Issac and Greg discuss the advantages of unrolling hay to feeding in bale rings.

[@Aires1398]

For everyone able to watch this video this is absolutely correct. I am able to feed our herd in 10 minutes. Everyone uses a bale ring in my area, their pastures are full of dead patch circles. The Greg Judy Bale unroller was a complete game-changer for our farm in Southeastern NC!

[@jameswest673]

Howdy neighbor, from Garner, NC

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Eddie glad it is working well for you. Have a great new year!

[@Aires1398]

@@jameswest673 Howdy, yep here in Maxton, NC.

[@Aires1398]

@@gregjudyregenerativerancher Yep the bale unroller is working great. All the folks that come down the highway and see us use it aren't really sure what we are doing, but I know it is working. Happy New Year!

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

@@Aires1398 You are on the right track when all your neighbors are looking at you like you have two heads! Keep up the good work.

[@SasquatchBioacoustic]

Great to see Isaac back. He brings a lot to the conversation.

[@antonhuman8446]

In not too long has Isaac exploded into an impressive cattleman....... Quite splendid. Very well done team!

[@markrodrigue9503]

The man got got good bones no doubt about it he was raised right

[@antonhuman8446]

@@markrodrigue9503 YES Mark. Although I am 9,000 miles off is it so encouraging to experience exemplary young individuals.

[@kennypridemore5466]

Issac is a very intelligent and his love for cattle and his knowledge of land usage and his soil knowledge !! Really enjoy listening to him .

[@eplmait3409]

great to see issac continue to develop and understand the role of a farmer, greg would be proud his teachings are understood and carried out by someone so close to the land and the life it gives to all things .

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

We are extremely proud of Isaac and his knowledge growth over the time he has been here. Sharp young man with a bright future.

[@larimorefarm472]

We're new to the GJ Bale Unrolling Club but we're having a HAY Day! We love the benefits for the land and the cows get to eat together...Win - Win!! 🐄🌳☀️

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

It is lovely watching the whole family eating contentedly at once. No fighting just eating.

[@markrunion1769]

All of Green Pastures Farm KZbin content is outstanding but this one is excellent for wintertime management. I was thinking along with Isaac and Greg, as they went through the many benefits of unrolling hay, that repetition of these benefits and the comparisons to bale rings is very effective in speaking to farmers with a regenerative, non-conventional, open mind set. Repetition of these time tested methods and showing new farmers a better way. Greg has many videos on this subject and it never gets old because the principles ring true to my ears! Very inspiring to see the content cattle on frozen ground and knowing the grass will be better in the future because of what is being done now!!! Not true with bale rings in 4 feet of mud and deep tractor tire ruts eroding the top soil on those slopes.

[@jeannedigennaro6484]

Interesting about the use of the honey locust trees in the pasture. I love that Greg is still trying new things and learning from his experiments.

[@alterityregenerativeranchi7947]

Great job mentoring young men for our future.

[@kennethheern4896]

Almost everything in this video is absolutely correct. I’ve been unrolling for 2 years. It is nice to see a old cow eat at the same time as the rest, instead of waiting for her turn at the bale rings. The area where the bale ring sits is pretty much dead for around 2 years. I’m one of those guys that doesn’t want thorn trees in my pasture. That’s just me.

[@petereldracher5660]

Unrolled hay one time by pushing it down a slope and was happy how it turned out\how much the cows ate. Dad was not as impressed and since it's his hay we compromised; we feed them in a bale ring, but move it every time a new bale comes out. You guys are awesome, it is my dream to do what you've shown me is possible.

[@petereldracher5660]

Bale rings always fail in muddy weather tho.

[@stuffnsuch631]

True, when there is frost in the ground, bale grazing shines..

[@kylanve]

Greg, I do not know how you dont have more followers! I would LOVE to meet you and learn from you!

[@Lawiah0]

I like the Circling the Wagon method, Issac promoted, for winter feeding Bails. Thank You!

[@marvinbaier3627]

Thanks again for your videos. I’m thinking you are talking about Russ Wilson. He does all kinds of calculations all the time. You 2 are my favorite channels. It’s been cold and windy here. Good to see Isaac back. He looks refreshed and ready to be back at it.

[@xx-zp6wg]

Very informative. Issac's got it down, so knowledgeable now. Greg has trained him so well.

[@julieduchinsky3822]

Thanks for teaching this lesson. Makes a lot of sense. Welcome back Issac, glad you had a great Christmas. Welcome Rucker🐶

[@terrilewis172]

Knowledge is such a power. Great information.

[@georgeheller2281]

By unrolling hay, I can control where my cattle are pooping all day. I don't use poly and step ins to move them during the winter, instead I unroll hay in a different spot each day. Also hay on the ground is quite a bit easier for the cattle to take up with there tounges. -17 now supposed to be -29 tomorrow night. Have a great day.

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

George you Minnesota folks are some tough folks to live in those temperatures. Makes our Missouri temps seem like summer!! Stay safe up there and thanks for sharing your hay feeding methods with us.

[@southernwanderer7912]

I came here from the recommendation of Gary at Walker Farm Fam. You guys are so knowledgeable. I love the information you give.

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Welcome to our channel!

[@C.Hawkshaw]

Yaaay Isaac’s back!

[@happyhobbit8450]

That's awesome -- I love to learn things about Regenerative farming :) Thank You!!!

[@horatiu-emilmoldovan1373]

Great video again, with very helpful information, big cows 1400-1500 lb they can't have a good live during the winter months,i think up to 1200 lb cows they will do great in this grazing method You have

[@davemi00]

Welcome back Issac

[@jacobotto9791]

Love watching your videos Greg. Starting are own farm in Row Crop central in NW Ohio. Hopefully someday soon I'll be able to attend one of your schools and maybe buy some stock from you.

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Hope to meet you at one of our schools someday. Best of grazing to you folks!

[@amandar7719]

Looking forward to meeting the new pups…. and Rucker! 🐾🐾🐾🐾 Congratulations on getting a dog, Issac. So precious a time ahead. Will Jan name one Francis? No disrespect to the clown in a gown, of course. 😐 #Puppiesforall 😂

[@Monmorrangr]

We use walnut for shade in our pastures. The best grass grows around the walnut trees.

[@BenKoser]

Gee, just came across you’re channel and this is great. I’d love to come hangout with you two! Nice to see actual video of all these processes in practice, there’s lots of talk but not as many visuals

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Welcome to our channel

[@hubbardfarms8174]

It's a great idea. Keith at MFA convinced me years ago about the fertilization advantage over hay saving if hay costs $40 and you don't have to buy hay rings (fertilizer prices are so crazy) . I have a Worksaver spinoff on the loader of my tractor. I unroll about 2 squares bale back up 20 feet and unroll another 2 until it's gone. The cattle circle the pile and don't stand in the row and I get better usage. Still straight unroll in cow paths to heal the ground. I try to get the most out of the bale and the manure distribution. Be safe out there we need you.

[@ks_hunter7327]

Honey Locust also are nitrogen fixers as well.

[@wadepatton2433]

Issac did mention it. I was listening for it too, as well as the seed value of unrolling-which they got to.

[@jeannedigennaro6484]

Perhaps also because the tree encourages the growth of clover under its dappled shade.

[@davidhickenbottom6574]

Isaac new carhearts look pretty stiff. I'm feeding small squares all over micro farm. Can't wait for spring and summer. I think I can increase my forage by 60 % easy.

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Well done David!

[@bobstoll9300]

I agree with what you say But comment on how a producer should unroll hay for a group of 25-30? We strip graze stock pile so is it best to unroll the the whole hay ahead and continue to strip graze the grass and the hay

[@davidhickenbottom6574]

I have a friend in Connecticut. He will roll out and put up a hot wire for the next feeding if weather permits.

[@georgeheller2281]

Don't unroll the hay over your stock pile, graze it off first then unroll enough hay, 1/4 or 1/2 a bale, however much it will take to feed your herd. Then you can alternate between hay and grass when you are moving them.

[@pwrmx24]

Thanks for this video. For areas that we need to do just a little hand clean up of briars. ...do you have a recommended tool implement?

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Bushog it with a rotary cutter. Feed unrolled hay on that area in the winter.

[@pwrmx24]

@@gregjudyregenerativerancher thanks. Was thinking of not breaking out the tractor for a small area....by hand is what I meant.

[@jeaniepartridge6701]

As always good information.

[@sidepocket4]

Greg here's hoping you get this message. I was wondering if you do this unrolling method for your sheep?

[@simplynatural100]

This has been a hard year for us - so much snow and wind that was covering hay as fast as we unrolled, so we went back to bale grazing. Couldn't get unroller to the field, truck stuck in drifts , and we were unrolling big bales across field by hand ( no small feat for a middle aged mom and 3 young daughters lol) . But No question bale unrolling spreads fertility, so much better - you can see strips of brilliant green come summer, but with bale grazing It takes 2 years to see that and it's highly concentrated in smaller area. And yeah it kills sod for a year, but cows eat the weeds and such in that spot first every pass you graze - I'm not worried about a few weeds, but I like to spread manure etc farther than a 20 foot ring. I bale grazed for 18 years before we unrolled :) The other nice thing is cows don't have to fight for space - cows and calves are so content when bales unrolled. Same bale in a feeder only let's 12-14 eat at a time so then you need more feeders and more hay wasted. I prefer to not use feeder if bale grazing. But you need good bale 2 cow ratio. Good videos sir!!

[@peter112999]

Hi Can you ship to Australia 🇦🇺 I'm impressed with your round roll feeder Regards Peter

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Not yet!

[@Stella77_7]

The problem with this method in the North with heavy snow is this. It gets wasted as snow cover doesn't allow cows to eat enough. Come spring, you have thick wind rows that nuff out pasture growth

[@bradmartin3112]

In alabama we put lime on broom sage to get rid of it quicker

[@bradmartin3112]

Pine trees cause high acid and high sage.

[@dtvwilp1]

Hi! I'm not quite following how the unrolled hay doesn't get wasted and moldy.. do you need a certain amount of cattle that will eat it before mold grows?

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

With the cattle mob, it certainly does not have time to mold, especially in cold weather.

[@triciahill216]

Happy New Year, Greg - Question: Will grass-fed cattle that have never been wormed likely pick up parasites on a harvested cornfield (stubble not taken off) if they were fed rolled out hay on top of the stubble? One of my concerns is that the cattle might be eating corn grain right off of the ground and possibly pick up parasites in doing so.

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

I don't think it will hurt them, most cropped land does not have a ton of Critters living in the soil after being nuked with all the cides.

[@briansupermag3918]

Greg i have a question. I am learning so... you say how when the cows walk on the ground it helps the growth for the future. Is it the same with horses? If you guys had horses instead of your quads. I have heard the horses Hurt the ground not help it. Thx Greg

[@TheSumo294]

How much do the horses weigh? Aren't the hooves smaller? So the weight to hoof size ratio matters. Anything over 1000 lbs years up your grass!

[@briansupermag3918]

@@TheSumo294 under 1000 i would guess

[@briansupermag3918]

So you would say that a horse tears up grass and is not beneficial like a cow?

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Horses have a flat hoof, if they are left in an area yo long, they can compact the soil. Cows have split hooves which aerate the ground and chop up organic matter.

[@safetyfirst3132]

@@gregjudyregenerativerancher you really can't skip the comments, nuggets of golden information everywhere! Sprinkled in like your perfectly distributed piles of manure, & just as valuable 😉

[@genemciver3425]

can you invest in a couple of lapel mikes? there was so much i missed because I could not hear what Isaac said

[@gentlegiants04]

Would the honey locust thorns be a problem if you have a couple horses in the same pastures with your cattle? I tend to mix my livestock in the same pastures.

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

No

[@tsamuelc]

How can I get one of these? I live in NC, I would even be happy with some sort of a plan so I could build one if I can’t buy it

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

We sell them on our website greenpasturesfarm.net

[@charlesdoolin8149]

Great article

[@yoopermann7942]

GREG will sheep eat those HONEY LOCUST PODs? it is still hard to belive after all your videos that you put out that there are still farmers in both directions of me that are still feeding in those hay rings! oh sure they move their cows once in a while but not very often maybe twice or so a year

[@C.Hawkshaw]

Nuts! some people don’t like money

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Sheep love eating the honey locust pods!

[@marka6719]

Good video I’ve been thinking about unrolling. But I only have 7 head how much hay will be wasted because it takes my cows three days to eat a bale Because I’m running them on 25 stockpiled acers And I have a manure spreader. So is unrolling better for me than rings??? Thanks a ton.

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Unroll only 1/4 of a bale at each feeding. Fence off the rest of it with hot poly wire.

[@marka6719]

@@gregjudyregenerativerancher Thank You so much.

[@triciahill216]

Hi Greg - If we cover our purchased hay, does it matter much if we buy net or twine wrapped hay to unroll with our GJ bale unroller? Which wrap is preferred? Thank you.

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

If your going to cover the bales, either netting or string wrapped will work fine.

[@tracypowell3473]

Have y'all had any dealings with night shade(dove weed).

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

No we don't have much dove weed on our farm.

[@dougfranco9995]

feeding two large round bale of hay side by side good or bad?

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Depends what your trying to do. If you have really poor soil, then unrolling it side by side will heal the land quicker than skipping around areas.

[@xx-zp6wg]

Issaac, really is very handsome.... just saying...

[@thatguy2105]

Greg, Do you know where I could buy a bale unroller that goes on a 3pt?. I wish you would come to Northern Michigan, and give your ideas of how to opperate where you get snow 2-3 ft deep?

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

I would bale graze in that kind of environment. Place bales in the fall in rows spaced 50 feet apart and put a hot wire on them. Strip graze the bales.my friend Neil Dennis did it for years in Canada and he got tons of snow with bitter cold.when the cows ate one row of bales, he gave them another row with hot wire fence taken down. Neil never started a tractor the whole winter. His pastures the next year were breathtakingly beautiful lush forage. No commercial fertilizer used.

[@thatguy2105]

@@gregjudyregenerativerancher The majority of the bales we feed the cow, are balage. I do have a tracked skidsteer that will go through just about anything, and feeding the animals actually gets much easier if it is frozen out. This fall was a complete disaster. We had snow, then warm, then more snow, and warm again. I couldn't put the cattle anywhere that wouldn't turn into mud within hours. I am just hoping to come up with a usable strategy for Northern Michigan.

[@nathandrumhiller27]

How do you feel about blae grazing?

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Bale grazing works great in north country where the ground stays frozen all winter. I tried it many years ago in Missouri and it was a colossal wreck. To much mud, destroyed my pastures.

[@nathandrumhiller27]

@@gregjudyregenerativerancher I am trying for the first time this year on about 40 acers see what the difference is between that and rolling it out...ill let you know

[@tracypowell3473]

Would it not not be necessary to unroll just part of your roll for a smaller number of cows?

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

That is what our bale unroller customers do with small herds. If you only need a 1/4 bale unrolled, that is easy to do. Take the rest of the bale back to your hay yard.

[@lindagates9150]

I have been thinking about the bale rings and I wonder if it would be possible to move a unit like you do with the mineral feeders ? I am thinking about homesteaders who have a micro herd to supply milk and meat mainly for them selves. I wonder what kind of skids would have to be retrofitted and if it is even possible? I would think that creating a solid surface around the feeder and adding another chore mucking out the feeding station and spreading the wealth might work? The ideas one can come up with after sleeping on it.. I think you gave a definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Good to see the lad again it seems like forever. Four puppies to train I foresee interesting videos in the future. 👍👍👍🌟💝🌟🖖🖖🖖🌟💐🌟🤔🤠🙄🌟🤷🏼‍♀️🌟😘💞💞💞💞💞💞🙋🏼‍♀️

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

You might have trouble moving the skids in wet weather. Whatever you pull it with is going to leave ruts

[@brucemattes5015]

Greg, I have noticed a *LOT* of recent KZbin videos from a *LOT* of different KZbin regenerative farming channels who are *SERIOUSLY pushing back* against unrolling hay. This has all been happening since the middle of 2023 up until the present *(Jan 19, 2024).* The vast majority of the farms showcased in these KZbin videos *ARE NOT* located in northern tier states or Canada where the ground freezes solid and stays that way until late in spring. Instead, they are located in climates very similar, if not identical to your climate in Missouri, and are scattered all across the United States. The common theme amongst all of these naysayers is that they either regard the time spent unrolling hay as wasted, or else claim not to possess the necessary time required to accomplish the unrolling. The other common theme is that they *ALL* claim that the heavy concentration of urine and feces around the bale feeding location promotes a lusher, greener, and longer term stand of pasture grasses than unrolling does. All of the images provided in these 15-20 different videos supports those claims. The grass in the bale feeding circles appears to be at least twice as tall as the pasture plants surrounding that circle. The fallacy that I see in these people's arguments against unrolling hay is that with a single exception, they *ALL* place their bale rings or unprotected bales in the same general spots where their livestock will be somewhat sheltered from the winter winds by any trees and brush as well as any terrain features that exist. As a result, that excessive nitrogen dump of fertility surrounding the bale ring/naked bales *CAN'T, and WON'T* be evenly distributed across their fields. If I am correct in my assumptions, and I know that *ASSUMING* is a dangerous word because it makes an *ASS* out of *U* and *ME,* then any pastures treated in this fashion will have outstanding stands of lush growth in scattered rings around a field, with poor stands of growth in between those lush green circles. *To this non-farmer that doesn't seem like an intelligent long-term pasture improvement strategy, but I am willing to be educated differently.*

[@derekrosichuk3806]

Do you feed bales like this to your sheep?

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Sheep prefer to graze

[@oby-1607]

Absolutely agree with spreading the hay out so the bully animals don't take all the hay. There is a pecking order in all creatures.

[@georgeehlers2575]

Don't the cows lay on the hay and piss all over it?but I can see how the seeds distribute by the cows trampling the hay

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Depends how much hay you unroll. If you overfeed them and they get full, then they will lay down on the uneaten hay. Remember it is not waste when you can grow double the grass in those areas the next year.

[@perigrine]

Unrolling a hay bale like a roll of toilet paper over rather than under so that as you pull, it unspools easily.

[@johnwayne7595]

Also the hay unrolls the same as the net

[@johnmirbach2338]

🤓🖖✌👌👍😎

[@happyhobbit8450]

LETS GROW GARDENS!!! :) How about we stop paying attention to the Ass Clown Show they call politics and make this phrase go viral ... the MOVEMENT starts with the second person to promote it!!! I double dare you to make this bigger than the Brandon bullshit which in my opinion shows that people are lowering themselves to the Ass Clown level . . . energy flows where attention goes :) Paying more attention to something like growing gardens is a better use of your attention.

[@CMVBrielman]

Just take a look on a satellite map of a farm with bale rings if you want to see just how much is wasted when you use them.

[@whitshane3511]

BALE RING ALERT! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXXYmHV9n7SKoNU She's so close. Concerned with soil fertility and has a great start with her herd, but she needs this video, Greg! Great video! MESSAGE HER, GREG!

[@safetyfirst3132]

🤣

[@davidquinlan8517]

Greg: If I were a bale ring manufacturer, would I be thinking I'm in a world of hurt? Like buggy whip manufacturers in 1910.

[@sunstruckfarms4489]

I doubt it , I'll still use rings

[@larryteel8610]

I like your videos but keeping that honey locust is wrong on so many levels. They are the devil's tree.

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

They make awesome shade trees that grow 2-3 feet a year. Cows will not kill them either. On a 100 degree day with 100% humidity, our cows love the comfort they offer.

[@larryteel8610]

@@gregjudyregenerativerancher I have 180 acres south of Warsaw that I have been fighting these things since 1987. Very hard to eradicate. Very hard on tires. There are other trees for shade. But your take on pasture management is brilliant indeed. I have recently watched a lot of your KZbin videos. I am fascinated by what your accomplishing.