I really like watching your videos because you are just a neat guy who loves farming! Don't worry about the criticism. My grandfather (a farmer) used to say that people who criticize are usually too lazy to do the work themselves so they just tell others how to do it. I miss the days on the farm as a young boy. All you bring back in your videos are good memories!
Thats the problem in the world now days is that people don't speak positivity they only be little or talk down on others Just keep doing you brother if it works it works
I 100% agree that it’s best to buy your hay unless you have a large herd and enough land to have a hay field. Plus, you are robbing nutrients off that field which over time seriously degrades the soil. Really enjoy your videos and believe your thought processes are very solid. Keep ‘em coming!
We do the bale grazing because we don't have enough cows to eat it fast enough to roll one out without a lot of waste. Folks just don't understand how much that hay can improve the soil during the winter and unless you have a lot of extra acreage, making hay isn't profitable. Making hay takes away from the soil, feeding hay feeds both the cattle and soil. Blessings
I'm with ;you on unrolling hay. It helped having a little slope in my pastures to set it down at the highest side and rolled it downhill. I did bale my own with equipment that I purchased second hand for cheap. I'm talking under $5,000 for the mower, rake, and baler. Sure, I had to replace things that wore out once in a while, but guess what, new equipment needs some parts replaced as they wear out too. The thing that made it right for me was that I cut hay on other people's land. We have a lot of people around here that buy a 5 or 10 acre place to build a house, but they don't want any hay. They give me the hay for keeping their acreage short and clean looking. Only downside is driving down the road a few miles to move equipment or haul hay home. My own acreage was all pasture, not hay ground. Oh, another downside is bringing in seed for grass and weeds that are not present in your pasture, but that is a minimal issue for me. Retired now and don't do it anymore, but it worked well for me for years.
If anyone wants to increase forage grazing days and minimize hay requirements, check out recent talks with Gabe Brown, Ray Archuleta, Alejandro Carrillo, Allen Williams-they often talk about this topic on the speaking circuit. Gabe grazes most days, even in deep snow in North Dakota. Very interesting how to build soil and growing more forages! Blessings!
@@ianrichardson3970better suited to far north where ground freezes solid for prolonged periods. Sheraton Farm's ground stays more wet than frozen in winter.....cattle will just pug it up if let in an unrolled bale
Chuck I believe social media has given many folks an overinflated value of their own opinion. I understand why you roll out the hay. It's what a ton of cattle producers have done for years. Cattle producers know a little bit about cows. More than skinny jean wearing keyboard commandos. I use a ring because I have very little pasture but I move my ring every time I add a new bale.
Out west round bales are super rare. It’s mainly all large 4x8 one ton squares we feed on our place. Everyone is different. It’s similar in a sense that we spread it too as we feed off flat bed Trucks cheers
I only have 5 cows but i built a wooden hay feeder with a roof, that dropped my waste down to 5% or less. Im not blessed to have the average for large pastures, great video.
Context is what Understanding Ag educates about. Each microclimate and situation is unique! Modify ideas to suit your resources and needs and abilities and interests...
What you are doing seems the best use of resources right now. I hope your idea of a feeding shed works for you someday. I too, really like the Joel Salatin model that includes feeding pigs for a month or so and the soil gets fed later. It seems the biggest advantage is that the nutrients return to the soil after the microbes have awakened so the soil doesn't experience "indigestion" and the water doesn't erode away nutrients in the spring.
i use a sacrifice lot for the cows to eat hay on through the winter months so they are off the pastures for at least 6 months of the year. In that lot we ring feed and move the rings daily. They waste less of the hay and push the ring spreading the left overs which reseeds the sacrifice lot. If i supplement hay feed during the spring and summer with hay it is always in dead spots.
I'd rather spread the feeding out across my pastures. Get the mature distributed around. Kind of like rotating qhrn you're grazing Temp fence them off parts of pasture to control where their hooves go. Unrolling let's them all get a fair shot at eating. Timid animals won't get their fair share in rings. Also some bales are better than others. Let's them all get at the good stuffEveryone has their preferred methods though I hope to only feed hay for 100 days though. 6 months of feeding might be different.
We built a unroller for our tractor and roll out in strategic spots that need nutrients.. we keep track of how many days and roll out next to the previous roll spot .. we feed 2-3 bales a day for our herd size and have changed the landscape of our land that was abused and forgotten about before we got the ranch
As a kid we fed hay much like your manner, except we had 80-pound rectangular bales. We fed hay off a flatbed truck. We could put it in compound low, tied the steering wheel in place and hopped out onto the bed where we tossed bales as the truck ambled along and, like you, changed the location daily.
@@dwighthires3163 we rolled or carried, as able, to the elevator. Dad and uncle stacked up in the mow. They were particular about the stacking on the wagons and in the mow. It allowed me to beat all but 2 of the boys in my elementary class at arm wrestling.
1 I like your tractor 2 you do what’s best for your farm re hay 3 everyone has there own way to farm ,, there’s no right or wrong 4 happy new year 2025 Super video ❤❤❤❤
I also subscribe to Stoney Ridge Farm and he does the same thing rolling out the hay. He does have a bale roller. Greg Judy hay bale roller and it works really well.
My hay bales blow apart when I cut the strings. This hay must have been baled wet.....and is moldy ! Never use nylon twine ! Always keep them bale fork / tines pointed up....or down. Not where someone can walk into them ! At 5:34
those geese are just background music,, unless you have a large operation buying is cheaper,, it doesn't matter what method you use some will be wasted and become bio.. thanks for the videos. Jerry
Wife and i have made great progress on paying off debt so we can buy some land and leave the city. I stay at home and care of our grandchild and my wife is working 16 hr days 7 days a week. Tons of credit card offers coming in and our score is rising. No thank you to the cards but it does reflect our progress. Our goal is pay cash for the land, hopefully one with a house on it. I'm 65 and moving a hay ring around is not going to work. Major consideration for our move is what my wife and i are physically capable of and how long we will be able to maintain something we set up. 1 year and counting, but already property shoppjng online.
Hay rings definitely have there purpose. For larger scale operations unrolling hay is not as effective as it is with a smaller operation. Ring feeding is basically bale grazing. I agree you have to move the rings around but not after every bale. If your putting out 5 to 10 bales at a time in rings and move them every week or two your good. Rings are only there to keep the cattle from pushing the bales around and bedding in it causing excessive waist. If your feeding a hundred head at a time you have to minimize the waist. Hay rings are almost a must have to large operations, not so much in small operations. It may be the wrong way for some but not for others, just as rolling hay out is the wrong way for some and not for others as well.
I have a vertical mixture I grind hay everyday feed on concrete pads and push for near every 2 weeks into a manure pit 50 by 50 in the spring of year I spread the manure back on the pastors and Hayfield
And Chuck IT’S YOUR FAULT I can’t order more Camel Mill socks…you’ve created so much demand they have sold out of LARGE Over the Calf socks! 😇 Tim in northern TN
You may have a method to the madness... if so ignore my comment. But those front tires need more air for unloading those heavy pallets and sacks. Ive had them come off the rim before doing just that. Just trying to save ya some aggrevation. Keep up the good work! Unrolling > hay rings Bale grazing > hay ring Fat cows = happy cows 😃
Pete on Just a few Acres spends more time moving manure then he does farming ! Piling manure your nitrogen is lost ! Along with other nutrients. Place the manure on the field as soon as possible.... best if the ground is not frozen.......but thats reality . The manure is ready to be broken down with out double handling it.
I'm in kentucky and it seems everybody uses rings i got a neighbor that is constantly moving his and one neighbor that never moves his. their pastures are in totally different conditions
There are hay rings not made of medal. Made of some kind of plastic pipe material which makes it very easy to move because of the light weight. Have a safe & blessed day
CHUCK, from my own experience, I think you were unrolling that hay backwards. If you push the roll in the direction it comes out of the baler, you will not have to continually pull hay from the bale.
If a person dont like comments then dont accept comments ! Comments here are not hate. The comments are reality. Pay attention to the comments and attempt to learn from them. If no one says anything ( if you dont accept comments ) you would never know if your right or wrong.....or if there other ways of doing things ! As a 70 year old farmer I cherish every comment a person will give me ! I learn from them ! Now then. not hate.... dont use plastic / nylon wrap or twine ! If you dont get it all cleaned up its there forever ! Myself I used mesh wrap to protect waterways from washing out after I established them 25 years later....... the mesh wrap is still there ! Feeding hay in round bale feeders is the best way. Small bales..... the cows are in and out.....move the bale feeder each time to prevent pugging ! Move move move ! Bale feeders...... place a " Y " shaped light duty chain at the top of the bale feeder and bolt the junctions . Then you can use your tines to reach in the bale feeder and lift it where ever you want to move it. No damage to the feeder.
Keep in mind...... once a cow manures in an area......the cows will not eat in that same area again for up to 2 years. Manure stinks !!! Cows can smell 50 times better then humans. Place a turd beside your own dinner plate... are you going to eat your meal ? This goes for spreading manure on pastures also . It stinks ! Option ? Cut and bale the hay from that area between grazes !
I really like watching your videos because you are just a neat guy who loves farming! Don't worry about the criticism. My grandfather (a farmer) used to say that people who criticize are usually too lazy to do the work themselves so they just tell others how to do it. I miss the days on the farm as a young boy. All you bring back in your videos are good memories!
Thats the problem in the world now days is that people don't speak positivity they only be little or talk down on others
Just keep doing you brother if it works it works
💯
I have purchased, cooked and eaten your beef. The proof is in the eatin'. Keep on keeping' on Chuck and Saundra.
❤
You got your way of doing things and I my it don't mean you are right and don't mean I'm right just what works for each of us
It was nice to see a video. Hope you and Sondra have a great Christmas and a great new year.
I 100% agree that it’s best to buy your hay unless you have a large herd and enough land to have a hay field. Plus, you are robbing nutrients off that field which over time seriously degrades the soil. Really enjoy your videos and believe your thought processes are very solid. Keep ‘em coming!
On the unused hay ring, unscrew the two haves, turn the two haves flat side down, and cover with tin makes a great pig shelter
Chuck first off I want to wish you and family a very merry Christmas., second fyi i noticed when you were unloading your front tires were very low.🚜🐄
We do the bale grazing because we don't have enough cows to eat it fast enough to roll one out without a lot of waste. Folks just don't understand how much that hay can improve the soil during the winter and unless you have a lot of extra acreage, making hay isn't profitable. Making hay takes away from the soil, feeding hay feeds both the cattle and soil. Blessings
Well explained! Thanks for helping educate the non-regen famers and the non-farmers!
I'm with ;you on unrolling hay. It helped having a little slope in my pastures to set it down at the highest side and rolled it downhill. I did bale my own with equipment that I purchased second hand for cheap. I'm talking under $5,000 for the mower, rake, and baler. Sure, I had to replace things that wore out once in a while, but guess what, new equipment needs some parts replaced as they wear out too. The thing that made it right for me was that I cut hay on other people's land. We have a lot of people around here that buy a 5 or 10 acre place to build a house, but they don't want any hay. They give me the hay for keeping their acreage short and clean looking. Only downside is driving down the road a few miles to move equipment or haul hay home. My own acreage was all pasture, not hay ground. Oh, another downside is bringing in seed for grass and weeds that are not present in your pasture, but that is a minimal issue for me. Retired now and don't do it anymore, but it worked well for me for years.
And oh, the apple butter we got from you is the best I've ever had !
If anyone wants to increase forage grazing days and minimize hay requirements, check out recent talks with Gabe Brown, Ray Archuleta, Alejandro Carrillo, Allen Williams-they often talk about this topic on the speaking circuit. Gabe grazes most days, even in deep snow in North Dakota. Very interesting how to build soil and growing more forages! Blessings!
Bale feeder
@@ianrichardson3970better suited to far north where ground freezes solid for prolonged periods.
Sheraton Farm's ground stays more wet than frozen in winter.....cattle will just pug it up if let in an unrolled bale
Chuck I believe social media has given many folks an overinflated value of their own opinion. I understand why you roll out the hay. It's what a ton of cattle producers have done for years. Cattle producers know a little bit about cows. More than skinny jean wearing keyboard commandos. I use a ring because I have very little pasture but I move my ring every time I add a new bale.
We move every time even though we feed in corn and bean fields.
Out west round bales are super rare. It’s mainly all large 4x8 one ton squares we feed on our place. Everyone is different. It’s similar in a sense that we spread it too as we feed off flat bed Trucks cheers
I only have 5 cows but i built a wooden hay feeder with a roof, that dropped my waste down to 5% or less. Im not blessed to have the average for large pastures, great video.
Context is what Understanding Ag educates about. Each microclimate and situation is unique! Modify ideas to suit your resources and needs and abilities and interests...
What you are doing seems the best use of resources right now. I hope your idea of a feeding shed works for you someday. I too, really like the Joel Salatin model that includes feeding pigs for a month or so and the soil gets fed later. It seems the biggest advantage is that the nutrients return to the soil after the microbes have awakened so the soil doesn't experience "indigestion" and the water doesn't erode away nutrients in the spring.
Nice video man
Great presentation! Thanks for doing it!
i use a sacrifice lot for the cows to eat hay on through the winter months so they are off the pastures for at least 6 months of the year. In that lot we ring feed and move the rings daily. They waste less of the hay and push the ring spreading the left overs which reseeds the sacrifice lot. If i supplement hay feed during the spring and summer with hay it is always in dead spots.
I'd rather spread the feeding out across my pastures. Get the mature distributed around. Kind of like rotating qhrn you're grazing Temp fence them off parts of pasture to control where their hooves go.
Unrolling let's them all get a fair shot at eating. Timid animals won't get their fair share in rings. Also some bales are better than others. Let's them all get at the good stuffEveryone has their preferred methods though
I hope to only feed hay for 100 days though. 6 months of feeding might be different.
We built a unroller for our tractor and roll out in strategic spots that need nutrients.. we keep track of how many days and roll out next to the previous roll spot .. we feed 2-3 bales a day for our herd size and have changed the landscape of our land that was abused and forgotten about before we got the ranch
Great to read of regen grazing success!
Great plan Curtis. May your fields be green. Merry Christmas.
As a kid we fed hay much like your manner, except we had 80-pound rectangular bales. We fed hay off a flatbed truck. We could put it in compound low, tied the steering wheel in place and hopped out onto the bed where we tossed bales as the truck ambled along and, like you, changed the location daily.
I remember those 80 pound bale-handling days back in the 1970's and 80's. Mowing hay was a chore in a hot, dusty mow.
@@Marilou-g5t No machine lifted our bales. It was designed as great football conditioning.
@@dwighthires3163 we rolled or carried, as able, to the elevator. Dad and uncle stacked up in the mow. They were particular about the stacking on the wagons and in the mow. It allowed me to beat all but 2 of the boys in my elementary class at arm wrestling.
Merry Christmas and keep doing a great job.
1 I like your tractor
2 you do what’s best for your farm re hay
3 everyone has there own way to farm ,, there’s no right or wrong
4 happy new year 2025
Super video ❤❤❤❤
My personal thought about you buying hay is hey you are supplying financial support of another farmer. Works for me.
I also subscribe to Stoney Ridge Farm and he does the same thing rolling out the hay. He does have a bale roller. Greg Judy hay bale roller and it works really well.
Nothing better than a good old fashioned goose for Christmas
My plan for those geese as well.
My hay bales blow apart when I cut the strings. This hay must have been baled wet.....and is moldy ! Never use nylon twine ! Always keep them bale fork / tines pointed up....or down. Not where someone can walk into them ! At 5:34
Chuck I have a northern Tennessee pond your geese are welcome to occupy…if they leave their North Carolina honk behind.! 😂😎😇 Tim
those geese are just background music,, unless you have a large operation buying is cheaper,, it doesn't matter what method you use some will be wasted and become bio.. thanks for the videos. Jerry
11:23 "I hate them geese" lol
If you like it is good what makes you good deal is If both people is happy we buy hay cheaper then the upkeep on equipment
Wife and i have made great progress on paying off debt so we can buy some land and leave the city. I stay at home and care of our grandchild and my wife is working 16 hr days 7 days a week. Tons of credit card offers coming in and our score is rising. No thank you to the cards but it does reflect our progress. Our goal is pay cash for the land, hopefully one with a house on it.
I'm 65 and moving a hay ring around is not going to work. Major consideration for our move is what my wife and i are physically capable of and how long we will be able to maintain something we set up. 1 year and counting, but already property shoppjng online.
Go for your dream.
Love the intro music!!
A small hobby farmer with just a few acres and less than a dozen cows has no business owning haying equipment. I agree with you.
Hay rings definitely have there purpose. For larger scale operations unrolling hay is not as effective as it is with a smaller operation. Ring feeding is basically bale grazing. I agree you have to move the rings around but not after every bale. If your putting out 5 to 10 bales at a time in rings and move them every week or two your good. Rings are only there to keep the cattle from pushing the bales around and bedding in it causing excessive waist. If your feeding a hundred head at a time you have to minimize the waist. Hay rings are almost a must have to large operations, not so much in small operations. It may be the wrong way for some but not for others, just as rolling hay out is the wrong way for some and not for others as well.
Always a pleasure, looks like your right front tire was a little low or was it because of the load?
I'm in Illinois grow cut tender and rake my hay . I have a neighbor bale for me. Works great for me
You need Greg Judy’s bale unroller 😂
I have a vertical mixture I grind hay everyday feed on concrete pads and push for near every 2 weeks into a manure pit 50 by 50 in the spring of year I spread the manure back on the pastors and Hayfield
If I have 5-7 cows is that enough to unroll a 4x5 bale? Do you have an idea how long it would take them to eat it all?
I love the geese!❤❤❤
And Chuck IT’S YOUR FAULT I can’t order more Camel Mill socks…you’ve created so much demand they have sold out of LARGE Over the Calf socks! 😇 Tim in northern TN
I would suggest a Greg Judy style unroller for your buggy. It would do less to the ground opposed to your tractor. BTW the hay looks fine to me!
There are lots of simple diy in that style online...
Not downing the way you feed but I think you would love a bale unroller for the back of your tractor
You may have a method to the madness... if so ignore my comment. But those front tires need more air for unloading those heavy pallets and sacks. Ive had them come off the rim before doing just that. Just trying to save ya some aggrevation.
Keep up the good work!
Unrolling > hay rings
Bale grazing > hay ring
Fat cows = happy cows
😃
Pete on Just a few Acres spends more time moving manure then he does farming ! Piling manure your nitrogen is lost ! Along with other nutrients. Place the manure on the field as soon as possible.... best if the ground is not frozen.......but thats reality . The manure is ready to be broken down with out double handling it.
Looks like you need to add some air to the drivers side front tire on your tractor.
I know how much you love your geese:) Do you think they have reduced loss of the flock from predation?
Is there any use for hay string after its been taken off the bale? Or is it just trash? Is it compostable?
I would use the front end loader to roll the hay out
Wondering what's the lift capacity on your New Holland ? Looked pretty light on the rear end with the 2000 pd. pallet
I'm trying to find the information about the work socks
Camel City Mill Socks -
www.camelcitymill.com/CHUCK10
Discount Code - CHUCK10
No holiday goose for me thank you, Ive delt with geese before.
I'm in kentucky and it seems everybody uses rings i got a neighbor that is constantly moving his and one neighbor that never moves his. their pastures are in totally different conditions
My son in law has lost cattle with rings and lightning strikes. Dead w/head still in the ring.
There are hay rings not made of medal. Made of some kind of plastic pipe material which makes it very easy to move because of the light weight. Have a safe & blessed day
CHUCK, from my own experience, I think you were unrolling that hay backwards. If you push the roll in the direction it comes out of the baler, you will not have to continually pull hay from the bale.
If a person dont like comments then dont accept comments ! Comments here are not hate. The comments are reality. Pay attention to the comments and attempt to learn from them. If no one says anything ( if you dont accept comments ) you would never know if your right or wrong.....or if there other ways of doing things !
As a 70 year old farmer I cherish every comment a person will give me ! I learn from them !
Now then. not hate.... dont use plastic / nylon wrap or twine ! If you dont get it all cleaned up its there forever ! Myself I used mesh wrap to protect waterways from washing out after I established them 25 years later....... the mesh wrap is still there !
Feeding hay in round bale feeders is the best way. Small bales..... the cows are in and out.....move the bale feeder each time to prevent pugging ! Move move move !
Bale feeders...... place a " Y " shaped light duty chain at the top of the bale feeder and bolt the junctions . Then you can use your tines to reach in the bale feeder and lift it where ever you want to move it. No damage to the feeder.
Everyone’s got an opinion but no one understands your situations and what works on your farm. If it’s working keep doing it.
Keep in mind...... once a cow manures in an area......the cows will not eat in that same area again for up to 2 years. Manure stinks !!! Cows can smell 50 times better then humans. Place a turd beside your own dinner plate... are you going to eat your meal ? This goes for spreading manure on pastures also . It stinks ! Option ? Cut and bale the hay from that area between grazes !
🇳🇿🪱🙏🏼
You are completely ignorant to basic AG science and yes you are wasting your hay....
🪿🪿 Here lives a wealthy man
Chuck I have a northern Tennessee pond your geese are welcome to occupy…if they leave their North Carolina honk behind.! 😂😎😇 Tim