Just found your channel. I enjoyed your observations, which line up with many of those espoused by Greg Judy. I wish I had gotten into cattle, but I discovered this interest too late. I am encouraging my son to get with his girlfriend and buy her dad's (9th generation!) cattle operation. We will see.
You and Allyson have put so much work and love into this farm and it really shows. This is the standard that farming should be across the globe. Can't wait to see where this place will be in another 5 years. Keep up the great work
Great video. Can’t wait to see if the trampled grass will come back as well as the lower mowed grass. One day I’ll be there too, still working on fencing. I appreciate everyone sharing there operations. Keep up the good work! You’re doing great!!
6:53 Most folks don't let them eat long. But for the cycle you gotta let them eat some sections long grass. Because the seed heads are seeds that are adapted to your cycle. Most important thing on your property getting those seeds that know your system know your cows and know your land to send good genetics forward drop and become perennial grass. I'd not do it all the time but I'd do it sometimes. More so if it's a drought year. I want drought genetics. 8:32 Your grass doesn't want to grow anymore when the seed head comes in. The problem is that's not fully wrong for some varities but in a healthy pasture you have like more than 50 different grasses and forbs in a native pasture. Each one has it's time to seed and come in all year long. This is the Americas it's built on grass forest both old growth. It's design to come up in phases bit here bit there. When one goes to seed in a healthy pasture there's another waiting for it's turn in the group. It's actually how we control non native Chee grass proply in California by grassing the doh stage heads to prevent wild fires and reduce it's population. I think the way converstations are had about this tyopic has to change. Not everyone is at a stage there grass are pushed out of invasive and poor quailty grass seed mixes. Then you'd hit those heads to reduce the population and also to keep it going. This converstation is a lot like talking to someone who has not repair there classic card and it's still on conrete blocks. Someone who has repair there classic car and it's running ok but not looking great. And someone who has done a full restro rebuild and added some nice extras. Three different conversations all about the same car. And what you do for that car might be somewhat simlair sometimes but vastly different other times. (What's your dung beetle population looking like?)
Love your content. Are your wires hot? Or do you have a perimeter fence around the outside of the property? Im going to attempt this type of controlled grazing but with sheep, cows in the future.
My guess is the growth speed is going to matter on rainfall, more rain than average I'd bet on the cleared cell, drought conditions, I'd bet on the trampled cell. the reason being the thatching acting like mulch.
I think it's all depending on the season or what the forecast is. If you are in a drought period, the trampled grass will keep the moisture better and the growth will be better but if you are in a wet season, you probably are better with the whole thing eaten down.
They are leaving that much, because it has matured past palatability. If you look, they are leaving the stems of that long grass. Not knocking your practices, but that is why they are leaving what they are leaving.
I have this year so I only have to move their water tank once a day sometimes I’ll put up two fences but with this non-selective grazing there’s really nothing to go back to
Our herd fluctuates between 100-120 head of cows, yearlings, finish cattle, and caves. We have about 110 acres of grass, we also raise about 3000 meat birds and 15-20 lambs a year on that same acres. 160 acres total we raise our pigs in the forest. We just picked up an another 30 acre lease!
@@drumhillerfarms6858 cool thanks. So you are right around 1 cow per acre of pasture. What would you estimate your profit per cow is? Total gross revenue of selling retail is around $5k per cow right? Is half of that profit?
@@jhost0311 gross for our cattle is closer to 4500. We feed them for two winters about two round bales per animal per year. Our profit is closer to $4000 3500 to 4000 depending on how we sell it.
I don't see any water being moved with the cows. I'm really interested in this video because you're new to this like me and you're moving the animals with a focus on sustainability. I have 80 acres, about 60 acres in pasture, some overgrown. I bush hogged about 30 acres last fall but to be honest there's got to be a better way. My inlaws once owned this land and they were old school, let the cows graze the entire property which was destructive and caused erosion. We're in the foothills, so there's not much level ground and the property is very sensitive to erosion, it's something I go out of my way to protect, like not mowing certain areas and keeping it with thick-rooted grass. I'm considering a new herd of grass-fed cows but it has to be controlled grazing and profitable at the same time. Is your herd profitable?
Lots of good questions in this comment I will soon be doing a video series on our water set up because I’ve had a lot of people question it. I have underground all pressurized water with frost freeze every 3 to 500 foot water set up is very easy to move. Did take some time to get the infrastructure set up our herd of cattle even with selling 3000 chickens a year several hogs and now lamb. The cattle still remains the most profitable enterprise on the farm to finish a cattle 24 to 30 months are only cost other than labor is four round bales of hay per head to finish them out the way we sell our beef we profit about $3500 per Cattle
@@drumhillerfarms6858 The dilemma I have is pigs have a very high birth rate and go to market at 250+ pounds in 6 months. I would like to focus on one type of livestock.
