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The Beginning Farmer
Registrace 15. 12. 2013
:: The Journey of a Beginning Farmer ::
As a child I spent most of my life in town living with my mom, but whenever I visited my dad and his side of the family, it was on the farm. From my earliest memories I have always wanted to be a farmer.
In 2006 I started blogging about my dream of one day farming, even though we were still living in town.
In 2008, we found and purchased 40 acres of bare ground in the CRP program, and the dream became a reality.
In 2013 I started "The Beginning Farmer Show" podcast in addition to blogging, allowing others to follow along with the research, joys, frustrations, hard lessons learned, etc. of a bi-vocational, beginning farmer.
Now, we are working to take our farm to the next level, and we invite you to continue the journey with us through video. Although, I will always be a beginning farmer, my hope is that I can learn from the community that follows along on our journey and encourage those who are starting one of their own.
As a child I spent most of my life in town living with my mom, but whenever I visited my dad and his side of the family, it was on the farm. From my earliest memories I have always wanted to be a farmer.
In 2006 I started blogging about my dream of one day farming, even though we were still living in town.
In 2008, we found and purchased 40 acres of bare ground in the CRP program, and the dream became a reality.
In 2013 I started "The Beginning Farmer Show" podcast in addition to blogging, allowing others to follow along with the research, joys, frustrations, hard lessons learned, etc. of a bi-vocational, beginning farmer.
Now, we are working to take our farm to the next level, and we invite you to continue the journey with us through video. Although, I will always be a beginning farmer, my hope is that I can learn from the community that follows along on our journey and encourage those who are starting one of their own.
Lambing Success on a Small Scale Farm | Registered Kathadin Sheep Lambing
Lambing season can be a pretty effective social media tool ... I mean who doesn't love pictures and videos of tiny bouncing lambs! But, lambing can also prove challenging if your genetics aren't right, your weather isn't helpful, or you aren't ready. Some farms take a completely hands off approach during lambing, while others are completely hands on even to the point of lambing well out of season. At our farm we land somewhere in between ... working hard to track our lambs and the overall health of the ewes and lambs.
**Wholesome Family Farms with TWO Semi Loads of Bred Ewes**
czcams.com/video/1QHY6gttNz4/video.html
Check out The Beginning Farmer & Crooked Gap Farm Merch in the links below!
All Shippable Goods: app.barn2door.com/3drK5/all?c...
"A Mouse in Our House": app.barn2door.com/3drK5/all/g...
T-Shirts: app.barn2door.com/3drK5/all?s...
You can find us in all the places (and the podcast too):
The Podcast www.thebeginningfarmer.com...
The Farm www.crookedgapfarm.com...
The Instagram thebeginnin....
The Facebook thebeginning....
The Farm on Instagram crookedgapf....
The Farm on Facebook crookedgapfa...
#smallscalefarming #farmtofork #pasturedpork #farmvlog
**Wholesome Family Farms with TWO Semi Loads of Bred Ewes**
czcams.com/video/1QHY6gttNz4/video.html
Check out The Beginning Farmer & Crooked Gap Farm Merch in the links below!
All Shippable Goods: app.barn2door.com/3drK5/all?c...
"A Mouse in Our House": app.barn2door.com/3drK5/all/g...
T-Shirts: app.barn2door.com/3drK5/all?s...
You can find us in all the places (and the podcast too):
The Podcast www.thebeginningfarmer.com...
The Farm www.crookedgapfarm.com...
The Instagram thebeginnin....
The Facebook thebeginning....
The Farm on Instagram crookedgapf....
The Farm on Facebook crookedgapfa...
#smallscalefarming #farmtofork #pasturedpork #farmvlog
zhlédnutí: 617
Video
Katahdin Sheep for Our Regenerative Grazing Transition
zhlédnutí 3,3KPřed 4 měsíci
As we work to regenerate our 50 acres of conventionally farmed row crop ground into a lush perennial pasture we know that animals are going to be one of our most important tools. That's we decided to almost double our flock size, and even that number will grow over the next couple of months as lambing begins! Now we just need some rain and for our first round of cover crops to be planted. Here'...
Was it a Good Idea to Buy a Used John Deere Skid Steer?
zhlédnutí 1,5KPřed 4 měsíci
Back in 2022 we purchased a 20 year old John Deere 250 Skid Steer. We used it lightly and then paused on a big project as we awaited some direction. Nevertheless we loved it and used it quite a bit ... until it lost all of its lifting power. After putting A LOT of money into repairs, was it still a good idea for us to buy a skid steer? No really, that is what we are wondering ... Check out The ...
Converting Row Crops to Pasture: Our Five Step Plan
zhlédnutí 1,3KPřed 4 měsíci
A big project is about to begin! Turning soil that has been continually row cropped for years into a lush green pasture is not an easy "field of dreams" ... "if you build it they will come ... or that the grass will grow". We have a continually changing plan of the path we are going to take, but for now we have an idea at least. Of course it is all subject to change! Check out The Beginning Far...
A John Deere 3010 For Our Farm!
zhlédnutí 3,4KPřed 5 měsíci
If you've been watching our videos lately you may have noticed that Crooked Gap Farm is now home to a John Deere 3010. This tractor has taken the place of the Minneapolis Moline, and while we miss the sound of that Moline gas engine and the family history around the Minneapolis Moline brand ... we know that this John Deere 3010 hits a sweet spot on our farm. We've used it to grind feed, load ho...
Where Our Manure Comes From: And Spreading It!
zhlédnutí 303Před 5 měsíci
Our manure comes from three main areas on the farm right now ... the winter pig hoop house, the winter cattle lot, and the chick brooder/winter rabbit colony. We will also have the winter areas for the rabbits, pigs and the chick brooder, but in the future we would like to do a lot more stockpile grazing and even bale grazing to cut down on the cattle winter lot manure! Check out The Beginning ...
Spreading Manure With Antique Tractors :: Row Crop to Pasture
zhlédnutí 1,3KPřed 5 měsíci
Thanks to my cousin and uncle we were able to spread load after load after load of composted manure! In the future we hope to graze stockpiled forages on this same ground, but for now we have (I mean had) a few big piles of composted manure that we wanted to get on the ground. It's a step in the right direction I think, how much it will help ... that is what we will see. Check out The Beginning...
Converting Row Crops to Perennial Pastures: Soil Samples, Worms, & Ideas
zhlédnutí 382Před 5 měsíci
I'm not 100% sure what I will do with the information that we gain from taking these soil samples, but I knew that I wanted to take them so we had a baseline of what we are working with. Also, I wanted to be able to look back in 5 and 10 years and see if the practices we are implementing are making a difference. I know that the seed/chemical dealers will tell us we need lime and fertilizer and ...
Converting Row Crop to Grazing Pasture :: The Very Beginning
zhlédnutí 859Před 5 měsíci
Crooked Gap Farm is growing, and not just with new livestock or more markets ... but, with more LAND! I think it is safe to say that it is most farmers dream to add more land to their farm, and we are excited (and nervous) that we have that chance now. Check out The Beginning Farmer & Crooked Gap Farm Merch in the links below! All Shippable Goods: app.barn2door.com/3drK5/all?c... "A Mouse in Ou...
The Battle for Soil Conservation on a Small Farm!
zhlédnutí 427Před rokem
Check out The Beginning Farmer & Crooked Gap Farm March in the links below! All Shippable Goods: app.barn2door.com/3drK5/all?c... "A Mouse in Our House": app.barn2door.com/3drK5/all/g... T-Shirts: app.barn2door.com/3drK5/all?s... You can find us in all the places (and the podcast too): The Podcast www.thebeginningfarmer.com... The Farm www.crookedgapfarm.com... The Instagram instagram...
How We Are Buying More Farm Ground!
zhlédnutí 656Před rokem
Check out The Beginning Farmer & Crooked Gap Farm March in the links below! All Shippable Goods: app.barn2door.com/3drK5/all?c... "A Mouse in Our House": app.barn2door.com/3drK5/all/g... T-Shirts: app.barn2door.com/3drK5/all?s... You can find us in all the places (and the podcast too): The Podcast www.thebeginningfarmer.com... The Farm www.crookedgapfarm.com... The Instagram instagram...
Building a Room for Freezers!
zhlédnutí 287Před rokem
Check out The Beginning Farmer & Crooked Gap Farm Swag in the links below! All Shippable Goods: app.barn2door.com/3drK5/all?categories=9 "A Mouse in Our House": app.barn2door.com/3drK5/all/gGJm4 T-Shirts: app.barn2door.com/3drK5/all?sellerSubCategories=67970 You can find us in all the places (and the podcast too): The Podcast www.thebeginningfarmer.com... The Farm www.crookedgapfarm.com...
Grinding Concrete for Our Freezer Room!
zhlédnutí 212Před rokem
First we had a room of freezers. Then we started to make the jump to a walk-in freezer ... it was never operational. Now, we are back to a room of freezers. This time it will be a different room though, and more freezers! You can find us in all the places (and the podcast too): The Podcast www.thebeginningfarmer.com... The Farm www.crookedgapfarm.com... The Instagram the...
Parking the John Deere Hay Mower for 2022!
zhlédnutí 219Před rokem
Parking the John Deere MoCo at the end of hay season means we are done with one project for the year (making a winters worth of hay), but it also means that it is time to move on to the next project! You can find us in all the places (and the podcast too): The Podcast www.thebeginningfarmer.com... The Farm www.crookedgapfarm.com... The Instagram thebeginnin.... The Faceb...
My Big Farm Fire!
zhlédnutí 362Před rokem
This fire has been a long time in the making, and it took a lot of mistakes to get to this point! What it represents though is a major step in the clean up of the farm and gives us a direction of where to go next. Also, check out the podcast ... new episode out now! You can find us in all the places (and the podcast too): *The Podcast* www.thebeginningfarmer.com... *The Farm* www.crookedgapf...
A Beginning Farmer Buys a John Deere 250!
zhlédnutí 1,4KPřed 2 lety
A Beginning Farmer Buys a John Deere 250!
Minneapolis Moline ZTS Restoration: Part 3
zhlédnutí 1,1KPřed 2 lety
Minneapolis Moline ZTS Restoration: Part 3
Minneapolis Moline ZTS Restoration: Part 2
zhlédnutí 801Před 2 lety
Minneapolis Moline ZTS Restoration: Part 2
Minneapolis Moline ZTS Restoration: Part 1
zhlédnutí 1,6KPřed 2 lety
Minneapolis Moline ZTS Restoration: Part 1
Why We Have a Registered Katahdin Flock!
zhlédnutí 821Před 2 lety
Why We Have a Registered Katahdin Flock!
Starting a Registered Katahdin Sheep Flock!
zhlédnutí 10KPřed 2 lety
Starting a Registered Katahdin Sheep Flock!
Winter wheat can be planted on the fall. Also, Unroll round bales and feed the cows pn that.
Next time why not leave 1 pack as a display infront of each box for it to be more visual. As soon as it starts to defrost replace with another. Ur meat is well packaged will visually pull in more. I think people buy with their eyes first. * Just my opinion mean no offense
I bought a 05 deere 325 during the equipment shortage due to the plandemic as well. It had only 1400 hours and was the base model single speed, no hiflo, hand and foot controls and paid 19k for it (thats a wicked lot of money to me). You didnt mention what you actually paid and im curious if you dont mind will ya share? Also i share your concern problems and am terrified at something major going wrong. Or even minor like the injectors for this you have to remove the engine 😳.
Wish I could use your cooler idea. My state won't let me do that. Samples are a great idea if you can do in your state. I got my sampling license and generally sell out what I am sampling.
Wondering if you’re allowed to “cook your lunch” on a small Hibachi grill next to your stand ? 😂
Like your 3010. I have a 1963 3010 diesel. Its on my channel if you wanna check it out
Never had any experience with sheep. I hope things work out for you.
If the skid steer sets in a barn gathering dust then it’s gonna nit break down. If it’s out working daily it’s gonna need repairs from time to tine. Don’t feel bad about your purchase cost plus the repair cost , that’s part of ownership.
Cooked samples would get my attention. And photos would be a great idea too.
Yeah coooked samples are a really good idea, and big colourfull photos to get peoples attention
congrats on the land
Had neighbor when I was a kid had a pull type Minneapolis corn picker that had a hitch to pull the wagon beside the picker and the elevator delivered out the side instead of the back. He pulled it with a UB propane tractor
I bought a John Deere skid steer 250 last year on an auction for 2500 best purchase I made.
be kind to cows they respond,nice dexters
Hey. Over-Built is what I'm all about.. just that much less breaking going on. I really like the enclosed hutch on the one end.. need to get building me one for starters. I just got back into raising rabbit after a 10 year break.. and got a 1/2 acre of nice pasture to let them devour. Sainfoin for reduced to no bloat, orchard grass.. some birds foot trefoil.. some clover.. this gonna be fun... I got 2 week old kits out there in the barn now so I better get building.
I thought you had quit making videos. It is so good to have you back. The Welter Seed and Honey Co. in Onslow, IA has a wide variety of pasture seed and other grasses and grains. You can view their catalog on line.
First...... any tile you see or find were there for a reason ! Drainage ! However since the trees took over.......they plugged all the tiles with roots ! You have a problem ! Next.... why the wash outs ?? Where is the grass cover to prevent it ??? You dont have grass where there are trees ! Remove all trees / brush......then start in small areas closing the ditches and re-seeding ! Make the waterways wide ! Allow the water to spread out ! Or if you dont....you force all the water into a small area....... and again cause cutting/ erosion !
Round bales.... bale smaller bales..... or even bale a bale inside of one bale. In other words..... bale until half......tie and continue. Or even put three bales in one bale.I bale for a local sheep farmer. He was amazed how good it works ..... even for bedding them.....instead of dumping the entire bale at once ! However my baler bales 4x4 bales. It works !
Compaction...... at least here in Iowa freezing and thawing resolve any problems with compaction. It often freezes to depths of 5 feet deep. Many times farmers create a problem that dont exist !
Composting happens much faster if you apply the manure direct ! Night crawlers devore it ! No need to " double " handle it ! Just added costs !
Question ???? Why own a skid loader ??? I grew up using a tractor and loader..... A narrow bucket ( 4ft wide ) . A single cylinder to tilt the bucket. One way cylinders on the main boom. Most farmers dont understand what a good hydraulic system means and is ! A tractor and loader has many uses..... and a much longer reach for moving and removing trees etc. A skid loader.......the trees are nearly in the cab with you. Or they will come visit you soon ! You can use a heavy duty I beam for a blade to push snow and dirt ( on a tractor ) ...also adding weight ( ballast ) . I used a skid loader for two days removing bales from a field. Yah cant go through deep snow with a skid loader ( 3 feet deep ) . If you want to have back issues....buy a skid loader ! The bar that went across my chest nearly broke my sternum ! A skid loader is great for close quarters and on smooth surfaces. Not for in fields ! Unless you want to visit the chiropractor weekly !
I agree with what you are doing Just because Greg Judy does it doesn't make it right. You have 23 he has hundreds. It takes years to achieve what he has done. Your building a heard, and income. Every one is important. Give them the best chance they can have.
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment! You're right, I might have a different approach if I had a flock of 200 ewes and could cull a little harder. We do want to grow, but I think we will probably top out around 60 ewes. With that number I think we will cull pretty heavily to keep the cream of the crop around.
Great information video on lambing ❤️🇳🇿
Thanks so much for the kind words, and for taking the time to comment!
I've been raising sheep for 25years and see nothing wrong with the way your doing it
Thank you so much! We are always learning and growing and changing, but I feel about as confident as we can heading into lambing season.
That 4450 with that loader is my dream tractor, I already have the tractor, I just need the loader
Agreed! A 4450 with front wheel assist like that would be a great piece of equipment. It sounds like you are closer to that goal than I am with you only needing the loader :) Hope you find the right one sometime!
@@TheBeginningFarmer I hope so too bud
Cattle make money, everything else is a pain in the ass.
Cattle can make money for sure, but lately when we run the numbers we see more profitability in the sheep for our farm. That is the great thing about farming ... there is a lot of room for different and diverse operations. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!
I have just started thinking about sheep, mainly because I don't think we can afford to get and raise a bottle calf this year like we did before. I do raise goats right now (commercial meat). But I enjoy lamb and was thinking it might be more affordable (and managable) for me to do sheep. Living on SS, I have to be careful how I spend my money. Not going to be making much of a profit on the goats this year as I need to keep back all doelings for breeding stock and so far I only have 2 bucklings on the ground (only 1 doe left to kid will probably give a single). Have a of thinking to do.
I think sheep have been a good piece of farm for us and will end up being a good long term investment in the future of the farm as well. You are right about bottle calves though ... the prices are going through the roof! Thanks for watching and taking time to comment!
Do u rotate your Fields
We do daily rotations with our cattle and in the past have do what is more like a weekly rotation with the sheep. With our new land base we are planning on daily (at least rotations) for both the sheep and the cattle. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!
European ship do not belong on mast American landscapes. If your farm is in an arid climate avoid this. In that situation the manure will never compost. It will dry out and flake away in the wind. Sheep belong in a temperate environment that is pushing rain forest levels of precipitation. A good way to think about it is tall weeds in your pasture. If you have that issue then sheep might be a good choice. If you have patches of dry ground then stay away from sheep. You will lose your soil.
scrolling through the video further the only thing that is supporting your farm is the import of organic matter from other people's land. That is not regenerative Ag. Stop buying hay. See how long your soil can survive. That's not regenerative. Your soils don't look great. I can help you
Katahdin are American hair sheep.
@@kathleenredick275 All domesticated sheep are derived from Eurasian sheep. If you want to know what they can do to a landscape you need to look no further than the "Fertile Crescent". Have you ever wondered why it is not so fertile anymore? Yep, domesticated sheep. They are simply inappropriate to graze in many environments where they can contribute a great deal to desertification.
This fella perty smart, hopefully his channel takes off🤠
Haha ... thanks :) I'm not sure how smart I am most days, but we are keeping our heads down and moving forward!
Wow nice fat ewes. I love the red colored ones. Any idea what the wool ram breed was that they’re bred to? I wonder if it’s texel or Suffolk. Maybe Dorset but I can’t imagine any other breeds that someone would use on hair ewes. Yes you don’t wanna keep those wool crosses!!! Not a fan of shearing either!! Mine are dairy woolies unfortunately. Wish there was a shedding dairy sheep available
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment! We love the ones that are different colors and sometimes find ourselves keep back a ewe just because they are something different :) I don't know what breed the wool ram was, just something that was found at a neighboring farm I believe. I think I saw a picture of it on the previous owners Instagram and I wasn't completely excited about what I saw ... but, we'll just raise them out for meat.
great video, good luck.
Thanks! We do enjoy the sheep and they are starting to be a close second to the pigs on our farm! Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment!
Nice video, awesome to see you grow your sheep flock.
Thank you for watching and taking the time to leave a comment! We are excited about the future of the sheep flock for sure ... and a little nervous.
how hot is your electric fence, what voltage, it should be at least 7
Hot is always important when it comes to sheep. We have a 6 joule fencer and keep it between 8k and 9k typically. On our new land I think I'm going to go with a 12 joule fencer because it's not in my front yard and I want it as hot as possible!
Great video I miss having sheep I used to have fat tale sheep can’t wait to see the lambs get born 🇳🇿❤️
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!! We are always excited and a little nervous about lambing 😁
There a great breed, I've been raising Katahdins for 25years now
That’s great to hear! We’ve had them about half that long, but have been pleased with them … especially compared to the handful of wool sheep we’ve raised. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!
We've had a JD 250 for many years now. Ive had the main tandem axle pump out once. Not a fun job.The caps on the underside came loose. A tech told us to never idle at the lowest position as it makes everything rattle more. Seems to always have some kind of leak though. For the small farm operation we have it does great for us. All machines have there issues. I think it's a luck game. We did put run flats on ours and permanently mounted chains on the pneumatic tire for moving snow. Best decision Ive ever made. Oh and a new air ride seat was a big improvement too.
You are completely right about the shaking that little 3 cylinder diesel produces! I too was told not to run it at idle. I think I just need to put some hours on it and I will feel better about everything. Right now I'm just wary of everything :)
BTW...I want you to know that your videos are far better than your view counts indicates. Keep up the great work... it'll come.
Thanks for the kind words!!
The only pieces of equipment that I've bought new were a hay trailer and a squeeze chute. Every other piece of equipment was bought used, most of it needed fixed in one way or another, and a few things I wish I'd never bought.
Same here on our farm :) The newest piece of equipment we have is our hay rake ... it's nothing special, but I do love it!
I don't know buddy. Im not a John Deere man im more of a Kubota man. If it was me i would run the hell out of it and see what happens. If it dont work out dump it. Hey wish you luck.
We're going to hit it hard this spring for sure! I guess if we need some cash flow we will sell it and then move on to the next plan ... whatever that is :) Thanks for watching!
Very informative! Thanks!
Thanks so much for taking the time to watch!
Looks like you need a bigger hammer lol
That is often the solution when I break something :)
Seeding...... why not buy yourself a IH endgate seeder ? They cost around 200 dollars. and the wagon another two hundred dollars. I see them all the time at sales. Throw the seed in and drive ! Then... cultipack it or double harrow it. Finished ! Another option... talk to a local coop....ask them to calibrate the spreader down to 10 wide spreads ? This way the grass "seed" flies far enough to cover the area ( 10 foot ) Might have to buy / add some fertilizer as a filler but its a good idea to fertilize new grass seeding anyway ! The coop mix the seed in with the fertilizer and dump it in the spreader. I use this method all the time.. Its quick using a truck !
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment! That’s basically what we’ll be doing first. Putting down our seed with a 3pt broadcast seeder and the disking it in and cultipacking it. Hopefully we’ll be able to no-till drill in our next cover crops. The plans will probably change though 🤣
Speaking of soil management, what did you decide to do about the erosion in the woods on the back of your place.
Great question! I plan on doing an update on that soon hopefully. It is going to be a longer range project though because of the challenges I’d say. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!
Congratulations on the new to you John Deere 3010
Thanks! We love that little tractor!!!
We raised chickens on my grandparent’s farm as well. My grandma’s pride and joy was a rose garden. We cleaned out the laying house once a year. We took that manure around her garden and she had some of the greatest looking roses I saw or have yet see.
I believe that! The chicken manure and the winter rabbit shed manure is a pretty big help in the gardens!
In Nebraska, most of the Natural Resource Districts have no till drills that can be rented. Check them out. Without drilling, plan to double or triple your seed cost for each pass. That mulch on top of the ground is your best friend in getting seed germinated. Consider broadcast seeding now, and then feeding CRP or grass strip hay on the ground spun out just as thin as you can to work the seed in and supplement the cover.
There are few districts in Iowa that I found have no till drills, unfortunately none close to me. And you are correct, I would need a higher seeding rate if I broadcast. We're still weighing all options because I'm a little worried about working the soil to broadcast and disk in the seed. We are so dry I would really need a good rain!
@@TheBeginningFarmer \ In you video, you mentioned that you hoped to get Equip funding, . We have done that on other projects. First, the grant has to be approved before you start. Second, because they want you to succeed, you need to follow their guidelines or grant requirements. Skip either, and they have no obligation to send you the money.
@@rexpeterson5729 Thankfully we have had a pretty good experience with our NRCS office so far when it comes to planning for EQIP enrollment. We are talking with them about every step we take so that we are ready for the EQIP projects when the start and not doing things that would keep us from being eligible. They seem very receptive to our ideas and the project and want to help us!
Lol My dad used to joke about the only thing John Deere wouldn’t stand behind is a manure spreader.
I can agree with that! Thanks for watching!!
Not a farmer anymore but did work in my very younger days on my grandparents farm. We converted a couple 10 acre fields into pasture. First we plowed, disced and planted a mix of fescue, blue grass and yes clover. Tall fescue made up about 80% of the mix with 15% grass and 5% red clover. Cultipaked it in and prayed for some rain. We had a pretty good stand the first year , made a little hay but the 2nd year we turned out our first 10 head of cows out in one and raised hay on the other. 3 rd it was on and popping . Good luck.
That sounds like a similar path that we are going down. We may just try to do a few cover crops to have some feed this summer. Like you said though ... praying for some rain! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!
Doing a lot of the same things on our place. Have quite a bit in EQUIP programs. I looked at no till drills as well but I'm couldn't find anything reasonable. Ended up buying a Brillion seeder. For the no till, I've just been using my regular JD grain drill and it works pretty good. Ive got about 100 acres of oats i planted over my sudan hay and it is doing really good.
That's great to hear! I had considered a regular drill as you mentioned, but that would be a purchase for us as well. We do have access to some nice useable 1940/50's Minneapolis Moline grain drills, but I'm not sure they could get through the bean/corn litter on the ground. You have me thinking though.
Thanks for the video. I’m doing the same thing too. I started in fall 2021 on corn ground. I’ve been watching a lot of CZcams videos, and Greg Judy is my to go person on most videos. Also, Russ Wilson is really good too. I wouldn’t disc or till anything. It is one of the worse things you can do. I’ve been reading books on Dale Strickler and read of all Greg Judy books. The first year I planted 7 of 20 acres of hairy vetch and cereal rye with an old Farmall steel wheel drill. The seed was just sitting on the ground since it is regular grill. It worked great for cereal rye but ok with hairy vetch. If I gone back again, I would have frost seed clovers February/March 2022. I was planning to plant the rest with cover crops in the spring along with perennials pasture seed too. By end of April of 2022, I needed neck surgery so it got delayed until fall 2022. Then, fall 2022 I no tilled my rest of my 13 of 20 acres future pasture with crimson clover, triticale, hairy vetch, red clover, buckwheat, oats, and perennials pastures seeds. It grew some in the fall because we had lack of rain. Then, in the spring 2023 the pasture grew some more from the snow melt besides the oats and buckwheat I was hoping the pasture would have taken off but a drought stuck so the pasture was very short until we got rains in August and September. The 7 acres that was cereal rye and hairy vetch was very thick so I knocked it down in August 2022 with the no till drill and planted oats, buckwheat , red clover, winter peas, crimson clover. The cereal rye and hairy vetch took over since it reseeded itself. By December 2022, the cereal and hairy vetch was a foot tall. We didn’t have much snow until Christmas week. Then, the January and February the snow melted and the deer came in and mowed it off. By spring came, the 7 acres looked like a golf course green because it was so short. The cereal rye and hairy vetch exploded when it warmed up in the spring 2023. I was hoping to have my fence done but with the drought it was hard to put fence in the ground. It felt like I was pounding post in concrete. Then, I got part of the fence done so I put my animals in there by fall 2023 and fed hay in there all winter. I have so much hay in about 1-2 of the 7 acres. It probably won’t grow much pasture but in the following years it will be unbelievable. The 5 of the 7 acres the cereal rye was dry but the red clover was awesome. The hairy vetch reseeded itself again when we got the rains in August so it was growing. By December 2023, the cereal rye is growing from more rains in December and warmer than usual weather. Now fast forward until now, the cereal rye, clovers, and hairy vetch is coming back. I’m planning to plant 4-5 acres of native perennials pasture in the January/February of 2025. I’m going to plant a summer cover crop this summer and graze it off hard before planting the native perennials. I follow Greg Judy method of MOB grazing. I’m pretty new at this but I’ve learned a lot too. I started in summer 2020 with 2-3 acres MOB grazing in my yard.
Thanks for sharing your experience! It gives me a lot to think about and consider. My ideal world would be to no till drill everything in and only till where we need to repair erosion, but we need to find that no-till drill :) We too are followers of Greg Judy and appreciate his approach for sure. I'll have to check into Russ Wilson.
@@TheBeginningFarmer I’m part of pheasant forever and they have a no till I’m using when needed. As long as I’m part of the club in my county, I can use it. I don’t abuse the drill. Sometimes thinking outside the box helps. I only knew about it because I was talking to people about renting a no till drill and it led me there.
@@TheBeginningFarmer czcams.com/users/shortsXVwJ2NFSpng?si=PmKREV6STkbYfUTd Video of my drill. czcams.com/users/shortssTVuY_7FRIY?si=_wcusZOGj7KSlv4L How it looked 2021.