Bear mauls elderly man on tractor in this state's 1st bear attack in 25 years (Arkansas)

[Shawn T. W.]

While I live around 100 miles from where this happened I'm not really worried about bears where I live, mostly open fields ...

My back yard ...

My front yard ...

I do have a CCW, for when I go out of the state ... But in state it's not required ...

I mostly carry something with more "reach" than my carry pistol, for the stray dog or coyote I might see, armadillos too!

My .222 10" TC Contender has a 2-7X scope on it, I just think a shorter gun would be better than a full sized rifle, it will still reach out 200 yards ... It's definitely LOUD! So gotta have ear protection too ...

 

[Hay Dude]

While I live around 100 miles from where this happened I'm not really worried about bears where I live, mostly open fields ...

My back yard ...
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My front yard ...
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I do have a CCW, for when I go out of the state ... But in state it's not required ...

I mostly carry something with more "reach" than my carry pistol, for the stray dog or coyote I might see, armadillos too!

My .222 10" TC Contender has a 2-7X scope on it, I just think a shorter gun would be better than a full sized rifle, it will still reach out 200 yards ... It's definitely LOUD! So gotta have ear protection too ...

That ain’t no yard….that’s a hay field!
Now get youself a baler and get goin!

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Ain't no money for me in hay, after soil samples, lime, fertilizer , herbicide, paying the neighbor in bales ... While I admit I only did it for three years, I lost money every year, and I have no use for the hay ... Besides I don't like it that long, and cutting it every few weeks keeps the weeds down without herbicide ...

That was so thick a haybine couldn't cut it, had another neighbor cut it with a 150 HP and drum mower ...

Then my little baby overgrown lawnmower can't lift to load, so gotta depend on neighbors to load ... Too much hassle!

 

[Hay Dude]

Ain't no money for me in hay, after soil samples, lime, fertilizer , herbicide, paying the neighbor in bales ... While I admit I only did it for three years, I lost money every year, and I have no use for the hay ... Besides I don't like it that long, and cutting it every few weeks keeps the weeds down without herbicide ...

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That was so thick a haybine couldn't cut it, had another neighbor cut it with a 150 HP and drum mower ...

View attachment 4199778

View attachment 4199779

View attachment 4199780

Then my little baby overgrown lawnmower can't lift to load, so gotta depend on neighbors to load ... Too much hassle!

Well of course you lost money in first three years. You have to let those expenses settle out over 10 and you’d be makin money! Lime fertilizer and herbicide doesn’t have to e applied every year.

J/k…I know what you mean. It’s a tough business. Ask me how I know.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Well ... The herbicide needs to be applied every year, around here at least, line is cheap ... As I'm not gonna grow/sell weeds if I can help it ... By mowing regularly, I'm at least able to keep the weed seeds from maturing ... And it looks much better to me ... The problem from how I see it was the locals only mostly grow "weedy hay" 50% weeds is "OK" ... Not me, I don't want to see them growing out there ... Last year for example I needed $85 for each 4X5 round bale to break even ... Locally it was selling for $45-$55 ... This year there won't be a second cutting ... No rain!

I followed the local ag extension guys advise, and followed the "recipe" of the soil samples, applied P & K at 75% of the "recipe" in the fall, another 50% in the spring along with the 100% dose of N ... Applied the herbicide in the fall just as the weeds were getting ready to over winter, and sucked up all the poison ... I had a AWESOME stand of weed free grass ...

Two years ago the 40+ acres out back came up for sale ... Myself and two other adjoining landowners were trying to buy it and split it three ways, to prevent anybody from buying it and building a development out there! The other two had trouble coming up with there share of the money quickly, and the nephew of the owner bought it ... It started just past my west boundary (purple line) they are gonna build a retirement house out of sight of my place ...

At that time I already had a HUGE thread with lots of questions about hay farming over at Green Tractor Talk forum, I asked about buying my own equipment ... and everyone said for about 20 acres total of hay it just really was not financially a good investment to do it all myself, my neighbors agreed, especially since I had no use for it myself ... I actually talked with my Massey Ferguson dealer about getting used equipment to do it myself ... And he said basically the same thing, but he would be happy to sell me the equipment, said he could get me set up for $65K - $75K then of course the land was $7K an acre ... For hay I didn't need myself.

As you know that is not a real money maker, yes you can survive, if the weather cooperates, but farming is tough, just like trucking ... As the old joke goes ... "Best way to make a million dollars in trucking, is START with 2 million!"

So I bought my "Big Lawnmower " and am happy so far ... My Big Lawn Mower!

 

[lman]

You're losing money now as well.

 

[WinterDeere]

Well ... The herbicide needs to be applied every year, around here at least, line is cheap ... As I'm not gonna grow/sell weeds if I can help it ...

Once you get any weed problem under control, the need for yearly full-broadcast herbicide goes way down, as @Hay Dude said. Simply put, if there's no weeds there putting out fresh seed, then there's nothing to germinate in the first place, and hence no need for herbicide.

A yearly pre-emergent weed block is a good idea, usually applied in March around here, but that's relatively cheap compared to (post-emergent) herbicides.

Lime should not be needed more than once every several years, unless you have some really weird local conditions that causes soil pH to change really fast. I test our soil yearly, and have only had to adjust pH two or three times in 15 years.

What is needed every year is nutrients, as those are consumed by the crop and depleted by sun. N-P-K are your friends, and a soil test each February or March can give you a good plan for the season that helps you avoid wasting any money or time applying nutrients (or lime) that you don't really need.

 

[Hay Dude]

I soil test every 3 or more years.

 

[WinterDeere]

I soil test every 3 or more years.

Yeah, probably good enough. I'm doing the whole golf course-quality lawn thing, and I buy enough product that the turf products company usually comp's me a free yearly soil test, so I just do it. But the actual nutrient needs don't change that fast most years, unless things were way out of whack and you're making big corrections to get it back on-target. Hay is still gonna grow!

 

[Shawn T. W.]

I'm not doing golf course ... Just want a rough cut big lawn ... Neighbors on all sides have weeds, wind and birds bring weeds .. I only have 16 acres total, so lots of shared border ...

Cutting often seems the best for me ... Keeps it looking decent, and keeps weeds from sprouting seeds ...

Lime was going to be every 4-5 years, but cheap at $22 a ton ...