How to restore or rehab a 2 acre pasture

[plowhog]

My 2 acre pasture is flood irrigated in summer. The topsoil has many rocks, about the size of a potato. It has had cattle on it which I believe caused compaction. When dry it is sometime tricky to walk on as the surface is choppy and uneven.

I've recently had heavy equipment such as a large excavator with steel tracks driving on it. This should end soon but it has torn things up in some areas, compacted in others.

I'd like to smooth out my pasture and prepare it for a future alfalfa crop. I realize 2 acres is small for a crop, but it's common here. And, I'd like to be able to brush hog it without getting thrown all over due to the uneven surface.

I have a 58hp Massey 1758, box scraper, landscape rake, and metal harrow. Are these the right tools for smoothing things out. If so, how would you approach this and what would you do? And if not, what other equipment or ideas should I consider? I have access to old tillers and other ... antique ... farm equipment but have never used any of that.

 

[jeff9366]

I recommend plowing your two acres with either a Moldboard Plow or Disc Plow. ( A Disc Plow is NOT a Disc Harrow.)
VIDEO: disc plow vs moldboard - YouTube

Plowing will reduce compaction and release fresh soil nutrients to grass root zone. Plowing once every ten years is excellent pasture and grain field renewal.

Old plows are pretty cheap implements. For two acres you do not need a plow that is perfect. You can easily pull a three-bottom plow with your tractor, should you find one. Your tractor may have a Cat 1 or Cat 2 Three Point Hitch. Make sure the plow matches your tractor Three Point Hitch.

(( No, Box Blade scarifiers will not function as an improvised plow.))

A tracked excavator will not have compacted soil much, relative to animal hooves, which compact soil dramatically over time.

After plowing, using a Disc Harrow to reduce furrows is the normal succession. Disc Harrows are adjustable, so you can reduce furrow unevenness in steps, during successive passes.

However, your "old tiller" may suffice after the plow.

Dragging is the final step for smoothing. You can use your Landscape Rake in lieu of a Chain Harrow or improvised drags, such as several old tires chained together, or an old section of cyclone fence with some weight on it.

 

[flusher]

Going by the locations you show in your info, I'd guess that the topsoil is thin (6" thick or less). I had this same problem on my 10-acre ranch outside Corning, CA--thin, rocky soil.

I used an old 7-ft wide offset disc with concrete weights to prepare the field for planting oats. After the first pass I collected all the potato-size rocks that were brought to the surface and then made another pass with a home-made drag attached to the disc.

Good luck