Can We Keep Our Sweet Corn Patch SAFE??

[@rrb19086]

I have an electric fence on my garden for 20 years. Just an active wire does not work well. People commented that an animal that gets under it gets shocked and runs into the patch. That's my experience also. I followed their advice and added a chicken wire fence with the hot wire a few inches to the outside. When their nose touches the fence and they get a wire shock they can only go back. This has worked well for me to keep out racoons ground hogs and rabbits. Keep checking your setup. 19:20

[@ytzpilot]

I use chicken wire too works best, I live in New Zealand so no Raccoons but we have tons of rabbits and possums

[@skyhawksailor8736]

To test the fence without hurting, take one of the long leafs from the corn plant, holding the wide end drop the narrow end on the wire and start pushing the leaf toward the wire. The resistance will cause the voltage to not go through the length, but as you get closer it will start tingling. Long blades of Johnson also work well. We used to use long blades of Johnson grass and have a contest to see who could get the closest to the wire. When a young child wanted to join the game, we would give them a piece of wire. The type of shoes and soles the shoes have will effect how quickly you will feel the voltage.

[@kevindelaney1951]

LOL… Racoons… in urban settings also known as trash pandas… are one of the most clever & resourceful critters. Trying to keep them out of your sweet corn patch is a battle that rivals trying to keep squirrels out of a bird feeder. You & Grant will have some fun moments coming up with & implementing ideas. Set up a night trail camera for extra entertainment. See how these clever dudes overcome your cleverness. There is good news though. You seem to have more than enough sweet corn. Enjoy your efforts. Fun.

[@stnwrd]

You got me laughing at "trash pandas" LOL

[@johnmorris3941]

An old New England farmer once told me the way to learn if your sweet corn is ready for picking is the racoons got to it the night before.

[@davidkettell1073]

Same as birds and ripe cherries , got up one morning and the tree was bare.

[@snowfighter62]

@@davidkettell1073 Same as squirrels and ripe hazelnuts.

[@jonathanmiller4779]

Laura, we put a single wire 2-3" off the ground for raccoons. Works great!!

[@toddbroeker187]

Laura Farms videos now on weekend's. Love it!

[@aubreytycer8708]

I adopted my children's great grandfathers axiom. When he planted a garden he planted an extra row for the rabbits. I enjoy your channel. Having grown up on a small cattle farm you and I have had many of the same experiences.

[@georgecrinnion2131]

Hi. I use a solar electric fence in my garden to keep the raccoons, rabbits, and, groundhogs away so my lowest strand of wire is a few inches from the ground to be the most effective against the small varmints. I string wires higher for the deer. You might consider lowering your bottom wire for the small critters. Just my experience talking. Also, I prefer poly wire over steel wire as poly is easier to tighten and easier to install an entrance "gate".

[@williambassakyros201]

I was away from NYC for the last 2 weeks spending time with my sister in Rhode Island. As a result, I had the blessing to shop with her everyday at the local farm for fresh produce. One of your last videos ask what was the price of Sweet Corn in your area. Well, we paid $.99 each, however, it was worth it. So sweet and moist. Love your videos and how your lives are progressing. Keep the faith and God Bless!

[@amytaylor8487]

@@williambassakyros201 Hello there 👋,how are you doing today?God bless you!!!❤

[@ajtroglio]

Deer sees fence, "Don't think I'm gonna go there'. Raccoon sees fence "LOL, I can slide right under this". If they can lift a garbage can lid, they can definitely figure out how to shimmy under that bottom wire.

[@PhilSanders]

I love how that excited look on your face when you are standing in front of your new 16 row corn head, love it.

[@FarmGearInnovators]

I love how you’re tackling every part of the farming process, from restoring old equipment to setting up a new corn head. Your attention to detail is impressive!

[@douglashomrighausen9010]

What a nice surprise - one of your posts on a Saturday morning before I leave the farm to head for town. I have put up miles of electric fence over the years around my corn-stalk fields for the cows to graze on. Sometimes I would wrap some electric-fence wire, connected to the main fence wire, around ears of corn to "educate" the cows when they tried to eat that. The S780 and that corn head should work really well together. I've been by that John Deere dealer several times driving my semi-truck over-the-road. Like I've said many times, while I look forward to your harvest videos, anything you post about what you, Grant and Gage do really makes my day.

[@calvinsmart3471]

Ok, Laura now you know what tried to steal your bag of cat food last year..lol

[@erikev]

From a crazy electrical engineer: To check live wires, always use the outside of your hand. Electrical shock with contract muscles. The gripping muscles are a lot stronger than opening muscles, so this way you dont "grip" the wire that electrocutes you.

[@johnensminger7675]

You should look into nite guard for defense...they really well! That's nite guard. Thanks for sharing!

[@griseobarba7989]

Cool, I used to make the corn heads and many other plastic and nylon parts for John deere. I always liked to see them at work.

[@glenndickey4223]

If you take a blade of green grass (not dry) about six inches long and lay one end on the electric fence wire while holding the other end, you will just get a tickle instead of the full jolt. Just make sure there isn't any dew on the underside of the blade. (Found that out the hard way.) While I don't wish you any bad tidings, we battled deer and raccoon for years. I'll look forward to seeing your next three videos where the deer and raccoons have gotten into the sweet corn after you have done all sorts of things to keep them out. Remember you only think about keeping them out for a few minutes every day. They, on the other hand, have all day and night to think about getting in! Should make some interesting videos where we get to snicker about what happened. Worst case scenario is where the deer jump the fence, knock down the sweet corn while eating part of it. The knocked down plants ground out the electric fence and the raccoons get in and destroy the rest. That means you were successful at growing the sweet corn and feeding the animals but not the humans. Looking forward to seeing what happens. Best wishes. Hope what you did works.

[@stormrider8957]

I never thought I'd get excited over a new corn head 🤣but here I am 🤣 Congrats, I know you'll appreciate less downtime and improved efficiency. Good luck with Mr. Bandit. As you know, they can be mighty resourceful creatures.

[@michaelwilliams7481]

Laura, thank you teacher. Hammering in those fence post is good physical exertion, buying new equipment will pay back what you spent on it. I am right in thinking that this year's rain has been just what you needed for your crops, at the time when it was needed? Love to you all from Mike. ❤

[@Sandman253]

Seeing that electric fence reminds of an event that happened when I was in the military on an exercise. A young soldier needed to relieve himself and picked the wrong fence post to aim at.

[@markgman4157]

Must have had a good stream.

[@darkiee69]

Been there, done that..

[@gungadinn]

Fence off and install 2 strands of hot wire on the top. You have masked bandits, I've got deer and they jump fences like they're not there. Last year they ate 60 tomato plants and 24 pepper plants in one night. A few weeks later, they cleaned out 24 grow bags worth of potatoes. The bandits look cute, but need to be removed.

[@gregbumgardner3006]

Here in central iowa they picket the sweet corn in early july, the ears werent fully developed, the ears werent full like the ones you guys planted. Yours look perfect.

[@judyhosey4060]

I Miss walking out to our corn field, and Grabbing the 1st ears of Corn, for Sunday Dinner ❤ are corn stalks screw to about 7 ft tall and had many ears on the stalks. I sooo miss that.😊

[@robertdwilliamsjr4781]

Laura , a mature deer can clear 8 to 10 feet of fence as long as they can see the top of a fence. Your type of deer proof fence needs to be atleast 7 feet high to keep deer out

[@914Rocky]

Agreed. That fence won’t stop a fawn.

[@arthura.applegatejr.7145]

I have to take exception to “restored “ equipment. I and others would consider what you did was to repair it to working condition. If you tear it all down and replace worn parts with NOS as well as repaint them, then it can be considered restoration. But I admire what you did and glad it worked out well for you and Grant. The corn looks really good. I wish I could compare it to Jersey’s corn though. I have a few friends still raising Jersey sweet corn. But they are getting fewer and fewer.

[@dscott8347]

Laura: Don't forget to try out the locating paint this fall for spotting the grain carts and semi's at the grain bin sites for stopping locations and lineup. White works very well also orange is very visible. Add to that a can holding wand so you don't have to bend over to put the paint on the ground. Bomgaars and Menards have the utility locating paint. It REALLY works!!

[@catharinalausen6263]

Love your channel. I’ve noticed a lot of I, My, lately in your comments. Sounds weird, as I think you’ve got a lot of great help on your family farm.

[@deanaltman6841]

Noticed that right away because my wife does that. Very annoying.

[@Dixcus-zp7om]

Most people just WILL NOT UNDERSTAND how good sweet corn is when it is fresh-picked right off a stalk. They don't realize that you can just eat it ... raw ... right off the plant. Cooking not necessary. Great sweet corn is best eaten even without picking the corn off the plant. Just stand there and nibble on it like a racoon. Delish.

[@richardboquist1531]

A friend and I help a produce farm in the area. We go out at nite and help deter the sweet corn consumption with thermals. Definitely helped. Not near as much consumption at nite this year as last.

[@JESUSISALLPOWER]

Well try driving them Post in Tennessee LOL like that I have but wow not that soft of ground good job

[@michaelhundley9369]

Congratulations Laura and Grand on your new corn head. I'm so proud of you guys y'all are awesome.

[@michaelhundley9369]

Sorry supposed to be Grant not Grand

[@phillipdickinson8557]

I would have harvested before I put up the fence as it looked that good great job Laura Grant and gage thank you

[@philgrossman6840]

Hot wire needs to be a lot closer to the ground. Like 4-5” and second wire 4-5” above that.

[@JBlow-ip7hf]

CORRECT! those rascals need to take a dirt nap.

[@robertmcbee4671]

Laura, you sure do swing that post driver well. I made one out of a piece of 1/4" wall 6" pipe and about 3.5' long. I welded on some re-bar for handles. Drive a post with that thing and you had to take a break!

[@martinminz3036]

Den Strom testet man mit einem langen Grashalm, den man immer weiter nach vorn schiebt. Hat mir mein Opa bei den Kühen auf der Weide gezeigt.🙏🍀🖖

[@joefudd]

Laura saying "suppliiiis", sounds a bit southern! Your past visit to Louavull Kentuckee has influenced ya, girl! Love it! :-)

[@russellbowman8051]

Now That Is An Awesome Corn Head! Sweet !! So Can't Wait To See That in Action!! Keep Smiling On!! 😅👍👊❤️

[@PeterDowd-r9b]

Good luck Laura and Gage on protecting the sweet corn crop. The peaches and cream corn looks tasty. That new J D 40 foot combine head is massive. With a good maintenance it should a long time

[@rickyweber2651]

Also Laura and Gage, take an old white bed sheet cut strips of a foot or longer a few inches wide tie those strips along your fence, the wildlife will sniff the flag like strips get a jolt and run away.

[@FLPhotoCatcher]

Also it's best to run, or at least tighten, the *top wire* first so that the corner fence posts do over 90% of their movement then (because the top wire has more leverage on the post). And then the rest of the wires don't loosen the previous wires.

[@GregBenadum]

If your battery grows legs gat a solar fence charger. I've used them in different areas, and they work great.

[@GrantTravels23]

Weld a counter weight onto the other end of your t post driller. Saves lots of effort

[@amytaylor8487]

@@GrantTravels23 Hello there 👋,how are you doing today?God bless you!!!❤

[@tedfisk1211]

I love your channel. I learn a lot from watching and listening to what you do on your farm. Congratulations on the 16 head machine.

[@billwendt9571]

Laura, Nice try, but my experience is that no matter how hard you try, you cannot defeat determined raccoons.

[@charlesdurham6793]

my thought exactly it will never work

[@oldgrayghost]

Yeah. Unfortunately there is really only one sure fire way to get rid of raccoons.

[@briannelson6173]

In 40 years I have never had a coon bet buy a hot wire.

[@deepsleep7822]

@@oldgrayghost : Raccoon brothels? Lead poisoning?

[@patbrewer4205]

Laura harvest your corn then your little buddy won’t have anything to tempt him/her only way to stop it😊

[@jeffreyrozelle6941]

I see fixed and go on your channel.I don't see restoration. Fun to watch y'all farm! Ty.

[@thalo215]

That new corn head looks great. Most of the corn local to me has been harvested already. going to be an interesting harvest season.

[@ld5714]

Good morning sunshine! Two things surprised me in this video. #1 seeing you standing next to the regular corn and the scale of the heigth difference between you and it. #2 the size of that 16 row corn head and trailer. Massive. Seeing you getting up the nerve to touch the charged fence reminded me of a funny story. After I was born my mom got polio and had to wear leg braces. On day when I was about 6 or 7 we were visiting friends and she took me out to the fenced in pasture so I could see the horses and cattle that were grazing out there. I was holding on to the metal bar on a leg brace and reached out and grabbed hold of one of the fence wires -yep, it was charged and I lit both of us up!! It made for a funny story for her to tell people over the years 😂 Have a good week and I'll see you on the next one. Larry, Central Valley, Ca.

[@stever9441]

😂Loved you and Gage testing the fence!! I grew up a city boy and even I know that you test electric fences with the back of your hand! Don't just grab it!😂😂

[@jefferyspeirs8289]

Hay just a FYI don't leave the fence 🔋 on the direct on the ground It will drain dead and not be any good after wile Love watching Nice new tool as well Hi pepper

[@adventurecrews]

I am here for the sweet corn it looks so good!!! Haha yall are definitely going to have to bring some when you come sailing in the Caribbean!

[@Pilgrim771]

Hi Guys, I noticed you "tested" the electric fence by touching it with the underside (palm side) of your fingers, and then jumping back. At one point, I straddled a lot of electric fences in the course of doing surveying work on Midwest farms. Here are two tricks that are safer for "testing" to see if a fence is hot: - Approach the wire with the topside (back of your hand side) of your fingers. That way, as you touch the fence, if it's hot (and particularly if it's a high voltage "weed chopper" fence, the shock will knock your hand down and away from the wire, vice causing you to reflexively "grip" the fence. - An even nicer way is to look around and find a green, stalky, grass stem (about 1/8" dia.) and about 10" long. Hold one end of the stalk and put the far end on the fence wire. Slide the stalk down the wire, getting closer to your hand. If the fence is hot, you'll sense the current through the grass stalk as you get closer. If you get all the way up to your fingers and still don't sense a current, you can feel safe that the fence is not energized. Cheers,

[@GaryReynolds-f1l]

Thanks once again for a glimpse into your lives!!! How long did your sweetcorn last once you gave it away?

[@davidhuffine5084]

Nice new shiny cornhead . Your right ,Laura we will never see it it look this good again . 40 footer , Can't drive with that on the combine.What happened to a corn knife and a wagon ?

[@mikeroberts1761]

You need to put a couple of handles on your post hammer it'll make it easier to use

[@mwb3984]

Rabbit wire is stouter than poultry wire. We managed to stop charging dogs from dashing through. The rabbit wire fence behind the electric fence did just as you decsribe, it slowed the animal AND provided localized grounding!

[@bobtucker8875]

Can't wait to see the new head in action 😊. Please let us know how your fence works out 🙏. Thanks for sharing.

[@RobStubenrauch]

Got my LMNT order yesterday...tried the chocolate in my coffee this AM before getting on the mower for the day in 95+ degree temps; pleasantly surprised. Will let y'all know about the rest in the future!

[@williammurfin6354]

Nice!!! You should hook up two batteries!! You'd be able to the pops from the house. At least you don't roos over there.

[@SuperReasonable]

To test the fence, get a blade of grass, put it on the fence and as you move it closer to the point you are holding, you start to feel a very faint pulse which means it’s functioning.

[@Gary-wm7vi]

awesome video. Always something new, nice to see someone who loves what they do. Love watching your videos. ❤

[@frankkirby5763]

Congratulations! You deserve it. Best wishes and blessings.

[@calumbruce7094]

Hi Laura, Thank you very much for your merchandise.

[@wno1043]

My problem this year was deer. They ate the ears right off the stalks even before the silks had fully appeared! I saw their tracks, so I know it was deer. We lost most of the first 4 rows of Early Sunglow. Secondary ears were growing, but they don't get as big as the first ears, if they develop at all. I also planted some Golden Bantam, which is slightly later than the Early Sunglow. They didn't bother that, and they seem to have left the garden alone by the time the ears started forming on that. Our garden is small, only about 50' x 28'.

[@thomaswhite8899]

I have been severally worried about your Sweet Corn Project and How successful it was ... LOL Living in Iowa for many years the sweet corn season usually seemed to begin shortly after the 4th of July ...Looking forward to seeing your results I thought maybe you would make a big donation for a sweet corn sale maybe in Gages name for the High School athletic booster club .. maybe A big sweet corn festival with a donation of the Sweet Corn .. Just an old man and his thoughts ..LOL Good luck with that project it looks like great fun along with the work

[@larrydavid1132]

WOW, that 16 row head is a behemoth. Your harvest should go a lot faster. 🙂😀😊😃

[@lynwessel2471]

The combine has the capacity to harvest the same bushels per hour as it had last year. They will be able to go slower which isn't a bad thing, especially with pivot tracks.

[@randyray435]

Great vlog Laura. Odds that Grant snags the battery are 50 to 1. The new corn head is going to be a game changer for your farms.

[@ashkansayadi]

Hey, homeboy, any kind of plier which you apply on Wire for twisting it; even a piece of bar behind a secondary twist, You must do a Leave a reaction to hole lope For straightening it pulling tight towards the work piece edges 'nd Then Twisting it fixed as we desire . It's simply just like when you are keeping tight with your components then u do Twist On your bolt or screw, You don't want your fastener, act as a clamp While are you doing Tightening stuff clamps it and pulling it together! U want it assembled tight then add fastening procedure. That nail puller design on your grate post pliers Is for pulling wires before final twists by leavening the curved part of pliers. Remember that leaver enhances your pulling strength multiple times like a winch straightening crises in wire >>

[@danelionheart5881]

here are a couple tricks. Take empty cans like fruit cans beans sauce cans veggie cans wash them out really good. Then pee in the cans and place them all around the Corn patch. Also late in the year but next year plant flowers in between the rows of corn about 8 feet apart The bees will do the rest. The sweet corn will be a lot sweeter and people will love them more then most other corn.. Also if you spread Lime all around the garden it will keep most animals out because they hate the taste of lime. Yes it works because I have had to spread lime under houses to keep animals out and I have also used it around gardens. The only problem is if you get a lot of rain when it dries out you have to spreads it again but over time they just stay far away.

[@johnverhoog3592]

Use a blade of grass to test the fence. Start out with a long strand and feed it in slowly till you start to feel it

[@general1977]

Next time put the corner posts in, with the 'ragged edge' facing diagonally away from the fenced area. This way your corner insulators won't slip down on the posts, since the electric wire pulls the wire holding the insulator into the humps on the posts. You can even adjust the height of the corner insulators easily.

[@austincoombs8927]

I have always wanted to go on tractors that you have and experience harvesting corn and all that it just seems to me one of the coolest things that you guys get to do and If one day I get to I will love it the hole time

[@Steven9675]

Raccoons……. Wire fence……. You are soo cuute. 😊. That raccoon is rolling around laughing.

[@robh1789]

I bought the exact same fence charger to keep wildlife out of my garden patch but it lasted only a very short time before quitting. It's also a fairly weak charger at the best of times.

[@SemperFido9915]

Back in the 90's when I was an electrician, I used to ground myself to a lighting circuit to wake up in the morning. But I don't recommend using A/C current for the job. It bites!

[@michaelalliss]

need to get picking and start eating..looks perfect right now and congrats on the new head... will two carts keep up

[@sethblackstone8749]

she looks very natural making that motion

[@edwardgwilcoxjr7232]

I guess that’s a good animal friend to have around for when the corn is ready to harvest or not. 👨‍🌾

[@RobertP-kk5ou]

How exciting! Congratulations!

[@richmeklosky6352]

Raccoons, a formidable adversary. But the little shock segment will be a Laura classic.

[@Sompo6040]

Good morning Laura. so good ❤

[@timkirkpatrick9155]

Congratulations! New tools are always fun!

[@purposedriven440]

I love how excited you get over new machinery

[@NeilMaclachlan]

That electric fence will keep the vermin out....lol.....Thats some corn head for the combine... wow....and trailer.....Stay safe and see you soon

[@charlesheald1782]

I would say it's time to start harvesting that sweet corn although it was fun to see your fence building skills. Can't believe that you let Gage talk you into touching that hotwire.

[@bigdog2024]

That bottom wire needs to be a little lower they will get under that, in time they will figure out they can dig under it so it’s not going to do much good. You might get 1-2 nights before they figure it out. Or they climb the post and jump in. These are smart critters. Just pick all the corn you want to use or sell as fast as you can.

[@phillipjgustafson9792]

Well once again Laura and Grant you put a big smile on my face and put a big happy smile on the day thank you for being you 🤠🥰😎🤠

[@JimHerman-o3q]

Corner post insulators. Try using Heavy duty Square baler twine....cheap and easy to use !

[@willgallatin2802]

Laura, if you have bandits you need a MUCH stronger fencer to slow them down. That tiny thing will not even annoy them. Get a fencer good for at least 10 miles of fence with a weed burner. That will slow them down quite a bit. At least until they start digging.

[@calvinhfactor4565]

Congrats on the new corn head look forward to watching it run.

[@jstephenallington8431]

Laura, you have definitely taken on some worthy opponents, if there's a way for them to into your sweet corn patch, they're going to find it! I really love ❤️ all of your videos, and I can't wait for your next one!

[@LandyJennings-r9b]

Laura,that sweet corn is ready to pick. It's darn nice looking corn too Y'all gonna be busy putting up the corn

[@rickdean5209]

Very nice corn head. To start fresh this year on your fields your cool Rick D.

[@johnensminger7675]

They work really well!

[@glennspreeman1634]

We even used hot wire about 5-6” off the ground to keep chickens off the yard. They would begin to step on it to go over it. Gig was up!!😅

[@ssfoste]

This was a video with alot of Wow factors thanks for sharing.

[@cgaristo2112]

cool piece of equipment for sure

[@Lunentucker]

I've been watching Clarkson's Farm this week. I think Kaleb needs to come out to the USA and do some farming with you guys. It would be great for both interests!

[@joelhenderson5404]

Wow the sweet corn is nice and the new header will really speed up cutting corn!

[@InChristalone737]

Congratulations on the new equipment

[@BornRandy62]

get yourself a small roll of reflective tape. Put a piece of tape on the header and another on the trailer. when you are loading, line up the tape pieces from the view in the cab. arrange the tape so that the machinery lights will make the reflective part work

[@TimothyMather]

Thanx! I learned something. Good teacher.