Pasture development

[enggass]

Hey all,
I am about to clear about an acre off wooded land on my property. All trees and stumps will be removed/burned. Just raw soil and rocks and small debris will be left. What can I spread as far as seed to get some raw growth going this Spring? The soil has good PH. I know it would take more than this to make a true pasture, but I gotta start somewhere and I prefer to get something growing - although I'm sure natural pants such as ferns would begin to fill in… Thanks.

 

[Bruce]

I would ask your extension agent. They will know what grasses will grow best there, maybe do a soil analysis first. You might need to have an idea of what sort of animals you will be running on that pasture since some grasses are better for animal 'x' vs animal 'y'

 

[CntryBoy777]

I agree with @Bruce on the agent, but something else that ya can do is check with a local feed store on what local hay they have and what kind is it. Get ya some bales and some seed, spread the seed according to instructions on rate and style of sowing required. Spread the hay over it, and wait for it to sprout. If ya use the same kind of hay and seed there will be seed in the hay that will add to what ya sowed. If they are different then there will be a blend, and one could compete with the other, or depending on the animals on it may be something they won't like or eat. You'll want to wait til the ground temps are up some, being in Maine there sowing on frozen ground reduces the germination rate greatly.

 

[autumnprairie]

What will you be feeding?

 

[soarwitheagles]

I second the suggestion to ask your local extension agent. They will know what grows best in your specific area. Please remember to share your goals and livestock needs with your extension agent before choosing a pasture blend. The extension agent I work with here has been helping local small and large farmers and ranchers plant the right seed for 15+ years. Most of these guys have their act together big time and they are on the cutting edge of agricultural technology.

It sounds as if you would like to grow a pasture. One thought that you might consider if your soil needs improvement: plant a specific clover that grows well in your area and plant a clover that fixes nitrogen well. We have clover here that is producing 200 lbs of nitrogen a year per acre simply by sucking the nitrogen out of the atmosphere and putting into our soil. Sure is one heck of an easy way to amend/improve your soil and feed the livestock...for us, it is like killing two birds with one stone. We mix grass seed with the clover, and they both grow well together. We are using an extension recommended blend and the sheep are fat as piggies.

Oh, don't forget, your clover seed must be properly inoculated with rhizobia bacteria for adequate N fixation to occur. Most seed shops sell the clover seed already inoculated and ready to plant.

Hope this helps and please share pics of your luscious pastures later in the adventure!

PS Here is a list of questions I had ready for our extension agent before he came over:

Questions for Morgan

1. Shall we plow, and if so, how deep?

2. What about weed seeds and existing plants?

3. Recommendations for irrigating [show Morgan the plastic polypipe].

4. Using sheep feces as compost and fertilizer.

5. Risk of contaminating pastures with parasites [local rancher with tapeworms]?

6. What breed of sheep do you recommend [We are considering switching to Dorpers].

7. Letting sheep browse/graze in the back forest?

8. How many sheep per acre?

9. What is the mysterious grub?

10. Thoughts on planting corn and making silage?

11. Thoughts on planting fava beans and making silage?

12. What are the best perennial pasture seed mix and what is the best annual pasture seed mix for our specific needs?

 

[Bruce]

What was the answer to #2 @soarwitheagles ?

 

[soarwitheagles]

What was the answer to #2 @soarwitheagles ?

Hi Bruce!

2. What about weed seeds and existing plants?

For our given situation, the extension agent had two different answers for two very different types of pastures...

For planting annual pastures, he recommended no plowing or disc-ing, but, rather "scraping", then releveling, then broadcasting the annual seed mix, then dragging to cover the seed. It worked incredibly well. The annual pastures have turned out incredibly rich and some of the best grazing ever. We have had ranchers come over that told us our sheep were the best looking sheep they had ever seen, so I believe the extension agent really has his act together big time. We did increase the percentage of clover seed and also included chickory and birds foot trefoil in the annual pasture mix. The majority of the seed planted was annual rye.

For planting our new perennial pasture, the answer was incredibly different! Plow deep, disc, break up clods, level, let sit for 4-6 weeks allowing weed seedlings to pop up, then spray with Glyphosate. So Kill Everything! Wait another 7 days, then broadcast perennial pasture mix drag to cover the seed, and wait one entire year before populating with sheep!

I am amazed at the difference of the two pastures...the annuals are incredibly luscious looking, super strong, and we were able to put the sheep on it within a few weeks of it sprouting.

The perennial pasture on the other hand needs a royal kick in the butt. Very slow germination rate, very slow growth rate and it actually looks horrible. Worst of all, it appears as if less than 20% of our clover seed sprouted. We planted late [Dec] compared to the annual pasture [Oct], so I believe this could have had a great impact upon our sprout rates...

I am seriously considering doing some massive aeration in the spring, then reseeding with the perennial pasture mix all over again...hoping to do minimal damage to the perennial seeds that did sprout.

Hope this helps!

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Hi Bruce!

2. What about weed seeds and existing plants?

For our given situation, the extension agent had two different answers for two very different types of pastures...

For planting annual pastures, he recommended no plowing or disc-ing, but, rather "scraping", then releveling, then broadcasting the annual seed mix, then dragging to cover the seed. It worked incredibly well. The annual pastures have turned out incredibly rich and some of the best grazing ever. We have had ranchers come over that told us our sheep were the best looking sheep they had ever seen, so I believe the extension agent really has his act together big time. We did increase the percentage of clover seed and also included chickory and birds foot trefoil in the annual pasture mix. The majority of the seed planted was annual rye.

For planting our new perennial pasture, the answer was incredibly different! Plow deep, disc, break up clods, level, let sit for 4-6 weeks allowing weed seedlings to pop up, then spray with Glyphosate. So Kill Everything! Wait another 7 days, then broadcast perennial pasture mix drag to cover the seed, and wait one entire year before populating with sheep!

I am amazed at the difference of the two pastures...the annuals are incredibly luscious looking, super strong, and we were able to put the sheep on it within a few weeks of it sprouting.

The perennial pasture on the other hand needs a royal kick in the butt. Very slow germination rate, very slow growth rate and it actually looks horrible. Worst of all, it appears as if less than 20% of our clover seed sprouted. We planted late [Dec] compared to the annual pasture [Oct], so I believe this could have had a great impact upon our sprout rates...

I am seriously considering doing some massive aeration in the spring, then reseeding with the perennial pasture mix all over again...hoping to do minimal damage to the perennial seeds that did sprout.

Hope this helps!

Soar, this sounds familiar with what I recommend for seeding annuals and perennials. But with the perennial pasture, I'm thinking about packing. You said you just levelled and fallowed it for about a couple months, but did you actually pack it well? Well enough that you couldn't see the heel of your boot track, or just the treads of the tractor tires? That may be part of the problem.

If your seeding rate was good, and you put down fertilizer with the seeds, and the clovers were inoculated (were they?), and you haven't had the sheep on there at all since it's been seeded, I don't think there's much else to do except do some touch-ups and get a little moisture to help things along. At least from where I'm sitting.

 

[soarwitheagles]

Soar, this sounds familiar with what I recommend for seeding annuals and perennials. But with the perennial pasture, I'm thinking about packing. You said you just levelled and fallowed it for about a couple months, but did you actually pack it well? Well enough that you couldn't see the heel of your boot track, or just the treads of the tractor tires? That may be part of the problem.

If your seeding rate was good, and you put down fertilizer with the seeds, and the clovers were inoculated (were they?), and you haven't had the sheep on there at all since it's been seeded, I don't think there's much else to do except do some touch-ups and get a little moisture to help things along. At least from where I'm sitting.

WRB,

Thank you again for sharing your insights! Well...did we pack the soil...hmmmm....

Let me say this, I ran the tractor over the soil so many times after all the other operations that it sure looked and felt packed! The pasture is looking much, much better, but I am still so unhappy with the results...in many places it looks like those gentlemen that get the hair implants...so sparse, so barren looking...ooop...hope nobody here has the hair implants!

I seeded at the exact rate that was recommended...but now I wish I had doubled the rate! I will do my best to take some pics of the perennial pasture and perhaps you could give us some advice. For me, it is super disappointing. Oh, we did not use any fertilizer at all...but the sheep were kept on that parcel of land for months...so I know there was still a significant amount of sheep manure there.

Little moisture? Well, this is an area we have been blessed this year! Record breaking rains for months at a time. So the moisture factor is well taken care of I suppose. Clover was inoculated and not one sheep hoof has touched it.

Hope this helps!

 

[babsbag]

Again, another question about irrigation. How are you planning to irrigate the perennial pasture?

Not sure I could spray with glyphosphate. I do use it here and there, star thistle, and fence line but to spray an entire future pasture would be really hard for me. I have read so much bad press about it lately it gives me pause.