When to burn feilds???

[critterluv]

Hello, We bought 15 acres last year and it had just been burned before we got it. I was woundering when is a good time to burn it off for this year. I am feeding hay to the horses due to it being winter and thought the sooner the better since Im feeding them hay now anyway. Woundering what the earlyest I can burn it is. I am in KS. I am going to bring the horses off it when we burn, how long till it grows back enough to let them back on it?

Thanks

[fantasymaker]

burn when dry and little wind put your horses back when its green

[BFFhiredman]

Just wondering why you are burning the pasture?

[Ken Scharabok]

It use to be a standard practic locally. If talking to people one would mention there use to be a barn here or shed there and such. When asked what happened to them usual reason was they burned down while someone was burning off a pasture.

We have a lot of bermuda grass which browns off during winter. Burning is said to stimulate spring regrowth.

You can; however, contract with the local state fire service to do it for you. They will closely mow around the field edges and then have a water truck handy. Charge is per acre. Neighbor had it done to one field.

[ksfarmer]

Burning of pasture in Kansas is standard practice and recommended by K-State University. Timing depends on the type of grass you have, native bluestem should be burned as late as possible in the spring, maybe April, depending on conditions such as moisture, wind , etc. By burning late you will get the quickest regrowth. Most native grasses will not begin new growth till spring temps are warm enough. Brome grass should be burned earlier, late Feb or March. Check with locals or your county extension agent for the best advice for your specific location. I would think South east Kansas might burn earlier than here in the north of the state.

[PyroDon]

We burn when the grass is dry enough and the wind is low enough.
sometime between Nov and march , wheat stubble is burned as soon as possible after harvest in this area.
Contact your county and local fire dept.
We cut a swath very low around the edges then disc the swath 20-40 ft wide for a fire break. I personally prefer to burn after dark so I can see any fires that may start beyond the fire break but the county has now said you can only burn during the day .
we light on the down wind side of the field first for a back fire then move and light the upwind side

[big rockpile]

Any time between now and April.But burning will take the Nitrogen out of the soil,so you should replace it.

big rockpile

[uyk7]

Talk with the local Fish & Wildlife Service. They can tell which plants are considered weeds and when the best time to burn is. There are different times burns should be done depending on the plant to be eradicated. Some plants need to be burned after the seeds form, other plants before the seeds form. Here in SD they burn the Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA's) to encourage the growth of native grasses and get rid of non-native species.


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[critterluv]

thanks for the advise, I will call around and see what I can find out.

[Ken Scharabok]

When I was a kid in Florida it was a common practice to range cattle in the woods/shrubs (why they were called shurb cattle). Every year or so they would burn the woods to take out the understory, such as vines and palmettos. A couple of years after that practice was stopped, FL started to have the forest fires.

When these cattle had to be rounded up at one time they hired locals on horses. They had long whips which they would 'crack' over the back of the cattle to keep them moving. That is where the term 'Florida Cracker' came from.

[Tana Mc]

As part of our local Volunteer Fire Dept, please notify them that you are planning a control burn when ever you do decide to do it.
Here in SE Ks, the "burn season" is just about ready to start. There are some days that we don't get much accomplished around the farm because we are off putting out some one's control burn that got out of hand....

Tana Mc

[ErinP]

And yet in western Kansas you almost never see "controlled" burns of range.

[PyroDon]

Originally Posted by ErinP

And yet in western Kansas you almost never see "controlled" burns of range.

That could be because you cant have a controlled burn with 20+MPH winds .

If you do burn a field take precautions.
as i stated we mow and disc around the edges first .
we also have help on hand to deal with anything that jumps the fire break
rakes and shovels , garden sprayers pumped up and full of water, we even have a trailer with 2 55 gallon barrels and a electric pump .
It may sound strange but a leaf blower can be a useful grass fire fighting tool , you use it to blow the fire back into the already burned areas .