Another reason to oun a tractor?

[gray]

Here in Michigan and most states the Dept, of Environmental Quality has so many regs on your land use it hurts. Well, a loop hole exists? If you till, plow or plant a crop in that occational wet spot that they lable wet lands then it can be improved. No, not filled or drained to any extent but cleaned up and maybe made into more than a seasonal nest for mosqitos? In all my searching, I could not find anything that said you have to have a registered farm to do this tilling, plowing or planting. If I am off base someone will speak up and correct me. I did not buy my Kubota with this in mind but it has come up as another good reason to own one. Comments?

 

[Wal]

Gray,

I am not real clear on what you're saying. Are you saying that if the state of Michigan has proclaimed part of your private land as wetlands, then you can "improve" it only if you have first tilled, plowed or planted it? On the flip side, if you don't till, plow or plant it, then you can't touch it? It sounds kinda like a "catch-22" deal to me.

 

[gray]

In Michigan and most other states there are land use restrictions on what is said to be wetlands. These lands many times have little or no standing water even in the wet season. The DEQ says you may cut the trees, brush and grass but can do nothing else in the erea. If you cut this vegitation down you are left with an area that often dries out to a point of driving cars on it but it is still wet land and hard to deal with-seed? stump? cut? and so forth. No heavy equipment is allowed in these areas. But!!!!! There is a section of the law that states you can plow, till, plant and so forth. This is must be in there for farming but it does not limit it to farms. This may be the way a person (me) may level, root out, till and seed some small but ugly areas next to my house as long as I don't fill or drain them. I can drive my tractor on them by late june in a wet year. I have done much hand work in these areas but it would take forever and my back can't take it. The only thing this area brings me are mostqitos untill it drys out. No one at the DEQ could tell me if a tractor is heavy equipment ( dozzers, Backhoes, trackhoes) and it clearly states these areas can be "plowed, tilled, and seeded" This I would like to do and not have trouble. Any farmers out there doing this and has there been any trouble with it? I think that covers it?