How To Double the Value of This Round Bale

[@samuelshell3169]

Where I live in East Tennessee the farmers will feed on a hillside by unrolling a round bale from the top downward. It’s the same principle as what you’re doing. Keep up the good work!

[@saemushailstorm3135]

love that - can picture scene in mind , lol !

[@margaretleboeuf6765]

It's wonderful that you're reaching an audience not only natural farming, but those of us who supported the natural farming practices. My grandparents, aunt and uncle were farmers in Oklahoma and Texas. There's no comparison between typical store bought food. Especially for those of us who are fortunate to have been raised with home grown food. And if we can't grow it, we will search for food from natural farmers. I'm fortunate to have those products available locally. Thank you for sharing and teaching others.

[@The15secondsOfame]

City girl here, but a country girl at heart. So enjoy your videos, family and the comments from SH fans. Your mini-tractor is cool! I totally appreciate and respect the family farms. 💕

[@PaulaJoDavis]

LOVE your Scotties! We had them in Ely, MN at one time! They were the best herd we've ever had. Blessings from NE Missouri!

[@duett445]

We want more videos from Swedish homestead each one is interesting and great to watch.

[@slycat1939]

Your cattle look awesome. The amazing things you learn to improve your fields amazes me. I am an advid follower and will continue to do so. I may never be a farmer but I have learned lots from your videos. We had a wood burning stove and when we cleaned it out my husband use to take the ashes and dump them in our bad spots of grass in our yard. And the next thing we knew it was lush green new grass. I think this what you are doing will help lots. I am praying for you all weekly for the blessings to continue and for all your family and farm animals too. God bless and watch over you always.

[@ritamoore3940]

I am stoked after watching Greg Judy and I 'm not even raising animals on my city garden. I am amazed with all the wise land management that God is revealing through numerous people at this time in history. You are part of that too, Simeon. Love from Canada

[@bebepoppy1604]

We love watching your channel. It is always informative. It is nice to watch honest hard working people with actual substance to their videos. My husband and quit watching some channels cause it is like they just wander around and really have no purpose. It is just a way to put out more videos. Thank you!

[@cherylwilliams81]

Great job filming! Thanks!💕

[@millerl333]

Thank you for sharing the information! I noticed that you are having a much wetter summer compared to last year - that helps make your pastures lush and green.

[@284Winchester]

Works good as long as you’re not in a hurry been doing that too for a long time. Also works great to fill in washed out areas with older hay that has a lot of waste due to rain, age etc.

[@markhedger6378]

Lovely video,I added lots of wood ash donated from a friends woodpellet burning stove to my poor boggy soil , it helps with the PH and I got very good results.

[@PrairiePlantgirl]

The cows were saying, “ hay! Come back with that bale!” This sounds like a great idea. I love how you manage your land and animals.

[@olddawgdreaming5715]

That’s the original manure spreader method Simeon! You compact the herd into a smaller area and the nutrients are spread more evenly! Great idea wherever it comes from. Thanks for sharing with us.

[@demonrathunter]

Simeon, I have been watching you since your video showing Wrangler star your old wood splitter and have learned alot from you and have also confirmed some ideas I have had about somethings. I would just like to say THANK YOU for such a great channel ! God Bless all of you !

[@akindofmagick]

Can’t wait to see the results!

[@Rowdymotmot]

I like this method. Much better than chemical fertilizer.

[@kerryl4031]

It'll be great to see the difference this time next year. Cheers Simeon - and son!

[@matthewjohnson3910]

Nicely done thanks for sharing

[@JohnThomas-nn6qt]

taking care of your cattle, if you haven't yet, look into Greg Judy and animal rotation. enjoy warching your journey into the farm life....

[@normamason3185]

I watch Justin Rhodes and Greg Judy's channel. I also watch a channel called The African Homestead. You are watching Justin and he is showing Greg's way, as well as Joel Salatin's ways of improving the land. The African Homestead is also learning from all 3 of these guys and will be improving the land in Liberia the way - amazing that all across the world, because of youtube, that this kind of basic information is being shared and that it works for all these different parts of our world.

[@EastTexasRanching]

We unroll our hay. But in the winter, we have about 100 to 120 head that are eating the hay. This allows them to all get some so that the 'bully' cattle don't keep the younger and less aggressive ones from getting their share. We have a lot of hills on the grazing pastures. We do not, however, feed our cattle on the hay pastures (even though we do allow grazing on those pastures right before the beginning and close to the ending of hay season). The reason is that it has caused 'bald spots' in the hay pasture. This has been due to a couple of things... the hay that wasn't eaten smothering the grass, and the fact that wild hogs prefer those areas to root around in, and thus destroys the hay in that area. Our hay rolls are between 1000 to 1200 lbs, and I use a tractor to start them unrolling down a hill. Great video. Will be interesting to see how it works out for you.

[@simeonandalex]

Thanks for sharing. Have you checked out Greg Judy and his bale roler?

[@EastTexasRanching]

@@simeonandalex No, haven't checked that out yet.

[@andreafalconiero9089]

Greg Judy's bale unroller is really slick, and one of the best things about it is that you can use lightweight equipment (an ATV or small truck) for unrolling, thereby avoiding soil compaction and the cost of running a tractor. Here's a link to a video showing the one they're selling commercially, with details of how it works: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5zThpWnh5yIq68 Greg talks about some of the advantages of using the unroller, and the harm that can be caused by using bale rings on pasture in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pIGkgHeMqq6imLM

[@JohnThomas-nn6qt]

suggestion...look at the Johnson-Su composting method of making a compost tea to spread over your pastures that encourges growth of the grasses...

[@elizabethannpesco9781]

Just want to say, I am really enjoying the music & love the videos

[@eaminyashed7799]

I love how your cows follow you around like curious puppies

[@hughbrackett343]

They sure seemed to know what was on the back of the tractor.

[@martysaskatchewan740]

There's some folks around who just leave the bales in the field and turn the cows loose in the field. Or not even bother baling and just leave the swaths. Whatever way ya go its the same process. That green manure plus focused cow manure/urine deposits are the best. Ever see Jim Elizondo? He's a Mexican cattle farmer running 1.4 cows per acre and increasing that stocking rate every year. Very interesting stuff!

[@abcd1234jason]

Another thing you can do is over graze that land using hay or silage spread out to supplement the cattle(if you could get one day out of the paddock keep them in there for 3 days) then once the animals are finished is get some harrows (you can home make some) and spread the cows manure, it's something that we've done in New Zealand for years, nearly all the cows in NZ are grass fed.

[@rickmatz1935]

The cows leave most of the stems which have very little feed value and are hard to digest. However this trash on the ground holds moisture and is a perfect environment for insects and bacteria. Drastically improving grass or crop production.

[@edieboudreau9637]

Thank you. Good info. Healthy happy cows and improving pasture all in 1 vid.

[@sctpc]

We had to give hay at flood time and would use feeding racks (movable) and add apple cider and molasses to the hay. another one is sullage. we had a chipper for the cow feed we grew and would collect it from the valleys and spreed it on the hills to rot on the way back to the valley and stop soil wash.

[@mountainviewturning5319]

Great video

[@patparsons218]

Hi there! Love watching your videos! You guys are getting really good at producing them! Wanted to turn you on to another successful market gardener's videos. Think he will have a wealth of infformation for you. Charles Dowding....his yeilds are fantastic and with minimal work. Hope you enjoy them!

[@drekfletch]

ABC Acres has a few videos of how they're doing this, but in the winter. Setting the bales out on the snow. As does Anathoth Community Farm.

[@kflan3342]

I am also wondering if putting chickens behind the cows would help disrupt the moss and allow grass seeds to sprout?

[@rosejafari8917]

They would spread the patties and put their fertilizer on the ground also.

[@brucea550]

Moss is almost always a sign of acidic soil, as he mentioned. Whatever raises the ph is good. So chicken manure is usually moderately alkaline and should help.

[@christelchristely2816]

You coul also add tree-hay, It adds plenty of minerals.

[@jackclark4356]

What is tree hay?

[@saemushailstorm3135]

??? what , pine needles ? round here called 'pine straw'

[@andreafalconiero9089]

@@jackclark4356 Tree hay is what you get when you _coppice_ or _pollard_ a fast-growing species of tree, such as willow, linden, aspen, or alder, and then feed the cuttings to livestock. The cuttings can be fed either immediately, or stockpiled as "tree hay". Coppicing and pollarding trees was once a common practice in Europe (maybe still is in some places), with the small-gauge timber that results being used for many things -- kindling, fencing, and... livestock feed.

[@gelwood99]

@@andreafalconiero9089 This was done by our forefather in America too.

[@susansollee1839]

Simeon, You are soo wise. No better fertilizer for your land than fresh from your beautiful cows!👍🏻🌻🤗💕

[@susansollee1839]

Simeon, did Meanies calf survive? Thank you🌻

[@PIANOSEEDS]

My favorite movie of all time is Babe, and that's the name I would give to your sow.

[@davidglenn1]

Have you thought about incorporating a few goats into your rotational grazing? Seems like they may be useful for keeping down the woody plants that the cows don’t like. If no goats, maybe follow the cows with a mower to cut down that woody stuff?

[@simeonandalex]

The cattle eat the woody plants fine, but with the rotational grazing they always have time to recover. I will cut them down with the brush cutter and that will be it. We are hoping to get sheep again soon.

[@davidglenn1]

Swedish Homestead thanks for responding!

[@andreafalconiero9089]

Although they do an excellent job at clearing out unwanted brush, Goats are very troublesome to contain without excellent fencing. Greg Judy gets about the same result using St. Croix sheep. He says they browse almost as well as the goats (though not as high), but are easy to contain with a single electrified polybraid wire once they've been trained on it. If you can solve these sorts of problems with sheep rather than goats, that seems like a much better way to go since there's usually a much better local market for lamb than goat meat, and you won't have to spend $$$ on fencing.

[@davidepool5884]

Your cows and calves are so fat! You definitely take good care of them. Highland cattle are a beautiful breed! I love your channel! I think your channel was the first homesteading channel I started watching. I find what you do on your homestead very interesting. Keep the videos coming.

[@brianjonker510]

So much hair and fur how do you tell if they are fat or thin?

[@JaktOscar]

Köp en gammal gödselspridare och kör ut gödslet med traktorn. Rent tidsmässigt vinner du mycket på det!

[@richard4743]

Hello Semion, you speak of you herd, It brought to mind Sally is she still in the heard?

[@chelemichele1524]

👍👍 Have a wonderful day 🌻🌻🌻

[@mjadams3731]

Can't help but think this will be very beneficial for the land and for you. Will be interested to see how it plays out given another year. How often will the hay be added?... is this a forever process?

[@simeonandalex]

I hope to only do this a couple of times.

[@VicsYard]

This is awesome!

[@burkiwa]

Funny. Yesterday, I watch a video from 'Just Have A Think', regarding just what you are describing, but for a different but related reason. At least, that's how I see it.

[@FoodwaysDistribution]

And that's why sometimes you see the combine harvesters spreading hay all over the field when harvesting. Try to make ashes and spread them in your field even ashes in your BBQ are great.

[@olnamgrunt9857]

You have to be innovative in your environment, I hope it works out God bless

[@atlanticcanuck2826]

Hi Simeon, did your dad ever finish his lumber kiln? You did a video on it a couple years ago. Maybe you could do an update on how it turned out. Thanks!

[@Jorian1107]

Hi Simeon, just something I’m noticing at home; if we feed hay on pasture and it falls on the grass, the grass underneath it dies. It does eventually come back, but in my experience this was mostly with more weeds in between the grass... I’m not sure if this effect might be more positive on poor soil, I sure hope so for you!

[@joanneganon7157]

Great info. Thanks 😊 Jo Jo in VT

[@kenknutson1598]

Grass makes animals grow. Animals make plants grow. You could almost think it was planned.

[@brucea550]

That evolution is a funny thing how it all works together huh?

[@jackclark4356]

What a marvel this symbiosis is. Seems as though they evolved together, hand in hand!

[@saemushailstorm3135]

in proper sequence , yes indeed

[@gerrymarmee3054]

God did a great job!

[@kenyonbissett3512]

Do you offer your cows free choice minerals? I watched a Greg Judy video showing him offering 16 different minerals. The cows knowing each field is missing. They eat the missing mineral and excrete excess in their manure. He been doing for more than 3 years with great results. Just amazing.

[@pjd7695]

this its call BALE GRAZING , #LubuskieAngusowo doing it for years , and its working nicely

[@PaulHigginbothamSr]

Improving this pasture even more would be a tractor mower to get rid of the trees growing. Either that or put goats, like 5 in here when the cows are off on another pasture.

[@sizemorej]

After using your pigs to compost your winter feeding station manure do you think it could be suitable for button mushrooms?

[@robthompsonfarm3902]

Awesome video.. Do you still milk the heifer and make dairy products?

[@cabbyhubby]

Bro.....you can't milk a heifer, technically

[@nancycaffee6192]

Could you also run your hogs there to disturb the ground and then over seed just before you move the pigs off?

[@andreafalconiero9089]

Running hogs after cattle is an excellent idea -- much of their nutrient intake can probably be supplied by fresh cattle dung if you move both species daily in succession. Not only will this save on forage, but a lot of that cattle dung will contain fly eggs that will never hatch out to bother the livestock once those eggs become pigfeed! After moving the pigs into the next paddock, broadcasting a few handfuls of annual grain species on any patches of exposed soil would probably also be a good idea -- this would provide quick re-growth (which is what annuals are for!), before the perennials retake the area. Re-seeding with perennials probably isn't necessary, unless you're trying to change the mix of species you're growing (more legumes, for example). If you want to make things even more elaborate, run egg-laying chickens after the pigs, and they'll eat _some_ of that grain and scratch the rest of it into the soil, providing even better germination. permaculturenews.org/2014/08/22/can-cow-produce-100-pounds-pig-feed-day-poland/

[@finlandfarmer1860]

With a truck load of lime you could "fertilize" quite many of your fields and get rid of the moss. Costs (here) about 40-45 eur/ton spread on the field. A better growth would multiply the organic matter way better than spreading pretty expensive baled hay on the fields.

[@brucea550]

Yeah, I was wondering about that, because he is only correcting part of the field this way.

[@marianfrances4959]

@@brucea550 he only wanted to correct part of the field in the first place!!!

[@brucea550]

He wants to correct a section of pasture, but it would seem this will only affect a small part of that section. The benefit of the unrolled bale is not going to spread to areas 100’ away.

[@richardduke9788]

Greg Judy , I follow his videos also .

[@brianjonker510]

How much does that bale weigh? 200KGs I will guess? and also If those grasses went to seed before getting baled, many of the grass seeds will pass thru the cow and germinate in that spot. Can work against you if there are weeds in the bale.

[@simeonandalex]

That is my own bale and it only has good seeds in it from our hay field so it will only be a bonus. The weight is at least 300kg.

[@joha7484]

Hello Simeon !!!

[@ssubotai]

When do you start picking the hazelnuts?

[@Theorimlig]

Those are wild hazels, my guess is that he doesn't pick them. They're good for squirrels, and probably some birds and stuff like that. I'm in Sweden too and the hazelnuts are hard but still green right now. :)

[@daemonember]

Who did you breed your cows to this year? The bull you had went to freezer camp

[@davidhickenbottom6574]

You need to build a bail unroller Greg Judy uses one check out his channel Greenpasture farm. Feeding hay there is money in the bank I'd feed them 5 days then move them back to fresh pasture.God bless love you guys. Sorry didn't Finnish the video before my comments. Gregs coming to Albany NY the end of month close to me would love to go but I'm taking pigs to butcher same day. Plus its $400. Dollars may be next time.

[@brendahere]

How long does it take food to go through? I was thinking if you move them after 24 hours, they would be in the next section when they dropped their load.

[@wojomojo]

Do you leave leave the cattle in that section longer than usual, due to the supplemental hay?

[@brianjonker510]

That is the idea. Leave the cows longer to drop more of that natural fertilizer.

[@SedatedByLife]

I wish I could do that with my dogs poop in the yard.... Unfortunately that creates landmines for me all year long and a pretty bad smell. Living in the city that's not a good thing 😜

How big is the area you give them daily?

[@jaylittleton1]

I am not a farmer or gardener so I may be wrong. Does the brown dried hay add Nitrogen to the soil? Could the same happen if the pasture was mowed after the cows were moved off? i.e. mow & let dry to brown, let plants grow up through that mulch, then open for grazing & trampling.

[@bettybay2181]

You're starting to get it! Look up Greg Judy videos He calls himself a regenerative farmer.

[@andreafalconiero9089]

Mowing also works, but not as well as livestock, according to Greg Judy. It isn't just the plant litter, but also the effect that trampling by ruminant feet has on the soil. In dry exposed areas, the hooves break apart the surface encrustation, allowing for better rainfall absorption and seed germination. In normal areas, the tugging action that occurs when cattle take mouthfuls of grass loosens the soil below the plant and re-awakens microbial life to stimulate quick re-growth. None of these benefits occur with mowing. Grasses and grazers have been co-evolving for millions of years in a mutually beneficial symbiosis, so it should come as no surprise that the natural system works better than whatever we come up with!

[@LWren-nr6ud]

It's a shame you have so many predators around, raising meat chickens on that land would be perfect. I raise quail in an aviary on deep bedding wood chips (although it is exposed to the elements) and several times a year I empty out wheelbarrow loads of it that has turned to lovely rich soil full of worms! They are so cheap to feed and I get wood chips for free so that even before selling the eggs it's cheaper than buying soil for my raised garden beds. The "soil" at my house is 99% sand and had no topsoil at all but 1.5 years of chopping and dropping weeds and sparse grass, then running my quail in micro chicken tractors has made it so lush and green that I ended up getting ducks to keep the grass down and eat all the bugs coming to my yard!

[@madampolo]

You are trying to improve the fertility of your pastures by spreading hay. I remember some time back that you mentioned the government has given some mining company the right to mine your property (as well as your neighbor's) and that you would lose your land and need to move. That was being protested. What was the result? It sounded like in Sweden the government could do that and property owners didn't have a chance.

[@wojomojo]

Joyce T In America as well certain land is being threaten too by this administration, near the Southern border for building The Wall. Usurping land ownership anywhere is a major attack on farmers and land owners.

[@andreafalconiero9089]

Isn't that the same almost everywhere? Mineral rights are separate from rights to use the surface land (surface rights), and they are bought and sold separately. If you don't own the mineral rights on the land, then someone else can buy those from whoever owns them (sometimes that's the government) and then exploit them. That's obviously a risk associated with buying land without the mineral rights. I believe that system is common in both Canada and the US at least -- it isn't unique to Sweden.

[@brucea550]

Correct. I have 3 properties all within 10 miles radius and only one do I own the mineral rights. In USA.

[@mjadams3731]

Have you considered goats to eat unwanted pasture growth? Goats milk could produce cheeses as income. Kind of a win-win situation.....Would this be a viable means your homestead could sustain?

[@charlesgraham843]

I would also mow those fields. This will stop or slow down the growth of vegetation you and the cows don't want.

[@hankchinaski4651]

I was wondering how many acres is the homestead?

[@janniegordan8757]

why not try to try putting pings in that field for 48 hours . then let the cows back in there.

[@meddler69]

you ever consider reindeer ?

[@saemushailstorm3135]

yup . from those plants soil is DEFINITELY acidic & low fertility ; great idea ! & your 'chapeau' looking more & more 'field seasoned' , ha ; maybe fix tear in right knee of pants witj duct tape, giving THAT some 'character' too ! ~ now , was that YOUR hay from earlier this year ? just curious

[@wilburfinnigan2142]

That is fine IF you have a good supply of cheap hay.....but if you have to buy expensive hay it is very wasteful and expensive way to feed !!!!

[@gominosensei2008]

like any investment in the future, on the short term it feels like a waste. if you do it in such a way that you can be reasonably sure that this "loss" will create more grass and feed source for the next years, it's an investment.

[@simeonandalex]

Again, this is to push the understanding of the fertility value in a round bale.

[@wilburfinnigan2142]

@@simeonandalex Here again......IF......you put that same hay through the cow you have the same benefit, less the waste !!!!

[@wilburfinnigan2142]

@@gominosensei2008 Better more efficient to run that hay through the cow !!! It all ends up the same place and the cow gets the benefit of the nutrician !!! !

[@andreafalconiero9089]

​@@wilburfinnigan2142 It's more efficient for the cows, but not necessarily the soil. Manure is concentrated in certain spots, whereas a bale unroller distributes the nutrients evenly over a wide area, where they get trampled underfoot and incorporated into the soil. Earthworms and other microbes then eat the hay left behind by the cattle. Besides, what are the alternatives when feeding hay? As Greg Judy has shown, if you use a bale ring or some other method to _not_ spread out the bale, then that concentrates all the nutrients from both the bale and cattle waste right around the ring, creating a burned-out area that can persist for several years, and leaving more distant parts of the paddock under-fertilized. It also limits access to the feed for the less dominant animals, rather than sharing the nutrients equally to all members of the herd. Using a bale unroller solves these problems.

[@crazyunclebob9063]

you might look into goats they will remove the weeds that are in your pasture.

[@dixiemae5042]

👍🏻

[@mariannefroholdt9783]

Ja mose trives i sur jord😉

[@MrNissetuta]

How i start to hate William Painter and no! I will never buy your sunglasses!

[@kevinkall8547]

Don't get me wrong, I do like your channel and values, but you spend energy to harvest that hay. The cows should be eating as much as possible. To say its good for them to trample is down is bogus. What if your kids threw half of their food into the pasture. You would not a glowing positive report of that.

[@lathamindustries6316]

Orgasmic people make me laugh!

[@jedetraktor_cz]

how to double value of this round bale : get to the point . I dont want to watch 10 minutes of unrealted stuff . Got bored , left .

[@abcd1234jason]

Jede traktor do you ever get the feeling that it's not always about you?