mowing unused pasture or let it go?

[flusher]

As I understand it, the problem with goats is that: 1) you need excellent fences (more expensive than mowing!), and 2) the goats need predator protection from coyotes and dogs.

I agree with the "keep it mowed at least once a year" approach.

Ken

Right on. My neighbor had to put $$$ into good fencing for his goats on his 10 acre place (flat pasture) and has a guard llama to protect from coyotes, etc.

 

[LBrown59]

*Around here it would resort to brush and turn into a real project to reclaim.
.

*Meaning an enpensive labor intensive clean up effoet.

 

[merrickvilleguy]

As I understand it, the problem with goats is that: 1) you need excellent fences (more expensive than mowing!), and 2) the goats need predator protection from coyotes and dogs.

I agree with the "keep it mowed at least once a year" approach.

Ken

We've used electric mesh for temporary fencing ... works pretty good and not terribly expensive ... just have to check it regularly (usually when bringing out more water or moving it)

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I have about the same amount of land to mow (15 acres) and only use about 15 to 20 gallons of fuel in a Kubota L3130. Keep the brush hog blades sharp, and cut high enough that the clippings clear the deck easily, no closer than 4". I'm slowly planting an orchard on the 15 ac., and have to mow and till it for sanitation anyway. I'm also slowly clearing scrub trees and brush. I push the trees over with the front bucket when the ground is saturated, cut the trees up for firewood and pile the stumps to be burned. Not that I'm making much progress. It's amazing how much firewood there is in an acre of scrub trees.

Ditto on not letting it revert to forest, unless you want forest. Mowing annually is the way to go. I stacked a load of used brick near the barn, and now I have a 10' maple growing through them. I'll pull it with the loader soon. Mowing trees in the ground will puncture tractor tires, unless you set your mower to 2".

 

[ustmd]

Just to pile on, you should mow it regularly, if for no other reason than to keep the fuel load down in case of a brush fire. Based on your rainfall, that is not likely in the near future, but with all that rain, you will have some seris growth.

 

[Combustix]

As I understand it, the problem with goats is that: 1) you need excellent fences (more expensive than mowing!), and 2) the goats need predator protection from coyotes and dogs.

I agree with the "keep it mowed at least once a year" approach.

Ken

Have 7 goats and 20 acres we let them out everyday to wander. You just lead them to were you want them to go and they eat want they want. After a few hours just walk them back to pen. Have Gallagher portable electric to keep them in one spot if need be.
Fortunately not a big predator problem and when the occasional coyote wanders in the wife and her 22 seem to work pretty well 2 for 2 this year

 

[clemsonfor]

My bushhog will shatter the little sweetgum saplings so that i luckily , knock on wood have had no flats yet.

Anyway at a min. mow once a yr in the fall. But i agree if its fenced let a farmer put his cows on it for a few weeks. Or if open someone will im sure cut it for the hay, dont charge them. There is a guy here in town that i think gets hay off all the spots he cuts for free just for mowing them.

 

[moored4]

Keep it mowed at least 1 time a year. If it's good grass you should get some one to mow it for the hay and make your taxs $$$ at least!:thumbsup:

 

[Chuck52]

I only have a few, 5-6 acres at most, that I have a neighbor cut hay off. He gets all the hay and I have clean fields. Works for me. I know you said the former guy is no longer interested in your old deal, but maybe he'd come back for ALL the hay? If you're just gonna cut it anyway, why not check to see, or maybe he might know another farmer who is interested. I've had people stop and ask about cutting my small acreage for hay.

Chuck

 

[bdeboer]

I would mow it at least once a year or you will have issues muli-flora rose etc.

You may want try someone else for hay, maybe advertise at the local feed on a board or something. With the wet weather everyone is going to have a large late first cutting.

 

[MikeD74T]

In northern NH fields that I hayed in 1968 have been cut for softwood pulp twice since that I know of. My property had a 2 acre field that was over run with alders 6-8' tall in three years before I got a tractor/bush hog. MikeD74T

 

[Bull88]

I have about fifteen acres or so, all of which used to be mowed twice a year when this was my grandparents' active farm. Then, when they passed on, it was still mowed once, maybe twice per year for a while. But, we haven't had it mowed in about eight years now. I really don't know one grass or hay type from another, but it's green and gets really tall every summer, then withers and browns every winter. There are some small, thin bushes that have started here and there, but nothing that could not easily be dug up or hogged over.

I mow about five acres or so to have as a manicured area that looks decent and allows me to walk around and enjoy the land. Part of the reason I stopped mowing the rest is because as soon as it was cut, everyone in the area figured the space had just opened up as their personal golf/frisbee/baseball/hiking playground. I get so darn angry when people use things of mine without my permission, that I decided to put the kibosh on it as best as I could, without having money to run a fence around the whole place.

 

[anojones]

"Yep. Someday, someone's going to set up a goat-rental business and make a fortune. I have this hillside that's too steep for a tractor"

This is a business in the Northwest, my grandparents had a lot next to them on a hillside in the city- the lot owner rented some goats, electric fence and they ate it down.

Rent-a-goats gain foothold - seattlepi.com
Rent-A-Ruminant, LLC. Rent a Goat for Clearing Land
Home
http://goatrentalnw.yolasite.com/

 

[flusher]

we have about 15 acres of unused pasture we continue to mow at least 2x each year to keep it in resonable shape should we ever be able to sell our property in this economy. my question is this...

if we don't mow it, will it maintain its current health..% weeds/ % of grasses or will it degrade and become more and more weedy. i know if the animals were eating the good grasses and only the weeds remained to go to seed, the answer would be clear in that the grasses would never seed and the weeds would overrun the grasses.

with both grasses and weeds going to seed, wouldn't the current ratio remain the same?

asking due to the godaweful fuel costs and necessity to cut back where we can.

please give opinions and thanks in advance

Keeping your pasture mowed is good neighbor policy. If you let it go to pot the weeds there will spread to nearby pasture causing problems there. Here in the North Sacramento Valley we have big problems with yellow star thistle so we mow fallow pastures that have this weed in June before it goes to seed. My neighbors have horses (I don't) and have spent $$$ on Transline and other herbicides to control star thistle on their properties (the weed is toxic to horses). I control it on my place with mowing when my hayfield is resting and by cultivation when I plant a hay crop.

 

[clemsonfor]

I have about fifteen acres or so, all of which used to be mowed twice a year when this was my grandparents' active farm. Then, when they passed on, it was still mowed once, maybe twice per year for a while. But, we haven't had it mowed in about eight years now. I really don't know one grass or hay type from another, but it's green and gets really tall every summer, then withers and browns every winter. There are some small, thin bushes that have started here and there, but nothing that could not easily be dug up or hogged over.

I mow about five acres or so to have as a manicured area that looks decent and allows me to walk around and enjoy the land. Part of the reason I stopped mowing the rest is because as soon as it was cut, everyone in the area figured the space had just opened up as their personal golf/frisbee/baseball/hiking playground. I get so darn angry when people use things of mine without my permission, that I decided to put the kibosh on it as best as I could, without having money to run a fence around the whole place.

You obviously dont live in the south! Looks like midwest, iowa, illinois, kansass? Around here pine trees will grow after the second year and after the thrid will be to big to cut down with a bushhog. Maybe if you have a 30+ acre fild the middle wont get trees but for several hundred feet around the edges you will get trees growing in!

 

[Bull88]

You obviously dont live in the south! Looks like midwest, iowa, illinois, kansass? Around here pine trees will grow after the second year and after the thrid will be to big to cut down with a bushhog. Maybe if you have a 30+ acre fild the middle wont get trees but for several hundred feet around the edges you will get trees growing in!

No sir, I don't live in the south, or any of the places you mentioned. I often wish I lived elsewhere, though, I'll tell you that. I'm in Massachusetts.

 

[clemsonfor]

No sir, I don't live in the south, or any of the places you mentioned. I often wish I lived elsewhere, though, I'll tell you that. I'm in Massachusetts.

Yalls brush/bushes and trees must grow a tad different than stuff arond here.

 

[ShenandoahJoe]

This is a business in the Northwest, ...

Ok, I give up. Next time I have a funny idea, I'm going to google it before I post.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

The last guy I spoke with about haying fields on shares was for each 8 bales, he kept 7 and gave 1 to landowner. I would'nt hire this guy but I've not heard of anything better than 20% share to the landowner lately.