Raising Cattle: What is Bale Grazing v/s Unrolling hay, is it better for the land?

[@This1LifeWeLive]

How is it sweetened? I'm not a fan of agave or artificial sweeteners

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

I don't think it is sweetened.....it's whole food sourced it has less than 1 g of sugar ....if ya hit the link it will lead you to the site that tells ya all the ingredients...and there's a bunch! Take care Suzanne!

[@EastKYancients]

We have small herd of cattle here in east KY,, using both methods unrolling areas I can, and just dropping bales where I have to. Super hilly, rocky terrain where I’m at, the land dictates what I can and can’t do with the hay. Farming is all about learning how to overcome the challenges. As Im sure you’ve learned, most tasks that need done on farm, will require numerous other tasks to be completed first in order to get anything done. Thanks for another great and helpful video man. Good stuff

[@otiskeithwatkins1679]

glad to see it's working for you

[@critical-thought]

💯on point, Josh. Real farmers are first and foremost soil farmers. When the soil is alive and fertile, everything else goes much better. True whether you farm livestock or plants.

[@aprilkitten]

Smart farming! Good for you, the cows and the land. 🍃🐮🌾🐄🌱

[@miraclefarm1927]

This is great info Josh. You know we are the little guys, but the way you are doing bale grazing is exactly what we need to do. The proof is in the green! That drone footage was icing on the cake. Blessings

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

If it had been raining anytime recently...that drone footage would have shown just how green it makes the land....pray for rain!

[@CmoreTruth]

Love your channel and this one is awesome to see you do this with the soil, great job and wonderful idea. 🙏🫶 best to you and Mrs Stoney Ridge.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

So nice of you

[@scottsmith6846]

Hey Josh thank you for the video and the nuggets woo

[@marktelin7259]

Wow the proof is very evident. 😊 Great information. Thank you Josh. And thank the girls. ❤

[@michaelblum6222]

Love the content and you even answered my question earlier. Have a great day and will see you Sunday?

[@MikeDDenny]

In my years of watching your videos of the farm using hay and the cows to build soil,bale grazing looks to have the best results.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

bale grazing works....but I will say...when we're in the wet season we will not use the tractors...we'll unroll if we can and we'll tread very lightly with the ATVs to prevent compaction, ruts and disturbing the soil

[@ZEEALL]

That's really sustainable ! Hope it helps to change minds. People should react to situations and stop using chemicals and oil/gas/salt based nutrients. Great tips to heal the soil. Thanks! 👌

[@This1LifeWeLive]

I have a friend who drinks AG1, she's lost weight in combo with running and looks great!

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

I don't think it will help ya loose weight...but it's kinda like the old addage..and apple a day keeps the doctor away...its not the apple...it's the fact that you're conscious of your health and trying to take care of yourself. I like it right after a trip to the gym or bike ride...before I start doing farm work

[@ClickinChicken]

Bless the rain in Africa [NC].. Toto Africa.

[@providerwilliams5199]

Great info Josh. BTW, the beard looks great! Keep this. Ditch the dye!

[@charleswise5570]

Josh, I've been really thinking about something, and it would help you with the farm, immensely! Ask some of your local restaurants, that have organic waste, to give it to you, to both heal the land, save the organics from going to a landfill, and save the businesses from having to pay for disposel. What's your opinion on this? I'm sure it would be a significant increase of biomass. I've even learned that Starbucks will give you their used coffee grinds, if you ask for it.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

I've collected waste from places like starbucks...actually did a video about weed control using coffee grounds. I've approached several grocery stores about this and been turned down every time....we'd do a bi-daily pickup of food waste for hog feed but none of them were willing to participate..they all just throw it away in the dumpster. Restaurants are bad about putting trash and worst of all GLASS!! in these food waste bins...that's very dangerous for a hog or composting setup

[@charleswise5570]

@@StoneyRidgeFarmer I really do appreciate the response. Don't they realize they could save serious money, and time, while helping a really cool farmer!

[@twc9000]

Excellent video. I'm just getting started and this is what I need to do.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

there ya go!! I will say that bale grazing works, but it takes a couple years to see the results of the "litter" left behind where unrolling starts growing grass very quickly. For a big bare spot, bale graze....for sparse grass or healthy grass unroll it

[@mikefrench4787]

Thank you for sharing

[@jakeb9534]

I have about 2 acres of sandy soil. The only thing that I can grow with the sandy soil seems to be puncture vines (goat heads) and if you looked at my property, you would think I am a professional Goat Head Farmer. My question is, if I can find some old bales of hay and lay it out on the property, will that build up the soil even though its a sandy type of soil? The only animals we have are 23 chickens and 3 dogs. Thank you

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

yep it will help, and get some grazing animals out there pooping!! Goats, sheep ......something

[@willowbranchfarm]

I was hoping this was a video about aliens and crop circles lol, great video Josh as usual! Keep healing the soil! We are in extreme drought here in West TN, looks like maybe a good chance of rain coming first of next week here.

[@a-survivors-journey]

Very interesting information!! Hope you have a great day!!!”

[@michaelblum6222]

Are you going to drag harrow to spread the hay to areas that wasn't touched by the hay?

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

in about a year we will

[@markenloe1265]

Greg Judy would be proud…..😎

[@ricks2907]

Josh the weed whisperer. Lol. Thanks buddy cheers Ricky 💃🕺👩🏻‍🦼🎸🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🙏💥😎

[@jtc1947]

Hi Josh, Hope that Y'ALL will get some beneficial rains. Is the broom sedge good for ANYTHING? If it is mowed / mulched will it contribute ANYTHING to the soil or is just about as worthless as can be?

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

yep...mowed down it helps feed the land and cover the ground to retain moisture....it's only a weed if we call it a weed, in other words....I typically let anything grow that will hold the soil structure, then we target the best species to help the farm flourish

[@jtc1947]

@@StoneyRidgeFarmer Hi Josh, Many thanks for info about the broom sedge and having a use. Ryan Hall is saying that MIGHT have some rain soon so I hope that He is correct! BLESSED BE!

[@ShortbusMooner]

How did you get so knowledgeable about weeds & grass, Farmer Josh?

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

it's just what I've learned over time my friend....reading, watching and trying new things all of the time

[@bubbakemp5817]

Natural remedies for the land and the body are the best way to go, in my opinion! I don't recall seeing an update on the fox problem. Did you "take care" of them?

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

we'll never get a hold on all the predators on the land, we just have to understand that certain areas are more prone to attack...and certain times of day. The chickens are now released around 11am instead of 7 am...this has helped

[@fabioforni5722]

Thanks for the info. In VA where my land is they round bale the old corn an I can't figure out why?

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

because cows will eat it my friend

[@fabioforni5722]

Ok I didn't know they would eat corn stalks

[@kennyboothe5884]

They use it for bedding in barns and cows will eat very little of it

[@tejbohara3005]

Hi

[@brockstar1311]

I feed my cows out of a barn now but really need to get down with bale grazing or rolling hay out... I only have 6 head I am not sure rolling out a whole round bale would be a good idea.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

roll out half a bale then crank it back up and roll the next half out the next day. Feeding in a barn creating cow trails, manure and mud does more harm than good, ya want them out foraging around pooping in the pastures v/s lounging by the barn pooping in a high traffic area....we have no high traffic areas on the farm other than water tank graveled areas...the cow trails are disappearing and the land it more productive

[@BaileyDavis-ln6xx]

What’s better a 3 point drag harrow or a pull behind drag Harrow like for using with an Atv?

[@stuartgibson1896]

Not sure what you are using the drag harrow for, but the steel frame of the 3 point style levels things out more and digs into the soil more. The type of harrow that can be pulled with an ATV are very light and do not dig in to the soil as much and will let hay ball up underneath. The ATV type are really good for covering seed for things like wildlife food plots or seeding pastures.

[@BaileyDavis-ln6xx]

@@stuartgibson1896 I wanted to use this to drag manure and hay like Josh is doing

[@stuartgibson1896]

I’d recommend a 3 point one.

[@BaileyDavis-ln6xx]

@@stuartgibson1896 awesome I appreciate the info

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

3pt is better, but much more expensive...3 point with a frame is easier to move around the property. If I were going on the cheap, ATV harrow....but well worth the money to do a framed unit from wingfield american harrow!

[@josephbinkley]

Josh do you think this method or Greg Judy’s bale unroller is more efficient and effective?

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

I think the bale unroller wastes less hay, but is less effective with "trashy" or loose or twine wrapped bales. Also..on very poor soil like this hillside, I think year one should be bale grazed, maybe year 2 also...bale grazing builds more biomass in the soil and leaves more hay behind as a blanket on the land v/s unrolling. The bale unroller is horribly ineffective on non net wrapped high quality bales in my opinion. It's not a matter of what works best .....bale grazing has it's place in really poor soils while the land is dry, unrolling has it's place in more well established pastures with better quality bales. Hope this makes sense.....I wouldn't dream of getting rid of the greg judy bale unroller

[@cheapolegunguy]

When you have hard ground, make a road out of it, after all when life gives you lemons, drink a few shots of whiskey and call it a day!! :-) It may not be the farmer way, but it's a way!

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

lol...can't make a road out of pasture my brother...the entire goal here is to heal the land, promote topsoil, retain moisture and break up that hard ground naturally

[@lonnien.clifton1113]

Make sure you are not getting Broomsedge Bales of hay.

[@petermavus4131]

Feed and seed with a touch of butt fertilizer

[@RA-zl6iw]

I'm still unclear on the advantage of bale grazing versus unrolling bales.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

bale grazing provides a deeper bed in a more concentrated area than unrolling does. Unrolling works, but if you've got really poor soil, bare spots and rocky land....or your bales aren't the best for unrolling...you can bale graze and it will heal the land also...each spot where a bale was is a little compost layer

[@RA-zl6iw]

Thanks for the insight!@@StoneyRidgeFarmer

[@Shaggy314th]

At $37 per bale it will not be economical for you to bale your own hay in the future. That hay ground can produce more beef with grazing animals and buying your hay. More calves mean more money. I wish hay here was $37 per bale.we are more like $80 to $120 depending on the size and producer.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

exactly!

[@jalopyjoe4483]

Was hear

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

joe! Love it buddy...such a loyal fan!

[@ronald-ye4kb]

I have to disagree with your statements about round bales. My baler will wrap them with net or twine, the bale will weigh the same. I understand that the hay you got was different but you can't make a blanket statement about all round bale based on what you bought. I would also guess that your hay loss is closer to 50% and that might still work for you but hay here is too expensive to waste that much. I still enjoyed your video and soil health is important.

[@StoneyRidgeFarmer]

a tight net wrapped bale will keep better outside than a twine wrapped bail, it unrolls better also. There is no such thing as waste when it comes to this method, we are healing the land my friend. This has been my experience and advising folks to use nice tight net wrapped bales that hold together better, have less surface area to absorb water and unroll better seems like good advice to me. Unless in a pinch....I won't buy twine wrapped bales like this anymore for storing outside...a net wrapped bale keeps better in the elements