The TRUTH! Are homesteaders/farmers/ranchers on Youtube misleading you?
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 7 июн 2024
- The TRUTH! Are homesteaders/farmers/ranchers on RUclips misleading you? Come along as we open the door for discussion about youtubers and social media farmers potentially leading you in the wrong direction. Hope ya'll enjoy and learn a bit today!
Tools/Goodies on my Amazon page here: www.amazon.com/shop/stoneyrid... (Stoney Ridge Amazon Affiliate Page)
#farming #homesteading #sustainability
As an Amazon Affiliate Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
This Video is for entertainment purposes only.
Stoney Ridge Farmer videos may contain paid sponsorships. 
Развлечения
The guys name from “Just a Few Acres “ is Pet, he’s the best farmer there is.
I thought I was 😂
“Pet”😂😂😂😂😂
@@CannFarms or Pete lol
Your a know it all farmer
I’m just building a farm
Well said man. People just don’t understand. You gotta learn to work with your land and your situation. Keep it up.
Exactly!
Josh, hope all is going well well. I really like your perspective with low infrastructure farming practices, as we purchased a 150 acer old farm with NO! Infrastructure. But we are located in upstate ny. Not way up but outside albany. Still cold compared to the south. Havent talked to many local farmers yet, but unsure if a “ no barn” for winter would work. We have had very little snow for many years now , but temps do get cold. Thinking these steel movable “ run ins “ may work for small hurd to start( 4-6-8 head to start, currently working on a SERIOUS full 1820 home renovation. Just bouncing ideas! Hold your head high buddy , my heart says the worthy have good times ahead
All farms a different, we all work our land on the fly as best we can👍🎉
and we all learn as much as we can to find out the best way to keep our land healthy ....I think it's great!
Semper Fi from a SW VA country boy that now lives in the Sewer of the District of Criminals.
The Way you Farm makes perfect sense to me. It is clear that you are a very sharp guy that has thought things through. You even point out your mistakes!
You have done pretty damn well in the few years you have been farming.
It is about the life style and Independence not getting Rich. I don't know any rich small farmers. I see a lot of farmers diversifying to make a living... but is that the way you want to live. Catering to a bunch of Self Centered City Slickers that have never done a real days work!
Thank you Josh. We have 50 acres in Shasta County California. We are preparing a 10 acre crossed fenced 3 section area for a small soil building test. We do have a few goats and donkeys. This 10 acre section was over grazed by 2 horses and the donkeys until it was bare even though we supplemented with hay. We're hoping to build organics and create topsoil and eradicate star thistle that has infiltrated from the outlying region. We hope to start with a bredback pair after this section is established. We will be able to irrigate. I hope to chat with you sometime. We appreciate your input and contribution to us all. Keep up the good work. Take care. Patrick & Debbie
5th Gen cattle farmer here from Mo, Thank you for this video im glad your figuring it out, its not easy you have to take what makes sense for your operation at the time and experiment a little on the side never put all your eggs in one basket
Josh I think you hit it on the head context plays such an important part of this conversation. No farm / Ranch is like any other. Everyone has different soil types , grasses, rainfall so much differences in environment and circumstances dictate what you can do and how fast you can do it on any land base. Thank you for making these types of videos to help keep us all balanced.
Josh, I was one of the many people who said to you, to grow your own hay.
I understand now, why you don't. I often forget the soil depletion issues there. I'm in Pennsylvania, and even though we have some soil issues, we don't have it nearly as bad.
Sorry about that previous question.
I want you to succeed in this experiment. I for one, am rooting for you!
I'm glad you're rooting for me brotha....We have no top soil...priority 1 is getting the farm to where it can be self sustained without fertilizers....in order to do that we bring hay in. $10k per year for hay or $25k per year to fertilize the farm with commercial fertilizers, then tack on time and $50 worth of machines to bale hay...it's a looser for me right now...buying is much cheaper!
@@StoneyRidgeFarmerdur you wont survive because of your total ignorance.
Baling your own hay requires tons of labor and lots of equipment. Rotating pasture frequently is the answer for me. Josh, I appreciate your channel. I can’t imagine the time it takes for you to film everything you do. I know its profitable and I'm thankful that you do it. Very educational and entertaining. Thanks for all you do from South Carolina.
thanks Rick
Josh, I will say the same thing I said last post, 'Very well done' and a lot of passion. Thanks...Drew
Very excellent information for the small farm, that wants to have no chemicals in their food. Like your videos. Keep them coming. Thanks again.
It's like planting corn it grows then dies when fully developed grass is no different if you don't mow your yard its not going to stay green all year and you probably did well at the market but keep in mind the beef market is crazy high right now
You are quite correct about farm soil types differ greatly in the United States and what may work for one farmer will not for another. I farm a sixth generation farm in south central Pennsylvania and my soil type varies from field to field. The weather here is much like western North Carolina. However, you go to northern or western Pennsylvania the winters are hash and the soil quality is more of an issues; we have more options as to what can be grown here during a season as our seasons are longer by more than a month and the soil is more productive. Different livestock or breeds do better is certain conditions and one must consider what one can sell in the market one farm within. People have varied tastes and even though an animal may adapt well if there exist no market for it then one is not making wise choices.
I like Pete from “just a few acres” because he shows the business side of things and he uses old equipment to show you don’t “need” new expensive equipment. On the other hand, I love Stoney ridge cause he has the toys I wish I had!
wooo!
@@StoneyRidgeFarmercould you please do more videos about tje business side of things. Love your videos though
I watch you, Just a Few Acres, Our Wyoming Life, How Farms Work / The Rest of the Story, Welker, 10th Gen Dairyman, Country Living Experience, and a few others in the agricultural / rancher / modern homesteader genre from time to time as well. I figure that hearing about things from multiple view points, from different sizes of operations, from people around the country (NY, Wyoming, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Texas, and yourself, plus what I observe here in my home state of Washington) provides a broad view of the agricultural / ranching industry. What I'm ultimately looking to do is more of a hobby / retirement sized operation, with some meat chickens, layer chickens, and perhaps a hog or feeder cow, and a nice garden. I find it interesting when I see, to me at least, two comparable operations approaching a similar problem in different ways. That stimulates questions from me to each as to why they do it that way, given the way the other person is doing it. I do realize there are differences in the operations, but what I don't know, not being in the business, is the detailed why for the way each does their thing. When I get a response, I do learn something. OWL uses pellet style cake for example, while The Rest of the Story uses protein lick tubs - so I asked. Rest of the Story doesn't have ready access to cake, so he uses what he can readily get at a reasonable price. "Ah ha!" for me, difference in choices explained.
Hey Josh good video thanks , I was one of the commenters for Dexter cattle your explanation of why not makes sense to me , good to hear you’re going to make some money off those critters! Garden Gnome approves 🧙♂️
Right on
Glad you made a profit that's part of the plan keep on keeping on
Love the video. You never let us down with your knowledge and you are not afraid to speak the truth even if it effects you in a negative way. You share it all to us.
I appreciate that
I only speak the truth.
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer
What you do is similar to what my grandfather did when he was raising black angus. Pasture grazed, drag the fields with a chain harrow, and feed (purchased) hay in winter. He used square bales instead of round though. The cows often hung out in a couple sheds next to the barn in winter (NH winters can get cold), and the manure pile from shoveling the sheds out composted along with the chicken manure and was used for the garden.
You are so right about how hard it is to build soil. I am located in NW Florida on a sand ridge. When I sent a soil sample to the university for analysis it came back with all 0's for nutrients. 😮 Still trying to build it up after 15 years and I only have 10 acres to deal with.
Thanks for saying what needed to be said…principles are not a prescribed receipt
Totally agree with this, a lot of people get into farming and don't realize how big of a role weather and land plays into farming. Everyone's land is different and I think a part of being a farmer is to learn your land and also growth from different experiences. No farmer is the same, and no land will be the exact same
you are correct....every situation is different....do whats right for you...there is no one size fits all... you have come such a long way against a lot of odds....and you are first generation....don't let the haters get to you.
EXACTLY correct! Everyone's operation is different. I'm in the central valley of California. And black cattle bring top dollar here. We also have a small operation. We have been ranching without the bank. We own 20 acres and lease 140. Our leased property is 25 miles away and does not have water well. We can pump water from the canal that splits the pasture. That's one reason we cannot rest and rotate. Other than moving the cattle across the canal. It is just my wife and I. We both had full time outside jobs. I retired July 1st 2020. My wife is retiring in June. I know we could do things different but the 50 mile round trip is expensive. We usually do it twice per week unless there's an emergency or I'm irrigating. Also, we never make money. There's always more bills or some way to expand.
Good video Josh. And makes perfect sense. I grew up working on a beef farm and would like to do it on my property when i sell my business in the next few years. I watch the videos to try and learn the best approach for me to make it profitable on a smaller scale, if thats possible. Not expecting to get rich from it but also dont want to lose money in my retirement years either.
Thanks for the video josh, keep up the good work.
Josh, All I can say is “ Well said!”👍
Very informative video. Thanks for sharing. Take care and God Bless.
Some are miss leading but at the same time different things work for each one differently. I take a little here, little there and sometimes have my own ideas.
Well said!
A great video. Everyone must grasp the various things t h at combined works for them.
I have enjoyed watching your content and most of the others you have mentioned.
I’m in Oconee county SC in basically the same situation on 63 acres,, and am waiting on the stump crew to add my last 30 acres of pasture,
I would like to ask the best seed brand to get some grass growing as I’m worried about erosion,,
Appreciate your content,,
Kevin
This is good info for people. Everyone needs to learn to think for themselves, be observant and do simple math.
Everyone’s situation is different. I do believe that the Greg Judy methods and Joel Salatin methods work.
One problem on smaller farms is people want a certain amount of cattle to be profitable which makes sense but in maxing out cattle numbers you decrease your ability to extend the grazing season.
Another problem is when you figure your time in. It takes about as much time to move 50 head of cattle as it does 5.
Everything these guys preach is scalable but you really need to be at a certain scale to make it worth your time. Or have free/cheap labor.
Greg Judy lays it out about as good as anyone and shoots it pretty straight. It’d be hard to go wrong following his advice.
Different land situations requires different operations. Some folks don't understand that. Josh, you do what you need to do, comments are just that, comments.
A very important video! Even though it should be 'self understood' that you have to assess the methods that they (Greg, Joel, Gabe,...) teach and maybe try if they can be applied to your operation. And to be fair: Greg also mentions that from time to time :)
A small correction: 400 heads on 1600 acres is not "4 cows to the acre" but "4 acres to the cow" instead. Probably a spoken typo ;)
And 45 head on 150 acres is not too far away from that (3,3 acres per cow), but you have completely different soil (almost none).
Greg hardly ever says something about that, but I figured out so far that about half of the 1600 acres (btw 1741 now) are brush and forest and he likes it that way. How many percent of your 150 acres are pastures?
Great Judy does a tremendous job. You can copy his methods with any size herd. The problem is getting to where he's at. If you still have bare dirt for a couple years it's hard not to worm. If you worm you don't have dung beetles. If you don't have dung beetles then you have to drag your manure piles. Just takes good management and time.
Agreed!
Years ago I started with Joel Salatin and someone else, for some reason I just can't remember who they were. For about 3 years I have been a loyal follower of Stoney Ridge. I own a small farm in Northeast Texas and do rotation grazing, on a much smaller scale, 10acres. Joel got me started with chickens. Started with the chicken tractor method, which works like a charm. Last year I switched to the exact chicken setup you currently use, before the fox incident. I use a guard dog to protect the chickens I have, 40 chickens on 2 wagons, They also do rotational grazing lol and are really good at keeping the ants at bay. Took me roughly 3 years to get just 4 acres where it is now, not perfect but damn near. The water supply comes from a creek that runs along my property, using a Ram pump which I took off RUclips, works really good. As far as your video, It is true, you can't easily say "this is the best method". so many variables to consider. The farmers like me really have to take everything with a practical mindset. Josh, Thanks for all your videos. Thanks for always explaining yourself and clarifying.
Joel was 100% the inspiration for me to start farming!
Amen You are so right..I was a dairy farmer in Wisconsin and could not compete with the big boys simple because we don't have the right water quality.
I'm in South Carolina and have the same problem as you with poor soil. Started out with 2 cows on 6 acres.
Well said. People need to look at getting into it the same way as philosophy. Learn the methodologies. There is no checklist to this, philosophy or life. Learn methods that are effective and be observant to what works for your land. Most of all is a good attitude so hope you like laughing at yourself and everyone else 🍻
I just finished the book dirt to soil and I thought of you, some of the things you are doing are the same. It's one heck of an eye-opening book and definitely will help those people with poor soil
great book!!! Totally eye opening!
Agree with you on the celebrities. I find it extremely frustrating to discuss with folks anymore as they figure that all these methods are the only ones that will work and that they will work everywhere - well they don't. I understand why you can't do your hay or have fields custom baled for ya - I can't and do not either. I only suggested an option that may have helped short term. I do get it though. You do what you feel is right....folks are just trying to help the only way they know how. Glad to hear you did well at the sale barn.
we just have to use the information that we see and hear and find a way to apply it to our operations....see what works for some may not work the best for others
Practice makes perfect….live and learn,,,roll with the punches.
Lot's of comments saying the same thing: farms are unique down to a neighbor level. It's all about the property, its history, how "played out" it is and what type of inputs the farmer can or is willing to use.Back when I was fooling with cattle in NE Texas on a small scale I needed 1.75 acres per adult head IF IT RAINED. During dry years it was triple that.Winter was 1000 pounds of hay per head (baled my own). Averaged 5 months of hay requirement. Augment was cattle cubes :more of a treat for them.Just FYI: in arid Texas it's 15-20 acres per animal : if it rains.
You are right, i have took things from you, chuck, pete, and joel to make my little almost 6acre farm business work. Farm is not paying for itself yet, but we are getting there. Keep on keeping on, sometimes on a farm, we have to make tough decisions. Im like, you id rather my animals live their lives out on the farm until freezer camp time, but sometimes you got to sell some to cover expenses
as you i found it more cost effective to buy hay from farmers that hay is their farm crop
True thank you for saying this we have a small farm re run right at 120 acres with 18 cows and a bull then we garden and do pork and chickens and everybody has there way that works for them we have tried several things that work great for us and some that don't again thank you for saying
I think that some people get too caught up in the "gospel" of it all and forget that the diverse nature of this lifestyle is the whole point. If you need an ABC plan this might not be for you. No two farms/ranches/Homesteads are the same, heck some change year to year. The knowledge that these folks (you included) put out into the world is valuable, but we have to apply it according to our specific needs and situations
Yes I think everyone has a different idea of how they want to do things on there farm that works for them and makes things run smooth and it’s always a learning process which is what makes it so enjoyable 👍🏼👊🏻🇺🇸
Just keep doing u and don't worry about these people who don't know u and your belief's and post their opinions, oh this is my opinion lol , I call it my 3 cents. Great job
Josh would chicken house shavings do any good for you or would that not be a good ideal. Honestly just curious I don’t know. There’s a fellow over my way that spreads all his houses on grass and bails it for hay. Turns it nice and green.
they would...if I had a local source I'd be all over it! For sure!
The best encouragement we got which wasn't very often was don't compare your chapter one to another farmers chapter 50 and I want to share that with you. The keyboard warriors who have never raised a cow and never had to build any type of soil have no idea what they are talking about. We started with 3 part Holsteins, you want to talk about zero grass genetics, but they were free, and then we bred them with a high dollar Hereford bull also for free. Now we have 3 of the nicest black baldies you have every seen. On year 3 of 50!
Awesome!! Can't wait to see ya up at Turtle Island!!
We all know each farm is different because our regions. Can't have a Joel Salatin type set up in the mountains of Wyoming.
exactly!
Well said Josh. Every Farmer has their own methods.
Was hear. Wooooo!
Hey Josh thank you for the video woo
Hey brother. Love your channel. I'd be very interested to buy beef from you. I'm in Charlotte NC, and would make the trip for sure. Maybe bring the camper and kids up there for a weekend to a campground. Are you selling by the 1/4 or 1/2 cow or just specific cuts? Timmy from teaspoon tinys
I really understand. Why are you not mixing crops - in the grass - have wild stands growing adding different bio to the ground and different stalk and needs for the Bovines. Not to grow to harvest but to add to the grass to create better feed and better soil. Our long time ago Ag teacher grew winter wheat and if it would not grow tall - he would run his cows through it and try another time. Mix seed if you plant and mix bio for your cows.
check the prices of seeds my friend! insane prices!
to:@@StoneyRidgeFarmer I hear you - I'd think about 5 or 10 pounds of several and it will reseed.
Correct Josh, one size doesn't fit all.
Have you considered partnering with any mom & pop markets? I know those are becoming more and more rare.. or farmer's markets?
That’s one cow per 4 acres of pasture for Greg judy
again....I'm not 100% sure exactly how many acres or head of cattle....but he's go much more space than I have..that's for sure
Well said
...btw...your ideas are best!!!😉
It’s 400 cows into 1200acres= 3acres per cow
You took the plastic twine off your bale. I can appreciate that! I know farmers in my area that don't and the plastic waste ends up all over the field.
Anyway Good job with the farm keep up the good work
I've seen that too....just asking for trouble with a cow consuming that waste!
Hi Josh, YES! Your Land, Farm and Animal situation is probably a LOT different from a lot of the other YOU Tube farmers or ranchers etc. What the other people do on their land might be unsuitable or even impossible for Your farm & livestock situation.
Overall you do a good job on 150 acres .A lot of the people you mentioned is about marketing.
What is the rate that they pay interns ?
Different cow breeds for different climates .
Fantastic discussion Josh. I love those channels too.
Btw, if we were close, I’d buy all of our meat from you. Something those other channels don’t have, their own written and performed theme song. 🎵
there's a little more here than meets the eye isn't there.....been writing a few songs lately and have some Nashville connections....hmmmm...maybe you'll see a music vid in my future!
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer I miss the “we’ve got cows, chickens and pigs..” song.
Josh, work your farm the way you want to. Whatever happens, happens anyway. The only farming I have ever done is a garden at our house in St. Louis County, MO and outside of Flint, MI. I tried a couple of times to have a garden here at Arp, TX. I sort of follow your channel because I am interested in what and how you do it. You seem to be doing OK for a newbie farm guy. I can't add anything to what you are doing and won't try except to not let other people run your life. They sure seem to not be able to run theirs.
lol..."newbie farming guy" love it...this aint rocket science....it's just cows and grass, but I'm doing things a little different from the rest....and it's working. This is my soil science project more so than my "beef" operation....my love for science and animals is my biggest driving factor
Josh,you cannot keep all the cows,but nevertheless you still have developed a fine looking herd.
Whatever works for you do it.
Please correct me if I misunderstood. Regarding the soil you're saying that the reason you don't do it like some other RUclips farms is because you don't have the topsoil that they do. You than seemed to imply by talking about the manure that several years down the line you might have soil like theirs if you took care of it but you had to put in the several years worth of work on the soil to get to where they are before you can do it how they do it is that correct?
Thanks for the help!
@@joshuagarner1654 I never said anything about him liking or not liking them. Reading a comment too fast? Happens to us all.
For people who don't know much about cows, could you explain the difference between the breeds of cows and why you went with the Black Angus breed?
great idea for a future video
Good video today
I think people confuse your passion in to demand for people to do exactly what you say. I have understood from day one that you speak with passion but you aren't trying to talk down or be a know it all. All you guys contributed to me getting in to a farm. I have a 40 acre farm with about 30 in pasture that I am having to reclaim. Just like you said, my situation is different from yours and not everything you do will work for me. No big deal!
You're exactly right, what works for one doesn't work for all. We have 70 acres, started cattle & realized like you said that we'd need 50 head to make much profit so now we keep 3 to 4 for family & make/sell hay. This works for us but maybe not the next guy. You're doing great for yourself Josh, keep being you. Oh & to all the haters, thanks for the views😅
Oh hay, 🇨🇦👍👍👍
Knowledge is Power ( true)" APPLIED KNOWLEDGE IS MORE POWER!"
Do you
I have to call it a great farm, bro.
Speaking of people lining up to buy your product: have you straightened out the shipping? I'm lined up! 😉
You make great videos very informative but do see a lot of wasteful spending but you have money to spend and that’s your prerogative keep on making videos I use the information and gear it to my little 25acer farm god bless you
you've gotta understand what I do for a living here...a man cannot earn 100% of his living on 50 cows...it's just not possible. My "town job" is content creation brother....I employ 2 people that help me with content creation....that's my town job my friend
👍👍
People come to RUclips to see what new ideas and equipment are available to make life better. Of course you are going to have equipment/sxs etc. that is more than most people can afford in the beginning. Why would anyone come here thinking any different,because you would run out of content quickly if not for these extras. I think you run a good show and are much more than a hobby farmer. I really dislike the term (hobby farmer) as it gets thrown around towards anyone that has an operation smaller the one calling you that. Imo a hobby farmer would be someone who is not selling any of their products and are keeping the animals as pets. Homesteading is focused on just providing for them selves and not selling to the public. Farm is anyone would is sell any product from the farm to ether pay for or make a profit. Just my opinion keep up the good work 😊
AMEN!!! Someone that gets it!! This is so much more than just some guy wondering around with a camera kicking cow patties! Thank you!!
I love you brother, but i laughed my butt off when you said "he's in Missouri, he's got topsoil", lol not all of it, along the hwy 44 corridor where I live it's a millimeter of topsoil, some awful clay and then ROCK. Greg Judy is North of me so probably a little better soil. We lost our topsoil in the dust bowl years.
Yes, I live by Lebanon MO. hwy 44 and that is the soil here
I so agree with Evileye1986. You have way to many vehicles on ya farm for 1 person. How many vehicles can you drive at 1 time? Ya, you might have gotten about 15,000 for ya cows, but try to manage your funds better. Happy farming.
My Friend, you understand that I am building a farm and my "town job" is creating content....the farm is just part of the business and it should earn income. Saying I have too many vehicles is like saying the Motor Trend channel has too many vehicles brother...it's how they earn a living. Does this help ya understand why it looks like I have "stuff" everywhere? "Stuff" allows me to create...creating is how I earn my living brother.
sell some of that stuff would help to ease financial burden, instead of selling half the herd.@@StoneyRidgeFarmer
we sold some calf's a Fuw weeks ago and so i kind of know what they are bringing (For Now) ..& I Can tell ya what you already know... ya got more than ya ever have in ya life for them & it seams like a lot cause and it is But Is it ? ? No in the in the grand scheme of things its still not much ! But i wont spoil it all though i am in eastern ky & you are their but i think its still really close between cattle prices here vs their for the most part !
you'll like the video about the results....they brought pretty good money this year
As Grumpy Farmer would say
You be You
Most feedback is from city farmers... 😊
Mike from Our Wy Life calls them "Armchair Ranchers"
You won’t go wrong with Angus and Angus cross cattle. Buyers love them for a reason. Ranchers, feedlots and packing plants do well with Angus.
It’s less and less people know what they are doing. Most family farms have been broke up. All that knowledge gone. Good luck figuring out in a lifetime.
Ignore thr negative, you have a great channel with great information. Lots of TROLLS out there mate...
I'm a bit confused by all the trolls too. Lots of talk, but I bet none of them farms, or even works a job. Weird.
Thank you for your view on what is true/not the case for all situations!!!
Lol are influencers misleading people? Of course!
🌹🌹❤🌹🌹
I'll say it's alot Harder than it looks on RUclips lol alot
AMEN!!!
Cattle prices at barn sales are great right now. Probably best prices the industry saw in the last decade or so.
I don't think most are intentionally misleading people and I think it's a great place to gather info from experienced people. My issue is with the, well, misleading drama you see a lot of where they say they are being mistreated or being held down by the "man" or... Now, I realize that some YT creators try to "spice" thing up to get views (how many thumbnails have you seen with someone's wife or girlfriend in some skimpy outfit) but, to make out that you are being singled out or picked on when it's really just a normal thing that everybody has to abide by does nothing but unnecessarily stir things up and make the world a harder place to live in and deal with. Things are already divided and misleading enough. We need to be coming together, no matter what side you stand on or what kind of life you have chosen to lead. I truly believe we all want pretty much the same thing out of life, but we have been convinced by some less than honest people that the "other guy" wants to destroy your way of life or whatever the drama of the day is.
You don’t need a $70,000 tractor to bale hay on 150 acres.
Nope...ya need a $35k tractor, a $10k Baler a $3k Tedder and a $2k Rake along with a $6k cutter/haybine look at all that ...then add in fertilizer costs and is it worth it brother? Not yet is my answer...maybe sometime in the future, but not just yet
If you take a little from all the social farmers you watch and use what will work for you and your situation for your farm.
Josh, I’d be really interested to see you get a company to come in and do soil samples on some, if not all your acres, then have them come back in a year and do it again. In my opinion you’re gonna find that you are losing nutrients every single year by not adding any fertilizer. Cow poop and what little nutrients come from the hay you are putting out, in my opinion is not building your nutrients. It may be giving you some organic matter, but not as many nutrients as are being consumed by the cows.
In my opinion you would be better to put some sort of fertilizer on it, and put a high biomass plant of some sort and let that extra biomass build your organic matter. It costs a lot of money to have good soil when your soil is as poor as ours in NC.
I did soil samples a few years back, I'll probably re-visit this later in the year
@@StoneyRidgeFarmer I’d be interested to see the results. Maybe you could look into adding some different types of “cover crops” to add into your pastures to help with everything. Something like some turnips or something could really help add organic matter and are safe for the cows.