Not too long ago I was thinking solar power would be a good investment. Very nice to see your operation evolve and your work ethic continues to bring joy to us viewers!❤
Hey there - One thing I have learned is that plants will do what they do even with the best conditions. I have Temptress sweetcorn going in my garden in 30" row spacing with double-rows 1ft apart and plants 6" apart (1400pop), I planted with a dibble at ~3" seed depth and the soil was not tilled This is year 2 of no-till in the garden. Manure was laid over the surface and (dry) grass clippings spread around the 3k sqft bed for mulch. The corn has similar conditions and the plant height uniformity is close, but some of them show the same thin stalks vs other plants in the very same row. Plants also came up around the same time or within 1-1.5 days of one another. I have 3 rounds in the field (each 2wks apart), and they all show similar conditions. I vetted seed quality and size before sewing so all plants should have had the same food from the start. No synthetic ferts, just manure spread in May and compost tea used every at v4 and again at v8. Fertility isn't an issue, some stalks have 2 or even 3 ears and this is aver pea to nickle size hail back in mid-July doing some leaf damage. I do have a strip through the field that was excavated to run a power line and it is noticeable how stunted the corn and peppers are where they dug up the soil, even 3 years after doing the work..
Excellent video Eric! Glad you were able to get your 3rd cut put up. Those Massey's sure look nice! Interesting commentary on the corn conditions. Nicely done on the robot repair. Thanks for the video!
Solar install is very clean, nice work. The corn field comparison is interesting. The mower and rake are huge machines when they unfold, like transformers.
So much going on, great to see. Eric, you are a jack of all trades. You work hard and do your work well. So interesting. God has blessed and will bless.
Don't know why but I love to see and smella a freshly cut hay field. Takes me back when I was working for a rancher doing rock picking disking field prep for a summer. Keep it up Eric great videos
would you mind going more into the solar panel setup when it is all done? Size, KWH, etc. As far as the corn, taking topography into consideration, lower fields will stay wetter then the higher fields near the farm. Could also be compaction, and might be worth running a lite tillage through there in rare cases like this year with the heavy drought. Maybe focus more manure in that area? Keep up the great work man!
I've just caught up on watching the last couple of videos (Idk why they're not trending on my feed) & now you drop the latest update! It almost feels like time travel seeing a new project progresses so fast
You are doing an amazing job of solving all of the everyday problems that come up on a busy dairy farm. And I am always impressed by your crew that does the hay & corn silage chopping for you. They seem to be very skilled and focused on getting a quality job done quickly for you. Regarding the differences in your stands of corn this year. When I was farming. I found that it all comes down to the timing of having adequate moisture in the soils. So one of the best solutions for you might want to consider would be center pivot irrigation. Not sure if you have ever looked into it. But you can to do some test wells to see if you have access to enough water so this could be an option for you. Because having the ability to turn on your pivots when needed could be a game changer for you. Keep up the great work! And have a blessed weekend with your family.
That is a NEMA 23 (big brother of 3D printer motors)...easy to fix...has internal bearings that can be replaced...as long as the coils aren't burned it is easy to rebuild/repair Keep em coming!!!!
Hot out there for sure, looked like you cows were handling the conditions fairly well. Good luck with your yields, I think it's been a so so year for a lot of folks. Have a good weekend!
I always enjoy watching this every year. It never gets old and the efficiency and care for your animals feed is an awesome thing to see. Glad you got so much of it done!🎉❤
Busy day on the farm. Wish we had the technology to control the rain. Sure would make your job easier. Great looking electrical conduit job. Glad the corn is doing well. Thanks till next time.
Hi Eric, the solar panel roof looks good and will be working very soon. The panels will shade the roof and help the cooling of the barn in summer. Have you done courses on repairing machices etc Eric or just have had to learning on the job, with Dads help? The muck scappers are bigger than i thought and are being used by many dairy farmers now because of the benefits. Your lucky to have a decent crop of alfalfa cause there is many farmers whose crops have been devastating because of droughts. Thanks for another great video. Chris from Australia 🇦🇺.
I asked my Dad how he became such a great mechanic? He said on the farm you have to fix everything yourself or things grind to a stop. He farmed four sections in Vale, South Dakota.🇺🇸
The OCD side of me wants to sneak into the shop while Eric is out haying and give that scraper a complete detail. I know it wouldn’t last long but everyone needs a good scrubbing now and again.
Let's gooo im early again What I've realized I really enjoy about your channel is how you explain everything going on. What has been going on, what is happening, and what is about to happen. Hearing your observations like at 15:00 that is something that is really intriguing to see. Obviously this is something yo have to really pay attention to and something you have an acquired eye for. Thats not something I'd probably ever notice, but through your videos I can learn that is something you're paying attention to. It makes your videos very interesting and engaging. Loved reviewing the crops with you as well was really cool to hear your thought process of things you're trying and what you're considering and why.
We are dairy farmers ourselves Eric and 100% no till but this year we bought a 24 foot vertical till machine. Heavy traffic or excessive trash or dry conditions and we feel vertical till pays big rewards and peace of mind
Glad to see you got the Lely scraper back on the job. Your flooring looks much better with them working. And I’m sure you are too. You did ok at the end you don’t need a fancy pants outro to end your vlogs.
No till is the way to go- especially in PA, don't give up the organic matter for short term yield. The variability in the corn is more than likely a fertility difference across soil types (we have a lot of them in the northeast). You should look into taking grid samples and applying variable rate P and K for next season,- can even do VR manure. I'd be willing to bet there is a fair amount of variation in some strips. Call your local FS office to get in touch with me, I would love to talk precision ag with you guys!
I’m 55 and worked many jobs during my life from installing floors to installing truck scales and working in a chicken plant. Without a question the hardest job I had was working on a tobacco farm one summer when I was 18. Farming is hard work.
Crops are looking good. When we were farming we were not a big fan of no till farming. The crop seem to do better and produce more where we tilled. Hope your crops continue to do well. Thanks for another great video. I always enjoy your videos.
Please produce a video on what the solar panels will provide to the farm and the cost of project and payback time. Why would you not include a battery bank? Do you have future plans to expand the project? Love your channel.
Always enjoy your videos. I only farm for deer hunting so you cannot really call it farming. I pretend to farm i guess is better way of saying it. Always enjoy the balance of field work and livestock. Interested how the solar works out for you. I have personally been skeptical of it all but looking forward to seeing it. God Bless
I’d say that it is most likely just a better soil that you had filled the sink hole in with that is making a difference. Not that it was loose dirt. Even with tillage there will still be a hard pan for the roots to have to break through
With all the Fans, vaccummpump and cooling for the Milk, you should see an hefty drop in your eletricity bill. Hope you goz your Home AC hooked up to the Solar Array too. First in the install i avoided the Batterypacks too, but when i made the math with data i´ll got from the solar Array and was able to see how much i still had to buy at nighttime/times when the sun wont shine. So ive bought an 50KW Battery pack, that will pay for itself in ~6 and half years,
Maybe grab a soil sample for each field and have your local ag agent test it for composition and nutrients...could be a ph issue causing root uptake issue resulting in spindle stalks...maybe....e joy your vids...🚜👨🌾🚜😊😊
Hey Eric we got over 6 inches of rain and a few tornadoes Saturday night and Sioux Center Ia 5 miles away got over 10 inches of rain Saturday night here in Nw Iowa and Sunday we got. 1/ 2 to a 1 inches rain we have been getting 1or 2 since we planted Looks like you have alot going on catching up on your videos
Hey you probably won’t see this but the dairy were i work they took an old 3pt tire scraper and and old skid loader bucket and made a feed pusher with it they used a chain that is connected to the top link to the bucket and use the bottom links as a pick up point
we work a LOT of heavy equipment, the first step in our process is to run it through the wash rack, we find a lot of problems under the muck,,,,,,,, we chisel plow our corn makes a marked difference
I know that after awhile you get used to working around the sh!t. I remember as a kid not being too bothered after some time being on my grandpa's dairy farm. But damn at this point in my life I'd need to be washing and scrubbing that puppy down.
Seems like you know what you are doing having to fix things, which is a good thing. One would think it would be easier to clean the equipment so it would be easier to see everything.
after watching your videos for some time now I am curious. You don't seem to bale hay at all. did I miss something? I do like your videos of your (large) dairy operation. My cousin is the last farmer in the family after 4 generations, and he switched from dairy to beefers (angus and highland) a few years ago. I fear that in the next 30 years my county won't have any cattle farms in operation. Keep up the good work!
soil compaction test would help .. I am not a fan of the no till mentality.. Plowing deep isn't necessary unless you're establishing a field or curing hard pan soil but Tilling to 10 inches is useful for many reasons .. you want your organics to stay at the top when you till/disc normally but if you have problem soil that heaves or holds water or turns into a muddy mess and never drains then you need to deep plow.. but discing the top layer helps reduce weeds and it mixes through the nitrogen from your cover crops in the top layer.. also makes it easier for roots to grow. ... yeah permaculture is foolishness really but good farming methods have been around for a couple thousand years.
A solar project cost, tax break, utility breaks and or any loan programs. How many years projected pay back. Does your utility allow net metering, does the utility pay extra for solar power you push up stream.
You know how you used to put the manure out, and cos of the neighbours you changed the way you did it; if its dry next year why don't you run a few tankers of water through them to keep the soil moist just before planting. Just a thought.
How many Kw's of power will your solar panels produce ? Using power company as batteries is good idea,, it should make a big difference...Would like a video when all is finished,,very interesting 👍🚜👍
The improvements to the farm over the last couple years are incredible and show your families dedication to the future, farming, dairy farming.
I heard he mentioned he might switch to soy milk production... jk lol
Glad to see the scrapers still rollin along for you, Takin a ittle load off for sure.
Who knew that skills in robotics would be necessary for dairy farming? You are a very talented young man!
Not too long ago I was thinking solar power would be a good investment. Very nice to see your operation evolve and your work ethic continues to bring joy to us viewers!❤
Beautiful farm.your kids will definitely make it 11th generation. Your always improving it.
Eric I really appreciate the extra time and work you do to take me and all your subs along with you and your Dad for time on your farm!
It’s exciting to see the solar panels going up, I hope it’s a profitable decision for your farm! I wish I had as much roof capacity as you have!
Hey there - One thing I have learned is that plants will do what they do even with the best conditions. I have Temptress sweetcorn going in my garden in 30" row spacing with double-rows 1ft apart and plants 6" apart (1400pop), I planted with a dibble at ~3" seed depth and the soil was not tilled This is year 2 of no-till in the garden. Manure was laid over the surface and (dry) grass clippings spread around the 3k sqft bed for mulch. The corn has similar conditions and the plant height uniformity is close, but some of them show the same thin stalks vs other plants in the very same row. Plants also came up around the same time or within 1-1.5 days of one another. I have 3 rounds in the field (each 2wks apart), and they all show similar conditions. I vetted seed quality and size before sewing so all plants should have had the same food from the start. No synthetic ferts, just manure spread in May and compost tea used every at v4 and again at v8. Fertility isn't an issue, some stalks have 2 or even 3 ears and this is aver pea to nickle size hail back in mid-July doing some leaf damage. I do have a strip through the field that was excavated to run a power line and it is noticeable how stunted the corn and peppers are where they dug up the soil, even 3 years after doing the work..
Never get tired of the view from the top of the silos!
Excellent video Eric! Glad you were able to get your 3rd cut put up. Those Massey's sure look nice! Interesting commentary on the corn conditions. Nicely done on the robot repair. Thanks for the video!
Solar install is very clean, nice work. The corn field comparison is interesting. The mower and rake are huge machines when they unfold, like transformers.
So much going on, great to see. Eric, you are a jack of all trades. You work hard and do your work well. So interesting. God has blessed and will bless.
Eric's son is named Jack. Trivia. Cheers 🇨🇦
Very interesting looking at the different developments of your corn plots 👍
Run the rake at lower RPM and higher ground speed to avoid knocking as much dry leaf off the plant. 👌🏼👍🏼
Don't know why but I love to see and smella a freshly cut hay field. Takes me back when I was working for a rancher doing rock picking disking field prep for a summer. Keep it up Eric great videos
would you mind going more into the solar panel setup when it is all done? Size, KWH, etc.
As far as the corn, taking topography into consideration, lower fields will stay wetter then the higher fields near the farm. Could also be compaction, and might be worth running a lite tillage through there in rare cases like this year with the heavy drought. Maybe focus more manure in that area?
Keep up the great work man!
I've just caught up on watching the last couple of videos (Idk why they're not trending on my feed) & now you drop the latest update! It almost feels like time travel seeing a new project progresses so fast
You are doing an amazing job of solving all of the everyday problems that come up on a busy dairy farm. And I am always impressed by your crew that does the hay & corn silage chopping for you. They seem to be very skilled and focused on getting a quality job done quickly for you. Regarding the differences in your stands of corn this year. When I was farming. I found that it all comes down to the timing of having adequate moisture in the soils. So one of the best solutions for you might want to consider would be center pivot irrigation. Not sure if you have ever looked into it. But you can to do some test wells to see if you have access to enough water so this could be an option for you. Because having the ability to turn on your pivots when needed could be a game changer for you. Keep up the great work! And have a blessed weekend with your family.
That is a NEMA 23 (big brother of 3D printer motors)...easy to fix...has internal bearings that can be replaced...as long as the coils aren't burned it is easy to rebuild/repair
Keep em coming!!!!
Hot out there for sure, looked like you cows were handling the conditions fairly well. Good luck with your yields, I think it's been a so so year for a lot of folks. Have a good weekend!
I always enjoy watching this every year. It never gets old and the efficiency and care for your animals feed is an awesome thing to see. Glad you got so much of it done!🎉❤
Looks like you have an excellent second cutting. Excellent video!!
Busy day on the farm. Wish we had the technology to control the rain. Sure would make your job easier. Great looking electrical conduit job. Glad the corn is doing well. Thanks till next time.
Hi Eric, the solar panel roof looks good and will be working very soon. The panels will shade the roof and help the cooling of the barn in summer. Have you done courses on repairing machices etc Eric or just have had to learning on the job, with Dads help? The muck scappers are bigger than i thought and are being used by many dairy farmers now because of the benefits. Your lucky to have a decent crop of alfalfa cause there is many farmers whose crops have been devastating because of droughts. Thanks for another great video. Chris from Australia 🇦🇺.
Awesome video. Very nice solar panels . Great job Eric and thank you
I like how you Stagger the Crops and you thought of the Passes of the Hay Conditioner!👍👍👩🌾👩🌾👩🌾💰💰💰💰
The guy who said farming is 99% fixing equipment, and 1% farming was not too far off! 😢
I asked my Dad how he became such a great mechanic? He said on the farm you have to fix everything yourself or things grind to a stop. He farmed four sections in Vale, South Dakota.🇺🇸
@@rodneyrtennis1279I lived on a farm we fix our on equipment or never get done.
He was far off… more then 60% of the time it’s driving, maybe more
(Then theres loading, unloading, setup)
The OCD side of me wants to sneak into the shop while Eric is out haying and give that scraper a complete detail. I know it wouldn’t last long but everyone needs a good scrubbing now and again.
I'm the same way, OCD. But it really doesn't matter 🤷🤷
Put in solar here in Ohio back in late 2015. Super glad we did. Used a company with it's headquarters in PA called Paradise Energy. Very good company.
Let's gooo im early again
What I've realized I really enjoy about your channel is how you explain everything going on. What has been going on, what is happening, and what is about to happen. Hearing your observations like at 15:00 that is something that is really intriguing to see. Obviously this is something yo have to really pay attention to and something you have an acquired eye for. Thats not something I'd probably ever notice, but through your videos I can learn that is something you're paying attention to. It makes your videos very interesting and engaging.
Loved reviewing the crops with you as well was really cool to hear your thought process of things you're trying and what you're considering and why.
Great video. Glad at the end you were able to find better corn.
Love seeing everything you do and the progress.
We are dairy farmers ourselves Eric and 100% no till but this year we bought a 24 foot vertical till machine. Heavy traffic or excessive trash or dry conditions and we feel vertical till pays big rewards and peace of mind
Really don’t have anything to lose by doing a somewhat shallow tillage but potentially a good gain. Id give it a try.
I wish I could have my own farm like this, love to raise animals, crops, having heavy machinery , doing hard work,
“If I didn’t have to keep fixing broken down equipment, I wouldn’t have anything to do”, said every farmer everywhere.
Farm looks awesome.
Ever think about doing soil sampling, some plots could be richer in a type of mineral than others
Glad to see you got the Lely scraper back on the job. Your flooring looks much better with them working. And I’m sure you are too. You did ok at the end you don’t need a fancy pants outro to end your vlogs.
Good detective work on the robot! Corn looks good too. Thanks!
No till is the way to go- especially in PA, don't give up the organic matter for short term yield. The variability in the corn is more than likely a fertility difference across soil types (we have a lot of them in the northeast). You should look into taking grid samples and applying variable rate P and K for next season,- can even do VR manure. I'd be willing to bet there is a fair amount of variation in some strips. Call your local FS office to get in touch with me, I would love to talk precision ag with you guys!
😂 Gotta admit, the first thing I would have done with the junior zamboni-bot was pressure wash it. 😆😆
I’m 55 and worked many jobs during my life from installing floors to installing truck scales and working in a chicken plant. Without a question the hardest job I had was working on a tobacco farm one summer when I was 18. Farming is hard work.
Crops are looking good. When we were farming we were not a big fan of no till farming. The crop seem to do better and produce more where we tilled. Hope your crops continue to do well. Thanks for another great video. I always enjoy your videos.
Give tillage a go next year and make a comparison if possible. Just seems logical that breaking up the packed soil would be much better. Great video.
No fancy outro needed. Always good stuff...
Love watching all😂farm shows
I thought for sure you would have found a Mountain Dew at the end in the corn stocks.
Please produce a video on what the solar panels will provide to the farm and the cost of project and payback time. Why would you not include a battery bank? Do you have future plans to expand the project? Love your channel.
Surely it would help the corn to run through once with spring tine harrow prior to drilling to help germination .
Always enjoy your videos. I only farm for deer hunting so you cannot really call it farming. I pretend to farm i guess is better way of saying it. Always enjoy the balance of field work and livestock. Interested how the solar works out for you. I have personally been skeptical of it all but looking forward to seeing it. God Bless
Hey love all your work. Keep it up. Quick question what is your favorite job on the farm? Could you say it in the next vid 😊
Producing 11th Generation farmers.
@@timothymbonham4453 yay my dad says raising 4 boys is hard so a farmer is definitely harder
I’d say that it is most likely just a better soil that you had filled the sink hole in with that is making a difference. Not that it was loose dirt. Even with tillage there will still be a hard pan for the roots to have to break through
With all the Fans, vaccummpump and cooling for the Milk, you should see an hefty drop in your eletricity bill. Hope you goz your Home AC hooked up to the Solar Array too.
First in the install i avoided the Batterypacks too, but when i made the math with data i´ll got from the solar Array and was able to see how much i still had to buy at nighttime/times when the sun wont shine. So ive bought an 50KW Battery pack, that will pay for itself in ~6 and half years,
Maybe grab a soil sample for each field and have your local ag agent test it for composition and nutrients...could be a ph issue causing root uptake issue resulting in spindle stalks...maybe....e joy your vids...🚜👨🌾🚜😊😊
You know what they say…….you never realize how many cloudy, overcast, Canadian smoke days you have until you put up a solar array!
Solar power looks good Eric. Looking forward to seeing your savings with them. There's always something to fix or maintain on the farm. Stay safe.
Poor robot is just tired of getting crapped on. 😁🐄👍🏻
Neat camera angle sitting on the mower !
Homie has the most interesting content on the platform. Keep up the good work 💪
Gonna need a bigger motor.....😊. Don't forget to upgrade your property insurance to include solar.
aw...and i look so forward to those lengthy outros.....but thats a lot of solar!!
Thanks for another video from the farm.
A farmer freind of mine plants feed oats with his Lucerne (alfalfa) love ya work ol mate 👍
Hey Eric we got over 6 inches of rain and a few tornadoes Saturday night and Sioux Center Ia 5 miles away got over 10 inches of rain Saturday night here in Nw Iowa and Sunday we got. 1/ 2 to a 1 inches rain we have been getting 1or 2 since we planted Looks like you have alot going on catching up on your videos
So much going on
Awesome Video and Much Love as Always 🐄 Man!!!
Hey you probably won’t see this but the dairy were i work they took an old 3pt tire scraper and and old skid loader bucket and made a feed pusher with it they used a chain that is connected to the top link to the bucket and use the bottom links as a pick up point
we work a LOT of heavy equipment, the first step in our process is to run it through the wash rack, we find a lot of problems under the muck,,,,,,,, we chisel plow our corn makes a marked difference
I know that after awhile you get used to working around the sh!t. I remember as a kid not being too bothered after some time being on my grandpa's dairy farm. But damn at this point in my life I'd need to be washing and scrubbing that puppy down.
corn is looking good !
Seems like you know what you are doing having to fix things, which is a good thing. One would think it would be easier to clean the equipment so it would be easier to see everything.
Really enjoyed your video. Thank You
The Weather looks running good for u there.
Did you have the same variety planted in the loose soil field and the second field? Have you considered any other brands of manure scrapers?
Maybe an in-line ripper would help compaction yet not destroy the surface as much. Although sometimes the rippers will bring up chunks.
Eric, Turning the scraper up like that will flood the carburetor.
And a flooded carberator will really slow down those electric motors, right? :)
after watching your videos for some time now I am curious. You don't seem to bale hay at all. did I miss something?
I do like your videos of your (large) dairy operation. My cousin is the last farmer in the family after 4 generations, and he switched from dairy to beefers (angus and highland) a few years ago. I fear that in the next 30 years my county won't have any cattle farms in operation. Keep up the good work!
They buy baled hay. Then have it ground, and store it in their commodity barn.
❤️ ALL YOUR VIDEOS ERIC ❤️
What about soil tests to see if there’s a chemical difference in the areas?
solar is really cool. can you go into output and size of the installation?
Thank you!
Nice healthy corn is a fine outro.
Cheers to you.
soil compaction test would help .. I am not a fan of the no till mentality.. Plowing deep isn't necessary unless you're establishing a field or curing hard pan soil but Tilling to 10 inches is useful for many reasons .. you want your organics to stay at the top when you till/disc normally but if you have problem soil that heaves or holds water or turns into a muddy mess and never drains then you need to deep plow.. but discing the top layer helps reduce weeds and it mixes through the nitrogen from your cover crops in the top layer.. also makes it easier for roots to grow. ... yeah permaculture is foolishness really but good farming methods have been around for a couple thousand years.
A solar project cost, tax break, utility breaks and or any loan programs. How many years projected pay back. Does your utility allow net metering, does the utility pay extra for solar power you push up stream.
You know how you used to put the manure out, and cos of the neighbours you changed the way you did it; if its dry next year why don't you run a few tankers of water through them to keep the soil moist just before planting.
Just a thought.
Robot: What is my purpose?
Eric: To scrape the shit.
Robot: sigh.
Just watched Piet van Bedaf youtube video on milk inspection & wonder if you go thru the same as he did. He's a dairy farmer in North Dakota.
Good video
God bless you and your family
Good stuff Eric
How many Kw's of power will your solar panels produce ? Using power company as batteries is good idea,, it should make a big difference...Would like a video when all is finished,,very interesting 👍🚜👍
Corn yield difference possibility... you did in ground manure spreading one time I remember.
Talk about a dirty job that lil thing has it😂😊
Soil and tissue testing might show the differances between the two feilds
Sometimes things just are, no rhyme nor reason especially when it comes to plants.
Love the videos and effort love you
Another very interesting video Thank you 😊😊
10G!! You da man!!
nice work