And now....pasture reno...thoughts, experiences, insight from farm owners/managers please?
Posted: Wed May 31, 2017 2:04 pm
So, this may be mostly venting, or asking for validation, but am also very open to feedback....and THANK YOU for reading this novel!
1. I am not a patient person when working towards a goal, so factor that in.
2. I am pretty Type A about getting things checked off my list.
3. I am a big planner, and try to work smart not hard, thus look at the Big Picture from about six to eight months out.
4. Living in the midst of a Fixer Upper property, with 2,000 balls in the air, has helped me get better about items 1-3 but it's still a big challenge. And a lot of times there is no option to work smarter...but that is getting better as progress happens.
5. This place was a hobby cow and crop farm for decades...never horses....so some different chores and challenges with that transition.
6. Yes, I have had soil tests done...about two years ago when we first bought the place. I plan to pull samples this summer for updated results since the tests are free and since we have been "giving back" to the soil per the recommendations of neighbor farmers, Ag agents, etc.
7. Extra challenge to points 1-3 was/is somewhat related to the equipment we didn't have/have now as far as pasture management, and the fact that the horses came home at least a year earlier than planned due to boarding issues, and those 2,000 balls in the air I mentioned.
8. Progress has been made, FOR SURE! As of a couple of months ago, we now have 3 pastures fenced, each about an acre or a bit over. We just have the two horses. So, rotation is happening. One area is our barnyard, all pastures attached and separated with gates. Horses are in barnyard only at night with access to barn as they wish. During day that have one additional acre pasture, and really don't spend time in BY...just to get under fans now and then in summer. It's about a twelve hour split in warm seasons, more like ten and fourteen hour spilt in cold seasons.
9. DH and I both work full-time, so days off and weekends and evening hours are being used as best we can, while staying sane and married. And while keeping our middle aged bodies in working order. Ouch, sometimes, I gotta say!
10. About 6 months ago when I got my four-wheeler and drag, I started dragging the pastures every week to two weeks to break up poop for fly prevention, but also to manage the poop. Prior to that I scooped pastures EVERY DAY. The drag is flipped so it doesn't dig up any grass, just smooths out. If I flip it, I have the longer times that I wonder about using at seeding time? (Haven't worked out that seeding plan yet).
10. I have been better this spring about mowing to try to keep seedheads down, but that is tough with no tractor.
11. I am absolutely terrified of spray No myself...am convinced I will kill off every plant and scorch the earth, lo!
Here is the need for validation and/or suggestions/experiences....
1. I have been told by farmers and Ag agents to expect a good three years of management to get the hay fields to prime status...and they sure are coming along...but longer with the pastures. The weedy, weedy pastures.
2. I have some good weeds that the horses enjoy and are safe...and they help with mud such after having had lines run to barn in the dead of wet winepters right before horses arrived. Sigh. Crab grass, plantain weed, coastal Bermuda. Fescue is the recommended pasture grass around here. One field has soooooo much plantain weed the Ag agent was at a loss about management. Told me to bring horses home, let them eat it down, manage the soil and see where we landed. He wasnt sure grass seed would take hold, even thought about nuking the whole field and replanting, but I was not on board with that for several reasons.
3. Have had two different Ag agents who came out, as well as the farmers, that spraying isn't the best option...fixing the soil is the best option. The add seed in the Fall. And of course rotate pastures.
4. There are some toxic weeds in the fields. The horses ignore them, and have done so the whole 14 months they have been here. Knock wood. I get crazy and hand pull sometimes, but it just won't get it done. That is the reason for this thread...the toxic potential.
5. If all weeds---including the horse-friendly, yummy weeds---suddenly died out, there would be vast dirt areas in all three pastures.
6. There will be donkeys in the future, so am happy to have safe weeds in some percentage...like the idea for horses and donkeys to have to work a bit versus stand knee-deep in lush grass.
Our Guy who hays here and does projects for me at times mentioned a pre-emergent as a possibility next Feb/March as opposed to spraying the horse pastures. Said there is a granular form. So, question for you guys....do any of you use a grazing-safe granular pre-emergent? Or even a weed killer...is there a granular form that is safe for horses? (Again, my spraying phobia).
And am I on track as far as what I am doing, reasonable expectations for change and success, etc? Am I missing anything? The boys are healthy and happy and in great weight. They are out 24/7 except for meals, really bad weather, and some naps u set the fan and do so well with that routine physically.
Thanks again for indulging my ramblings! please excuse typos...got kicked off a couple times and am rushing to finish safely!
1. I am not a patient person when working towards a goal, so factor that in.
2. I am pretty Type A about getting things checked off my list.
3. I am a big planner, and try to work smart not hard, thus look at the Big Picture from about six to eight months out.
4. Living in the midst of a Fixer Upper property, with 2,000 balls in the air, has helped me get better about items 1-3 but it's still a big challenge. And a lot of times there is no option to work smarter...but that is getting better as progress happens.
5. This place was a hobby cow and crop farm for decades...never horses....so some different chores and challenges with that transition.
6. Yes, I have had soil tests done...about two years ago when we first bought the place. I plan to pull samples this summer for updated results since the tests are free and since we have been "giving back" to the soil per the recommendations of neighbor farmers, Ag agents, etc.
7. Extra challenge to points 1-3 was/is somewhat related to the equipment we didn't have/have now as far as pasture management, and the fact that the horses came home at least a year earlier than planned due to boarding issues, and those 2,000 balls in the air I mentioned.
8. Progress has been made, FOR SURE! As of a couple of months ago, we now have 3 pastures fenced, each about an acre or a bit over. We just have the two horses. So, rotation is happening. One area is our barnyard, all pastures attached and separated with gates. Horses are in barnyard only at night with access to barn as they wish. During day that have one additional acre pasture, and really don't spend time in BY...just to get under fans now and then in summer. It's about a twelve hour split in warm seasons, more like ten and fourteen hour spilt in cold seasons.
9. DH and I both work full-time, so days off and weekends and evening hours are being used as best we can, while staying sane and married. And while keeping our middle aged bodies in working order. Ouch, sometimes, I gotta say!
10. About 6 months ago when I got my four-wheeler and drag, I started dragging the pastures every week to two weeks to break up poop for fly prevention, but also to manage the poop. Prior to that I scooped pastures EVERY DAY. The drag is flipped so it doesn't dig up any grass, just smooths out. If I flip it, I have the longer times that I wonder about using at seeding time? (Haven't worked out that seeding plan yet).
10. I have been better this spring about mowing to try to keep seedheads down, but that is tough with no tractor.
11. I am absolutely terrified of spray No myself...am convinced I will kill off every plant and scorch the earth, lo!
Here is the need for validation and/or suggestions/experiences....
1. I have been told by farmers and Ag agents to expect a good three years of management to get the hay fields to prime status...and they sure are coming along...but longer with the pastures. The weedy, weedy pastures.
2. I have some good weeds that the horses enjoy and are safe...and they help with mud such after having had lines run to barn in the dead of wet winepters right before horses arrived. Sigh. Crab grass, plantain weed, coastal Bermuda. Fescue is the recommended pasture grass around here. One field has soooooo much plantain weed the Ag agent was at a loss about management. Told me to bring horses home, let them eat it down, manage the soil and see where we landed. He wasnt sure grass seed would take hold, even thought about nuking the whole field and replanting, but I was not on board with that for several reasons.
3. Have had two different Ag agents who came out, as well as the farmers, that spraying isn't the best option...fixing the soil is the best option. The add seed in the Fall. And of course rotate pastures.
4. There are some toxic weeds in the fields. The horses ignore them, and have done so the whole 14 months they have been here. Knock wood. I get crazy and hand pull sometimes, but it just won't get it done. That is the reason for this thread...the toxic potential.
5. If all weeds---including the horse-friendly, yummy weeds---suddenly died out, there would be vast dirt areas in all three pastures.
6. There will be donkeys in the future, so am happy to have safe weeds in some percentage...like the idea for horses and donkeys to have to work a bit versus stand knee-deep in lush grass.
Our Guy who hays here and does projects for me at times mentioned a pre-emergent as a possibility next Feb/March as opposed to spraying the horse pastures. Said there is a granular form. So, question for you guys....do any of you use a grazing-safe granular pre-emergent? Or even a weed killer...is there a granular form that is safe for horses? (Again, my spraying phobia).
And am I on track as far as what I am doing, reasonable expectations for change and success, etc? Am I missing anything? The boys are healthy and happy and in great weight. They are out 24/7 except for meals, really bad weather, and some naps u set the fan and do so well with that routine physically.
Thanks again for indulging my ramblings! please excuse typos...got kicked off a couple times and am rushing to finish safely!