Moving to Texas

[Mike CHS]

We are right there with you LS. The best thing in our favor was that we didn't know we we didn't know and managed to fake it a long time. We picked up a couple of mentors in the preceding years that have been a Blessing for us.

 

[tressa27884]

How many animals will you be moving down there? (If you dont mind me asking)

My 3 house dogs, My best friends 2 house dogs and 1 LGD (Amos) who will be about 10 weeks. Plus a number of cats and a Macaw.

 

[tressa27884]

Looks like @Devonviolet will be the closest to you, she lives just south-southeast of Sulphur Springs. You will be about 75 miles from me. And @Latestarter is (I think) about 30 miles east of Devonviolet.

Congrats on your new place! You KNOW we want PICTURES!!!

I'll take lots of pictures on Tuesday and Wednesday when I'm there. I'll post on Thursday.

 

[tressa27884]

I'll be NEEDING mentors! I'm Tressa Everts Overfield on Facebook if any of y'all want to send a friend request. I'm getting so dang excited! First I need to know how to stomp out the Johnson Grass (everybody has me scared to let my critters graze it) and what to plant in it's place. I guess I'll be buying hay for a while -

 

[greybeard]

I'll be NEEDING mentors! I'm Tressa Everts Overfield on Facebook if any of y'all want to send a friend request. I'm getting so dang excited! First I need to know how to stomp out the Johnson Grass (everybody has me scared to let my critters graze it) and what to plant in it's place. I guess I'll be buying hay for a while -

Find someone with a dozen cows in the area and lease it out to them for 3 months. The cows will graze it down to the dirt and the JG will be gone. DO however, understand that every kind of forage has it's own unique problems and downsides.
Remember back in 2012, all the big "GMO grass killing cattle" headlines that turned out to be Tifton 85--a very common bermuda hybrid--NOT gmo?
Many of the 'natural' crowd ran with the bogus GMO story and to this day have never edited their articles.
http://www.backyardherds.com/thread...ing-cattle-deaths-in-texas.19813/#post-267671
https://www.organicconsumers.org/ne...ss-suddenly-produces-cyanide-and-kills-cattle

All grasses can produce toxic chemicals and/or other toxins under the right circumstances.

 

[Baymule]

Don't be in a huge hurry to get livestock. Get your pasture right first. Your pasture is their grocery store, no pasture, the grocery store is closed.

I like @greybeard 's idea of lease the pasture and let someone else's cows over stock it and graze it to nothing. You could follow that up with pigs. They will dig and root up E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. You could build portable pens with cow or hog panels and T-posts. When they have stripped a spot and nothing is left but dirt, move them to the next spot. Then you have the added advantage of their nitrogen rich manure to add to soil fertility. Disc and smooth out the soil, plant with a good pasture mix and you'll be on your way. Butcher or sell the pigs.

 

[greybeard]

Get your pasture right first

Yep, we're all grass farmers first and foremost, more so than livestock producers.
The animals (and us) are just a byproduct of the soil,sun, moisture, and forage.

 

[Baymule]

What is the single MOST IMPORTANT plant in the ENTIRE WORLD?

GRASS

 

[tressa27884]

Don't be in a huge hurry to get livestock. Get your pasture right first. Your pasture is their grocery store, no pasture, the grocery store is closed.

I like @greybeard 's idea of lease the pasture and let someone else's cows over stock it and graze it to nothing. You could follow that up with pigs. They will dig and root up E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. You could build portable pens with cow or hog panels and T-posts. When they have stripped a spot and nothing is left but dirt, move them to the next spot. Then you have the added advantage of their nitrogen rich manure to add to soil fertility. Disc and smooth out the soil, plant with a good pasture mix and you'll be on your way. Butcher or sell the pigs.

Other than chickens, I am certainly planning to be a year out for everything else (except a pair of goats). Good advice for sure. I need to sit and stare at everything for awhile AND build fences before I even consider livestock. Plus that gives me times to meet the neighbors and get my head wrapped around the fact that it's all mine.

 

[tressa27884]

Find someone with a dozen cows in the area and lease it out to them for 3 months. The cows will graze it down to the dirt and the JG will be gone. DO however, understand that every kind of forage has it's own unique problems and downsides.
Remember back in 2012, all the big "GMO grass killing cattle" headlines that turned out to be Tifton 85--a very common bermuda hybrid--NOT gmo?
Many of the 'natural' crowd ran with the bogus GMO story and to this day have never edited their articles.
http://www.backyardherds.com/thread...ing-cattle-deaths-in-texas.19813/#post-267671
https://www.organicconsumers.org/ne...ss-suddenly-produces-cyanide-and-kills-cattle

All grasses can produce toxic chemicals and/or other toxins under the right circumstances.

Thanks. So is it best to mix different types together. If y'all were starting from scratch - what would you plant?