How to maintain pasture without animals?

[Parttimefarmer]

I am a complete newbie, green, wet around the ears, you name it. We bought a farm. I have always wanted a farm and we have had chicken, rabbit, and horse experience in the suburbs. But to the point...

The farm pasture was left empty some of last year, before that there were dairy goats, and before that it was an Amish Percheron farm. It's about 15 acres m/l of fenced pasture. There are no trees in the pasture, no established scrub.

Can I just cut when the hay is cut (there is about 7 acres of hay)? Let it grow? Chop it at the end of the year? Also, can I plant a couple shade trees then fence them off? There is no shade out there anywhere. I would like to use it next year, but this year I want to figure out what I am doing and make sure it's in good shape.

Andrea

[airotciv]

I can only speak to the hay part. First do you have haying equipment? If not, its been hard in my neck of the woods to get anyone to cut and bale hay if its less than 50+ acres. Well, when I couldn't get anyone to cut my fields, I went to goats and sheep to keep my pastures healthy.

Edit: I know you said no animals, we said that too, now we have 2 goats and 2 sheep.

[tinknal]

I would rent it out as hay ground. If you are in "farm country" I'm sure you can find someone who will hay it.

[Parttimefarmer]

The hay has previously been cut, baled, and hauled by a neighbor that paid the previous owner a small fee. Since I have nothing that needs hay that seems OK for the hay this year. The pasture itself is in good shape, but I am afraid it would get scrubby left alone too long.

[Parttimefarmer]

Originally Posted by tinknal

I would rent it out as hay ground. If you are in "farm country" I'm sure you can find someone who will hay it.

It's in NW Michigan, really orchard heavy area. Can you bale a pasture?

[Harry Chickpea]

You need to keep it up - bushhog and let it lie, or have someone hay it. If you are lax, the invasives will take over and make it poor hay. We have sage grass and some sort of yellow flowering plant, and thistles that want to invade around us. Your invasives may be different, but just as bad.

[airotciv]

Originally Posted by Parttimefarmer

The hay has previously been cut, baled, and hauled by a neighbor that paid the previous owner a small fee. Since I have nothing that needs hay that seems OK for the hay this year. The pasture itself is in good shape, but I am afraid it would get scrubby left alone too long.

I gave the hay away for free, you cut it and bail it you can have it. After 2 years of not having anyone that wanted to hay my fields, I had to do something. Sheep and goats, because the pastures were going to blackberries, weeds and everything I didn't want.

[Buffy in Dallas]

If the pasture is fenced you could rent it out to someone who needs pasture for their goats, sheep, cows. It wouldn't pay much but it would keep the weeds down and fertilize the grass.

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by Parttimefarmer

It's in NW Michigan, really orchard heavy area. Can you bale a pasture?

Ummm, you just said it has been in your previous post.....

[Country Lady]

We have someone that cuts the pasture for the hay. It keeps us from having to pay someone to keep it cut and it keeps him from having to buy hay. We both come out a winner.

[uncle Will in In.]

You need to have it mowed. If someone wants to do it for the hay, it needs to be done before the grass goes to seed. Otherwise the hay won't be very edible by most livestock. If you are just clipping it to control undesirable plantlife in the grass, it could be done once in late summer. It could be baled for use as bedding any time of the summer. Might find someone who would do it for that use for free.

[Tricky Grama]

Originally Posted by Harry Chickpea

You need to keep it up - bushhog and let it lie, or have someone hay it. If you are lax, the invasives will take over and make it poor hay. We have sage grass and some sort of yellow flowering plant, and thistles that want to invade around us. Your invasives may be different, but just as bad.

When we bought our 20 ac, the 'back 40' (actually about 5,6 ac)was huge weeds, I call 'em 'pasture weeds' the stickery ones? It had cattle on it for a while. Also, about 5 in the front was open, grassy.
We hired it mowed for 2 yrs, then bought an old 8N w/bush hog. We let it lay, don't bale, & its come back to pretty good grass, some wild flowers.

[Parttimefarmer]

Originally Posted by tinknal

Ummm, you just said it has been in your previous post.....

Sorry I wasn't clear. There is an established fenced hay field that has been bailed, and also a separate pasture that is fenced.

[Parttimefarmer]

Originally Posted by Harry Chickpea

You need to keep it up - bushhog and let it lie, or have someone hay it. If you are lax, the invasives will take over and make it poor hay. We have sage grass and some sort of yellow flowering plant, and thistles that want to invade around us. Your invasives may be different, but just as bad.

In the windbreak around the field there are some nasty burr weeds and a good bit of thorny brush. I definitely don't want that to creep in.

Sounds like I can just cut and let it lie then, thanks!

[Harry Chickpea]

Originally Posted by Parttimefarmer

In the windbreak around the field there are some nasty burr weeds and a good bit of thorny brush. I definitely don't want that to creep in.

Sounds like I can just cut and let it lie then, thanks!

Try to cut BEFORE any seed heads get a chance to mature. Sorry if that sounds obvious, I won't tell you how I learned...

[oregon woodsmok]

It doesn't hurt pasture to take a year off. If it was grazed last year, you don't have to do anything with it this year. What ruins pasture and makes it weedy is over-grazing.

If I had burrs at the fence line, I'd be out with Roundup doing some selective control, spritzing just the really bad types of weeds so they didn't take over.

Whoever it is who does your hay, show them the pasture and ask if they want that, too. Sometimes pasture is not smooth enough to run haying equipment over it.

Yes, you can certainly plant some shade trees in the pasture. Choose something that isn't invasive. I suggest a mixture of deciduous and evergreen. Don't scatter them all around. Maybe put a windbreak on one fence line and a small clump that animals can get into for shelter.

Simply put a small fence around each tree. The type of fence the tree needs depends upon what sort of livestock you will put into the pasture.

[Haven]

I let a nearby farmer mow hay on my unused pasture. I don't charge him since it saves me time and gas money since I dont have to mow it.

[fishhead]

What about burning in the spring or fall?

Haying removes nutrients that have to be purchased and replaced.