Exciting Upgrades On The Farm - Can't Wait To Share The Impact!

[@Rayman1961.]

Good morning Josh

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

Good morning to you too, buddy! Thanks so much for being a channel member too! Every little bit helps brother! I know I normally release to members a little early but I've been under the weather all weekend so been resting up! Have a great day!

[@stuartsplace100]

Taxes are getting so out of hand in this country

[@patrickdunne1150]

That truck adding lime looks like Pigpen from Charlie Brown. Just carrying around a dust cloud doing his thing!

[@chrissheathewoodguy]

I'm glad your limeing the farm.. next clover clover clover clover. we did that for 20 years when we had cows.. some of the feilds got 3 ft tall.. very happy cows.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

oh yes...the clover is thick here too....just gotta get the forage set up right with the Ph so we can have that thick 3-4ft tall grass that we need!

[@Tommy-h4b]

You have such a beautiful farm I know that you have put a lot of hard work into it and it shows. Awesome👍

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

Thanks, it's a work in progress, but getting there!

[@mt-kp2tb]

I limed my property 2 years ago took a year to see the benefits but its paying off now for sure.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

great to hear!! I can't wait!

[@scottsmith6846]

Hey Josh thank you for the video Woo

[@phillipthewise7758]

You made the best decision to add lime to your land. You are now giving your soil a better chance to absorb nutrients from the cows. Awesome decision, and great video. Enjoy the content.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

Amen!!! This has been needed for some time now! Thank goodness this year's profit is allowing me to make these improvements. We'll do this again next season in the spring and fall!! Can't wait to see the results!

[@Squat5000]

Maybe. Without a full soil analysis that also runs the risk of making a basic soil even harder to correct. We have major issues with sodic high pH soil.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

nobody within 500 miles of me has any issue with basic soil....it's all acidic in these parts. My Ph is 4!! Crazy huh!

[@Squat5000]

@@StoneyRidgeFarmer that would be amazing for what I grow! We're using about 100 gallons of 93% sulfuric acid per year for certain crops to maintain a 6 pH. One of these days we'll be able to "blow the profits" on a raised greenhouse for these fruits. Then stop blowing the profits on the rest l

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

My guess is that you live somewhere in the west......Idaho, Utah or Western Washington? Please share

[@bullpups4life189]

Love the camera work on the lime truck!

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

Thanks! I’m glad it caught your eye!

[@tireddad6541]

I remember that Greg Judy also put lime on some fields. So next year you test and see, if it needs again. Hopefully only a time or two before the microbes get up to snuff.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

oh these pastures will need lime every year for a few years.....we'll keep at it until we get our forage right!

[@ClickinChicken]

You should weld a piece of pipe on that Greg Judy hay debailer to put the sledge in! Yeah, I think I saw that Lime mine on 'DIrty Jobs' once with Mike Rowe! They wired the explosives, and set up a camera! cool episode!

[@131dyana]

Loved this.

[@AmbientCityFarm]

I was picturing hours and hours of tractor work. That truck is way easier than spreading it yourself.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

oh so worth it!!

[@Mammothbaron]

I’ve never been more proud of you…you will be very happy you spread lime. Thank you, that broomsedge says too acidic.

[@bohammarberg4072]

Good morning !!! 🌹🌹🌹🌹

[@toddpacheco4748]

Josh,my dad spread lime and other chemicals tough as nails from driving those kind of trucks along with eighty pound bags of corn 😊❤

[@Brian_VA]

Do you work with your local county extension office? Do you soil test your pastures so you know what the pastures need in regards to minerals etc. They recommend doing soil testing ea. year. If your an business the soil testing is free at my local ext. office. This way you don't waste money on minerals the soil don't need. They also recommend when soil testing don't test the soil where the cattle eat, drink or bathe because they typically potty in those areas. Draw a map on paper where you do the soil testing, mark the test tubes to the relation where the sample was taking. Because one part of the field might need lime while another part needs something different.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

I most certainly perform soil tests....our soil has a Ph of 4.0 which is bad!!!. The broom sedge tells me we need lime bad! I agree...having both subjective tests (what you can see) and objective (soil tests) is very important....only a fool would throw money on the land without knowing what he needs. You are totally right!

[@Led420canadian]

Nothing can beat a natural organic farming system nothing at all, organic is the only way

[@georgedavidson7986]

Adding commercial is the same thing. Potash. Comes from ground up rock , nitrogen. From the air. , phosphorous can come from bird poop deposits

[@garlanddavis5115]

You said lime and also llimestone there a difference both chemically and benefits , and cost? Which hid you apply?

[@davieb8534]

Hey man, Ben from England here. I’m interested to know, you said take the calves to market, so you don’t raise them to be slaughtered for beef and then sell the beef? You sell the whole cow to someone else to finish is that right? How does it work? Also, do you just sell the males and keep the females for breeding or do you sell all the calves and just stick with your existing herd?

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

I sell most of the calves off every year. Males and females, but I will keep a select few females for breeding.

[@stephenreese5921]

My deepest admiration to Barry working to the age of 81 (so far). I quit at 66 and miss it!

[@duanerosenberger9771]

Hey Josh how heavy is the loaded dump truck.how much weight can the farm hold before it tears it up have a great day

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

15 tons per truck load....the farm will get 2 tons to the acre on around 90 acres

[@1roland1953]

Kudos to Barry at 81 years of age. I’m 71 years old because I have to because of a mortgage

[@TheDutchGambit]

Good to see you getting your property into a sustainable state. All it takes is blood, sweat and sacrifice. It used to be that farmers lived poor and died rich, clad to see you found a way to make a difference. Another great production from the Stoney Ridge Farm.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I'm trying to do things differently, but it ain't easy!

[@aussiebicolanalifestyle]

Hi there. Watching from Sydney Australia. I have 3 hectares of land in the Philippines and I’m having so much trouble with kcogan grass. It’s uncontrollable and taking over. Can you give me some tips on how I can get rid of this dam grass. Tks for sharing. Cheers mate!

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

sorry....I can't help ya there

[@TheTriangle4]

Hey Josh, sometime can you do a video of your paddock movement on a whiteboard like Greg Judy did a ways back? I think it would educate a lot of us & be good content as things slow down with winter. Show your permanent fence, water sources, etc... Have an awesome day!

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

yes....I think thats a great idea!

[@TheTriangle4]

@@StoneyRidgeFarmer ❤

[@safffff1000]

Are you hoping to get up to 1 cow per grass covered acre in the future of your herd?

[@steveningrahm8928]

Limestone is mostly Calcium Carbonate, so it is organic! Broomsedge grows where soils are very poor. Changing the PH alone probably won't allow more desirable grasses to outcompete it. You should soil test and address the Phosphorus and Potassium deficiencies, as well. I advise you to consult with the North Carolina State University Extension center in your County for additional information.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

yeppers....already have...what we're doing here is bringing the nutrient to the land via non "manufactured chemical" means.....using intensive grazing, mowing and feeding on the pastures to bring back the soil life. It's gonna take some time for sure....we will be putting down some chicken litter based fertilizers this year for sure

[@scottquenstedt1]

Find you a good used center pivot. To hell with waiting on rain. Make your own rain. With your current practices, even a 30 acre pivot could be the difference in having to or not having to purchase hay.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

interesting idea my brother

[@johnsadler8637]

I suspect the wells might not yield enough to run a pivot, so he’d probably have to pull water from a pond. There needs to be some pencil and calculator work before launching an irrigation system. When I was at the Coastal Plain Research Center, we spent some time developing water supplies for irrigation for our research systems. For 2 3-span (ie, very small) pivots, we ended up building a large lined pond. I’ve forgotten the numbers for pivot area and pond volume, but a bit of estimating and the calculator tell me we had only 15-16 acres under irrigation. The pond might have been bigger than SRF’s biggest. Sourcing from a pond might require a filter system as well.

[@melaniekeen3611]

Your pastures look better Than ours over here in Forsyth County

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

Thank you!

[@ShortbusMooner]

Ugh! Dusty- sending prayers for rain! 🌧

[@dsulli7383]

I know you have been talking about ling for awhile, I will be interested to see the results. Do you really need to like twice a year? What is the ph of your soil currently? I’ve heard Greg Judy say he had great results from single application of lime.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

the Ph is 4.0 right now! Really bad...we need it around 6. Greg Judy has one thing we don't have in the piedmont region of NC....top soil! He's got such better quality soil compared to us in most cases

[@dsulli7383]

Sheesh! 4.0 that’s damn near vinegar my man. lol. I hope it works wonders for you. I’m sure you will see a difference next spring

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

I know! at this point anything will help right!

[@JamesBlazen]

How often do you need to add lime? What is ROI? Seems expensive relative to yield enhancement.

[@jimmylar68]

Liming your lawn improves the health and quality of lawn grasses growing in acidic conditions. By raising soil pH, lime enhances the ability of plants to utilize nutrients in the soil. This makes any fertilizer applications you make more effective. The results are a lush, green lawn that is better able to combat weeds.

[@jeffeubanks370]

I was a yard spreader to put lime on my 3 acres.

[@rickygreen1985]

I need spread lime on my pasture but nobody does it around here in gaffney sc an bag lime to expensive

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

hmmmm.....I'll bet if you visit your local extension office they'll know someone. Good luck...sorry that's a bummer. They do make a product called solucal or fas cal which is 4 times stronger than lime...you might look into that

[@edgambino4619]

How does the electric fence keep it charge if you cut it in half

[@juleanow4328]

How soon can u put your cows back in those fields after u have limed?

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

immediately....lime is derived from natural stone

[@dsulli7383]

Do you know exactly what type of lime you are using? There is atleast a few different types. Is it just high calcium lime or a dolomitic lime that contains high levels of magnesium?

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

ya know...that's a great question! He's still spreading this week...I'll ask

[@davidmack8813]

Josh, your farm is your baby way to powder it's bottom

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

lol...I love it!!

[@1roland1953]

Those tires on the lime truck would never pass in Canada

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

yep...might not pass here....but they get the job done. We did get in a wet area and buddy we almost got stuck!

[@timothyfinch9340]

Check your soil in the spring and see how much money you spent for,, nothing, 😅

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

lime like this takes 2-6 months to take effect. The Ph of the soil here is around 4.0. Time will tell the tale and the disappearance of broom sedge. I always appreciate new and constructive ideas if you'd like to share....if insults are your best advice, then let her rip brother...I've heard it all. But please...be creative! lol

[@MeredithFarms]

Josh please don’t put down that much lime twice a year without a soil test…it some cases it takes 2-3 years for lime to fully break down. You could make your soil high PH which offers just as many problems as low PH. Just soil test!

[@americanbeefranch]

Totally agree. Soil can only digest so much. There are limiting factors like aluminum.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

my friend the Ph of the soil here is 4.0! It's horrible....for sure we'll test the soil next fall, but I will most certainly need more than 2 tons to the acre to get this corrected...it's bad! Really bad!

[@americanbeefranch]

@ without testing you will never know the progress you are making. Soil tests are $25 bucks a pop. Pretty cheap to get a base line. Plus you can see other potential issues and begin to fix them now instead of later

[@georgedavidson7986]

Excellent comment. He needs to be soil testing

[@MeredithFarms]

@@StoneyRidgeFarmer if you have low CEC it doesn’t matter, and you won’t know what your CEC is until you test. 4.0 PH won’t take much lime at all to change to a 6.5 in light ground. I farm some real sandy, low CEC ground and I can take fields from a 5.0 to a 6.5 with only 700 lbs of lime. It’s also important to know if you’re follow in calcium or low in magnesium! If you just need calcium get high cal lime, but if you need magnesium too get high mag lime. There’s so much to soil health and I’m afraid you look over some important details that could save you big bucks and make the land way more productive. But I’m not here to tell you how to farm, I just want to give advice.

[@Thomtleonard]

Looks like that truck can use some tires.They're pretty bald especially in front lines

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

yep....nothing's new forever lol. I'm sure DOT would be on him pretty quickly....and of note...we did get into a pickle in a wet area and almost got stuck! He's still here spreading lime now!

[@willdsm08]

It may have been more cost effective and faster for them to deliver the lime to your farm, and then get a front end loader to load the truck for spreading. Paying travel time costs.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

I pay $60 per ton spread.....that's not too bad. I'd still have to pay that cost whether he goes back to his yard and picks it up or delivers it to the property on a semi truck. Travel is included in his price

[@donaldhightower5269]

Check out Cross Timber Bison He has a nice rig on his truck for rolling out hay

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

yeppers....but we ain't taking a 6000lb truck out on wet winter pastures my friend....there's some real nice setups out there for pickups...but driving that pickup through the gate every day with 2000lbs of soil compaction per wheel v/s an atv with 200lbs per tire is a world of difference....it's all about reducing compaction. Of note...I was at the farm show last year and saw some awesome hay unrollers! Awesome!!! Pickup mount of course

[@ronevans852]

That’s a lot of lime going down. Yeah make sure you do soil test six months or about.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

yes it is.....I'll tell ya the Ph of the soil here is about 4.0! Really bad!

[@farmboy4012]

Maybe you should get some chicken manure, it would speed up your land improvement and it has a little lime in it too.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

I'd love to have chicken litter to spread...but the problem is there are no chicken farms local that will sell it to me

[@davieb8534]

Could you not increase your chicken population and then follow the cows with the chickens?

[@jalopyjoe4483]

Was hear. Woooo

[@joeluppino824]

is that processed lime or natural ?

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

just limestone from the quarry, washed and spread

[@982414justin]

Why not just have end dumps bring the lime to the fields and load that guy up instead of him having to drive all the way to get reloaded each time? At least that's what we do here in ks

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

what difference does it make to me brother? $60 per ton spread....that's what I'm paying him for. His yard is 15 mins away.....things aren't spaced out quite as far here in NC as they are out in Kansas. It would still cost me $60 per ton if he came and dumped it here.....still gotta haul it here in a truck, just makes more work. The rub here is that very very few people are farming around here nowadays.....all the old farms are overgrown with brush and broom sedge. Hauling it on a tandum dump truck to my place at 18 tons per load and then loading up 15 tons per load on his spreader truck wouldn't save any time or money...just more work in this case. Now....he's 81 years old....so he's moving at his own pace lol. This vid was filmed a week ago and he just finished up yesterday afternoon! lol If I had to sit and wait for him and load him up all day....I might as well just spread it myself right?

[@982414justin]

@StoneyRidgeFarmer now that you put it that way it does make more sense lol my bad

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

oh no worries....I thought the same thing....currently I am looking for a "spreader wagon" so I can do this myself in the future.

[@fredeerickbays]

ya that third hand

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

lol....hey it works!

[@brianhina8538]

Approximately 250 lbs of seed per roll.

[@bobbyfisher6343]

Josh do you ever think about the future of your Farm, it would be awesome if you has kids, all your hard work will benefit someone I guess?😕

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

yeah buddy.....I been dating for sure, but let me tell you......this life aint for the faint of heart. I've brought a couple ladies to the farm and they love to get their nails done right before they come lol.....on at least 4 occasions a broken nail has been a major event in the process of finding a suitable partner. Pretty funny how that works.....I don't expect any future wife to be out there working beside me all day long, but it would be nice if they knew how to dress for a day on the farm working together, building a bonfire or helping gather up supplies/fence posts, gardening or working the honey bees. I either get full on stinky hippie or beautiful with broken nails.....bhahhaha....one I find middle ground I'll let ya know brother ...this life aint for everyone that's for sure. It's much easier to be single in town than single up in the country

[@kathrynbraun2073]

@@StoneyRidgeFarmeryour, “Mrs. Stoney Ridge Farmer” is out there!

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

we shall see my friend

[@dannymoore7835]

Check out what’s happening to dairy cows in uk

[@dannymoore7835]

Chemical bovear10

[@elwoodbutrum5270]

Use chicken litter n you will not need lime.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

yep.....but I can't make chicken litter appear out of thin air my brother....we have only 1 chicken operation in my county and they can't sell it to me because they have a contract with some other outfit

[@FarmallFanatic]

3 years at that rate, should bring you up 1 pH point

[@TimothyRadachi]

What is your initial pH, buffer Ph, what kind of lime are you using ,do you have a state university agronomy guide for your state? This kind of advice is free and that what is worth zero!

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

Well....soil tests will tell the tale. My ph currently is 4.0 as for my state gov't....they can shove it! Sorry but I'm not volunteering any info or time for my state's programs....after wasting countless hours working on plans for fencing and water systems only to be let down and asked year after year to sign up so they could get more money for the county....broken system good ol boys are the only ones that benefit corrupt broken system!

[@FarmallFanatic]

@@StoneyRidgeFarmer it's the same here

[@johnchristenson8073]

Come to Minnesota, get some free air-conditioning. You look to hot in a t-shirt.

[@Howma22]

First

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

wooooo!!

[@iansmartel5473]

For Uncle Sam. Read Donald Trump Memorial Funds. God Bless America and its taxes.

[@richardgreen7811]

I'm a little confused. I've been investing in multi-million dollar businesses and real property for over 3 decades. The tax codes provide that, in addition to initial capital infusions from equity capital, ongoing investment capital via retained earnings are permissible. Income that is applied to increased hard assets or inventories are not only not taxable but they can be depreciated against future income. It sounds like you are in need of a financial advisor.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

Well my friend....we are taking some of the farm profit and putting it back into the land....just like you're saying here. Hard assets won't matter if we can't produce more cattle and thus more profit...so the hard asset here is increasing the fertility of the soil...thus producing more grass and more beef

[@bullpups4life189]

You should familiarize yourself with a schedule f before talking down to someone. The cost of the lime reduces his overall income at tax time.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

I'm not sure he's talking down to me....but the comment did kinda strike me as strange......I think what he's suggesting is buying more buildings for the farm and depreciating them...which is something that I'm already doing. We've just finally eeked out a profit with the cattle this year and I'm sharing some of the figures....that has virtually every "tax advisor" coming out of the woodwork. I think most are trying to be helpful.....but most honestly don't understand the bottom line on the farm. I run a few businesses here, and believe me....I most certainly have my finances squared away tight....really trying hard to save for retirement right now also. Folks are all over my butt about living in a small meager little mobile home....even my friends and neighbors. Folks have come right out and told me that "you can't get a woman because you live in that trailer" lol......well this little trailer is more than enough for me and I wouldn't want a woman that's too proud to start small and build something great with me. If she's too dumb to realize how much this helps our finances...then she's not gonna be a keeper that's for sure lol. My life goal is to live off nothing....zero...to survive without money and enjoy my life. That's the goal....we shall see how that pans out over time right!

[@richardgreen7811]

@@StoneyRidgeFarmer Not talking down to You. Either Your representation of the need to continue to apply profits for the purpose of growing the farm is not clear or someone is giving You bad financial advise. What I'm gathering is that you believe You are required to report income prior to retaining capital for operations. That's simply not the case. Your tax obligation comes after your expenses as pre-tax net income. Regardless, it would appear one of us is not clear on your argument.

[@richardgreen7811]

@@bullpups4life189 Over 50 years of business acumen and accounting. The commentary addressed more than the cost of lime. If you limit the scope of the commentary to lime, then the lime is PTCDB (part of the cost of doing business) and is therefore an expense which reduces taxable income. What's next bubba ... tippin cows ?

[@bullpups4life189]

A bowline knot would be easier to get back out than the ghetto loop you made 😉

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

I won't need to get the knot out my friend....this is permanent....once you've tied off a piece of this poly wire, untying it ends up breaking down the metal fibers...best to simply cut it off and move on in my experience. Simple is simple my brother

[@bullpups4life189]

@StoneyRidgeFarmer true, it does fray pretty easily. Im just a knot nerd because of my job in the film industry...well before the strikes killed it for the time being anyway

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

oh my brother.....I was in the USAF and I was a lineman in the Air Force....spent weeks learning knots for tying off power lines and such. I enjoy a nice fancy knot. Now...you know what's kind funny....most folks couldn't tie this simple loop knot in a pinch.....something as simple as this is beyond the average person's realm of comprehension. Believe me....I've been dating "non farmer gals" and I've found that even asking them to try it has been a challenge! Life skills are lacking so much in today's "modern society" aren't they

[@bullpups4life189]

@@StoneyRidgeFarmer thats the dang truth, man. Knowing a couple knots will make people in awe of you 🤣.

[@dsulli7383]

I use that loop knot you tied more than any other

[@Thatguy-cb4qs]

Sad news for you bro. It’s all chemicals.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

well....lime is a mineral that comes from the earth so at least it's not some sort of man made garbage right lol

[@Thatguy-cb4qs]

@@StoneyRidgeFarmer depends on how you look at it mate, I check in occasionally and love your place and what you do. But, The idea of “chemicals” vs “natural”’or “organic” implies that we are somehow seperate from the natural world and there is a distinction to be made. There is not, what we do happens in “nature” we are a result of natural processes which continue to act on us and which are affected by our actions. The implication is that there are good or bad chemicals when actually there are just chemicals. Understanding effect, impact and context of use is what counts.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

Chemical: Pesticide, herbicide, petroleum based fertilizer, synthetics Non-Chemical: Limestone, legumes to fix nitrogen, microbial sprays, manure, urine I hear ya, everything is a combination of elements, some occur naturally and some are manufactured. When I say chemical, I mean manufactured

[@yeboscrebo4451]

@@StoneyRidgeFarmeryep

[@carlmenzel8744]

Lime ,gypsum and silica or diatomaceous earth can all benefit your soil and all have there place.

[@johnbrown9623]

FUSAM. Sam can PRINT, FARMERS not so much.

[@edgambino4619]

How does the electric fence keep it charge if you cut it in half

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

cut it in half, and reconnect. The gate handle that I attached goes right through the loop that I created....continuing the circuit of conductivity