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<blockquote data-quote="BFE" data-source="post: 1795838" data-attributes="member: 28532"><p>Very good thread. I don't believe "big grain" will crash, however, but will evolve. The use of cover crops and biostimulants will lessen the need for herbicides and commercial fertilizer. Throw in a cattle rotation in the winter/spring and you have a good start on lower inputs and soil health. See Gabe Brown here, he's the gold standard on low input grain farming.</p><p></p><p>This is the direction I'm heading with my small farm. I don't intend to completely eliminate commercial inputs but any reduction is a pay raise, and if I can grow a cash crop in the summer and graze through the winter I've essentially doubled my acres. My goal is to graze small pastures from April-September or October and then utilize covers and residue through the winter.</p><p></p><p>I don't rotationally graze. It is something I would like to do but everything is a work in progress here. I have learned, however, that having zero animal traffic from frost until greenup dramatically improves grass volume. As Greg Judy says, any rest is better than none, so I'll start by splitting my pastures in two and go from there. Off farm work and family limit some things on the farm is the reality. As the little kids get older more farm time turns into family time. My contracting work is flexible, but it does require time away.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="BFE, post: 1795838, member: 28532"] Very good thread. I don't believe "big grain" will crash, however, but will evolve. The use of cover crops and biostimulants will lessen the need for herbicides and commercial fertilizer. Throw in a cattle rotation in the winter/spring and you have a good start on lower inputs and soil health. See Gabe Brown here, he's the gold standard on low input grain farming. This is the direction I'm heading with my small farm. I don't intend to completely eliminate commercial inputs but any reduction is a pay raise, and if I can grow a cash crop in the summer and graze through the winter I've essentially doubled my acres. My goal is to graze small pastures from April-September or October and then utilize covers and residue through the winter. I don't rotationally graze. It is something I would like to do but everything is a work in progress here. I have learned, however, that having zero animal traffic from frost until greenup dramatically improves grass volume. As Greg Judy says, any rest is better than none, so I'll start by splitting my pastures in two and go from there. Off farm work and family limit some things on the farm is the reality. As the little kids get older more farm time turns into family time. My contracting work is flexible, but it does require time away. [/QUOTE]
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