How long to let a very over grazed pasture sit?

[paulsharvey]

We are actively purchasing a new property with a 1 acre livestock enclosure, that will get expanded over time, probably into 3-1 acre paddocks. The existing is nothing but sand, with some mixed in scrub oaks, and a few pine trees. So, the way I see it, I will have an opportunity to have no livestock for a period, and try to get some grass going in there. The question really is; for others dealing with sandy soils, and grossly overgrazed pasture;

1) benign neglect; would the existing seed bed, with the existing manure and urine and scattered hay; is just plain rest the best option?

2) take the opportunity to re level, remove stumps and trash trees, and then over seed?

3) just unroll hay, and out it into service?

 

[paulsharvey]

We haven't closed or taken possession, so this is the only photo I have currently, and it's pretty representative.

Plan, when ready, gonna take 'easy mode' and pick up 2 weened steers; but that isn't a rush.

I know that 1/2/3 acres isn't gonna be enough to fully grass feed, and that's not the goal. Goal is grass, supplemented with hay and grain, to a light market weight, for personal use. Not trying to raise for profit, but also not trying to end up with $12/pound beef

 

[Rockbadchild]

This is very sandy, it is more of a barnyard then a grazing field, there is not much for seeds to grab on, the sand is so loose plus as soon as you put livestock in it, it will instantly tear it up... it take a full year for grass to fill up (become dense) with proper top soil... unless you are willing to add topsoil I think you are wasting you time.

proper seeding and fertilizer accelerate the process and suppress weeds, there is not much manure in this field, it looks like they were picking it up and having a sandy bed makes it easier, if that's the case perhaps you can scrape the sand back to the topsoil but again you are looking at a full year. How many animals and what kind you are looking at?

 

[paulsharvey]

This is very sandy, it is more of a barnyard then a grazing field, there is not much for seeds to grab on, the sand is so loose plus as soon as you put livestock in it, it will instantly tear it up... it take a full year for grass to fill up (become dense) with proper top soil... unless you are willing to add topsoil I think you are wasting you time.

proper seeding and fertilizer accelerate the process and suppress weeds, there is not much manure in this field, it looks like they were picking it up and having a sandy bed makes it easier, if that's the case perhaps you can scrape the sand back to the topsoil but again you are looking at a full year. How many animals and what kind you are looking at?

Ah, what you are looking at is what our topsoil is in this part of the state. Maybe 1/2" of gray sand, that has fine powder sediment in white sand, then down 6" it turns to a yellow-orange sand.

The best way to keep the grass is not to let it get like this; but it's too late for that.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Ah, what you are looking at is what our topsoil is in this part of the state. Maybe 1/2" of gray sand, that has fine powder sediment in white sand, then down 6" it turns to a yellow-orange sand.

The best way to keep the grass is not to let it get like this; but it's too late for that.

wow that's insanely fine and loose... grass grow on that? lol ... seeding it will be by far the fastest way to restore it... my field are silt, clay, loam and very little sand, lets say I seed early spring by late summer I have a foot tall grass but it is not dense the second year it fills up.

 

[Rockbadchild]

how many and kind of animals ? you can also separate the the field, so you let half recover while the animals are in the other half.

 

[paulsharvey]

Neighbor horse pasture, so it does grow grass. It's just once the turf mat gets torn up, the soil is very light/loose.

 

[paulsharvey]

how many and kind of animals ? you can also separate the the field, so you let half recover while the animals are in the other half.

Current plan is two steers to start, going upto possibly 4 in next 3 years; but I might hold off for a bit. The current owner has goats and a donkey on it. I kinda think they under hayed, and the animals ate everything that was even a little green.


Also bounced around the idea of doing meat sheep, a hair breed, but honestly wife doesn't much like lamb meat, and I don't want pasture pets.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Current plan is two steers to start, going upto possibly 4 in next 3 years; but I might hold off for a bit. The current owner has goats and a donkey on it. I kinda think they under hated, and the animals ate everything that was even a little green.

yeah 2 cows in 1 acres is not very big for the ground to stay healthy, they say the general rules of thump for grazing is 1 acres per head.

 

[paulsharvey]

yeah 2 cows in 1 acres is not very big for the ground to stay healthy, they say the general rules of thump for grazing is 1 acres per head.

Yeah, I will expand the area into 3 separate, 1 acre areas, or maybe a 1 acre and a 2 acre; depending on what we do. As much as people love to preach rotation, it's a lot of trouble too, but using one as a smaller containment from a larger piece does certainly have its place to isolate a new/sick/pregnant animal (not that I plan to have pregnant steers