new ground

picassomcp · Jul 6, 2014

I have just closed on a purchase of 20 acres that
I bought. This ground is a bit lower, but not all
that bad. about 12 acres has been pastured for at
least 30 years, the remainder is hayfield. I
would like to clear the 12 pasture acres and make
it a nice 20 acre hayfield. The 12 acres is
currently grass and weeds, a few small tress,
about 4 inches across and some willow brush in the
low corner. I am thinking about spraying the
entire 12 acres with roundup, then pulling out the
trees, moldboard plowing it up, then discing the
everliving heck out of it. Picking the rocks then
fall planting into hay. Is this the way you would
do it? Is there a better way you would recommend?

Is there something I can spray the willow brush
with to kill it too?

This is in Central MN.

Thanks for any ideas to consider

IaGary · Jul 6, 2014

Roundup will kill willows.

Gary

JMS/.MN · Jul 6, 2014

I cleared some land a few summers ago using a skidsteer with grapple fork/tine bucket, and a backhoe. Surprising how much you can destroy with just mechanical means, no herbicides. Still gotta root that stuff out anyway. Pile the brush and have a few bonfires. Grass was old hay ground and four foot high reed canary. Didn"t spray a thing. Offset disk did the tillage. Been in soybeans since.

Mike (WA) · Jul 6, 2014

No point in spraying the brush- you have to grub it out anyway, and there's no advantage to killing it first. Rent an excavator with a thumb, you'll be surprised at how fast you can get the stuff out, once you get the hang of it. Pile it and burn it. Then plow and disc, as per your plan.

Allan in NE · Jul 7, 2014

Take a hard look at the rock situation. Maybe there's a reason it's in pasture.

Allan

John Fulton · Jul 7, 2014

Rocky hayland will cost you a bundle in repairs of a haybine.You may pick rocks on surface, but frost will heave many more up next year. Willows are there because the ground is too wet for anything else. You may be getting stuck and rutting it up when clipping hay in spring. Previous owners likely knew the limitations of the land, thus explaining the appearance of it now. Not to say it won"t make good hayland, but just prepared for these possibilities!!

oldtanker · Jul 7, 2014

Central MN? This is the time to go walk it. As wet as we have been you should be able to tell if in wet years you are going to be able to operate equipment in there.

I'd root the bigger stuff out, and with the way the grasses grow here I'd say going the roundup route wouldn't be a bad idea. Everyone I know who plants hay late says alfalfa has to be planted in late July early Aug for best results. That's without a cover crop. I know one guy who carefully plans his hay. Hits the field with a lot of cow poop then puts in millet, after that is cut he runs a disk through and plats his alfalfa.

Rick

new ground

picassomcp

Member

IaGary

Well-known Member

JMS/.MN

Well-known Member

Mike (WA)

Well-known Member

Allan in NE

Well-known Member

John Fulton

Member

oldtanker

Well-known Member

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