(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

Reclaiming fields the old way

J

Jason S.

Well-known Member
I got six DVDs of the Massey Ferguson archive series for Christmas and one of the discs showed them reclaiming hay fields that had been let go for many years. They mowed it with a sickle mower to get it cleared and then afterwards they mowed the fields with reel mowers like on a golf course and then used a peg tooth harrow after the mowing. They claimed no fertilizer or seeding was done or needed in this method. Would these methods still work today? Or did that ever really work at all?
 
That's also used on grazing setup you graze it flat then over seed in
the spring. I've also seen disc used the idea is split the root and
thicken the stand that way. Also in over grazed pasture I've disked
the daylight out of it that way it isn't root bound and it might look
terrible but the stand is a lot better after
 
Can't say it would work for every field but we bought the place next door to ours and had to wade through the multiflora rose,
milkweed, goldenrod, honeysuckle etc but finally got it down to the point it could be mowed. Been mowing it ever since. Was
on it TODAY. Chopping up leaves and mowing the longest sections. Rain due in tomorrow so I got what I could done before it
gets wet again. Plus got to wear my shorts one more time this year. 72 for a high and it was LOVELY!
 
"Would these methods still work today?"

I'm gonna speculate that would be a matter of your local conditions vs. trying to quantify an agricultural practice vs. a limited "time frame" and local.

YAMMV!
 
That's one of those things that might work great one year and not work at all the next year.
 

A lot of mowing letting the clippings rot results in acidity and stops the growth of good grasses. I have reclaimed a lot of ground that was producing a lot of weeds by just adjusting fertility to spec with lime and commercial fertilizer and manure. The cool weather grasses come on gang busters in the spring and crowd out the weeds.
 
Hi, on pasture land grazed off pretty short with
cow crap clumps all over, we would move stock to
another field. My dad would say drag harrow it till
you think the grass won't grow then do it one more
time. You will have a great crop of grass then.
this was on bottom land. Ed Will.
 
I don't know what type of real mower they were using, but if it was anything like the Ransoms that golf courses use, it would have to be some
awful "pristine" conditions to keep from destroying the mower. We had one at the city 30 years ago to mow the parks and it was very
intolerant of rocks, mounds and long grass. Did a pretty good job of mowing 3 to 4" grass down to 2"s.
 
Plants need nutrients whether stored organically in the soil, through applied animal waste, or through commercial fertilizer. Plants also need conditions such as favorable soil pH to be able to extract the nutrients. Soils lacking in nutrients and/or have pH issues will impede nutrient removal affecting growth.
 
The only thing that the practice mentioned would accomplish is to expose the soil to seed for subsequent over seeding. It would do nothing to eliminate any woody or unwanted herbaceous species.
 
(quoted from post at 11:17:13 12/28/15) The only thing that the practice mentioned would accomplish is to expose the soil to seed for subsequent over seeding. It would do nothing to eliminate any woody or unwanted herbaceous species.
Click to expand...
Not necessarily. You can eliminate a lot of unwanted species with regular mowing, including most woody plants. Of course the vegetation and responses to mowing varies greatly with location, soils, and weather.
 
Hi, on pasture land grazed off pretty short with
cow crap clumps all over, we would move stock to
another field. My dad would say drag harrow it till
you think the grass won't grow then do it one more
time. You will have a great crop of grass then.
this was on bottom land. Ed Will.
 

I've done basically what the OP described- cut a field, get the hay/weeds off it, disc it until it looks like nothing could possibly survive and then manure it. Lime too if I can. Next 5-8 years the grass/clover mix was many times heavier than what I formerly got. I would think if I'd seeded better strains of grasses and clover in would help too.

This is on heavy clay in northern NY and the process was done in mid summer. Other types of land may not show this kind of success.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
Why the Letter Series are the Best Deere Tractors
2
Replies
30
Views
2K
SVcummins
S
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top