How to grow tons of grass without artificial fertilizer!

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Күн бұрын

How to grow tons of grass without artificial fertilizer! When you start focusing on feeding billions of soil microbes with each grazing pass, positive results are the result. Earthworms are the key to jumpstarting unhealthy lifeless soil. Every piece of carbon that you can feed an earthworm is money in your soil fertility bank. There is no other natural mechanism that gives you a higher return for your efforts, just feed them!

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@russellpitney278 6 ай бұрын

Ive been fighting a family member who continues to believe in burning the pasture ground every year. so sad to watch the litter bank go up in smoke btw he's a PHD

@gregjudyregenerativerancher 6 ай бұрын

Wow, that is sad. We certainly don’t that carbon put into smoke, we need it in the soil.

@TheFortKnight 6 ай бұрын

You could tell him about researching creating biochar in a retort or pit and adding that to the land instead.

@marvinbaier3627 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for the video! The weather is crazy. We are going to get 70s for a couple days then drop off temperatures. We having a lot of castings too. We are slowly building our litter bank too. I bought some cheap hay a couple weeks ago. It wasn’t the best but it will build our soil quickly. I’m guessing it won’t grow much this year but it will be awesome the years following. The FedEx is coming tomorrow so I can finish my fence. The forecast for tomorrow is rain and 70s. I’m thinking of planting some leftover cover crops today and that is where I’m going to plant my native plants.

@shwa8157 6 ай бұрын

Lookin good! Happy almost spring, Greg Judy! And everyone else!

@mactan_layover 6 ай бұрын

You can wien calves by the almanac sign I think the knees but better double check that also spreading gravel it won't sink food for thought try it sometime if you have the time

@charliebarger8193 6 ай бұрын

I am in Michigan. It was in the 70’s that day. Very next day it was in the 20’s and snowing. lol so crazy

@user-kv2pt4lu9y 6 ай бұрын

March 3, 2024: in north central PA, our yo-yo temperatures have us switching between snow/ice and rain.

@amyf8231 6 ай бұрын

I do that with my foals when I wean them, put a mature mare in with them to “ baby sit” I believe it really helps reduce stress in the foals

@Alex_Riddles 6 ай бұрын

I live in town on my " quarter acre farm" with vegetable gardens, a home orchard, and a chicken tractor. I have found that as I have managed things for soil building, the worm population has increased dramatically. The problem I have is that the earthworm population has provided a food source for moles, and they are tearing up what lawn I have remaining. I wonder whether having cattle in a pasture and the sound hoof beats might drive them away.

@goatsdoingstuff 6 ай бұрын

Beautiful earth worm casings Greg! 🪱💩

@ctsmith580 6 ай бұрын

Still Morning.

@_Justin0305 6 ай бұрын

Off topic question..to save money on my start-up costs should I leave the stumps on my one acre once it’s cleared and add the glyphosate on top of the stumps and come back later when I have the money to remove them? I didn’t think it would cause any issues, but wanted to ask. Thanks you!

@windyridgefarm 6 ай бұрын

What’s your opinion on spreading lime to build the PH? Do you buy and spread the lime or let the animals do it? We have low PH here in WV. Broom siege all over.

@gregjudyregenerativerancher 6 ай бұрын

If our soil test is extremely low ph and we can afford it, we spread lime. In our early days, we simply could not afford lime, so we unrolled hay on our worst broomsedge areas each winter. It took 4-5 years but the broomsedge is gone.

@windyridgefarm 6 ай бұрын

@@gregjudyregenerativerancher ok that was my thoughts exactly just didn’t know how you felt about lime. I bought a hay unroller and it has worked wonders. I always have way more hay than I need so they usually get it if they need it or not. I don’t look at it as waisting hay as some do. I look at it as building soil. Thank for the reply 👍🏻

@zoda4 6 ай бұрын

I didn't think you weaned the heffer calves? Did you change practices? I might have missed that video?

@TheFortKnight 6 ай бұрын

Where’s the link for fencing? I probably missed it.

@jerilynnsfarm467 6 ай бұрын

This is beautiful stockpile, but how to build grass if you're starting with nothing? I mean NOTHING! Our land is bare spots, stubs of clover, dog fennel, and broom straw, with a little fescue thrown in. We're on South Carolina. I know animals can build this soil. No tractor, so starting over completely isn't an option. Right now I move them every other day and feed more hay than they eat placed strategically over the worst spots. This summer the dog fennel will take over before they can stomp it down. I don't want to add more animals because there's virtually nothing for them to eat now. Seems a Catch 22 to me. Suggestions??

@tritchie6272 6 ай бұрын

I suspect that if you keep doing what your doing grass will start coming back. I'm not guaranteeing that,but if memory serves Greg has had grass come back after putting hay down and improving the soil. Now if you had somebody give you some good grass seed and you was able to broadcast it by hand at the right time then let the cattle trample the seed it might not hurt. I really hope it don't take to long for things to get better for you. And hopefully Greg will see this and hopefully have better answers than I do. In full transparency I'm just going by what I've seen online,not experience.

@timshirk6261 6 ай бұрын

The truth probably is that the people before you have seriously degraded the soil in biological active carbon which needs to be built back up before things will change. Cattle with proper management will do that but will take time and herd will need to be small so some of the grass can lignify and the cattle stomp it back on soil surface so biology can consume it, if it erect and not touching soil it will oxidize and you will lose it. Other way to go faster is to haul a lot of carbon in. Other thing is a soil test to mostly see what your calcium levels are

@danielnaberhaus5337 6 ай бұрын

Add mulch to the bare spots. Leaves, grass clippings, sticks, compost.

@jerilynnsfarm467 6 ай бұрын

@@tritchie6272 thank you for your response and encouragement!

@jerilynnsfarm467 6 ай бұрын

@@timshirk6261 it was pure pine and Greenbrier when we bought it. It's definitely been an uphill battle. I have about eight acres in pasture and only a cow/calf pair and a steer that will be going to freezer camp probably end of the year. I'm considering adding sheep to eat the things the cows don't and vice versa. Got our soil test back this week. I'm still waiting on the organic matter results. (They take longer) Calcium is at 16% CEC. pH was at 5.3. Better than I thought, but will still broadcast lime. I can also broadcast some seed. I thought at least annual rye. Thank you for your response.

@danphillips4590 6 ай бұрын

Greg, 50 acres in Va, 50% grass is on 30-40 degree hills. How to keep grass, topsoil on our hills? Rotation will be sufficient to achieve you think?

@gregjudyregenerativerancher 6 ай бұрын

Let your pastures fully recover between grazings. Establish a litter bank and manage your stocking rate accordingly to your moisture and grass growth.