Off season projects

[Hay Dude]

Where to start on off season projects. There are so many. Currently I have been aggressively cutting brush, thorn apples, and mulitfloral rose out of the pastures. Been at this for several years now with aggressive cutting and spraying and slowly the cattle have worked it back and the grass is growing. Have some field tree line trimming to do. Neglect of a couple decades and you lose a lot. Will gain any where from 1 mower width to 3 when I'm done. Then there is all they equipment that need gone through. Hard to get motivated with an uninsulated shop and 30 degree weather.

I’ve tried to avoid dead of winter maintenance because of the cold. What has helped for me is doing it October through mid December right after final balings (still plenty of reasonably warm days 45*-55*) to get maintenance done. I’ll do anything I missed on the few warm days April when were not in “crazy mode”.

 

[mred2]

Most problems now has still be rain. Just too wet to want to get under equipment. And on the real nice days, we have had a lot, just too much fun clearing for more pasture or a good football game. Hard when you still work in town 5 days a week.

 

[LHF2019]

Couple nights in the single digits allowed me to clear some swamp ground of multifloral rose and claim back some pasture.

 

[Rockbadchild]

just burning some wood while making some fire wood for next year camping season waiting for the thaw so i can keep clearing fields and plant some seeds..,

 

[Hay Dude]

Brush clearing here, too. Well, getting ready to, anyway. So many winter days spent beating back what the summer growth takes over.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Brush clearing here, too. Well, getting ready to, anyway. So many winter days spent beating back what the summer growth takes over.

I hear ya ... for me I have 30 to 50 years to catch up too ... but stay tuned next spring I shift on over drive my buddy will come with its 3030 caterpillar excavator I will kept you posted on Life on 75 acres

 

[LHF2019]

Moving stored hay to main farm for later pickup. Usually can wait for a break in the weather and use tractor and wagon but not this year. Chains are over kill but better than having to pull the truck out. Roads a dirt so just plowed packed snow with very little cinders and this is hill country

 

[Hay Dude]

I like the dumping feature on your truck. I am saving for a 20’ flatbed truck and very close to buying. The price of a new bed is outrageous. Having it dump adds another $5,000 (PTO dump not a light duty electric).
Ends up the bed & dump cost more than the truck sometimes.
Do you still have the removable sides?

 

[LHF2019]

I like the dumping feature on your truck. I am saving for a 20’ flatbed truck and very close to buying. The price of a new bed is outrageous. Having it dump adds another $5,000 (PTO dump not a light duty electric).
Ends up the bed & dump cost more than the truck sometimes.
Do you still have the removable sides?

Sure do. 3 of the pieces made a great deer blind. It was a grain truck and sides are rotted plywood. Paid less for the truck than buying a good heavy running gear.

 

[oosik]

Ugh. Fertilizer.

We have a neighbor (empty hay meadow) that uses quite a bit of chicken litter in the late fall. That stuff stinks up the place big time for a few weeks. I wouldn't mind it at all, but they only use about half the hay they cut each year. The rest sits and rots lined up down the side of the road until they get around to burning it. Why spend all the money and time on fertilizer just to let the benefits rot?

Not a comment aimed at you. Just general whining.

I worked in an adjoining county for a couple years. Large on sugar beet and onion farming. You DO NOT know what STINK is until you experience 200 acres of rotten onions that have been disked up and left to dry out. Finally to be disked back into the soil. The Omaha stock yards are not even a close comparison.