Options for seeding / renovating pasture

[canoetrpr]

I have about 20 acres of pasture which while generally in decent shape, is in need of some TLC via over seeding. I have cattle on it and I'd like to add some treefoil into the mix along with a mix of seeds just to increase the density a bit.

I purchased a Herd seeder at auction a couple years ago and have all but given up on it. I guess I must have got one that had been sitting out in the rain for years. I replaced the gears after they broke and then something else broke and then something else.

Emailed my dealer to see what he had in stock or what a new broadcast type seeder would cost me. He suggested that I ought to get one of the Landpride seeders. Look awfully nice but man I'll bet the price tag on those is huge. I plan on using this once a year for over seeding. Figured I could rough up the land a bit by running my cultivator lightly over it and then broadcast seeding over it. Not nearly equivalent to a seed drill but it should do the job.

One of these Landpride jobbies is out of my price range for this. So my options are to hire someone who has a seed drill or get a new Herd broadcast seeder, rough up the land with a light run of the cultivator close to the surface and spread some seed and fertilizer.

What do you guys think?

 

[vtsnowedin]

Not my line of work so just thinking here. My first thought would be to rent a seed drill or hire someone that has one to seed it for you, I assume the cattle will be rotated to other pasture while your seed gets established. What do you have for a cultivator? Would a smooth disk harrow set to it's least aggressive setting do a better job of notching in seed without killing the grass you already have there?

 

[wmonroe]

Subscribing as I have a similar project coming if this snow ever melts.

 

[Carl_NH]

I would suggest a light cultivator setting but harrrows that I am familiar have V blades that are a bit more aggressive than a disc. I would cultivate/harrow one way, then spread seed and some fertilizer then go lightly the opposite direction to distribute the seed more evenly.

As to spreading seed - use a 3PT PTO driven broadcast spreader $400 for the seed and do a swath every 20-25' then top dress with some 10-10-10 is optional (cow patties do a great job too) and maybe some lime depending on your soil.

 

[Halftrack]

I would suggest a check with your local Ducks Unlimited, conservation club or something similar for a no till drill to seed with. South of the border, just about every county soil and water conservation group has one available. You have the horsepower to pull it and most have three hoppers, one for fertilizer and two for seed. Good luck!

 

[AKfish]

I would suggest a check with your local Ducks Unlimited, conservation club or something similar for a no till drill to seed with. South of the border, just about every county soil and water conservation group has one available. You have the horsepower to pull it and most have three hoppers, one for fertilizer and two for seed. Good luck!

My thoughts... exactly! The local Soil, Water and Conservation District up here has a no-till drill for that very thing! They also have a HD tiller that you can rent and turn the sod black if that's the approach you'd like to take.

AKfish

 

[DJ54]

The Landpride seeder you speak of, is it a slit seeder..?? If it is, you may want to check around, and see if there are any dealers that will rent them. I have a dealer near me that rents them for $175.00 per day. The downfall is, it's only 4' which would be fine for me, but maybe not you. Sounds like may a no-till drill may be your answer. Rent, or hire it done.

I bought an Olathe slit seeder off Craigslist a year or so ago for $100.00. Needs some TLC, and working on it right now, to sow Timothy in the next couple of weeks, as it's a warm weather grass. I only have 4 acres of hay to do, so not bad. I have more time than anything... More or less experimenting to see if it will do the job, without harming the existing stand too bad.

Otherwise, if it were the other grasses/clover, I use the frost seeding method. I prep in late fall with the disk to open the ground some, then seed in the last two weeks of Feb. or first two weeks of Mar. when conditions are right. I've always had good results using this method.

And getting soil samples is a good idea. Got mine done last fall, and not too bad, but extension agent said to get potash on, as it stimulates root growth.

I also got a core type aerator about 10 years ago to run over the pasture and hay field. I either go over them in late fall, or spring, again when the soil is still soft enough to penetrate. It made quite a difference.

 

[canoetrpr]

I really haven't found a place to rent around here. Any Canadians know a place that will rent a no till seed drill? My best bet might be to ask a neighbouring farmer who does hay if he will do it for me for a fee.

 

[smstonypoint]

My best bet might be to ask a neighbouring farmer who does hay if he will do it for me for a fee.

Many of the large ag. states in the lower 48 publish results of custom rate surveys (i.e., the prices farmers paid or received for custom work). It looks like Ontario's Ag. and Food Ministry does the same, but the latest survey is from 2009 (Guide to Custom Farmwork and Short-Term Equipment Rental). Although dated, the survey results may provide a starting point for your negotiations.

Steve

 

[Deerherd]

I was in a similar situation and figured I would rent a seeder but they are few and far between in my area. The two I found for rent were 48" models and 70 to 100 miles away. And oh by the way they were already rented until Mid June. Trying to find someone to hire proved daunting because planting your land is only going to happen after their property is planted and all the folks who they lined up before you.

I ended up biting the bullet and bought the Woods 84" Precision Super Seeder and it gets delivered next week. It doesn't have a fertilizer box like some of the Land Pride models but I wanted to stay away from fertilizing with the same unit anyways. Any used unit I saw had the fertilizer hopper and was pretty rough.
It doesn't take long for things to get rusty and corroded with fertilizer flying around!

I'll post some photos when it gets delivered. As a side note if anyone knows of a QH adaptable cat 2 fertilizer let me know. I haven't been able to locate one.