Advice needed on poorly performing section of Hay field.

[Soggy Bottom Outdoors]

At a time in the fields history do you think some or all of the topsoil was removed? You said the county had done some work around as far as dredging/ditching in the creek. Could they have removed the topsoil for another project or maybe a lot of heavy equipment compaction? I have some river bottom fields that have white sand "streaks" in them. Nearly sterile sand, several feet deep, but only a few feet wide. It has been that way since a massive 1937 flood in my area. One more thing, could the "swale" you mentioned along the creek bank were the county "fixed" the creek channel be holding the water/drainage back?

 

[tmac196]

Soggy-I have been in contact with an individual who had farmed the property as far back as 60 years ago. There has been no significant change in the contour of the property over that time. The old Farmer did tell me that the soil has always been somewhat difficult to raise crops on. I know that there has been no topsoil removed.

The work on the creek was performed by a private contractor hired by the county ditch commission to remove all the vegetation from the creek and to clear silt from the creek bed about 18 years ago. Predictably, this contractor dug all of the spoils and the vegetation and left them piled up on the bank along the length of the creek. As you might expect, over time, what this does is to impair the natural drainage from the field (as the creek now has a "dike" along each bank which are those spoils just removed) until it makes its own way creating an eroded path (in this case leading directly from the swale which drains my hay field) into the creek.

My hay field drains well. There is never any standing water at any time. It seems that the water percolates through the sand and finally into the creek. The creek is deep and has a good flow of water through it at all times.

 

[fishheadbob]

Soggy-I have been in contact with an individual who had farmed the property as far back as 60 years ago. There has been no significant change in the contour of the property over that time. The old Farmer did tell me that the soil has always been somewhat difficult to raise crops on. I know that there has been no topsoil removed.

The old farmer was trying to tell you something. Sometimes you can have a piece of land that's just a lousy piece of land ( I know from personal experience). You could throw a lot of time and money at it, maybe getting it up to marginal, but you might be better off to concentrate your inputs somewhere you can get more results. ?