Clear-cut to row crops in ? months.

[RAKR]

If there is anyone out there with any ag. experience, is it likely to turn a clearcut area into a cotton, watermelon, peanut or other crop yielding field within the same year. Granted I would have to start in accordinace with the paticular growing season. I am looking at purchasing 1000 acres and immediately turning 500ac into row crops. Any ideas on time frames? Thanks.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Likely? Not.... Expensive? Most definately. Possible? Remotely. A great deal depends on what sort of trees/cover is on the ground now, and how you (your contractor) goes about clearing.

I cleared about 70 acres in the first year after I bought my farm. It went into pasture for a couple years, then light tillage with soybeans for a couple more. Fifth year, I chisel plowed to put corn on that ground. Must have hit a zillion stumps, roots, rocks, ect. It was 10 years before it was "clean" ground.

 

[ONJ]

I would think it depends on the kind of money you want to spend... if its heavily forested.. then it will cost a ton... also in the case of such a ground disturbance.. I don't know about your state but in Tennessee if you clear more than an acre of ground then you must have a storm water permit through the dept. of environment or equivalent..
Another thing is... well depending where you are located.. if it is in trees now.. there is usually a reason for that soil type could be a major factor, or wetland area.... if you live in the US go to web soil survey and look up the place and see what kind of soils it has.. might not be worth even planting crops on it.... hope this helps

 

[MarkV]

Boy around here to clear 500 acres would be big money. Of course most of the land here is in timber and the last price I heard was $2500 per acre, plus the tree value, to stump, root rake and grade. From the crops you are talking it sounds like you are in the Southeast somewhere. Has the land already been timbered? A lot of the land around me is in pine because the soil was so depleted from cotton and tobacco growing for many generations in the past.

Welcome to the forum. Let us know how it works out.

MarkV

 

[kthompson]

Would strongly suggest you don't try a root crop especially such as peanuts for even the little roots that will be left I think will create problems for combining. Maybe even the digging. Just think you would have major problems harvesting for a few years without major root rotting.

You probably have this taken care of but some of those crops are hard to get good contracts for. No crop is profitable without a good market. As the saying goes, been there, done that.

I think the shortest time frame I have noticed around here is two years. Of course a lot depends on the type and size of the trees and the soil. The comment on the land disturbance, no idea here on agriculture but for a house site no issue, commercial a major one. I don't think I have ever seen the silt fences install for agriculture clearing. That does not mean it is not required.

 

[jimgerken]

I have some experience, but on a small scale compared to what you are suggesting (500 ac). I cleared 2 acres of trees, forming the slope and a nice waterway, and just finished planting alfalfa with oats cover. It took three days cat work at a cost of over $3000, then countless trips over and over picking up roots and rocks and other junk. total time invested was half the summer of weekends plus a day each week. Everytime we tilled it again, it yielded more roots and rocks. I am hoping that if the alfalfa is productive for five years, the remaining roots will by then be more decomposed and ready to give up when we till it again. Clearing land is a ton of work. I cannot imagine how the old-timers like my grandpa were able to clear a 40 in a summer. And all they had was horses and fire.

 

[Highbeam]

Old timers also could use dynamite. How nice would it be to blow the stumps out of the ground?

 

[D7E]

We're clearing 70acres of poplars,Maples,and oak some up to 2ft thick ,But only clearing between busy farming periods so probably only actually adds up to less than 2 months a year and we're splitting all the wood as firewood.
The clearing is the easy part removing part stumps,sticks,roots,Burying fire remains and rocks etc is the time consuming part.
Were using a Cat D7,Case 580b,300hp tractor ripping and a 80hp fwa skidding and rootraking.About 10 acres per year is plantable but we're going to fallow it for a few years cultivating and spraying it heavily as those poplars come back instantly and the weed bank is enormous .
This is a pic from when we started ..i have a whole set somewhere..i'll try and find them?

 

[charlz]

About 10 acres per year is plantable but we're going to fallow it for a few years cultivating and spraying it heavily as those poplars come back instantly and the weed bank is enormous.

FYI I was reading an article the other day about poplars. The advice was to cut them down right after they fully leaf in the spring. This way the roots have been greatly depleted of energy and have not had time to replenish. This is supposed to help keep them from suckering back really fast/heavy.

 

[D7E]

FYI I was reading an article the other day about poplars. The advice was to cut them down right after they fully leaf in the spring. This way the roots have been greatly depleted of energy and have not had time to replenish. This is supposed to help keep them from suckering back really fast/heavy.

Interesting ..Unfortunateley we seem to do most of the clearing in winter when the farm is quiet and the land is frozen to shave the brush off clean with the dozer..!