Multi-Species Rotational Grazing In Severe Drought - Metrics and Strategy  

Thank you thank you! Hang in there, my friend! 🤠Last year our September pastures were just pure joy, just amazing. You just never know what kind of hand you’ll have to play out here. Funny, but I really think that’s one of the things that keeps me comin back every year…it’s always a new challenge!

Hey, congrats! Sheep are an excellent first choice, and no better way to learn than diving in!🤠

Thanks, Stephen!🌱

That’s so wonderful about your sweet potatoes!! I’ll be sure and let my wife know about your success, she’ll love that! Hang tough in KS!❤️🌱

Thanks big guy! Hang in there! Was just thinking of you today, using my non-leaking super awesome McMaster quick connect, which is worth its weight in gold. Well, maybe gold price like 20 yrs ago🤔

Appreciate you being here!

I’m thinking you’re right. Definitely will circle back when things are less extreme. Thanks for watching!🤠

Spot on, enjoy your vacation and connection time with the Lord.

That seems to be the consensus! We’ll circle back, still some interesting numbers I thought for D2.

@@birchfieldfarming comparing/contrasting drought/moist will be informative

Doesn’t take long for those sheep to multiply!🤠. Hang on and keep growing. Prayin for that rain!!🌧️

Thanks, Kevin

I’ll never give grain to ruminants, as the blessing is their interaction with and fattening on grass. Building a farm on grass vs diesel/oil as least gives us a shot at the times ahead…but it’s something we could certainly try for the chickens. Our chickens are pretty content with kitchen scraps and a little layer feed tho. I suppose it’s all about context and what you have time for. I enjoy listening to Dan as well, and thanks for sharing!

Great ideas, and thanks for sharing. We already do this, only we use an overwintering cover crop mix. Just sowed a bunch yesterday before the rain moved thru. Come March, it’s the only thing green, so we’ll turn our very pregnant ewes out in it and gives them an excellent boost!

Great idea. What is your overwintering crop mix?

@@obsidian73Rapeseed, cereal rye, winter barley, black oats, winter peas, hairy vetch, Balansa clover…42% is the cereal rye, 16% barley, 16% oats, peas and vetch are about 8% each. Had great success with the mix over winter as long as it’s sown early enough. We’re border-line too late now.

@@guyhickson7332 At least cooler temps hopefully right around the corner, hang in there, Guy!!🤠

@@birchfieldfarming yes sir and there’s a chance for rain the next few days!

I'm down in a dryish pocket in North TX, and we always move into severe to exceptional drought status by mid-August. We are a very small homestead running dairy sheep. This causes us over grazing issues once the 100F+ temps set in late July. The fall rain cycle has been delayed this year, so our pasture looks terrible. I have started to supplement with some hay and tree hay ( willow is an amazing plant). BUT, having done this several years, what I know is just a light over seeding with some cover crops and rain will cause the pasture to spring back. It never fails. Once the fertility is established, your foundation is set. P.S. we just got some rain here. Hopefully, the rain cycle for this fall will begin again. God is good, and nature is wonderful!

@@liltexashomestead5083I’ve been thinking about sowing some overwintering mix right now, and you just convinced me. Thanks for your insight!

Not sure if you mean during drought or our over-wintering paddock…There’s nothing bouncing back during drought, so feeding hay in a sacrifice paddock keeps everything else intact until rain arrives. Our over-wintering paddock has auto waterer that doesn’t freeze.

@@birchfieldfarming ok I don’t really know anything

@@MarkStevens-m9xNo worries, the sacrifice paddock is just b/c nothing is growing, and depending on time of year we don’t want to severely overgraze and create the negative compounding effects, plus they need hay so ideally the sacrifice paddock is nearby the hay supply to cut labor.