Converting cornfield to yard

cc-rider · #1 10/17/05, 10:13 AM

Ugh. How do I do it?

Rent a bulldozer and scrape it all smooth??

I have 3-1/2 acres that IS a cornfield, but once the corn comes off, I can start converting it to my new homesite.

I have a HUGE rototiller, but I don't think it'll go through those stalks!

Can I burn them down first??

They used something to put in the septic system and then graded it afterwards. Looks nice, but I assume it was a bulldozer.

Can I rent one? Ok... I CAN rent one.... can *I* realistically figure out how to use one????

(I rented a stump-grinder last year and did nearly a dozen stumps by myself, thank you very much!)

Once it is cleared and reasonably level, what can I plant on the "pasture" part of it so that I can move the hens out there in the spring? Hay? Something green....

CC

moopups · #2 10/17/05, 10:26 AM

A multi beam skid dragged around will level it, just something heavy and within your vehicles capabilities, go in a random pattern. Any deep rooted cover crop will help pull up the deep buried minerals which a new growth plants will need. Tractor discing also will help with the stalks and loosen the soil so you can drag the skid with more efficencie.

michiganfarmer · #3 10/17/05, 10:32 AM

if you have access to a tractor, a brush hog, a disc, and some old bed springs you can have a nice smooth yard in a couple years. The bush hog will chew up the corn stalks. The disc will level out the corn row humps, and the bed springs will smooth the dirt clumps to make a fairly nice yard, although it will take a few years for the grass to grow back, and a couple years for the corn stalks to rot and dissappear. All of the tilling could be done in a weekend if you have to rent the equipment. If there is a farmer nearby Im sure he/she would be happy to till your corn stalks if you offered some fuel money.

michiganfarmer · #4 10/17/05, 10:34 AM

oats planted in septembr will come up in the spring.

cc-rider · #5 10/17/05, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michiganfarmer

oats planted in septembr will come up in the spring.

The farmer hasn't taken the corn off yet. Can I still plant ANYTHING in November?

VALENT · #6 10/17/05, 10:49 AM

Why not let the farmer mow down the stalks with his equipment. Who knows, he may even be willing to disc it smooth for you. Especially if you've been decent towards him. The mowing should be no problem as I assume he will be mowing down the adjacent corn after harvest anyway. It will probably be cheaper to pay the farmer to disc it flat than trying to do the job with rental equipment.

cc-rider · #7 10/17/05, 10:55 AM

What would be a fair price to offer him to do this? I have about 3 acres left in corn. Originally it was 3-1/2, but he had to chop about 1/4 acre so that I could put the septic system in before the deadline.

He charged me $100 to chop the 1/4 acre. Said he'd lose that much in corn. From my computations, he must have thought he was going to have a much better corn crop than what it seems to be!

rambler · #8 10/17/05, 11:21 AM

Tillage runs about $15 an acre, but small odd lots will cost more than that in fuel to get there, turn around, etc. Depends if this is still part of a bigger field or right next to his so it is not extra time/ expense. These machines don't run cheap any more. In fact, might be $20 an acre these days, diesel prices have hit hard....

Burning - you can, but most communities don't allow any more....

Where do you live, up here in MN the frost is typically 6" deep in November - pretty hard to get anything to sprout.

Rye is the toughest last chance crop to get growing, but depends where you live.

If you want to establish a good grass/ clover crop for long-term, it is likely too late, and you would want to give it 3-6 months good growing conditions before trying to harvest it with livestock. If this is a throw-away crop to get something growing, that is different. What's the goal?

--->Paul

michiganfarmer · #9 10/17/05, 11:28 AM

You probably are better off to wait till spring. Most likely the farmer who planted the corn will harvest it very soon, but Depending on where you are nothng will grow when planed in november. Im in northern Michigan, and nobody plants anything after the frost sets in around the end of October. You could use your roto tiller to till between the rows, and plant the oats there, but the weight of the farmers harvesting equipment may push the seed so far in the ground that it wont come up in the spring, and you will still have the corn row humps to deal with later. Around here there are large garden tractors (around 30 hp) for rent for about $265 per 8 hour day. Asking a farmer to till his crop under is like the owner of a rental house asking the renter to tear down the house although that's an exaggeration, but the farmers corn is a neccesity wich will need to be replaced. He has already spent the money on the fuel, seed, and fertilizer to plant it, and the corn is a neccessity for his operation. Corn typically sells for around $2.80 per bushal. Here in northern Michigan we average about 60 bushal to the acre so you can see the cost of having corn tilled under can add up pretty quick.

VALENT · #10 10/17/05, 11:29 AM

When he charged you the $100, he was charging for the work out of season and the lost crop (and maybe a little extra cuz he was upset). If you paid him(her), he should be willing to mow it for free if he is in the area. The discing would depend. Letting it sit after the discing is probably better than trying to force something else to grow immediately as maybe he can disc it again and get your"yard" nice and flat and firm before you plant a lawn.

michiganfarmer · #11 10/17/05, 11:30 AM

Also by waiting till spring the crop will be gone, and the farmer will be tilling his own fields then and might do yours for very little ($20-$50) or nothing

dlangland · #12 10/17/05, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cc-rider

Ugh. How do I do it?

Rent a bulldozer and scrape it all smooth??

I have 3-1/2 acres that IS a cornfield, but once the corn comes off, I can start converting it to my new homesite.

I have a HUGE rototiller, but I don't think it'll go through those stalks!

Can I burn them down first??

They used something to put in the septic system and then graded it afterwards. Looks nice, but I assume it was a bulldozer.

Can I rent one? Ok... I CAN rent one.... can *I* realistically figure out how to use one????

(I rented a stump-grinder last year and did nearly a dozen stumps by myself, thank you very much!)

Once it is cleared and reasonably level, what can I plant on the "pasture" part of it so that I can move the hens out there in the spring? Hay? Something green....

CC

I would definitely suggest fire, and have done entire fields and entire rows of stumps while renovating my shelterbelts, also. Nothing as powerful as the feel of a successful controled burn. Warning...You might make neighbors nervous, though. Deb

cc-rider · #13 10/17/05, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rambler

What's the goal?--->Paul

I guess the goal would be to be able to be able to put the chickens out there in the spring. At this point, if I don't plant anything, it'd be like putting them on bare ground....what's the point in that?

I'm hoping to have it in 2 pastures, so maybe I can plant the 2nd in the spring and not have the chickens on it until it grows well. Should it still be hay or something? I don't want a harvest....just something for the birds to eat.

dcross · #14 10/17/05, 12:08 PM

If you get serious winter where you are, have it plowed this fall, then tilled in spring and seeded to oats as a nurse crop with a pasture blend seeded at the same time.

uncle Will in In. · #15 10/17/05, 02:28 PM

There is a big possibility that the farmer plans to either disc or chisle plow his cornstalks as soon as he gets done harvesting the grain. At least that is the common method around here. Go talk to him and tell him what you have in mind and see if he will do yours at the same time. that pretty well incorparates the stalks into the soil. Discing leaves the ground much smoother than chisling does. He might even harrow it for you leaving it ready for a fareway on the golf course. Late in the spring when the snow is mostly gone, you can sow grass and clover seed right on top of the ground. It's called frost seeding and works quite well. The freezing and thawing of late winter puts enough cover on the tiny seeds to make them sprout as soon as it gets warm enough. If nothing is done to the ground it will still produce an abundance of vegitation for a whole herd of chickens. Ground without edible weeds is very rare.

bill not in oh · #16 10/17/05, 08:05 PM

Yep, frost seeding will get it started as early as possible. Chickens love clover (mine do anyway) - just remember that if you seed clover with grass that clover seed is tiny compared to most grass seed, so if you use say one pound of clover with one pound of [rye] the clover will likely be 75-80% of the vegetation at least for a couple of years. Check with your local extension office for the grasses recommended for your area, and it can't hurt to have a soil sample done so you can ammend the soil to get everything off to a good start. Also, do you know what chems have been used on that area in the last couple of years? Fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides?

If you have a permanant flock (layers as opposed to broilers) don't plan to keep more than 70-90 birds per acre (depending on your soil type) because of the manure load and even at that rotating them through paddocks would be advised.