MY SECRET WEAPON

[@johntheother]

Hi Cody, I don't know if this is something you've looked into yet, but I've been watching permaculture videos paying particular attention to swales. ( Ditches dug along the contour lines of the property ). The concept is that the swale (ditch) does not run downhill, rather, it follows elevation lines - so that water flowing on the property is slowed by a series of ditches which are dug across the downhill slope. On the downhill side of each ditch, it's typical to pill the dirt dug up - and that mound can become a planting zone. The effect is that water running down a property is halted at the swale (ditch) and infiltrates into the ground before beginning to move downhill again. You may not have a great deal of time for this kind of project, but I'd suggest experimenting with one such swale on a sloped area of your land, and see what happens.

[@leefu2000]

johntheother he mentioned they're not allowed to use solid dams but hopefully swales would not be considered as such. Stupid rules. Permaculture is the way to go!

[@ohillbilly]

I went with a group one time, some years ago, to a tree farm. And they had the same problem and had done just what you just said. Dug ditches along the contours and they filled with big rocks from the property. They said it made a noticeable difference. The guy that owned the farm taught permaculture at the local college. I'd never thought of that solution, but it made sense.

[@johntheother]

"he cannot dig ditches like that as they would fill in with mud and debris very quickly" - I don't think that is correct - as this is an established technique used all over the world.

[@GlenRickerd]

Not sure how it would work with grassland... but I knew a farmer in Michigan who took to contour plowing, and vastly improved the water retention on a hillside. That acreage became much more productive, just by plowing and sowing crosswise to the slopes.

[@williamwalter8554]

Hi Cody and others, A swale coming off your "beaver dam" would be a great test project just as John suggests, use the backhoe attachment and dig out a trench on contour maybe 50 or 10 feet. Might not even need a spillway since water can flow back into the stream. Something to consider over winter. Cheers, Bill

[@GabbyBillNumberOne]

Cody when you run back and forth on damp soil it compacts it so that it is harder for water to soak in, creating a hard pan, if at all possible work on it when it is dry, driving in the same ruts over time creates ditches/ruts that can't completely dry out and so continually get deeper over time. Farms that use full circle Center Pivot sprinkler systems continually have to fill those ruts created by the wheels on the towers, because after a while they constantly get stuck in their own ruts. Great breeding grounds for mosquitoes too. Gabby

[@tommurdoch2989]

Harry Ferguson from Belfast in Northern Ireland invented the 3 point linkage.

[@ionraice]

Regarding Eyesight, as your eye compensates the muscle will get stronger quickly but the lens of your eye will start to stretch as that muscle puts more force on it and you eyesight will get worse. Your eyesight will get better briefly but you will start to be plagued by spasm out of focus especially at the end of the day, when stressed or dehydrated. take care of yourself and talk to a doctor about health issues. Don't experiment on your own body you you only get one.

[@ChannelX24]

Eye glasses and contact are used to refocus the eyes vision. Your eye sight is bad due to your eye physically being the wrong shape. This is only fixable with surgery. Unfortunately no exercise can be used to fix this as your eye ball is literally the wrong shape.

[@MrMannakin]

Correct, I had laser eye surgery quite some time ago. The best thing I ever paid for!

[@MTNurse]

I started needing glasses at age 46. MD said my eye muscles are not contracting/expanding normally and that i don't have a lens problem or eye shape problem. said there is nothing I can do However, I wonder if what Cody is suggesting would help. Maybe, since it is a muscle issue!

[@ChannelX24]

Sheelah K Perhaps though I feel it is better for him to speak to an optician. What he's thinking of doing could cause eye strain.

[@xDerDerx]

ChannelX24 this is 100% correct. You shouldn't be putting yourself through that much paid/discomfort. I'd recommend you put your contacts/glasses back in. Loosing eyesight is a natural phase of aging.

[@wobblysauce]

Switch.. few days on one side then few on the other.

[@emc2754]

Love this type of video, Cody. Thanks for taking us on your journey!

[@dutchcourage7312]

Nice to see a side shot of the bridge after a couple of months... still looks mighty solid, no real bending when the tractor wheels are in the middle, no sagging or sliding ... and it looked especially picturesque with the water underneath and those big stones on the sides.

[@JerkRice]

I am glad you revisited some of the places where you made improvements. I hope you keep doing this from time to time so we can see how things are working out. I am especially interested in seeing how your trees are growing.

[@chiefof]

What an excellent video! Really, really enjoyed the trip around the homestead and seeing the dams and the bridge and the equipment shed. Your narration made me feel as if I was sharing a day with you, not just watching a video. Your expert use of the drone is very effective, especially the follow shots behind the tractor/mower.

[@Doberowner]

Loved the drone footage on this video! Hope you stay safe driving the tractor, controlling the camera, and flying the drone at the same time. Something I don't see anymore and enjoyed was your 360 degree camera; especially outside. It let the viewer control their perspective of the surroundings and made you feel more like you were there. I watched some videos a second time just looking around the property enjoying the view, or watching what the dogs were doing. Keep up the great work, we all appreciate it!

[@BacktotheBasics101]

Hello Cody, I noticed you’re traveling with your three point down. That can be a expensive mistake. If you bump into a tree or a stump or anything you can bend or break your three point bar. Also if you put a bungee strap on them it quiets them down from banging around a little bit. Ferguson in ford made the very first three point I believe in the 30s or 40s. 9N,2N,8N Ford tractor really made them famous.

[@Kincaidj123456789]

It's so funny watching Cody go from wood shop Bob Ross to smashing a pry bar back and forth on the three point

[@joshk6555]

These "hangout" type videos are my favorite! I love being able to watch your day Cody! Absolutely amazing!!!

[@FOB-yz7gf]

Really enjoyed seeing the homestead again. Nice to see how some of the projects are turning out.

[@copperheadsevenpointthree8523]

That was beautiful, and relaxing- Thank you Cody- Love and prayers to you, the little Missus, and Jack- Hope this season is well for all your hearts and souls, it's been a long and rewarding year- Take care- I'll blow the train-horns when I head North to the area above the homestead- Here's to looking for snow and a nice warm hearth, with warm hearts and great coffee- Paul and Critters

[@aveoxus1139]

My dad and I own one of the first models of Ford Ferguson TE-20 tractors that pioneered the 3-point hitch system. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferguson_TE20 The first ones built were in Coventry England in 1937 on, and later were built in Detroit like ours in the 1940s-50s. You can thank Harry Ferguson for that linkage system lol

[@LuckyJack]

Absolutely! I do thank Mr. Ferguson, every single day I use my own tractor. That 3-point hitch is almost as great an invention as the wheel, or fire, or what have you.

[@cairnparadigm]

i had a 1954 ferguson tractor loved the 3 point hitch

[@Grant-vk6zo]

Cody you have a beautiful family and property. Thanks for bringing us along with you as you help to nurture both.

[@littleshoponthehill9762]

Thanks for including you're camera gear. I been working on my new channel and I am having a hard time controlling my video recordings.

[@WhosNiC]

As most teenagers wouldn't care about this, I find it fairly interesting of how you take care of your land and love to see how you work along with all the different kind of equipment you use.

[@rickmaudlin2160]

We sure enjoyed the trip around the homestead. Thanks. Love the camera remote rig. Nice use of the Big Barn for implement storage.

[@prylosecorsomething3194]

I don't know how it us out west but up here in maine and we have a ton of fields and we left a few of them for 30 years and now the only difference is that the trees are slightly shorter than the rest of the land

[@poet__anderson]

Your property looks absolutely amazing! Giving me chills, like something out of a movie with all the drone footage for the damns and stuff. Hope you know how blessed you are. Absolutely stunning

[@stellarpod]

I thoroughly enjoyed this segment. I much prefer these types, which aren't focused on any one theme, but touch on many - just a stroll along with you as you go to check out different aspects of the property. The drone shots are especially nice. Also, the use of an acoustic version of Sting's "Fields of Gold" was the perfect ending touch. As always, thanks so much for sharing. Steve

[@TAL62]

Videos like this make me feel like I have been on vacation. Such beautiful country., I feel so peaceful. I would love to see a video on your five year, ten year plans for your life and homestead. What do you dream of for your family?? Your goals?? Another great video 👏👏👏👏👏

[@nicksvaik]

Can you do a video on how people can get to owning that much brand spanking new equipment! Thanks

[@fl3082]

Step one; write the book on Modern Homesteading. Step two; get 1 million+ KZbin subscribers...

[@TheOldguy1948]

Howdy, I don't know if you get a lot of wind at your place but if you do I would leave the tall grass to hold the snow for the spring melt. I grew up on a dry land farm and we would do that as much as we could. The more snow you have on the ground the better soak you have in the spring. Just an idea to ponder.

[@rasmuskurten8455]

Very informative yet a calm and relaxing video - thank you Cody for always producing quality material for us! Appreciate it

[@constructiveresilience5368]

get yourself a yeoman's plow. Not a typical plow, cuts deep 12-16 cuts in the ground that allows the water to soak into hard panned soil. You mentioned that land was farmed for years, most likely the soil is compacted, the yeoman's could do a lot to help soak that water.

[@travismeering1493]

Why do you not have any animals on your homestead? Chickens are so simple and you get so much out of them... rabbits as well

[@r.d.k.909]

They have said they don’t want to be tied down. Really hard to go on a vacation/trips if you have animals.

[@travismeering1493]

R. D. K. I have all my animals and their pens set so i could leave a week if i needed to and they would have enough water and food... it can be done... he pays Brian to help him and if that’s the case who watches the dogs?

[@thefulltour9710]

Nice to get a vlog style video here and there!

[@AllaroundNbackagain]

Sorry to hear about your vision problems. We will keep you in our prayers.

[@garrettwaters2600]

Cody you and Brian should create some sort of a color coding system for the shooting range like put a different color neon spray paint for the different yardage and then make a small sheet that you put one in your truck, your tractor, and put one with all of your shooting gear.

[@NRCustom]

Refreshing homestead video. Sprinkle in some more videos of every day life that don't necessarily have a theme, they're great too!

[@pswank68]

I really enjoyed this video for a change and especially like the Drone footage. You're really good at getting those driving shots and the flyover of the property is nice to see. I think it was really smart of you to open up the side of that big barn to be able to access the base from the side it makes it the individual implements much more accessible without having to move too much around. Although you are starting to look like an implement dealer. LOL. Thanks for the change of pace.

[@williamkolis1567]

Nice job Cody. I was a little skeptical on how fast the dams were going to take before retaining water, but they seem to be working just fine with promises for greater effect in the near future

[@xed243103]

Man Jacks bridge didn’t even move at all when you drove the tractor across it... good job!!!!

[@ArkansasPilgrim]

I enjoy mowing, when I can get to it. I'm accomplishing something, but it's relaxing, without having to think much.

[@ecleveland1]

Really liked to see all those nice implements stored out of the weather. Ya'll have been busy organizing and it really looks nice. Now all you have to do is wash everything off when you get done with it and grease and spray a little WD-40 or some other corrosion prevention on the bare metal, like the mounting points, pins and hydraulic connections, and you have equipment that will last a lifetime if not longer.

[@Trapperboy190]

6.5 inches of ice on the lakes in northern Minnesota! Supposed to be teens and single digits during the day and below zero at night for the next week or so starting Wednesday

[@ronhart4166]

Beautiful property !!! Your little family is BLESSED for sure :)

[@RocklandRednecks]

The three point hitch system is quite a new invention certainly not a 100 years old. The standardization between tractor manufactures is more of a recent thing within the last 50 years. Some older tractors used to have different PTO spline sizes and different output speeds.

[@benvehikite]

One of my favorite videos yet. Great use of the drone and just capturing the essence of #modernhomesteading :)

[@chevyon37s]

Man I sure don't miss ducking around with the 3pt arms and top link.... quick attach for the win! Huge time saver

[@LogCabinHomestead]

About your deteriorating eye sight, let me tell you about my experience. I few years ago I got on a carrot eating kick. These were fresh organic carrots right out of the garden. Since I turned about 50 years old my eye sight had been deteriorating to the point where night driving was becoming quite miserable. And the glare of the lights from oncoming cars was like torture. I got some prescription glasses that I began wearing for night driving which helped a lot. Well some time after eating all those carrots I took a trip where I had to drive at night and what become my new custom I put on my glasses. Then I quickly noticed that I no longer needed my glasses, for some odd reason my night vision had become greatly improved. Even the glare from the on coming cars did not bother me. After pondering it for a bit I became convinced that eating all those carrots must have improved my vision. Nothing else changed so it had to be the carrots. I grew up hearing from the old folks that carrots were good for your eyes, now I’m a firm believer in it!

[@jonathan2416]

Cody, I’ve been following y’all for a while and let me tell you, KZbin is a money making machine apparently! I’m happy for you and the family! You’re a good cat and I hope y’all get the best life has to offer for years to come, thanks bud

[@troyroe6021]

Hello nice and calming video, great land management plan more person need to be concerned and learn from these videos love it.

[@FrethKindheart]

I bought two (Fotodiox GoTough) handheld rigs, similar to the one you made, for my smart phones as well. Mine has an angle that goes up with an external mic mount point. They were great when I had my channel. I still have them and use them from time to time.

[@joaquintall5180]

Cody...you've got a great life there. Tell your wife and that young boy every day, at least, that you love them and how important they are to your life. Really enjoy your channel. God Bless.

[@woozbeast]

Absolutely love these style of videos Cody! It's really nice to be able to see some of the work you do. Keep it up!!

[@tommyb8291]

I wondered about you doing a year in review type of video. To see how things are faring after the long summer and fall this was kind of what I was thinking about. the bridge and what you have done that we haven’t actually seen. I like the video. it’s out side, there’s always time to work in the shop. We’re now in ‘advent’ and I feel I can wish you and The Wrangerstar clan a blessed season.

[@glefos3917]

The homestead is coming along very nicely. You should do a video comparing several years ago to where you are today.

[@bleumoom]

I see you've been preparing for winter in more ways than one :D In all seriousness great video. These are the kind of videos that brought me to your channel several years ago. I'm happy that your channel has been succeeding and growing, and that you are also upping your production quality.

[@John-lu3yq]

10 years ago I could not read with my regular glasses, did not want bi-focals so I started reading with my glasses off. At first my reading vision was a little blurry, after about 6 months it started to improve and now its perfect for reading and up close work. !

[@LS7Matt]

I love these style videos

[@TXSuburbanHomestead]

Another great video. I know you may catch a lot of flack for one of this type, but I really appreciate these "a day in the life" videos as I sit in my office in front of my computer wearing my glasses that do seem to make my eyes worse. God bless & keep up the great work!

[@alexpowers3697]

I love the drone shots and great footage. Thanks for sharing!

[@maehay4065]

Such beautiful land I could just enjoy all beauty around that whole area!! Nice video set-up using your iPhone and a handy way of setting it up 👍😍🏡❣️

[@iowasongbird]

Harry Ferguson patented the three-point linkage for agricultural tractors in Britain in 1926

[@214rwoz]

This video is by far one of your best, it just reminded me of years ago, thank you so much.

[@BobSmith-oe3hf]

Cody, living in Alaska and being a snow plowing street maintenance heavy equipment operator. I highly recommend trying Trygg chains on your next round. They are top notch quality and I believe Swedish! I know that means a lot. They are expensive but, they last way longer because of their quality. Nosted Kjetting and kjetting strammer... gonna want both.

[@dclasson1]

Thank you Mr Wranglerstar.

[@adamgrocco]

"Life on the Homestead" videos are the best of your content Cody, Thanks for this one!

[@shaolindreams]

Drone fit perfectly to your area and lifestyle... It's quite useful having a birdseye view :)

[@ScotWalt858]

All good! Thank you for showing your camera setup. Very interesting.

[@Chiefbuzzbee]

Beautiful Country, love the trees and land ! Doing great job on work bringing things back to the woodland also and I am also looking to the snow to see what your tractor is going to do.

[@mattl1758]

Cody approximately 10 yrs ago my sister worked for an eye doctor (she was also legally blind). He wanted to try something experimental on her. She wore a series of hard contacts to reshape her eye. It worked. Now she doesn't wear anything except to read for a longer period of time. I have never heard anything else about it though

[@88dalejr1fan]

Those are some nice Dewalt tool boxes the drone footage is awesome property has came a long way good work wranglerstar family Jacks bridge is awesome

[@gfav4569]

Im not sure why, but i find your narration and what you do fascinating. Im a fashion photographer from Australia but also love to tinker with wood and tools. probably what draws me to your channel, and just watched one of your winter uploads... so far removed from Australian life. Thanks for the entertainment. :)

[@jamescole5658]

Loved this video Cody was so good to just come along with you for the day would love to see more like this by far my favourite channel on KZbin

[@wizardny]

I'm almost 60 and have been wearing glasses since i was a kid. The only thing that has changed in the last 20 years is my near vision. I wear contacts for distance and reading glasses for close up. I'm afraid to say that if you see any positive results from your experiment then it would be the placebo effect. If your distance vision is deteriorating at your age at a rapid rate then you probably have an underlying problem that needs to be addressed. Love the content keep up the good work.

[@davidmack7018]

Cody, Nice video I'm an ocular tech the Nav as an hospital corpsman spent 70K sending me through that school, a couple of things. lasik can improve eye site the word for focus is accommodate, some Ophthalmologists use to prescribe hard contacts that reshaped the cornea, although im not sure if that is still done. Lastly I remember some eye exercises they were extend thumb with non corrected vision work on focusing on it say 18" out then really work those muscles and focus as best as you can to say long distances, ie. Mt. Fuji really push for clarity back and forth for 20 minutes do this , in light, twice dayly I think this will give you the best wack at vision clarity, with no invasive medical proceedure. But if you want more progressI've medical bet at improvement see an ophthalmologist, yep they're more $'s but you get what you pay for. All the best, David

[@-A-Hybrid-Skunk-Productions-]

Wow Sir you have a very very very nice place. & all the kool equipment is amazing. Beautiful land as well. Thanks for giving us all a tour of your place.

[@XpJump]

Love the use of the drone! After all, it is "Modern Homesteading".

[@steven3893]

Honestly with you in Wildland, i think Lasik will do miracles for you. I just did it to get into firefighting and it is so nice to not have to clean glasses and put contacts in my eyes. The downtime is about 2 days at most (the day of surgery, and the next day). Your eyes will be a little sensitive to light for a week but after that it is wonderful.

[@jphickory522]

My personal eyesight experience: my older brother received his first prescription for correction in his mid twenties. We are now both in our 50s. He wore his glasses daily and was requiring greater correction every couple years. He would complain awful his eyesight was becoming. When I was in my late twenties an ophthalmologist said my eyes also needed correction. I thought of my brother and said I was worried my eyes would get increasingly worse if I started wearing glasses (for the same reason Cody explained - increasingly lazy). The doctor explained "it didn't work that way" and I got the glasses. However, I didn't wear them and would patch one eye on the weekends to "exercise" my worst eye. 25+ years later and I don't wear glasses. I still have them and occasionally put them on out of curiosity. They still improve my vision like they did 25 years ago but I don't require them. My gut tells me if I had wore them religiously, like my brother, I'd now have the same terrible eyesight he has.

[@garlanddavis5115]

Cody I'm not a optometrist but suffered since I was 10yrs old with bad vision, wore glasses then various contacts as an young adult. Had Lasik (actually Lasek) 17 yrs ago and best thing ever done for myself. However understand due to my severely bad vision this made me candidate for detached retina. Eyes are a precious commodity, protect them and don't experiment w/o supervision and approval from your optometrist!!

[@tobiastonarely8141]

love seeing the production side of things

[@blackdeath3791]

I love this kind of videos, thank you for sharing Cody 👍

[@johnmontague69]

I'm sure Cody said he's wanting to retain as much water on the land as possible if he can. Looks kinda flattish from the video. Could he landscape it and build a Fishery or Fish Farm where people could come and camp and fish? Build some beautiful timber dormitories with communal facilities looking over small fishing Loch's. The views would be breathtaking, it would be a fishing holiday resort that keen fishermen from all over would definitely book into, good idea or not?

[@hammer9390]

Cody, Thank you for a great video; hope you and family had a good Thanksgiving and are doing well.

[@deejkdeejk]

To live a life like this would be incredible, I hope to follow in your footsteps.

[@roBLINDhood]

Love this video!! Always fun to go on a ride with the Wranglerstar. :)

[@alphagrendel]

Reminiscent of your older videos. Loved it.

[@willthedingo]

Recording and editing this all yourself, it's very clear that you have a great passion for the technology you are using here - the drone video coordination was awesome! Even with Murphy's law in place and the accidental damage to the new rotor blades haha. At least it was a small accident, and didn't become a large one after everything else had gone well.

[@jetjazz05]

I've read a good study that says people needing glasses now is directly related to how much sunlight they get each day. Turns out there are wavelengths or even vitamins you absorb in the sunlight that help keep your vision in good check. It's almost an "if you don't use it you lose it" situation. When I was in college I was inside a lot and I ended up needing glasses, but after college I got a job where I work outdoors and my vision hasn't degraded anymore in the last 7 years, so the theory is holding up for me personally. I have also heard that not wearing your glasses is good to strengthen your eye muscles as well, it makes sense to me. I don't wear my glasses unless I'm driving because I'd like to use my natural eyesight as much as possible just in case this theory is true.

[@kevimc]

this is a great video Mr Wranglerstar with the property improvements; it puts me to mind of Mr Kapper of Kapper outdoors one acre at a time; another youtuber with great values

[@DeLorean-pf5go]

That was a great video and seeing you use that bridge that you and jack built was awesome.

[@jonahcilley7978]

I love the drone footage you did today! Really interesting to be able to maneuver like that! Wonderful tool in and of itself, hmm?

[@EM-fi2qg]

Some of your vision issues may be coming from all the editing you do. Make sure to use a blue light filter (a high end monitor will have this feature) while you're on the computer and also use the 20/20 method. For every 20 minutes you look at a monitor, look away at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Get your focus back in check.

[@littleshoponthehill9762]

All from the cab of the tractor.. very nice!

[@canadianlifeeh5089]

I got my tractor stuck this summer culavating but dont have a picture of it stuck just it spreading manure i never took a picture of it stuck because it was still sinking so i was in a hurry to get it ou

[@TheLordDai]

Man, I was not expecting the drone shots. I didn't even know you had one, maybe I should watch some more of your videos! Those were some great shots you got with it.

[@joelstein6531]

Back to the Land Video....... Very refreshing. TY.

[@pkhval]

I have heard that many people have had success improving their vision from staring at the horizon for a few minutes throughout the day to strengthen the ocular muscles. There is also studies that point to the lack of UV Rays to the eyeballs being problematic to vision clarity. Many people have found success from staring at the sun in the first half hour of sunlight along with the last half hour of sunlight, when the sun’s rays don’t harm your eyes nearly as much. If you want to improve your vision without glasses or contacts, I recommend the book BETTER EYESIGHT WITHOUT GLASSES : W H BATES

[@gkozak430]

Intresting to hear your opinion on the glasses! My dad has the same struggles. Hopefully it works and I can past it on as an experiment for him

[@MasonGeorgeMotorcycles]

Thanks for the info!!! I just started making videos this year but at some point I want to go from my Iphone to a real camera.

[@TheGTschmidty]

Love the new camera! Or the new camera settings. Whichever it is the video looks great!

[@docyt]

You may want to check out a pair of Moverio Smart Glasses for flying the drone while driving the tractor. You'll be able to see what's in front of you while driving and also see what the drone is seeing without having to look down at your phone. A little spendy at $700-800, but for a guy with a 5D IV that should be a drop in the bucket ;)

[@vincentgendronrossignol9614]

If you need a beaver to help you with dams, we got to much of them here in Quebec. They will make your whole field into a lake.😂 They work fast too. Within a night, they can buil a 6' wide x 3' high tightly packed damn. It becomes a real flooding problem in the spring with all the snow melting.

[@Chedda_chz]

Solid vid. You’ve got the videography and photography down. Nice tools!