Forest to Fields

[BrokenTrack]

I took on an ambitious project this year; clearing 70 acres of forest and putting it into fields.

Normally I do the logging myself, but property taxes and getting cancer has really caused me to contract that part out this winter, and I have been pretty happy with the result. They can do in 1 week what would take me two years! Obviously I do not make anywhere near the money that I would doing my own logging, but all the brush and tops are removed and chipped too.

Of course in land clearing, logging is the easy part; stumping, removing rocks, grading and seeding down takes the most time and effort, but is also what makes the pay off worth it. Right now at least, where I live; tillable farmland is going for more money then even house lots, so once the work is done, the pay off is substantial. When I am done I will end up with a new 30 acre field, a 40 acre field, and then a 10 acre field.

 

[oosik]

Whew!!! THAT is an ambitious project. 70 acres is a lot of clearing. So - what will you be doing with the fields?

 

[smstonypoint]

Thanks for posting.

Just curious. What is tillable land selling for in your area?

Steve

 

[Thomas]

Spring thaw slow down or shut down operation?

 

[BrokenTrack]

Thanks for posting.

Just curious. What is tillable land selling for in your area?

Steve

Around $3500.

 

[BrokenTrack]

Corn, Hay (grass silage) and pasture, as I typically rotate my fields on a 7-10 year rotation.

 

[BrokenTrack]

Spring thaw slow down or shut down operation?

Not really. The soil here is gravelly loam so water peculates through it very well. That makes it a bit easier to get on, especially with tracked machines. Pulling stumps during mud season makes it a lot easier as well, but also means more soil comes out with the stump, which is not good. So that is kind of a Catch 22, especially with a smaller excavator which is what I will be using (312 Caterpillar Excavator). Logging would be shut down, only because the roads are posted and it can be tough to get wood to the mills, but they will be done logging pretty soon anyway, probably within the next two weeks. The roads are posted now, but its been getting below freezing at night, so they have been working nights to get the wood out.

So to answer your question: yes and no. There are workarounds to all of it.

 

[smstonypoint]

Corn, Hay (grass silage) and pasture, as I typically rotate my fields on a 7-10 year rotation.

What do you get in the way of corn yields in your area?

Steve

 

[Blstr88]

Did you post a picture? It isn't loading for me...

Nice to see you here from FHC!

 

[BrokenTrack]

What do you get in the way of corn yields in your area? Steve

Around 24 Tons to the acre.

 

[bigtiller]

What do you get in the way of corn yields in your area?

Around 24 Tons to the acre.

A bushel of corn weighs about 56 pounds. So 24 tons would be 857 bushels per acre.

That can't happen. What am I missing?

 

[3Ts]

Economy of Maine including Maine Agriculture and Manufacturing ...
Economy of Maine including Maine Agriculture and Manufacturing from NETSTATE.COM
Other crops are corn, hay, oats and other grains to feed cattle. Greenhouse and nursery products, broccoli, dry beans, peas and other vegetables are also grown. Apples are Maine's most valuable fruit crops, but Maine is also a leading producer of wild blueberries.

I'm guessing that the corn is cut for silage.

 

[BrokenTrack]

I'm guessing that the corn is cut for silage.

Yes, corn silage to feed livestock (sheep and cows).

 

[tcreeley]

Nice operation - good location too!

 

[BrokenTrack]

Nice operation - good location too!

Thanks, Hudson is a nice place as well. It is not that far away from here.

 

[BrokenTrack]

So the boys are finally done. In the end we pulled 1384 cords of wood out of here. You cannot see the other 10 acre cut, or the other 30 acre cut, but it is a nice view from here. My wife and I are thinking about putting our future retirement home here just to enjoy the view. It is hard to see in the video, but there are 13 hill tops that we can see from this vantage point at 660 feet above sea level.

 

[Jstpssng]

Will you do the clearing yourself? 70 acres is a lotta stumps! Do you plan to burn them, or find someplace to use them for fill?

 

[BrokenTrack]

Will you do the clearing yourself? 70 acres is a lotta stumps! Do you plan to burn them, or find someplace to use them for fill?

Yeah I will do my own clearing. I accidentally got into the land clearing business by accident after retirement. It's not bad, just mind numbing as you thrash inside an excavator all day, or making long pushes with the bulldozers. I just try to stay sane by making an imaginary line and seeing if I can make it to that point in an hour, a day, or a week or something. I average about 2 acres per day, but here...probably 2-1/2 to 3 acres per day, just because its got gentle slopes, and the bedrock is slate, not craggy ledge where the roots really get worked into.

I am not sure what I will do with the stumps yet. Our farm is quickly becoming a fairgrounds for an event in the summer so looks are starting to be important. I have no issue with pushing the stumps to the outside borders, but it is a LONG push when you get in the middle of a 30 acre field. I like the idea of burning them (and in Maine you still can), but then do I want smoke drifting around for a year or so?

There is a wet spot in the middle where the watersheds divide from left to right, then rises from front to back, so maybe I will just make a windrow so I can push straight down both hills towards the center, form a ditch with an excavator just before each side of the windrow, and get the water to drain into their respective watersheds.

You cannot see it well in the video, but to the far left we want to put in a pond, so getting water to it on this hill will be a priority (no springs that I know of), then maybe have some RV parking stuffed into the woods near the pond for that summer event.

 

[Oldoak]

Around $3500.

That's cheap for tillable farmland. Here in PA, swampland that is unsuitable to plant or build on is going for that much. And that's without mineral and oil & gas rights.

Check out the price of good corn ground in Iowa. If you can find any for sale. :shocked:

Changing times. You are clearing land in Maine, while here in Pa, a lot of the small family dairy farms have given up and the fields are reverting back to brush and sapling trees.

 

[Tigershark]

Around my parts there were several large farms 50-200 acres that were mostly wooded , they sat on the market for several years then they decided lets clear all the trees open it up and they sold as soon as they were back on the market. Presumably for more than the cost to clear them. Pretty common practice around here now. Developments want open land and so do horse farm owners. I can see spending a several weeks clearing land knowing you will easily get your investment back just takes a lot of upfront $$$. Good luck sounds like a smart plan