Improving pasture surface drainage?

[Cleirigh]

Hey all,

I have 18ac of meandering bottomland swales that are rough and rutted, it floods in winter and doesn't surface drain like it should so I'm looking to remedy that this spring. I don't want a golf course but since I'm taking the pasture offline for the season I want to take the time to improve it as best I can. I don't need to make any major changes to topography, just need to remove high spots that are preventing drainage and generally smooth/grade the swales to the river. I'm thinking I'll make a few passes with an offset disk, maybe followed by a box blade and dress it out with a chain harrow after I reseed.

Question is, does it matter which path I follow when I do all this tractor work? My intuition tells me I should start at the swale bottom and contour up from there , but don't ask me to defend that :confused3:. Any path that has me pulling dirt into the swale (e.g. straight parallel lines or contouring top to bottom) just feels wrong to me, or maybe that only matters on the pass with the box blade.

Advice, tips, constructive derision are all welcome.

 

[gghb]

I rototill 2 swaths wide than use angled back blade to lay material to the out side than if i need to go deeper than i till 3 swaths and lay material to the out side as many times as needed to create a gently sloped swale.

greg

 

[kw22614]

Hey, welcome. This spring I intend doing the same to my back yard but I plan to pull a heavy plug aerator also. Just aerating every few years can help greatly with drainage, and proper grade, of coarse. My land is dead flat, sorry can't advise about the swale. I'm sure you'll get lots of replies soon enough.

 

[Jim Timber]

Sounds like you might have some deeper compaction depending how long that's been pasture. Subsoiler might help.

 

[jeff9366]

Your Deere 3520 has about the same weight and horsepower as my Kubota L3560.

What was your land used for prior to your acquisition? What created the swales and how far above grade do the swales rise?

If animals were kept in the pasture, whether cattle, horses, goats or something else with hooves, compaction is the most probable cause of standing water. I would dig several inspection holes to determine what you have below the surface and topsoil depth.

I expect an offset disc with 20" diameter pans, probably all you can pull with the Deere 3520, will penetrate 4" on the first pass and 7" on the second pass. Will this be enough? You do not want to mix less fertile subsoil and more fertile topsoil together.

A Field Cultivator, which is a light duty Chisel Plow, will penetrate to 10", aerating and loosening the soil, while leaving soil layers intact.

The two brands of currently manufactured Field Cultivators suitable for your Deere are Fred Cain and Dirt Dog. You may find used Ford/Dearborn and Bush Hog brands. Your tractor can pull a five shank, 66" wide Field Cultivator for sure = $900.

Also search for pasture aerators. There are many types and designs all somewhat like Field Cultivators. Generally speaking, pasture aerators penetrate only to 6", Field Cultivators deeper.

EverythingAttachments Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R-8ZhFlO5Y

Field Cultivators on eBay (2): Field Cultivator in Heavy Equipment Attachments | eBay

All Purpose Plow in Heavy Equipment Attachments | eBay

You do NOT want a so-called Field Cultivator with S-tines.

 

[MMagis]

If it floods every year, I think as soon as you get animals back on it and they make their hoof prints your problem might re-occur. Is installing tile an option?

 

[Spindifferent]

Speak with your local county extension agent.

 

[hslogger]

I agree with Spindifferent. I have some wet land, and in one pasture I shot the grade a few years ago when I was getting ready to rehabilitate it. The field had a nine foot drop in elevation from east to west, and a few less feet from north to south. It was severely compacted,which I knew, and just didn't have the bread until then to do it right.. We ended up plowing it with contour, which is a pain in the butt. The end result after discing, lime, seed,fertilizer was real good. Contour!

 

[oldnslo]

Flooding by itself will compact the ground. If this floods every year will contouring or draining prevent or reduce this?

 

[rgr33]

What about installing perforated drain pipe to drain excess water off when the water table rises?

 

[hslogger]

Drain tile that is buried under the ground in regards to slope and central drainage works if it is done correctly. The water still needs a place to go. The idea is to drain it in accordance to how you want to drain it and when. The ground needs to be surveyed for slope and the perf pipe buried so that it does its' job. In Western Oregon it is more and more common to see heavy equipment ripping the ground first. Then big trenchers dig and bury the perf pipe which comes in big coils set on a big "lazy Susan". As it unwraps it is buried. Then they cover the holes and grade it. Then they come in and plow and disc and plant. It is all done with hi tech lasers, and GPS stuff.

The pipes sometimes end up in a sump area where they have a sump pump.

Contour plowing can help run off because it seems to change the way a "sheet of water runs off". Talk to your ag extension agent for the straight scoop

 

[Cleirigh]

oldnslo yes, the soil is highly compacted from flooding, happens several times a year so not sure if that is worth addressing. The compaction isn't all bad... if I can keep water from getting into a hole it will run right off the surface.

hslogger thanks, working on the contour sounds right and I'm not seeing any warnings to the contrary. The current grade has an overall drop to the river, there are just a few high spots here and there that I need to get rid of without creating any new ones. I might angle the box blade a little to encourage the dirt to stay upslope but maybe I don't have to worry about the disc pushing a lot of dirt in front of it.

 

[hslogger]

Plowing on contour means basically not plowing in straight lines. Your plowing from an the air would look like the lines on a topo map. Currrrrvy. After the initial plowing then you disc accordingly, and the ride can be rough at first. real rough.

 

[Cleirigh]

Contour it is. When you did yours did you start low and work high or the other way around? This is summer pasture, good clay loam bottomland but is compacted by flooding several times a year and stays wet into spring so is not good for a crop. I was going to start with the disc to loosen the top 4-6 inches/roots and then have the box blade level it out before I reseed. Would it really be worthwhile to turn it with a plow first?

 

[OldMcDonald]

Be very careful. The advice of some posters to talk to your Extension agent is sound. There is a reason why land is swaled - if it is man made, and it might well be. That is so the water drains off the higher ground into the swale. If it floods several times a year it might well be best left alone. What if you get a flood when it is all nicely cultivated or very newly sown? You could lose a lot soil. If it is not man-made but natural I would be even more wary of disturbing it.

If you are going to follow the contours you cannot use a mouldboard plough. You could use a disc plough, but I would recommend a tined implement. If you are interested in how to set out the land before doing any cultivation then I suggest you read "The Keyline Plan" by PA Yeomans. It is available from www.soilandhealth.org free - although the person who does all the work of maintaining this digital library rightly asks people to make a small donation. There is a video on YouTube that I have not watched Yeoman "Water for every farm" - Google Search

A Google search (maybe even YouTube) will bring it up - "Water for Every Farm" and PA Yeomans. I was fortunate enough to be given a copy of this book when I farmed in Australia. Basically the idea is that you encourage the water back onto the ridge rather than let it collect in the swale. It is not easy to get it right and Yeomans talks about much bigger areas than you have, but the principle is the same and I used it in Australia to correct some gully erosion - which is what you might get if you cultivate just before a flood. It might be best to leave well alone, and make what use of the land you can.

EDIT: I have just had a look at the YouTube video. Interesting, but does not give any detail about how keyline works. Probably not worth watching.

 

[old243]

I did some tiling ,last summer. My farm was tiled in 1975, The drainage does mostly work well. The farm next to me is not tiled , I had problems with water draining unto my place and creating wet spots , so you couldn't get on the field till later. I installed tile risers at the property line and tied them in to my system, worked well. In your case if you have fall to an outlet. You could install a riser or a French drain, in your swale area and run a tile or tiles to the outlet. You would find that this would be the driest part of your field. I have a mini hoe an did my own work. You just have to get your grades right. old243