If you want to save time, energy and money and have to feed hay in the winter. We encourage you to check into bale grazing. Contact us for more information: understandingag.com/
I was getting worried, I had not seen Gabe Brown in anything for the last 10 months. I am glad he is still doing things and contributing to Understanding Ag. Keep up the great work Gabe, and everyone at Understanding Ag.
We have a small herd on the east coast. Started bale grazing last week for the first time. We're hoping to improve the soils, and have much improved pastures in the spring and for years to come. Thanks for your encouragement and information on soil improvements through grazing ruminants.
I wish Gabe you would show more videos on this I live a little north of you and I'm very interested in trying but I don't see how it can work in the deep snow
Gabe, we get the same -30 up here in northern Alberta, but -40C and colder as well. Usually have to shred the bales that go solid. Would you recommend maybe running the baler a lot more loose so the cows can rip it apart? We're at 1600 lb/bale. Also, we have herds of hundreds of deer to compete with and usually stack bales in a fenced compound to protect them. Don't your cattle turn their nose up at the fouled bales?
noticed evergreenwind break inbackground how farwould youmakecows walk through deep snow or would you drive so they can walk in tractor tracks seemslike with temps that low and windy do cows go out in those conditions or wait for wind to go down thanks
Hi Gabe! Great info. How many cattle will be in each paddock? I'm managing a small 100 head herd. I would like to keep the cattle moving around the farm and not exactly sure where they will be once I need to feed hay. How do you determine which field to bale graze through the winter? Also do you ever unroll the bales?
There are a few thing to consider. Water systems, wind protection, distance to check on them and the land itself. Decide what your goal is and prepare a contingency plan if you back yourself into a corner. Don Campbell's words always come to mind with anyone's best plans, "Mother Nature bats last".
This method is reserved for when there is so much snow on the ground, the cows have no chance of being able to dig through the snow to eat the forage underneath. Even if there's five to six feet of snow on the ground, the cattle will be able to find the tops of those bales and start eating their way down through the bales. In such a situation, there's no rolling out the bale. It either gets eaten in a period of big, deep snow, or the bales stay on the land to feed the litter bank and replenish the soil (although he'd probably feed any uneaten bales in those weeks waiting for the spring flush). So this technique is useful in very unique circumstances. He puts the bales in a field that could make the best use of a large concentration of manure, urine and carbon (in the form of uneaten hay). his herd will be concentrated in strips around those bales for several weeks during the harshest part of the North Dakota winter, so the waste and litter will be concentrated in that one small part of his thousands (10s of 000s ?) of acres.
He mentions temporary wooden posts. He puts those up early, because after the ground freezes up there, you're not going to be able to drive anything into the ground until the spring thaw. It would be unwise to put any kind of step in posts into the snow (I know it seems obviously a bad idea, but you never know!). I have never had to do this, so absent a proper answer: Temporary wooden posts which probably need to extend 6-8 feet out of the ground ( in the event of a really deep snow). You'll need to set them up so you can run your polybraid or polywire electric fencing through them. Set hooks/ loops probably every foot starting around the 3-4 foot mark, so you can accommodate snow heights anywhere from 2-6 feet. Another idea from up Canada way: ua-cam.com/video/malaiJCBrwo/v-deo.html
My question as well. Most netting, if ingested by a ruminant, would eventually kill it I believe. Is there some new edible material going into the netting?
Same principle, calculate your daily forage needs for your herd. How many bales do you normally feed per day, put that many bales together in a group that you can get your portable electric fencing around. You'll want to put your poles in the ground before it freezes, then all thats' left to do is run the line around the bales you give to the animals for that day.
Why is it these bale grazers use such large bales ??? Use 3 foot by 4 foot bales with a bale feeder. Cattle are in and out with out doing much damage to the soil / sod...and very little waste ! When you dump a huge pile of hay in a small areas......cows cant " float " over it and eat . They " stand " !
Missing the point man.... the hays not wasted. Builds the soil like crazy. Used it in our farm on gravel knolls and in a reclaimed gravel pit. Force the cows to clean it all b4 you move them to the next strip. That gravel pit grows grass like crazy now if we get good spring rains. Think out side the box!
I was getting worried, I had not seen Gabe Brown in anything for the last 10 months. I am glad he is still doing things and contributing to Understanding Ag. Keep up the great work Gabe, and everyone at Understanding Ag.
We have a small herd on the east coast. Started bale grazing last week for the first time. We're hoping to improve the soils, and have much improved pastures in the spring and for years to come. Thanks for your encouragement and information on soil improvements through grazing ruminants.
It’s too bad this channel doesn’t do webinars anymore…I hope there will be more in the future
Love the idea!
Perfect way to feed cattle during the cold winter
I like your shirt videos Gabe you should do more of them 😉👍
I wish Gabe you would show more videos on this I live a little north of you and I'm very interested in trying but I don't see how it can work in the deep snow
Terrific, Gabe! How many acres, cows, bales per week?
Gabe, we get the same -30 up here in northern Alberta, but -40C and colder as well. Usually have to shred the bales that go solid. Would you recommend maybe running the baler a lot more loose so the cows can rip it apart? We're at 1600 lb/bale. Also, we have herds of hundreds of deer to compete with and usually stack bales in a fenced compound to protect them. Don't your cattle turn their nose up at the fouled bales?
how do you keep cows from pushing the bales into or over the polywire fence?
Do you take the twine off now or leave it on?
what about the net around the bale ,will they not choke the cattle if eaten
noticed evergreenwind break inbackground how farwould youmakecows walk through deep snow or would you drive so they can walk in tractor tracks seemslike with temps that low and windy do cows go out in those conditions or wait for wind to go down thanks
How do you water the cows?
Is that pasture ground ?
Was this a tribute to Neil Dennis?
Hi Gabe! Great info.
How many cattle will be in each paddock?
I'm managing a small 100 head herd. I would like to keep the cattle moving around the farm and not exactly sure where they will be once I need to feed hay.
How do you determine which field to bale graze through the winter?
Also do you ever unroll the bales?
There are a few thing to consider. Water systems, wind protection, distance to check on them and the land itself. Decide what your goal is and prepare a contingency plan if you back yourself into a corner. Don Campbell's words always come to mind with anyone's best plans, "Mother Nature bats last".
Wildlife is also another consideration, snow depth and fencing too.
This method is reserved for when there is so much snow on the ground, the cows have no chance of being able to dig through the snow to eat the forage underneath.
Even if there's five to six feet of snow on the ground, the cattle will be able to find the tops of those bales and start eating their way down through the bales.
In such a situation, there's no rolling out the bale. It either gets eaten in a period of big, deep snow, or the bales stay on the land to feed the litter bank and replenish the soil (although he'd probably feed any uneaten bales in those weeks waiting for the spring flush).
So this technique is useful in very unique circumstances. He puts the bales in a field that could make the best use of a large concentration of manure, urine and carbon (in the form of uneaten hay). his herd will be concentrated in strips around those bales for several weeks during the harshest part of the North Dakota winter, so the waste and litter will be concentrated in that one small part of his thousands (10s of 000s ?) of acres.
👌
Do you have a recommendation for fencing, or is there a previous video to watch? Thank you
He mentions temporary wooden posts. He puts those up early, because after the ground freezes up there, you're not going to be able to drive anything into the ground until the spring thaw.
It would be unwise to put any kind of step in posts into the snow (I know it seems obviously a bad idea, but you never know!).
I have never had to do this, so absent a proper answer:
Temporary wooden posts which probably need to extend 6-8 feet out of the ground ( in the event of a really deep snow). You'll need to set them up so you can run your polybraid or polywire electric fencing through them. Set hooks/ loops probably every foot starting around the 3-4 foot mark, so you can accommodate snow heights anywhere from 2-6 feet.
Another idea from up Canada way:
ua-cam.com/video/malaiJCBrwo/v-deo.html
Water?
Gabe, do you remove the net wrap before grazing or let them graze into middle of bale? If so, what happens with the net wrap
My question as well. Most netting, if ingested by a ruminant, would eventually kill it I believe.
Is there some new edible material going into the netting?
Looks like twine to me
Remove the net wrap
🎉
Hi, Gabe we don’t have round bales here. We squared big bales. How would you recommend doing it.
Same principle, calculate your daily forage needs for your herd. How many bales do you normally feed per day, put that many bales together in a group that you can get your portable electric fencing around. You'll want to put your poles in the ground before it freezes, then all thats' left to do is run the line around the bales you give to the animals for that day.
@@searlearnold2867Good explanation! Thanks 🤠
Won’t the bales rot?
🙄 of course, any uneaten hay will compost into the ground as part of a regenerative farming system 🐄
@@dakotakyd Not as a regenerative farming system.........but as a part of nature. Farming is all about nature..... !
@@user-tc3ou6sy5f Farming is all about the Creator’s Creation 🤠
@@dakotakyd Exactly ! First there must be a creator though !
Endless your in a drought. That's a waste of time man. If it works for you. 👍👍
Why is it these bale grazers use such large bales ??? Use 3 foot by 4 foot bales with a bale feeder. Cattle are in and out with out doing much damage to the soil / sod...and very little waste ! When you dump a huge pile of hay in a small areas......cows cant " float " over it and eat . They " stand " !
No feeders? Not unrolling them. The cows will waste a good half of the hay.
Kinda foolish and wasteful if you ask me
Missing the point man.... the hays not wasted. Builds the soil like crazy. Used it in our farm on gravel knolls and in a reclaimed gravel pit. Force the cows to clean it all b4 you move them to the next strip. That gravel pit grows grass like crazy now if we get good spring rains. Think out side the box!
@@scottingleneden9316🤠Great Explanation!