush guard was very really nice!
That green matches your grass!
I love the---yes I have a tractor to Brush hog with. I giggle when I see Stoney Ridge with a couple hundred thousand tied up in all the tractors multiple mowers and he has and 9 cows....
I commented on that on one of his equipment videos and he jumped me.
Stony Ridge is a joke.
Be nice, ya'll. Different strokes for different folks! I've only borrowed a tractor before...and I want one. One day.
I feel you about Stoney ridge. But what you have to realize is his business isn’t farming, it’s UA-cam. He is making a fortune off UA-cam. Guy has almost half million subscribers with several videos over a million views. Not only that, he is getting sponsored by a lot of companies. He is actually a smart business guy. UA-cam is basically paid for his farm and if UA-cam falls out...he has his farm set up with amazing infrastructure for basically free. Do some research on how much UA-camrs are making. BANK!
@@chevyon37s be nice he's a good guy. He's going to get there
Ground Hornets 🐝 are the MEANEST !!
Well, we never thought we’d see Greg brush hoggin, yet we did. Wooooooooooooo !! 🤪🥳
I’m gonna git one of them bale unrollers Greg, that was me. Davemi
Second season using a scythe after cows move, anything above average height gets cut.
It's a good sound, it's good exercise, you can watch the cows awhile, you can smell the fresh bit grass, you can listen to the cows biting off the grass, you can watch what forbs they eat and what they don't.
Last year I did goto ER after I hit bees...4k bill for bee stings...be careful.
And remember, if it ain't red keep it in the shed.
Heard from an ol timmer when comparing same model but different brand tractors. They would look for the weight differences between the brands.
They would buy the heaviest of the brands in question because they believed it was built with stronger or more steel than the other.
Don't know how true that is but seems valid.
Hi Greg, where can we purchase your harvested products? Your livestock always look so healthy and wholesome - you should retail like that other company 😊
I learned how to use a tractor with a bucket and backhoe claw a few months ago. It was ridiculously fun, haha. I had wondered about clipping. I havent done that yet, but Rog will sometimes go behind the sheep and weed wack what they don't eat. I had him leave some though, for my pollinators. We are trying to reclaim some pasture. The sheep matted and trampled everything they didn't eat. 30 days later, it looks incredible. Can't wait to see what the next pass does!
Hey Greg,
Pasture management wise, what makes you decide to clip a paddock? How much standing hay makes it worth it's while?
I noticed you clipped less this year than others, what thought process do you go through to make this decision?
What I the earliest plant phase that you top, as in would you top alfrom early boot or only mature, sinessed pasture.
Do you ever top pastures shorter in different conditions or for any reason?
Sorry about all the questions. Thanks for your very informative videos once again,
Chris
Hi Mr.Judy , trying to improve some rough pastures, decided to plant cover crops for winter grazing. I don't have a drill so will be broadcasting the seeds . Should I brush hog the pasture first ? Also we don't have our electric yet, still repairing and replacing barbed wire perimeter ( too many neighbors share the fence to replace it with 5 strand high tensile, so we will eventually have a 10" offset single or double strand electric around the perimeter. But I can't get the impact I want with cattle without the electric, so we do longer rotations for the time being.) My second question is do you only recommend cutting leased land or would clipping these pastures help us going into winter stockpile? Thank you
its called DEF fluid Greg-- im a former truck driver lol our vinyard i work for has a bunch of them over 75hp and the DEF system is really giving them major issues.
You could run a 15’ batwing on that tractor! I love our 15’ bat wing. Really does a nice job on the hills and the like being able to flex into drainages. And I just don’t care for 3pt mounted units and how they move in relation to the tractor.
15' is going to be over working that 75hp tractor in anything very tough. You're always far better off having too much tractor on a mower. Pushing a tractor too hard with a mower is bad mojo. A little fluff and seed in the radiator on a hot day and first thing you know you're noticing the temp gauge creeping towards the red or worse yet in the red and that's hard on head gaskets and engine and trans life. I have a 75hp Case IH and run a 12' wing mower on it and it's as much mower as I'd dare put on a 75hp tractor of any color. I run a 20' mower on a Cat Challenger 45 which is 245hp. No flats on the track machine which is nice.
Brent I agree with you on horsepower. My tractor is about fully loaded when I get into heavy brush on a hill. I can only imagine what a 15 foot mower would do to my rpm's!!
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher you have to go really slow 15feet
"52 seconds ago" Thats a keeper
Mr.Judy I bought a Honda because of the resale value. Not for any other reason. I take my lunch too when working around. You go to house and the next thing you know Zzzzzzz.
A cab on a tractor is "Kinda NICE?" Understatement of the century.
I want to see Greg on a sickle bar with a mule team! THATS sustainability.
Sir Greg how long to preserve the hays or dried grass?
Goats to follow the sheep will give you something to take care of those briars and small trees. For silviculture use Scottish Highlanders cattle.
Any experience with a crimper/roller? I have been mowing every other year behind the herd and wandering if pulling a crimper would help keep weeds down better.
Hey Greg - if you take over an existing farm in poor condition - full of small cedars from several inches up to 4 and 5 footers all over mixed in with Broomshedge (we say sage grass) how would you get started? Seems like not much for cows to eat - would you start up with sheep/goats? Would you clip/brush hog this to get a fresh start? Really confusing to start up from scratch - thanks!
What do you treat the stumps with?
Sir Greg can I use a galvanise wire for electric fence energiser the size of the wire is 12 gauge?
Yep it can get nasty quick. Make it pretty for the best .
What did you treat the sycamore stumps with?
What did you treat the stumps with?
How much woods will you consider for pasture? In other words, is it economical to lease woods and cut it down for pasture
DEF is the fuel additive.
YES !! First!! Hey Greg, nice JD !! What do you think of crimping your forage if you can't get to it? Have you ever tried that?
How can you crimp if you can't get to it?
@@downbntout lol, that wasn't a clear question right? I meant to ask about crimping the forage if your grazing plan wasn't keeping up to the growth rate of the forage. It made more sense in my own head when I was typing it 🤣🤣🤣
Looking at getting myself a new tractor. I’m over running old gear that lets me down all the time.
You do Permaculture farming, right? How about a different approach on this particular lands rotational grazing? With a only a few cows in a one section, then have chickens (layers or meat) with chicken tractors and a Gander (with them) to go behind the few cows and move them forward and put the chickens where the cows left off after one day, then pour their feed over the cow patties, the chickens go into the area and get the fly larvae from the dung, but will spread the manure wider a lot more when you put their feed over the cow patties, it breaks the fly cycle as well, then move the sheep after the chickens and then hogs to finish off each section of land, you only need about 10 pigs and 1 goat (to eat the brambles, and new growth on the stumps) to go behind the sheep on each 2/12 to 3 acre rotation and improve the land (the land will improve with all the natural fertilizer, you'll have a lot more clover, and other good grasses like alfalfa) with that rotational process? Just a thought! It's work moving the fencing, but the system gets easier over time (Hardly any mowing, maybe occasional weed eating around the electric fences) and you reap the benefits in meat production from a variety of animals! Not sure how big that whole strip of land is that you are leasing, but you could figure out the logistics of amount of animals to have on it! Please don't take offense that I am trying to tell you what to do! Just trying to help! Just a thought! God Bless!!!!!!!
Rhino AG makes a 10 and a 12 foot batwing mower now aimed for the compact tractor world. I think the 10 foot only needs 35 pto hp to operate.
Deere offers 10’ and 12’ flex wing mowers now too. But even then a 15’ mower he could run on that tractor, Deere says 50 and 55hp requirements for their 15’ units.
@@chevyon37s You're right, those are the correct specs. I'd bet that small of a tractor would only work it comfortably clipping a golf course though.
Sounds like HP snobbery :) I have a mid 2000s New Holland 40 hp and run a ‘99 Woods 6 ft brush hog that will I’ve easily cut 2” saplings. And those older woods units were overbuilt with thick steel, heavy. Not like these newer stamped decks. Woods also makes a 12 ft batwing, BW12 that will run on a min 35 PTO hp compact tractor and cuts brush up to 1.5 inches.
For our farm Id like more hydraulic pump capacity and the ability to pull a bigger no till drill, but that vintage and model is a great tractor and we decided to consider the weight on the pastures of a higher HP tractor and the maneuverability around tree lines etc.
@@bessetfree Snobbery? Ha, well maybe I guess. I think it's actually a matter of speaking from experience. I'm a 45 year old farm boy that has ran tractors and implements of all brands and sizes my whole life along with construction equipment. Just because a mfg lists a spec doesn't mean it's a real world practical spec. Small mowers are a different animal from the bigger wing mowers, there's a lot of mass there to operate and tow through seriously brushy, woody and tough material. Just depends on what a person's terrain is and what kind of material there is to be cut on a regular basis. A lot of the time I'm cutting full swaths of blackberry briars, sprouts from 1/2" to 3" and serecia lespedeeza waist deep mixed in native warm season grass stands.
thanks Brent, didn’t mean it to be insulting in any way and I appreciate your experience.
You’re correct about the mfg data often overstated and you’ve got lots of experience to back it up. I have found the folks at woods to be very thoughtful, honest and straightforward.
But my point is you can get some good work out of smaller tractors.
And as men, because we always tend to think bigger is better, sometimes we overbuy :)
Every farm and operations are different.
Btw, if I was going to mow a golf course, it would look a lot better with a finish mower than a bush hog. Least my grass does when I use my woods finish mower.
what did it cost to foam fill your tires?
How many days are you resting a paddock between when the cows graze it and the sheep clean up the woody plants and broadleaf weeds?
We try to graze it as soon as possible. This gives the paddock the longest recovery period.
Pros and Cons of goats?
They can take care of forage that is little high.
Wouldn't it be better to leave some strips unclipped in such a large field, as a refuge for insects, wildlife etc.?
I always say the biggest thing you can have for lease land is a goat herd. Even if the herd is only 80 goats. or even 40 goats you'd be surprised at how much work they can get done mix with sheep
I think they can be a good influence on sheep. I had one free dwarf goat come with a group of sheep and she taught my whole flock to eat burdock.
@Mr Sigma I'd read that.
Greg, I have 6 acres in Texas. All I really have is weeds (mostly burs) and dirt. I have 3 cows and 2 calves which I am feeding cubes and hay. How do I get my pasture to grow grass? I have tried planting bermuda twice with very little to no success.
get rid of the cows until you get your grass pasture established, the grass needs about a year to mature before you should start grazing it....then you have to be able to move the cows on and off the paddocks so they do not overgraze the grass...thats what we are doing with our new pastures and it seems to be working great....we planted the Tifton 9 Bahaia grass on our new pastures, but thats all just my 2 cents worth....good luck.
What did you treat the stumps with? I'm assuming you did that to make them easier to remove?
We make a solution for painting on stumps that are fresh cut. The solution is 1 quart Crossbow, 5 gallons red diesel. You only paint the outer sap wood area of the stump.
When one rents a property, almost with exception, routine upkeep of the property is the responsibility of the renter as is their expectation to "peaceful enjoyment" of the property. If you wanted it to be done differently, you should have put it into the contract, but I will warn you, property owners coming out and sniffing around almost never ends the way that you would have hoped.
I have a pasture full of knotweed and clammy goosefoot (amongst clover and grasses). Will any livestock eat these?
Hogs can do a real number on knot weed early in the season.
Running from ground hornets... Been there done that! Ended up with over 60 stings.
Ouch!!@
Maybe I missed it but does Greg cut between grazing passes if the grass is getting long?
I dont think so. I think he just moves them more if the grass gets too long. I have seen other carbon cowboys skip a field and make hay on it, but I think Greg just speeds up the moves.
@@onlinefarmbooks yeah, that's what we do, when the grass gets too far ahead we pull the cows off for a few weeks so that the manure will dry up and then we make our hay for the winter feeding and that allows our grasses to grow back tender and lush for the cows to forage, they do seem to like the grass better a few weeks after it was mowed and hayed.
Do you find pups born on pasture with sheep make better lgd vs. Being born at your home in a kennel?
Yes
Hi, got an important question, hope you will notice this and answer my question, I am all the way from India, you video is really inspiring and watched almost all of your videos, thank you for all your tips and tricks, but I have been always wondering where do you shelter these cows and goats at night?, especially in rainy seasons.
We do not have shelters, our animals live outside 365 days of the year. It is much healthier for them to be outside on clean ground and fresh air.
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher wow that was really fast, thank you for your reply, can I expect your book in ebook format anytime sooner to download, because you are not shipping it to our country
Do you specifically lease properties with power? If you have a lease property that doesn’t have power would you use a solar fence energizer?
Yes we would use a solar charger
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher what type of solar charger would you use?
My understanding is that John Deere sold out to a European company.
I wanted to replace my hat, Stetson went from specific size hats, in inches, to small, medium, and large. I bet they sold out, coasting on the Stetson name, selling an inferior product. I'm not saying that will happen to John Deere.
America ain't what it used to be.
I mow mine after each rotation. My opinion is if they didn't eat it than it needs mowed to control the unwanted weed !!
Just be careful when it has not rained for 4-6 weeks. What you mow off may not grow back. Now your out of grass.
Brush hog or bush hog?
Where I grew up in Virginia we called them "bush hogs"
Chime in what do they call them where you live?
Bush hog in Tennessee
In Mass I've heard folks sometimes just call them hogs.
brushog in Missouri
bush hog in South Mississippi
how is it that electric wire is still working when so much of it is touching the grass? Doesn't that short it out?
When you cut back saplings, and paint the stumps, is there a specific type of paint to use?
Herbicide
There are several kinds of herbicide you can use. My favorite for stump treatments is Triclopyr 4 mixed according to the label.
Greg uses paint.
I am cancer survivor, most likely cause was pesticides or plastic.. I don't like poison.
Thank you, though.
If you have any rocks at all, clipping when it's dry is a fire waiting to happen.
You said treated the stumps are you referring to poison ☠️ ? Rather than putting something that will leach into the soil as it decomposes cut the tree leave 2-3’ and girdle the remaining bark and it will die naturally
are you planning on pollarding the trees?
Hey Greg can you give some advise on possibly a place that does the rubber fill or a product to do it yourself? Maybe the phone number to the company that did yours?
My question is. Do you have to cut and bail at least once or twice a year to drag the cow patties?
Absolutely not, complete waste of fuel, equipment and time. We let our soil microbes devour them right where they were dropped.
Thank you for the response.
How many sheep are those, and how long will you be keeping them in that 3 acre paddock?
280 head, sheep are moved every 2 days
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher Thanks
Mine won't eat blackberry either.
I know you keep on about sheep and goats sharing parasites but I can`t help but think goats would love black beries and most of the other scrub and will work for food.
What do you pay per acre on farms you lease? Or do you do a package deal?
Our leases run from $40 an acre per year to free leases.
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher wow in my book that's really good.
You mentioned free leases, would that be because you manage their property? I have to compete with Seed corn Farmers here in Southern Michigan mine is anywhere from 70 and acre to 125
You could add in some goats to knock out the shrubs, small trees and blackberries.😁
Never hear of filling tires with rubber, that’s really neat...is it heavy enough to act as ballast too?
Oh it makes the tires plenty heavy for sure.
Maybe a small herd of goats would help. They'll mow the blackberries down to the ground, and eat a lot of woody forage the sheep won't eat. Kilos are good at putting on meat on pasture alone.
Greg had goats for some time, but he said they always escaped and destroyed valuable reserves on his neighbor’s property so he had to get rid of them. Otherwise good plan.
DEF fluid... thats the additive
Commonly known as Government gas!
Wild soybean? I've never heard of it.
I wonder if I can get my hands on some seed?
Beggars Lice and Stick-tight are other names for it.
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher Those two are Hackelia virginiana, whereas wild soybean is Glycine soja FYI
A legume no less
Tires I'm in the tire business
🐊🇺🇸🦅👍❤
What do you treat the stumps with
1 quart of Crossbow mixed with 5 gallons of red diesel fuel. We paint the outer edge of the stump with this mixture.
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher
Thank you
I have a 20 acre field that I usually cut for hay. My cows have not grazed it at all this year. I have plenty of hay leftover from last year so I’m considering using this 20 acres for fall/winter stock pile. Would you recommend clipping now with the bush hog set tall to get rid of the dry grass on top?
I worry about the cows eyes getting irritated with the tall fescue seeds etc.
I’m just south of you about 20 miles. Thanks!
By clipping it, you will increase the quality of the winter stockpile. Your getting new growth added into the sward.
May you please explain why you don't mix sheep and cows and if it a good idea to have different breed cows.
We do numerous cattle drives down gravel roads that have neighbor dogs along the road. Our guardian dogs would kill every one of them if we had our sheep mixed in with the cow mob.
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher That make sense thanks. You have very protective dogs.
Greg, u didn't mention how tall you clip the grass after the sheep. i need to do this as we have quite a lot of fox tail and scotch thistle.
He said 8 inches.
@@grantstump4010 ok thanks i must have missed that. Thank you
Thanks for another great informative video, newbies like me need the "learning." Question... my perimeter fence is in fair shape, but it has lots of growth in it, e.g., cedars, hackberry, locust, oak, most would require chain saw to remove. Should they be removed or at least, the smaller trees/brush be cut out? I suspect, the mistake was to allow them to grow in the fence line to begin with, but they were already there when I bought the 60 acres. Do you have a video on maintaining the perimeter fencing? Your advice and wisdom is much appreciated. O Foot! SE Oklahoma
How important are the guard dogs with the 5 wire electric perimeter? Curious as to the cost of guard dogs compared the potential loss of lambs. I know you use the dogs as another income stream, but if that wasn't a desire could one rely on the 5 strand electric fence to protect the flock?
Goats will knock it down. Unfortunately I really don’t like the electric for goats. I had tall thistle taking over my horse pasture. It took my herd of 10 bucks a month to clear it. Now we have to rest it. And the bucks never looked better.
Had to boot a freeloader farmer off our land for lack of maintenance. He had free grazing rights, if he would maintain the pastures. I tried everything to incourage him to do what i asked, and he failed. I resorted to yelling at him alot. Now i just trailer the tractor and do it myself..some people dont realize how good they got it.
Don’t you mean foam filled tires, not rubber?
No they are injected with a hot melted rubber that turns solid. The whole inside of the tire is solid rubber. No flats ever.
What about running goats in after sheep?
I would do that if I could keep them from eating my neighbor's deer food plots!!
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher Need net fence for goats?