Reclaiming/ Restoring Land

[Brackin]

Hello everyone, long time lurker here. Not trying to ask to much from a first post but- has anyone here started over with all but 'dead' dirt. My girlfriend has 40 ac that has been in sod for 6 years. Its a family thing of "let me farm that for land for you" ,two harvest's latter there is not much left of the topsoil, a sandy mix that was marginal to begin with. One day l would like for it to become pasture with the idea of a small cow- calf operation but first we have to have pasture. We live on the alabama coast inland about 25 miles. Water is normally not a problem here and the winters are mild. A cover crop with a weed control program is my first thought but thats about all I got. Thanks in advance

[Karin L]

I would avoid the cover crop thing. IMHO, what you really need to do is to start by finding out what are the most common grasses that grow in your area. These grasses, along with some ideal pasture grasses that your local ag extension agent or seed supplier may suggest, have to be the foundation for a permanent pasture. Don't buy just one species of grasses: buy a seed bag that has at least 3, preferably more than 6 species. Throw in some legumes with them too, like clover, sanfoin, cicer milkvetch, alfalfa, birdsfoot trefoil, laspandenza, etc., whatever is available and what can be grown in your area. Have these grass and legume seeds seeded on your land with a bit of fertilizer, but before you do the seeding and fertilizer, get some soil tests done to see what you are lacking in, what nutrients need to be added in order for you to have success in growing a permanent pasture. Take different samples in different areas, and send them away to a lab that will come back with results on pH (acidity/alkalinity), salinity, nutrient content, and soil type.

Soil type is very important in determining what grasses grow best for your area. Grasses that grow in one part of Alabama that has a different soil type than where you live will not grow as well as it does in that one part of your state. Once you have your soil test, then you can seed and fertilize accordingly.

Weeds will pop up, but don't panic, nor be too quick with the purchase of herbicide. When we used to reseed pastures, we never sprayed the weeds that popped up ahead of the grasses. Instead they got mowed or swathed and gathered up in bales. When the weeds were taken off, the grass took off like crazy. The grasses you purchase, if they're competitive enough, will act as natural weed control. The type of grazing program you have and the grazers you have will also act as a natural weed control. Agmantoo is the guy you should talk to for rotational grazing methods that minimize and eliminate the use of herbicides as weed control.

[Cheryl aka JM]

Thanks for asking this~ and thanks for the answer. Added to the original question~ what about pasture that is hard packed and wooded? I have two wooded pastures I ran goats in last year and this year to eat the brush down. The brush is down. The ground that is not completely covered with tree's and leaf litter is hard packed bare dirt. The only thing growing out there is what I just discovered is cockleburs. A LOT of cockleburs. ONLY cockleburs. I realized there was a problem when I let the cows down there and they preferred to eat moldy hay left out from last year than the green stuff growing out there. Thats when I looked up the plant and discovered my green back pasture is in fact young toxic cockleburrs!

[ErinP]

Call the local Extension service or ASCS and find out where to find someone who plants CRP acres. That'll be a grass mix, native to your area.

[agmantoo]

Management is key in taking land that has been neglected back into production. Have a soil sample taken and analyzed. Get the PH corrected ASAP. No concentrate on what is available with whatever is growing. Yes, where we have long growing season abandoned land tends to be low in nutrient and the topsoil often is thin. I would not think of breaking the soil if it were mine. What little nutrient that is there is in the top layer. I would want to use than , not disperse it. Use a rotary cutter and cut everything above 4 inches off. Ask around in your areas what seeds for pasture are "bullet proof"( will grow regardless). Get some of those seed and at the correct time of the year broadcast them, use 20% more seed than would be drilled. Since you will not be preparing the soil it will still be cheaper to buy more seed. Every time the newly seeded grasses get to where seed stems get long than the leaves cut the tops off, just the outer tips of the leaves. Do this for more than a year and do not graze the grass. You are establishing a root system. Set your system up for rotational grazing and introduce a few head of cattle in the latter part of the second year. Never leave the cattle on a single location more than 4 to 6 days. Take the cattle off when 4 inches height of the grass is reached from grazing.
I took this pic late this evening. It is fescue (a cool season grass) and sericea lespedza. This land was in low quality trees and very low in topsoil and nutrients.