Your Opportunity to Chime in on Greg Judy's Methods

[TILLHILL]

I have watched lot's of his videos. I would love to see his breed up rates. It seems he calves longer than a seedstock operation should. Does not appear to be much for culling as there are horned, black, and baldy cows. I thought most seedstock guys stick to their kind and that's it not matter what.

The biggest thing I notice on his videos is do the cows ever rest? I know when I got plenty of grass when I drive by at noon and they are all laying down on pasture. His are always moving.

 

[WAnabee]

I've gleaned what i think are some pretty handy things from his videos. Jobe water floats as opposed to the ones mounted on the top of the tank that cows always seemed to knock off. Underground poly pipe with quick connects for stock tanks for rotational grazing (I really like this system for my situation), using polybraid as opposed to the polywire, timeless posts with hi tensile wire for some perimeter fencing, using smaller framed cattle for grass finishing (though I wouldn't go as small as his cows). I realize he didn't invent these things but i probably would not have been exposed to some of these products and ideas had i not watched his videos and i am really happy with a lot of them.

He is in an area where grazing leases seem to be a lot cheaper than my area and he capitalizes on that. To be fair, he also recognizes this and advises those who would try to make a living doing what he does to seek out an area with similar conditions for starting out, which is obviously not realistic for many people. I enjoy watching his videos and learn things here and there.

 

[Dave]

I read a couple of his books 20+ years ago. Got a couple of ideas. But most of the information I had previously taken in from better sources. I came to the opinion that he was making money off others selling ideas more than his making money off cattle.

 

[Travlr]

I read a couple of his books 20+ years ago. Got a couple of ideas. But most of the information I had previously taken in from better sources. I came to the opinion that he was making money off others selling ideas more than his making money off cattle.

What was that saying?

Those that can... do. Those that can't... teach.

 

[wbvs58]

Increase stocking levels would be one goal/objective as an end result potentially, but there are other objectives. Depending on who you are, what your end goal(S)/Objective(S) is/are is quite variable.

You say you rotate every 2 weeks on average. @Jeanne - Simme Valley uses the rule 'Never longer than 7 days'. The reason she does the 7 day max is that after 3 days of grazing, regrowth on the grasses/forages has regrown to the point that it can be grazed again. What would you choose to graze? Brand new tender regrowth or forage that is older, tougher and about 3-5 weeks old? The point is, when you rotate, you want to graze the plant ONCE and then let the plant rest for at least 28 days WITHOUT regrazing it again. Regrazing repeatedly depletes energy stores in the plant and weakens it, and slows growth.

Mark, from what Jeanne said her goal might be to slow the growth of her grasses down.

Ken

 

[4hfarms]

Judy was an idea, just get the wheels turning and get it moving. Been years since I have seen his videos. Took some ideas that worked and made them mine. I threw myself into cows, didn't know squat when I started, but had alot of old experience around me for beginning advice. Learned a few things the hard way. I started with 3 cows on 40ac, made it easy to learn and correct problems before they were issues, and it grew over the years. They all know the routine now. It takes the calves a round or two but they learn. Spent my day sitting in a pasture today. It was hot!

Judy talks about his start, before he made all this happen. He rotated other peoples animals, on family land. Horses if I remember..... Without equipment, again start within your means. Fences are a forever problem on every farm. He did fence with his wife back then. He does admit to "topping" the pastures after animals. Bottom line the guy is an entrepreneur. He makes and sells the bale unrollers. It's advertisement. His herd was all south pole when I saw them. Advertisement.... His grazing school, advertisement. Etc.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

Mark, from what Jeanne said her goal might be to slow the growth of her grasses down.

Ken

@Jeanne - Simme Valley is well supplied with grass at this time, But I don't think her intention is to slow grass growth down. That are you seeing that she has said that makes you think she may have this as an objective?

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

LOL - I'm not sure what Ken is referring to. Sometimes I might "wish" I could slow it down temporarily.
It's kind of like mowing your lawn. We start out needing to mow every 3-4 days, but later in the summer, it's 7 days. Our fields stay green all year. Even under our snow!!
Proper management for my paddocks is to hay some if they get ahead of us. I DID hay 1 paddock this spring, but everything was crazy this "spring". Hay was done a week sooner than normal (and I got almost the full winters' needed number of bales). I thought I was being smart baling a field of pasture - but I wasn't smart enough. Should have baled more. Didn't know it was going to get so far ahead of us. We are just having the cows glean what they want, and are quickly moving and mowing behind them.
Since I don't own any hay equipment except the spears on my tractor, I can't just have hay done on a whim. My guy does me first in the rotation of his customers, and he is committed elsewhere.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

LOL - I'm not sure what Ken is referring to. Sometimes I might "wish" I could slow it down temporarily.
It's kind of like mowing your lawn. We start out needing to mow every 3-4 days, but later in the summer, it's 7 days. Our fields stay green all year. Even under our snow!!
Proper management for my paddocks is to hay some if they get ahead of us. I DID hay 1 paddock this spring, but everything was crazy this "spring". Hay was done a week sooner than normal (and I got almost the full winters' needed number of bales). I thought I was being smart baling a field of pasture - but I wasn't smart enough. Should have baled more. Didn't know it was going to get so far ahead of us. We are just having the cows glean what they want, and are quickly moving and mowing behind them.
Since I don't own any hay equipment except the spears on my tractor, I can't just have hay done on a whim. My guy does me first in the rotation of his customers, and he is committed elsewhere.

It's a good problem to have! Growing too fast and likely too much hay when the season is said and done!

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Even if I move cows daily the grass still gets ahead of them in a good growing year UP here, and haying pastures isn't really an option. So cows get some mature/over mature pastures and there's nothing I can do about it. If I were stocked to take full advantage of the May-July grass then come August/September I would be scrambling for pasture.

One local guy was buying weaned feeders in the spring and using them to stay ahead of the growth and selling them in July but he quit a few years back as the summer market softened and he wasn't making anything at it.

 

[wbvs58]

@Jeanne - Simme Valley is well supplied with grass at this time, But I don't think her intention is to slow grass growth down. That are you seeing that she has said that makes you think she may have this as an objective?

Mark, Jeanne said

(this year we had too much grass after the first week.

Ken

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Yup. That is correct!

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

And I am not in a situation where I would buy a group of cattle to utilize my excess. I do not bring any unknown cattle onto my land. Yes, I occasionally purchase an animal, but directly from a breeder I'm familiar with their herd and health program.

 

[cowman82]

Judy was an idea, just get the wheels turning and get it moving. Been years since I have seen his videos. Took some ideas that worked and made them mine. I threw myself into cows, didn't know squat when I started, but had alot of old experience around me for beginning advice. Learned a few things the hard way. I started with 3 cows on 40ac, made it easy to learn and correct problems before they were issues, and it grew over the years. They all know the routine now. It takes the calves a round or two but they learn. Spent my day sitting in a pasture today. It was hot!

Judy talks about his start, before he made all this happen. He rotated other peoples animals, on family land. Horses if I remember..... Without equipment, again start within your means. Fences are a forever problem on every farm. He did fence with his wife back then. He does admit to "topping" the pastures after animals. Bottom line the guy is an entrepreneur. He makes and sells the bale unrollers. It's advertisement. His herd was all south pole when I saw them. Advertisement.... His grazing school, advertisement. Etc.

yea.. thats another thing..

he acts like he has done everything on his own and even talks that way.... but come to find out.. daddy left him a really big farm to start out with.. probably a bunch of cows as well.

but but.. he started out with nothing and had to lease cows and graze them on rented land to make it" "just buy my book and I can tell you how I started with everything and slowly turned it into a little more"... . hah

 

[Mark Reynolds]

Mark, Jeanne said

Ken

OK, I can see how that can be thought of that way. However, and I haven't asked her, but she can/will comment, I bet she doesn't want her grass to 'slow down', but will instead mow/clip it to keep it in a growing/vegetative state for this fall. She won't let the excess slow, remain unharvested, and grow tough, decrease in palatability and drop in nutrition value. Am I Right?

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

LOL - no - won't let it seed out and quit on me!! Just having a talk with my cows and telling them to eat FASTER!!!
Just giving them small sections almost daily to glean the good stuff and mowing behind them. I'm not complaining!!! I know a lot of you would like something green and growing. This has been a really weird year. Warm all winter - lots of rain - MUD. Usually get 120" of snow. Maybe got 20-40" that did not last. Usually have 2' deep of frozen ground with snow covered - maybe had 2" frozen ground - sometimes - and cattle punched right through that.
Always have a real quick spring growth, but this was way sooner/faster than normal.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

LOL - no - won't let it seed out and quit on me!! Just having a talk with my cows and telling them to eat FASTER!!!
Just giving them small sections almost daily to glean the good stuff and mowing behind them. I'm not complaining!!! I know a lot of you would like something green and growing. This has been a really weird year. Warm all winter - lots of rain - MUD. Usually get 120" of snow. Maybe got 20-40" that did not last. Usually have 2' deep of frozen ground with snow covered - maybe had 2" frozen ground - sometimes - and cattle punched right through that.
Always have a real quick spring growth, but this was way sooner/faster than normal.

Did your cows reply with "Yes Mam!" or "No Way, I'm full!"

 

[Mark Reynolds]

Tell me what the other objectives are. I'd like to know an objective that would be more important than increasing stocking levels if someone is in the cattle business.



Yeah... I think it's also been mentioned that on different places different practices work better than others. @Jeanne - Simme Valley is in upstate New York and I was talking about western SD. Kinda different situations wouldn't ya think? Could I have done things differently? I'm sure I could have. I never tried everything. And honestly, my focus was on improving my pastures and increasing the numbers that could be grazed. And if stressing the vegetation got me more grass in the end... I wasn't overly concerned with stressing the grass.

The list is extensive and arguably almost without end, but this one is going to be competitive with those that have the mindset to generate the Objective you listed:

Maximize the profit from cattle sales from the sale of cattle raised on a given acreage.

 

[Travlr]

The list is extensive and arguably almost without end, but this one is going to be competitive with those that have the mindset to generate the Objective you listed:

Maximize the profit from cattle sales from the sale of cattle raised on a given acreage.

Oooookay Buddy... I'll take your word for it.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Mowing isn't an option on most of my pastures so the cows have no choice to be fed over mature first crop pasture in Aug/Sept/Oct. Is it the best? No is it the most nutritious? Nope. Have my cows survived and thrived on it for the last 15+ years? Absolutely.

Could I run more cows if I clipped pastures and kept the grass vegetative? Absolutely.

But would the cost of hiring someone to sit in my tractor and clip pastures and rack up hours on the brush hog be less that the additional animals will bring? Depends on the year and the markets.