Regenerative Agriculture: How We Improve Soil Quickly without Costly Equipment

We practice regenerative agriculture as much as we can to quickly improve our soil health using cover crops, mulches, and livestock. Wapply different strategies to regenerate soil in our pastures without using expensive heavy equipment. Here's our current strategies for the poorest soils on our farm.

#soilhealth #regenerativeagriculture #rotationalgrazing #balegrazing #pasturedpigs
Thank you for watching our videos.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases from the following links.

[DowdleFamilyFarms]

Our video “Why I Don’t Farm Like Joel Salatin, Greg Judy, or Gabe Brown” is the second part of this video. It responds to early comments and talks about the long term goals for the 10 acre field. Check it out. It was published one week after this one. Thanks for watching!

[dr.froghopper]

My garden spent 10 years as an adobe floored horse corral. Trampled hard, in the desert, I’ve been working on it for 5 years. I added multiple layers of horse manure, straw, leaves, wood chips. I’ve been building raised beds with purchased soil and saving as much biomass as possible for the compost pile. I collect coffee grounds from a local restaurant, usually two 5 gallon buckets per week. I’m starting cover crops of clover, rye grass, oats, barley, cow peas—all started this spring. I’m disabled and very heat intolerant due to a neurological disorder. So earthworms are doing most of the tilling here, although the current chicken yard will grow fine corn and melons next year. The chickens are a tiny flock but they till pretty nicely. I’m about to plant their next digs with a variety of cover crops to till in after we move them.

[marcruel]

I used wood chips.I prefer summertime for the green leaves, break down faster. They are free and my clay went to rich black healthy soil in just two seasons

[sansomspressurecleaningpoo]

Oh I wish I had a friend like Bubba. You’re blessed to have him. I use dump trucks full of fresh Wood Chips. i’m in Palm Beach Florida. not too far from the beach. I also use seaweed, Grass clippings, organic alfalfa pellets, wood ashes, charcoal, five different kinds of worms. I also have my ladies/chickens. They do a lot of the work. Tilling, debugging, sanitizing, fertilizing. They making sure everybody’s happy on the property. Thank you for taking the time out to make your video have a good day and God bless y’all.

[michaelzorro]

Am in the process of developing a native Grassland and wildflower land Conservancy.
Your video was very informative and helpful.

[KedeshFarm]

Great video. On Kedesh Farm, we are unrolling hay and bale grazing. We also had lime applied to the fields last spring. I only have one cow on the land at this time, and she is doing a great job. I keep her rotational grazing lane tight. Again, thanks for sharing.

[SandraHertel-ub]

Thank you for this. I now own a small property that we will homestead and the soil is very poor. I’ll will look to adding compost and cover crops to help bring this soil to live and better health.

[paulblankenship]

I saw a video from Greg Judy talking about this same thing. He said he did it with other peoples cows and they provided the alfalfa hay for the cattle to trample and poop on. Yeah they ate a little of it but most of it was pooped on, peed on, and trampled into the ground. Cows won’t eat any kind of hay that that’s been done to. But it sounds like that’s not your situation. These are your cows, that’s your hay, and that’s your family farm. I see the benefit and profit loss both of what you’re doing. All of it except letting the cows decimate those good bales of hay without using a hay ring. “I think” you would be better served using a ring and let the cows eat all they want. They’ll cull what they don’t want. After they’ve ate their fill move them, and the hay ring, to your new pen with the new bale of hay in it. When you’re completely done feeding them in that area, rotate the pigs through. Once both rotations are done, over sow it with your cover crop seeds and lightly disturb the area to get good seed to soil contact and wait for the magic to happen. Wow, I sure did type a lot of words to give you my opinion lol. I’m sorry if it comes across the wrong way. Please don’t take it that way. Written text can never compete with spoken word. I’m just sharing my opinion. I really like your channel. Keep up the good work.

[timeorspace]

Thank you for sharing, I enjoy seeing the creative process farms like yours go through. We bought a home on 3/4 acre urban property with woods, creek, and a weedy/clover lawn over squishy clay. After watching shadows & flooding we have identified an area for growing vegetables. I’m expanding the forest border by stopping mowing, poking acorns/tree seeds I find on hikes, and planting 5 native trees I picked up for free. Last year I bought an old small chipper mulcher so I can keep all the tree droppings on property and also balance my two compost tumblers with a stockpile of brown litter. We are growing vegetables in bags made of poly tarps filled with our own compost. I’m doing research for a few projects I’m hoping to get underway before the summer heat kicks in. 1 build a chicken coop & run, 2 import and spread carbon (arborist mulch) to build soil for expanding our vegetable garden next year. Right now, I’m learning about broad forks, which may help to drain some of my squishy clay yard?

[Abdullah-london]

Thank you, listening to whilst driving to work.

[shannonjayne]

New to grazing and cows, this is super encouraging thanks!

[vickiamundsen]

On a very small scale: creating a new bed in hardpan clay, I dug a 1' deep pit that was 3' x 15'. Set the soil to one side, and then last fall, ALL the weed pullings, spent annuals, veg waste, and soft prunings went into the pit, intermingled with the removed clay soil. This spring it'll be pumpkins.

[farm]

Great content, thanks for taking the time!

[porterowski]

I'm your newest subscriber, keep making these informative videos! Bobby, Denison, Texas

[mrctzn]

I would try to ensure if I bought hay or any mulch from outside make sure it has no chemicals to keep weeds out that animals will pass into the manure. That being in the hay they eat will kill crops the following season. Many videos on you tube cover this widespread danger many gardeners and growers are facing. Thanks for the information I hope to put what you have shared to use.

[Sureshm]

Great informative and interesting video. It makes me feel as if I am also there with you in your field as I watched the video. I love your strategy for making healthy soils by minimizing the use of heavier farm equipment. I believe that you are in the right direction towards regenerative agriculture. Please keep going Dowdle Family Farms and keep on spreading the good message across. I also suggest planting some fruit trees (like apple, peach, plums, and berries) here and there, so that it could provide some shade to the ground as well to the grazing livestock, during summer. I also suggest planting berseem as a cover crop including Napier grass, as well as Rye grass especially in the wet part of your ground to reduce sogginess. Please keep up the great job and God Bless!

[sunriseeyes]

Thank you for sharing this! I love learning about different methods that everyone uses. No one seems to use the exact same method but it still seems to work. I’m glad you found a method that works for you. Also, may I ask what the fluffy pigs are? I thought they were sheep at first, lol 😅 I have never seen pigs with curly hair!

[itztractorjohn]

We run mostly goats and sheep. Unfortunately our hay prices are a lot more expensive. So its cheaper to bail our own. our soil improving method is rotational grazing and feeding hay in new areas. Its a slow improvement process but its cost effective.

[GriffenNaif]

Wonderful work. God's light is on you. Those ruts look like they stuck from last year. But you know your property and resources better than anyone else.

I had good success moving my seeding up to 8 species from 3. Tons more resistant to cold, wet, drought, or heat. Thought I'd lose money 💰 on it... but the pasture and increased ADG more than made up for it.

Praying 🙏 for you buddy.

[JSomerled]

Your garden area looks amazing. One thing I want to focus on next is soil compaction.. I need to figure out a plan to water and feed cattle so they don’t gather in the same place everyday. Especially around water trough’s. I’m also going to try meat chicken and Turkey, hopefully not to time intensive.
I like how you pasture and rotate the pigs along with your seed broadcasting to cover..