Field reclaim ... what does it need?

[a'ightthen]

Long story short ...

Grandpa retired, made all of the family sell off cows, bought motor home to travel, died shortly thereafter.

Grandma wanted ALL frozen in time and freaked any time we tried to do something ( ain't going into it all but she would not let his truck be moved, maintained insurance and a tag on it for 10+ yrs while it sat with 3 flat tires .... it was weird). Last straw at trying was about 15 yrs ago when the Pa-Out-Law got spanked by Mom because we re-hung a gate that had fallen.

Anyway, things have now lightened up a bit. It is going to take a dozier to straighten up parts of it but for starters ....

The tractor could not even be used so I bought one and have kept this field cut at least once a year ( it was hidden from view and I ... LOL, couldn't help myself).

I have from time to time worked on the fencing but now we are ready to progress.

We used to run cattle here and bale hay ... like to get back to that.

What are your suggestions? It still has a good base of grass but the weeds ...











And there is a barn on top of the hill from that.



Was just down there setting up a game cam ( less than 3 months away!!) and starting the annual cutting and pondered what I needed to do in order to get on with it. Chase/fix the fence for sure but also .... ?????

[gwithrow]

for starters get a subscription to the STockman Grassfarmer....it is worth every penny...and contains lots of info or pasture restoration....you may have some of my personal favorite weeds....yellow crownbeard....not good for anything...nothing eats it...look at a weed wiper....and for now keep it cut..

once you get going, the cows will help you restore it all...I have been amazed at what they have done on our farm...also a family restoration project..I am considering purchasing a weed wiper to get a handle on the nasty weeds...which are the ones the goats and/or cows will not touch...

also see if you can find a copy of Comeback Farms.....I think that is the title..lots of good helpful information in that one...

[Darren]

You probably still have the traditional grasses growing. Cutting it each year helped. If you clean up the brush on the perimeter you should be back to where it was. Some of the trees are shading more of it now. The usual suggestion of getting a couple of soil tests should tell you if you have any deficiencies or situations needing attention.

If you don't know the weeds get someone who does to walk the pasture and point out any problems. Many of them can be corrected by repeated mowing. A brush hog does a great job flattening multiflora and small autumn olive. The larger brush can be yanked out with a tractor. Depending on the tree, tap or surface root, the smaller ones can be yanked out too.

[a'ightthen]

Originally Posted by gwithrow

for starters get a subscription to the STockman Grassfarmer....it is worth every penny...

Done, Thx!

[a'ightthen]

Originally Posted by Darren

You probably still have the traditional grasses growing. Cutting it each year helped. If you clean up the brush on the perimeter you should be back to where it was. Some of the trees are shading more of it now. The usual suggestion of getting a couple of soil tests should tell you if you have any deficiencies or situations needing attention.

If you don't know the weeds get someone who does to walk the pasture and point out any problems. Many of them can be corrected by repeated mowing. A brush hog does a great job flattening multiflora and small autumn olive. The larger brush can be yanked out with a tractor. Depending on the tree, tap or surface root, the smaller ones can be yanked out too.

Kept it backed up to the perimeter ... even gained 20' in places. Yup, need to get the extension service in here .... just happen to have his email .... good call!

[nathan104]

Cutting it more often will help the grass get a chance to establish more over the weeds. Cutting before the weeds seed out helps. Just keeping it cut will help quite a bit. Like mentioned already, a soil test and adjustment is a great idea.