Clearing Field

Hobby Farmer 52 · May 25, 2013

I found some land near me that the owner said I could farm. I would like to get it back to a hay field but it has not been used for a few years and has some brush and small trees growing in it. I am looking for suggestions on cleaning it up with the least amount of effort. He suggested I just go over it with a brush hog but I would think it may be better to try and pull some of the stuff out and get most of the roots. Thanks in advance.
DJ

Paul from MI · May 25, 2013

Any brush of any size at all will need to be pulled before bush-hogging the rest. Then plowing and fitting conventionally should put you in shape to seed.

Bruce from Can. · May 25, 2013

I just re-claimed about3 acres, on the farm I bought in 2010. The land had been rented out for aleast 12 years, and the cash croppers that had it would come in and plant the whole 145 acres at once. This little chunck ws a bit late, so it got left to grow trees. All I did was run the disc over them a few times, then pulled the moulboard plough, with the coulters off acrossed it. As you might guess, sometimes trees would plug the plough. But they can only do it once. It is all worked now, and planted to corn this year. Bruce

todd hamilton · May 25, 2013

Burn it if possible to do it safely then plow it under

JayinNY · May 25, 2013

My friend had this plot that was all honeysuckle 2 years ago. He brush hogged them all down, I plowed it under, but as Bruce said the plows kept plugging with roots. I just plowed it again for him last week and this is what it looks like now. Not one single root. JayinNY

charlespretzer · May 25, 2013

Hit it with Tordon .That'll kill it.

JD Seller · May 25, 2013

I would pull anything big enough to get a chain to hold too. You can rent tree gripping buckets for a skid steer. Anything you mow off becomes a spear for tires.

I would formally rent the ground even if you only pay a little rent. That way you can improve it and be sure of getting the benefit of those improvements. Get a multi year agreement. So you can clean it up this year and work the ground down some. Then this fall you can seed wheat and grass. Then early next spring you can seed clover or alfalfa into the grass. You can then either mow the wheat early for hay or have the grain harvested and then have a good hay field for years to come.

samn40 · May 26, 2013

Can you get access to a rotavator? Set it so it only just cuts the sod and after pulling the larger stuff( as others have suggested) simply chop the sod and saplings. Sow some grass-seed on the mulch and roll. It works well over here anyway!
Sam

Matt Tieken · May 26, 2013

(quoted from post at 19:57:58 05/25/13)
I would formally rent the ground even if you only pay a little rent. That way you can improve it and be sure of getting the benefit of those improvements. Get a multi year agreement. So you can clean it up this year and work the ground down some.

Good point.

old-9 · May 26, 2013

Disk plows are said to work well on roots;they roll over and cut them. joe

Clearing Field

Hobby Farmer 52

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Paul from MI

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Bruce from Can.

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todd hamilton

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JayinNY

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charlespretzer

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JD Seller

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samn40

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Matt Tieken

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old-9

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