Hi Jason, must say that you created a very functional way to make the big Round Bales more user friendly. I never realized that there were so many thin layers in the big bales but it is really easy to see once cut open. On top of saving money buying the big Round bales you also save with the cost of buying a tractor, maintenance and fuel and oil to keep it running. Too bad there isn't a way to patent that inventive thought, it would make you rich. I think you do a great job of connecting with your audience in each video and you take the time to explain things thoroughly.
Good video, makes sense. A penny for my thoughts or maybe not! We did something similar 20 years ago. I always hated the loose chat and stuff falling down my shirt and jackets, bummer. About the 3rd year in I bought a several under $10 cheap lightweight small tarps (8ftx8ft or so) from a supply store. Toss it on the shed floor and put the armful of loose hay/straw on it. Grab the ends tightly and lift. Swing it over my shoulder. A sort of bums carry-all. Easily allow me to use my free hand to open gates and balance myself. Always tried storing them indoors and they last til we left the farm about 5 yrs ago. Did the same trick with bunches of loose leaves, piles of small trimmed branches, etc. Stay warm and keep moving forward.
Hey cool, hope it works out! Being all grass fed, hay is our largest expense, so cutting that cost in half was worth figuring it out. Doubt I’d be horsing around with it if we had more than a couple dozen head tho!
Thanks for the wise words. I did like your economical analyse, its so important to do those for your own situation, when trying to profit from farming. Wish I did know about that chainsaw trick earlyer, we stood with axes on the balls back in 08-09.
Exactly why I use round bales. I had to break one open and shove in a lean to. The bale is too big to get in it without breaking it up. I was thinking of using my sawzaw to do what you just did. I like the electric chain saw idea better. I was kind of afraid to try my gas saw.
Yep…I think you could probably get away with a gas saw if outside, and just one bale. No go for me inside tho. I tried a sawzaw but couldn’t get deep enough.
Sounds legit hay was over $100 a bail due to the drought and very hard to find i have a tractor with front and rear spears but not enough hay never thought about a chainsaw thanks
My grandfather use to use a hay knife in the mow to cut the hay that was stacked in loose, and I always wondered if it would work for round bales but never got a chance to try it. But do like your idea.
Thank you for all the videos, been watching them for a few weeks now. Could you point me to a source(a) or video(s) that show how to start off in the sense of,,, doing the numbers and getting fence in, extension office unit numbers, soil samples, animal choice, etc… for our own context. There is so much to this it’s almost analysis paralysis to an extent. Just wanting to learn from those with experience like you to avoid the wrong decisions and make a sustainable system w/o as many inputs that’s as possible. Thank you again
Hey Matthew, thanks for following along. That’s a broad spectrum of topics there, but I get what you’re asking. To be specific to your context, my best advice would be to search out a small regenerative farm in your specific area. A great place to start is the local farmers market. Start buying from them, and getting to know them, explain what you’re after. Beyond that, Pete over at Just a Few Acres Farm has great videos on many of these topics - saw one the other day on fencing that was simple and excellent. Piecing knowledge together on UA-cam can be helpful for certain things, but I really feel to get that contextual knowledge someone local to your area might be the best fit. If I can help with anything, reach out birchfieldfarming@gmail.com
@@matthewmcdonnell2166…I was thinking too after I responded about the value in just starting somewhere. I think that’s where I want to encourage you. I know exactly what you’re saying with analysis paralysis, but if you can push thru some of that just to start small even, there will be tremendous value in learning by putting your hands on it. I know I’m talking generally here, my 2c. Be blessed as well, friend.
@@birchfieldfarming thank you for your advice. Kinesthetically getting our hands on and learn by doing. You doing the math and positive results by seeing it with numbers to back up yer application of what you have learned I’m sure is inspiring for you and the audience. :)
@@matthewmcdonnell2166It is, and I enjoy learning and teaching, but beyond that isn’t it refreshing to think on the things we learn by doing can never be taken? We’ll always have that knowledge no matter the circumstances. Reminds me of what John Kempf has to say about simplicity on the other side of complexity - not always easy to hop in but an eventual simplicity once we hang with it. I’m also noticing it gets harder for me to take risks as I age.
We do about 30 squares and we did 10 round hay bales and I forget how many silage rounds. They are bale grazing in our pasture. We spread the silage out when we first got them and just open them when they finish the last one. We have a neighbour with a tractor who helps us move the round hay bales when needed for the smaller pastures too. The squares are for when we just need to top them up and the tractor isn't available or for lambing or just in case we need to isolate a sick sheep or something. There is a fair bit of waste, unfortunately, but we will see come spring how it looks. I'm hoping it isn't as much as I think it is haha! Last year, I would have a hay bale beside the winter pasture and use a pitch fork to throw some over the fence for them every day. This ended up with a ton of waste too and because I wasn't spreading it out well, i wasn't able to open that gate again because too much hay was piled up in front of it. Lessons learned, I guess haha
The important thing is you’ve figured out a system that works for you in your context. Love it when neighbors and friends are involved, working and building community simultaneously. I’m interested to know how long it takes your bale grazed areas to recover. I heard of one study where they found the regrowth was 4X in bale grazed areas vs not. Problem here is recovery - I give up over half my next grazing season wherever there was a bale.
@birchfieldfarming for sure! I'll have to wait and see. We were willing to try it because we plan on doubling our pasture land this year so if we need to temporarily abandon our current pasture, that's doable
@@ShepherdsCreekgreat idea…One other fascinating thing that occurs is we get the spiny amaranth that pops up wherever we fed hay. No amaranth seed in the hay so the manure/compaction is awakening something in the latent seed bank. I’ll be interested to see what you find!
Rip! That’s awesome man, there’s a whole underground army of you saints out there quietly working away, preserving life, holding this culture together.
Yes, a sawzall was one of the first tools we tried, and it was horrible. It just doesn’t work, and I’m not really sure why. Backwards, inverted electric chainsaw is the best I’ve found.
Do you have any issues with mold in the circular bales? That was Joel Salatin's main objection in Salad Bar Beef, just because it can be harder for them to dry as well.. have you had any problems with that?
Most of it depends on how long they sit. A 2nd or 3rd cutting fed out that following fall and early winter, usually no. When I stack them on edge (like in the video), I’ll notice bales from 1st cutting that have a layer of mold on the very bottom. I usually compost this. I’d estimate it to be less than 2% of total bale volume as waste. Stacking them on their side with pallets underneath could be a solution to zero waste, but the extra space and pallet isn’t worth it to me.
Farmer who makes them unloads. Negotiate this with the seller, even if you have to pay them something it’s still going to be a significant savings over squares. Thanks for watching!
They say rounds from a good baler will be tight and shed water. I’ve wondered if flipping them on a pallet and covering with some cheap plastic would be better. Don’t know, but I see them out all the time around my area.
Sure you can peel it that way, but #1 it takes up waaay more space and #2 the whole bottom molds unless up on a pallet. I don’t have near the pallets for 10 ton of hay.
Hi Jason, must say that you created a very functional way to make the big Round Bales more user friendly. I never realized that there were so many thin layers in the big bales but it is really easy to see once cut open. On top of saving money buying the big Round bales you also save with the cost of buying a tractor, maintenance and fuel and oil to keep it running. Too bad there isn't a way to patent that inventive thought, it would make you rich.
I think you do a great job of connecting with your audience in each video and you take the time to explain things thoroughly.
Hey, thanks Ben! Yeah, you got my wheels turning…some kind of a specialty hay saw??🤔
Good video, makes sense. A penny for my thoughts or maybe not! We did something similar 20 years ago. I always hated the loose chat and stuff falling down my shirt and jackets, bummer. About the 3rd year in I bought a several under $10 cheap lightweight small tarps (8ftx8ft or so) from a supply store. Toss it on the shed floor and put the armful of loose hay/straw on it. Grab the ends tightly and lift. Swing it over my shoulder. A sort of bums carry-all. Easily allow me to use my free hand to open gates and balance myself. Always tried storing them indoors and they last til we left the farm about 5 yrs ago. Did the same trick with bunches of loose leaves, piles of small trimmed branches, etc. Stay warm and keep moving forward.
This is a great idea, simple and effective. Thanks for sharing!🤠
Great idea brother. We've been considering that.
Hey cool, hope it works out! Being all grass fed, hay is our largest expense, so cutting that cost in half was worth figuring it out. Doubt I’d be horsing around with it if we had more than a couple dozen head tho!
Thanks for the wise words. I did like your economical analyse, its so important to do those for your own situation, when trying to profit from farming. Wish I did know about that chainsaw trick earlyer, we stood with axes on the balls back in 08-09.
AXES?!😳 incredible
Very valuable tips here!
Thanks for watching, Henri!
fantastic Word and fantastic round bale trick!!!
Thanks, Karl!
Outstanding, Thanks
You got it🤠
This is a great tip!
Thanks for watching!👍
I love ingenuity. 👍
🌱👍🌱
Exactly why I use round bales. I had to break one open and shove in a lean to. The bale is too big to get in it without breaking it up. I was thinking of using my sawzaw to do what you just did. I like the electric chain saw idea better. I was kind of afraid to try my gas saw.
Yep…I think you could probably get away with a gas saw if outside, and just one bale. No go for me inside tho. I tried a sawzaw but couldn’t get deep enough.
Sounds legit hay was over $100 a bail due to the drought and very hard to find i have a tractor with front and rear spears but not enough hay never thought about a chainsaw thanks
You got it, hope it works out!
My grandfather use to use a hay knife in the mow to cut the hay that was stacked in loose, and I always wondered if it would work for round bales but never got a chance to try it. But do like your idea.
“Hay knife” interesting, as I didn’t know there was such a thing…looking it up now, thanks.
BRILLIANT!
🤠
Thanks
👍
That’s a cool way to cut your rolls of hay makes it a lot easier to handle 🇳🇿🙏🏼
It’s been a fit!🤠
Thank you for all the videos, been watching them for a few weeks now.
Could you point me to a source(a) or video(s) that show how to start off in the sense of,,, doing the numbers and getting fence in, extension office unit numbers, soil samples, animal choice, etc… for our own context. There is so much to this it’s almost analysis paralysis to an extent. Just wanting to learn from those with experience like you to avoid the wrong decisions and make a sustainable system w/o as many inputs that’s as possible.
Thank you again
Hey Matthew, thanks for following along. That’s a broad spectrum of topics there, but I get what you’re asking. To be specific to your context, my best advice would be to search out a small regenerative farm in your specific area. A great place to start is the local farmers market. Start buying from them, and getting to know them, explain what you’re after. Beyond that, Pete over at Just a Few Acres Farm has great videos on many of these topics - saw one the other day on fencing that was simple and excellent. Piecing knowledge together on UA-cam can be helpful for certain things, but I really feel to get that contextual knowledge someone local to your area might be the best fit. If I can help with anything, reach out birchfieldfarming@gmail.com
@@birchfieldfarming thank you for your response, and help. Have a blessed day!
@@matthewmcdonnell2166…I was thinking too after I responded about the value in just starting somewhere. I think that’s where I want to encourage you. I know exactly what you’re saying with analysis paralysis, but if you can push thru some of that just to start small even, there will be tremendous value in learning by putting your hands on it. I know I’m talking generally here, my 2c. Be blessed as well, friend.
@@birchfieldfarming thank you for your advice. Kinesthetically getting our hands on and learn by doing. You doing the math and positive results by seeing it with numbers to back up yer application of what you have learned I’m sure is inspiring for you and the audience. :)
@@matthewmcdonnell2166It is, and I enjoy learning and teaching, but beyond that isn’t it refreshing to think on the things we learn by doing can never be taken? We’ll always have that knowledge no matter the circumstances. Reminds me of what John Kempf has to say about simplicity on the other side of complexity - not always easy to hop in but an eventual simplicity once we hang with it. I’m also noticing it gets harder for me to take risks as I age.
We do about 30 squares and we did 10 round hay bales and I forget how many silage rounds. They are bale grazing in our pasture. We spread the silage out when we first got them and just open them when they finish the last one. We have a neighbour with a tractor who helps us move the round hay bales when needed for the smaller pastures too. The squares are for when we just need to top them up and the tractor isn't available or for lambing or just in case we need to isolate a sick sheep or something. There is a fair bit of waste, unfortunately, but we will see come spring how it looks. I'm hoping it isn't as much as I think it is haha!
Last year, I would have a hay bale beside the winter pasture and use a pitch fork to throw some over the fence for them every day. This ended up with a ton of waste too and because I wasn't spreading it out well, i wasn't able to open that gate again because too much hay was piled up in front of it. Lessons learned, I guess haha
The important thing is you’ve figured out a system that works for you in your context. Love it when neighbors and friends are involved, working and building community simultaneously. I’m interested to know how long it takes your bale grazed areas to recover. I heard of one study where they found the regrowth was 4X in bale grazed areas vs not. Problem here is recovery - I give up over half my next grazing season wherever there was a bale.
@birchfieldfarming for sure! I'll have to wait and see. We were willing to try it because we plan on doubling our pasture land this year so if we need to temporarily abandon our current pasture, that's doable
@@ShepherdsCreekgreat idea…One other fascinating thing that occurs is we get the spiny amaranth that pops up wherever we fed hay. No amaranth seed in the hay so the manure/compaction is awakening something in the latent seed bank. I’ll be interested to see what you find!
@@birchfieldfarming yes! I remember the video where you talked about that. We shall see what happens! I'll keep you posted :)
Awesome work as always! My favorite Bible verse, I found it when I was saved by Jesus 9 years ago.
Rip! That’s awesome man, there’s a whole underground army of you saints out there quietly working away, preserving life, holding this culture together.
Ever try a Sawzall reciprocating saw instead? Curious if it works because that chainsaw upside down looks awkward and dangerous
Yes, a sawzall was one of the first tools we tried, and it was horrible. It just doesn’t work, and I’m not really sure why. Backwards, inverted electric chainsaw is the best I’ve found.
Do you have any issues with mold in the circular bales? That was Joel Salatin's main objection in Salad Bar Beef, just because it can be harder for them to dry as well.. have you had any problems with that?
Most of it depends on how long they sit. A 2nd or 3rd cutting fed out that following fall and early winter, usually no. When I stack them on edge (like in the video), I’ll notice bales from 1st cutting that have a layer of mold on the very bottom. I usually compost this. I’d estimate it to be less than 2% of total bale volume as waste. Stacking them on their side with pallets underneath could be a solution to zero waste, but the extra space and pallet isn’t worth it to me.
How do you get the round bales in the barn? This is genius
Farmer who makes them unloads. Negotiate this with the seller, even if you have to pay them something it’s still going to be a significant savings over squares. Thanks for watching!
I wish we had a barn so we could have some round bales and keep them dry
They say rounds from a good baler will be tight and shed water. I’ve wondered if flipping them on a pallet and covering with some cheap plastic would be better. Don’t know, but I see them out all the time around my area.
Prop them up on logs, so they do not sit in water.
Easier to put your bales end when you put them in and just peel them off.
Sure you can peel it that way, but #1 it takes up waaay more space and #2 the whole bottom molds unless up on a pallet. I don’t have near the pallets for 10 ton of hay.