My 5 Takeaways From Surprising Forage Test Results

[@KevinElmore-d3l]

Thank you for taking the time (and $) to run the tests and assess what you have …AND be willing to put it all out there for others to benefit from your effort.

[@birchfieldfarming]

You bet, thanks for watching!🤠

[@AG-zn6xz]

Thanks Jason

[@birchfieldfarming]

You bet

[@darylbrown7849]

Great information. Thanks

[@birchfieldfarming]

You bet

[@nicholaspappas101]

Awesome video! Thank you!

[@birchfieldfarming]

You bet, thanks for watching

[@dustinscott9233]

Great Video!

[@birchfieldfarming]

Thanks, Dustin!

[@godricfamilyfarm]

Really great video content Sir.

[@birchfieldfarming]

@@godricfamilyfarm Thanks, Stuart! Hope all is well and Merry Christmas!

[@KPVFarmer]

Excellent content with the studies to back it up. Thanks for sharing! Farm On! 🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸

[@birchfieldfarming]

Thanks for watching!🤠

[@simplepigfarmer337]

Good Job. You're educating the average producer on what they need to know. The main thing you're doing is that you're asking the right questions. Our farms hay is all ensilage. We put it up between 30% & 40% moisture. Primary fertilizer source is chicken litter. Our protein has always been on the high side, 17-20. TDN's very good but not enough energy to balance the higher protein. A month ago we discovered an energy source to offer and it looks promising. You can get it in liquid or lick blocks. We chose the lick block. The cost is a little scary but forage consumption and mineral consumption is way down. Any mineral offered to the cattle is weighed to the gram. Since we started the mineral program in July we have their monthly consumption and daily costs laid out on spreadsheets. The energy blocks are better than free because they're saving us money. P.S. You already have an account with the company that got us started on it. It's their Cornerpost energy product. Tell us how to get hold of you that isn't so public and we'll tell you the rest of the story.

[@birchfieldfarming]

@@simplepigfarmer337 [e-mail] and thanks!

[@mark3r442]

sorry, always come to you when I have a question haha. I just started with sheep and looks like lambing will be starting in March/April, so getting really close. I was wondering if you could share some must have/must know information for my first lambing season. It sounds like I’m supposed to basically stay out of the way but I’m so worried about not being prepared for something, any information would be greatly appreciated!

[@birchfieldfarming]

Hey Mark! I take more of a hands-off approach in the actual lambing. I’ve only had to pull a lamb completely out once in 6 years, and I quickly learned most of the time when the shepherd has to pull it is because of a stillborn, at least with my breed. As long as ewe is making some kind of progress every 20 min, I do not interfere. I’ve had lambs born completely backwards just fine with no help. The biggest issue I see is not with the actual lambing but after. Questions like: Is the lamb nursing? Is it getting enough milk? How do I know b/c I can’t stay out here all day and watch?? All of this is easily resolved with a simple accurate scale, and best advice I can give is to weigh the lambs. Not right away - let ewe & lamb bond, but within 24 hrs get an accurate weight to the tenth of a pound on lamb(s). Take weight each day thereafter, record, and know for sure lamb is getting milk. The fact you’re this concerned ahead of time, means you’re going to be on top of it! Message me direct from my website if I can help. You got this!🐑🌱

[@birchfieldfarming]

@@mark3r442 …forgot to mention, we typically see lamb weights stay the same or drop a little going from that first weight to the second, which is perfectly normal. After that second weight, you should see gains every day thereafter and lambs should be very active.

[@mark3r442]

@@birchfieldfarming thank you so much! Sorry for all the question, and thank you for always being so quick to respond!

[@birchfieldfarming]

@@mark3r442 You bet!

[@appalachianheartsong5487]

First and foremost, may our Lord and Savior continue to bless you Jason and your family. The content is unparalleled, so thoughtful and helpful. I hope that Danny Boy and the girls are doing well and on their way to producing the next generation. Waylon, the triplet, is working his girls but I think only two have been bred, we’ll see. God Bless, Dan and Elle

[@birchfieldfarming]

And the Lord bless you all as well. Your ram and ewes are doing wonderfully and have been a great blessing! Merry Christmas, Dan & Elle!!🎄🎁

[@LC_Farm_OH]

Wow. Great data here. Maybe more labor intensive but can the animals drink the sugar water collected from the maple trees?

[@birchfieldfarming]

Yes, we actually did that with our ewes last year, and it was great. Ran the taps right into waterers, and they hydrate and get the energy bump.

[@noahshinabarger]

I'd be curious to see how you're management is differing in all this snow (assuming it is). :)

[@birchfieldfarming]

We’ve added some new tech here - filmed today and everything was backwards and audio wasn’t great…DJI equipment…hope to have something up in the next few days!

[@briangrammer898]

❤❤VIDEO ❤❤ I really informative episode ❤

[@birchfieldfarming]

Thanks for watching!🤠🌱

[@briangrammer898]

Merry Christmas 🎄🎁 hope you have a wonderful day. Did Santa Claus 🎅 bring you everything you needed.. every year I get a box of coal.. I guess I wasn’t a good boy this year. I will work on it for next year🧑‍🎄

[@birchfieldfarming]

@@briangrammer898Having a great time here, Merry Christmas!

[@Marilou-g5t]

Dr Jim Diamond (ret. PSU, Del Val) had taught hand done bunker silo silage in Africa in 1970's.

[@birchfieldfarming]

It’s interesting to me that to find anything small scale farming that works, majority of the time we have to look to 3rd world countries to learn how it’s done…even smaller scale equipment.

[@Marilou-g5t]

@birchfieldfarming Jim and his, now deceased, wife Betty taught basic farming and housekeeping skills as missionaries. I Did What I Had To Do was his book about their time there. I also heard him tell of their time there. He is still a member of the same local Grange. He has an animal bell collection from around the world. He is a CHARACTER! I recall him at sheep sheering events in the mid/late 70's in Bucks County, PA.

[@birchfieldfarming]

@@Marilou-g5tInteresting, thanks for sharing!

[@jmhamilton87]

Do you have any tall fescue fields? That is our cool season grass and I’ve heard it holds its quality as stockpile better than any other cool season grasses. Wonder if that protein would be much higher…. I need to do some testing!

[@birchfieldfarming]

Yeah, that’s actually what my stockpile test was, mostly fescue. Again, protein is there…it’s that energy where we need help. I saw a guy sowing Milo and growing for bushels, then turning cattle on it and moving everyday thru winter…seemed to be working well. Again tho, how do we do it without the grain?

[@jmhamilton87]

@@birchfieldfarming I think that’s our biggest challenge as grass fed producers, and so far I’ve been trying my hardest to time my lambing for spring. It’s more work on keeping rams separate for a portion of the year but lambing in spring allows that grass to green back up late winter/early spring and give those late gestation ewes the nutrition they need without me having to spend a ton on inputs. All that to say, I think following nature (deer drop their fawns in spring) is our best bet. Makes winter feeding easier.

[@birchfieldfarming]

@ Couldn’t agree more!🤠

[@jmhamilton87]

How many 55 gallon drums of haylage are you making per animal unit to get you through winter? Also feeding alfalfa pellets or just hay/haylage?

[@birchfieldfarming]

@@jmhamilton87 So this year was rough. We had the droughts and used every blade of grass we had on the place, so I didn’t make hardly any silage. Most of what I have are those 1st cutting round bales and based on the test results, I’m going to have to use a bit of alfalfa pellets to get us thru, especially since I have a few cows dropping calves late winter/early spring. Once we hit grass, we’ll be ok. For us, haylage barrels would be more of a supplement mixed with hay to bump protein and energy. If we fed entirely haylage, I’d probably look into packing in a clamp vs barrels just b/c of the number of barrels I’d need. It works great small-scale tho.

[@TobyElGato]

@@birchfieldfarming do you notice a change in manure when you supplement

[@caseyfenlon2238]

Ever think about cutting your hay crops earlier and making balage instead of dry hay?

[@birchfieldfarming]

We rent the hay field. I don’t even own a tractor, which is the way I want it.

[@paulcallicoat7597]

Why do you not put out clover seed and Birdsfoot Treyfoil? Legumes will raise that protein levels. Birdsfoot Treyfoil is the ony legume to not produce bloat when consumed wet too and is a powerful tool to keep those animals healthy.

[@birchfieldfarming]

Because our pastures already have LOADS of red and white clover without seeding a thing. Trefoil will winter kill and even if not, the issue with our stockpile is not needing more protein. The issue is needing more energy.

[@MichaelDarst]

Great video, something to think about. Fermented foods for humans are much healthier in smaller amounts. This rule should apply to livestock as well, much better as an additive than as the base of the diet. Ph of the body.

[@birchfieldfarming]

Certainly some differences there - Four stomachs and the microbial ability in rumen to break down cellulose are major differentiators. Based on my observations what I’m seeing animal performance-wise, I have a hard time believing fermented grass isn’t closer to an actual grazing grass than hay. Do you have research that we can review?

[@MichaelDarst]

@@birchfieldfarming Not direct research, mainly with the understanding of the fermentation process that as it ferments it builds acidity. Any animal that has large amounts of acidity in its diet can only create an acitic environment in the body. You really don't find this kind of research because they tell diary farmers its ok to feed large amounts of silage. In the conventional model with all the pesticides, herbicides, and gmo strains of grain. Keeping the cows system acitic on top of it is why so many people don't drink store bought milk anymore. Along with the very short lifespan of the dairy cattle. Just like regenerative practices some of these things you have to think of your self. Some of the old timers used to add molasses through out the silage to reduce acidity. In todays farming thats adding quite an expense. Like i said at the beginning something to think about.

[@birchfieldfarming]

@ Thanks for these thoughts, you bring up interesting points here.

[@TobyElGato]

You applied Nitrogen? How?

[@birchfieldfarming]

Good question. Hay field is rented and farmer hires local company who runs a truck and applies.

[@JennMonty]

I spend $16/bale for alfalfa, and the actual farmer charges $18/bale. B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

[@birchfieldfarming]

Wow! Thats some serious cash for winter feed!!🤯

[@JennMonty]

@@birchfieldfarming Luckily, I have tree forage for them & have been mixing hay with the alfalfa. Can't wait to start doing my own haylage! This 1st year is definitely a learning experience for me!

[@birchfieldfarming]

@@JennMontyGood idea thinking ahead!🤠

[@JennMonty]

@@birchfieldfarming All the lambs are now happily transitioning to hay while weaning, so it's just my Primadonna ewes that are still persnickety LOL! Happy Ewe Year!

[@birchfieldfarming]

@ happy new year!!🐑🌱🤠