Delay fall bush hogging for pollinators?

[teejk]

Yeah, since that meeting, I was thinking of you with your 70 acres.

For my small plot, I'll probably just eat the seed/Roundup cost to avoid paperwork and just depend on USDA for guidance. I hope that $1200/acre isn't because our government is subsidizing most of the seed.

We spent about $100 for seed for 200 sq ft but that was through an on-line retailer. It took a few years to establish but after that we merely wait for the first hard frost and then mow it to disperse the seeds. Will need to over seed this fall because of the cold winter/spring plus we plan to clear out invasives (mainly wild strawberry that creeps and chokes out much of the desirables). Monarchs need milkweed to reproduce. They also feed on nectar from just about any flowering plant.

 

[ovrszd]

The cost is based on the seed mix. My two fields have 13 varieties. Some are extremely hard to get and expensive. USDA isn't gouging. The seed suppliers may be a little.

 

[forgeblast]

We have property enrolled in CREP (conservation reserve enhancement program), this is almost 10 years now in the program and its awesome seeing the difference. Before it was an old eroded field that I took back from multiflora rose (1-2 solid acres of it). After cutting and burning it (before we enrolled in the program) we now have trees and shrubs growing, including those we did not plant. Its a sea of goldenrod now. I am still required to control invasives but you hit a point where there are less of them.
Same with Japanese Knot Weed, aka bamboo. This plant is horrible to control but if your going to spray it, wait until after the bees are off it. I heard that people have been taking an injector needle (like for roasts etc) and injecting roundup into the bottom stem and having better results with the control of it.