Off season projects

[Hay Dude]

Anyone doing any rebuilds or major repairs?
Fertilizing? Field edge tree line clearing?
Im well underway on oil changes.

Stocked up on twine. Got this at the end of season pricing, before it goes to like $50/roll.

And of course, fertilizing

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Ugh. Fertilizer.

We have a neighbor (empty hay meadow) that uses quite a bit of chicken litter in the late fall. That stuff stinks up the place big time for a few weeks. I wouldn't mind it at all, but they only use about half the hay they cut each year. The rest sits and rots lined up down the side of the road until they get around to burning it. Why spend all the money and time on fertilizer just to let the benefits rot?

Not a comment aimed at you. Just general whining.

 

[Hay Dude]

Ugh. Fertilizer.

We have a neighbor (empty hay meadow) that uses quite a bit of chicken litter in the late fall. That stuff stinks up the place big time for a few weeks. I wouldn't mind it at all, but they only use about half the hay they cut each year. The rest sits and rots lined up down the side of the road until they get around to burning it. Why spend all the money and time on fertilizer just to let the benefits rot?

Not a comment aimed at you. Just general whining.

Sometimes it’s because the guys who deliver it can’t get rid of it, so they bring more than you need.
We typically spread all of ours within a few weeks of delivery. Ours is more a blend of horse manure, hay, lime and a little poultry litter

 

[Hay Dude]

Heres a few pics of some fields I rehabbed late this summer and this fall. Soil samples were taken and sent to a lab for soil analysis. These fields needed lime badly. Ph way off.
Started off with 2tons lime/acre in mid August.

Next, we drilled 41 acres in early September

Then top dress with some mushroom compost in later November.

Now it’s a waiting game, but my hope is this 41 acre farm will yield some great results next summer.

 

[Have tractor did travel]

Hey Hay Dude, Former tenant herdsman, before my purchase of this place, used that red twine around bales of hay. Each time he fed the cattle, he cut that twine and let it lay where it dropped. I've pulled miles of it from the ground, trying to be rid of his trash. Current tenant herdsman knows I'm a real downer for his leaving any kind of webbing, twine, trash behind.

Ph here was bad (as it is throughout Virginia). Applied 220 tones of lime in October. In late May, need to apply 5 tones of potassium and another 5 tones of phosphate.

This past week - working on taking down the old concrete block milk processing room. (nobody ever said a block building was beautifyl) In conjunction with that, am re-pointing the stone foundation and basement wall of the large animal barn that is exposed, now that the block building is gone. I used a mix of N and S mortar - wanted some pliability and some (more) strength.

 

[Hay Dude]

Hey Hay Dude, Former tenant herdsman, before my purchase of this place, used that red twine around bales of hay. Each time he fed the cattle, he cut that twine and let it lay where it dropped. I've pulled miles of it from the ground, trying to be rid of his trash. Current tenant herdsman knows I'm a real downer for his leaving any kind of webbing, twine, trash behind.

Ph here was bad (as it is throughout Virginia). Applied 220 tones of lime in October. In late May, need to apply 5 tones of potassium and another 5 tones of phosphate.

This past week - working on taking down the old concrete block milk processing room. (nobody ever said a block building was beautifyl) In conjunction with that, am re-pointing the stone foundation and basement wall of the large animal barn that is exposed, now that the block building is gone. I used a mix of N and S mortar - wanted some pliability and some (more) strength.

I try as hard as I can to pick up all the twine I can see. Amazing how it still ends up taking out an axle bearing once every few years on my equipment

 

[Diggin It]

I took a few small trees down and they're piled to burn when I get the right day.

Trimmed some branches with a new-ish pole saw.

I like to do that stuff when the leaves are off so I can see the branches better.

Got a ditch to dig and a small amount of building to do if I can find affordable lumber and metal sheathing/roofing.

Need to do oil and filter changes in the riding mowers. Cars too I guess.

General pick up/cleanup and hauling to the dump when it's 60 degrees instead of 90.

 

[Hay Dude]

We are in the tree trimming process, too. I have no one else to blame but myself if branches are scratching the cab! Lol

Related: One kind of nice pickup I got late this fall was a property was sold next to a property I already farm. It has about 5 acres of thick, lush grass. Realizing this, I stopped by soon as new owner moved in and offered to hay it, IF he would be willing to remove fence and brush between the properties so I could effectively “connect” the properties together
New owner wants nothing to do with mowing the land and actually paid me to remove brush, tree limbs and fence between them.
The other property is about 15 acres. Now I have about 20 joined together. He’s real happy with getting rid of the mowing expense for a small fee to clear a 50’ opening between properties.
Not a big deal, but it all adds up to more tonnage

 

[EddieWalker]

I always wait until Spring to do my oil and filter changes. In my mind, it's better to do this after everything has been sitting around all winter, rather then before the cold wet weather happens. Right now, I'm still working on removing trees for my fence and filling in the holes from the stumps. It's slow going, but I'm steadily making progress.

 

[LHF2019]

Where to start on off season projects. There are so many. Currently I have been aggressively cutting brush, thorn apples, and mulitfloral rose out of the pastures. Been at this for several years now with aggressive cutting and spraying and slowly the cattle have worked it back and the grass is growing. Have some field tree line trimming to do. Neglect of a couple decades and you lose a lot. Will gain any where from 1 mower width to 3 when I'm done. Then there is all they equipment that need gone through. Hard to get motivated with an uninsulated shop and 30 degree weather.

 

[Hay Dude]

Where to start on off season projects. There are so many. Currently I have been aggressively cutting brush, thorn apples, and mulitfloral rose out of the pastures. Been at this for several years now with aggressive cutting and spraying and slowly the cattle have worked it back and the grass is growing. Have some field tree line trimming to do. Neglect of a couple decades and you lose a lot. Will gain any where from 1 mower width to 3 when I'm done. Then there is all they equipment that need gone through. Hard to get motivated with an uninsulated shop and 30 degree weather.

I’ve tried to avoid dead of winter maintenance because of the cold. What has helped for me is doing it October through mid December right after final balings (still plenty of reasonably warm days 45*-55*) to get maintenance done. I’ll do anything I missed on the few warm days April when were not in “crazy mode”.

 

[mred2]

Most problems now has still be rain. Just too wet to want to get under equipment. And on the real nice days, we have had a lot, just too much fun clearing for more pasture or a good football game. Hard when you still work in town 5 days a week.

 

[LHF2019]

Couple nights in the single digits allowed me to clear some swamp ground of multifloral rose and claim back some pasture.

 

[Rockbadchild]

just burning some wood while making some fire wood for next year camping season waiting for the thaw so i can keep clearing fields and plant some seeds..,

 

[Hay Dude]

Brush clearing here, too. Well, getting ready to, anyway. So many winter days spent beating back what the summer growth takes over.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Brush clearing here, too. Well, getting ready to, anyway. So many winter days spent beating back what the summer growth takes over.

I hear ya ... for me I have 30 to 50 years to catch up too ... but stay tuned next spring I shift on over drive my buddy will come with its 3030 caterpillar excavator I will kept you posted on Life on 75 acres

 

[LHF2019]

Moving stored hay to main farm for later pickup. Usually can wait for a break in the weather and use tractor and wagon but not this year. Chains are over kill but better than having to pull the truck out. Roads a dirt so just plowed packed snow with very little cinders and this is hill country

 

[Hay Dude]

I like the dumping feature on your truck. I am saving for a 20’ flatbed truck and very close to buying. The price of a new bed is outrageous. Having it dump adds another $5,000 (PTO dump not a light duty electric).
Ends up the bed & dump cost more than the truck sometimes.
Do you still have the removable sides?

 

[LHF2019]

I like the dumping feature on your truck. I am saving for a 20’ flatbed truck and very close to buying. The price of a new bed is outrageous. Having it dump adds another $5,000 (PTO dump not a light duty electric).
Ends up the bed & dump cost more than the truck sometimes.
Do you still have the removable sides?

Sure do. 3 of the pieces made a great deer blind. It was a grain truck and sides are rotted plywood. Paid less for the truck than buying a good heavy running gear.

 

[oosik]

Ugh. Fertilizer.

We have a neighbor (empty hay meadow) that uses quite a bit of chicken litter in the late fall. That stuff stinks up the place big time for a few weeks. I wouldn't mind it at all, but they only use about half the hay they cut each year. The rest sits and rots lined up down the side of the road until they get around to burning it. Why spend all the money and time on fertilizer just to let the benefits rot?

Not a comment aimed at you. Just general whining.

I worked in an adjoining county for a couple years. Large on sugar beet and onion farming. You DO NOT know what STINK is until you experience 200 acres of rotten onions that have been disked up and left to dry out. Finally to be disked back into the soil. The Omaha stock yards are not even a close comparison.