How to prepare rough land

Lucid

Member
I have land I'd like to use for food plots. Located on the power line, and is cleared of brush every 3 years. Just got mowed in October. Land is probably too rough to use my Farmall 200. Some high spots, low spots, and 1-3" diameter stumps leftover.

How should I prepare land for some corn? Thinking 4-8 rows in center of power line. Rent a dozer?

Thanks
 
Did they use a hydro-axe or a brush hog? Probably have a lot of debris. Would you doze the stumps out or just level and plant where there aren't any stumps? I have a similar situation but I only have a couple of good-sized thickest; the rest is timothy, brome, and some orchard grass. I just over-seed red clover in the fall and spring. Depends on what you want to attract.

Larry
 
1122141307a.jpg
 
(quoted from post at 00:03:38 11/23/14) Did they use a hydro-axe or a brush hog? Probably have a lot of debris. Would you doze the stumps out or just level and plant where there aren't any stumps? I have a similar situation but I only have a couple of good-sized thickest; the rest is timothy, brome, and some orchard grass. I just over-seed red clover in the fall and spring. Depends on what you want to attract.

Larry
They brush hogged it, surprisingly wasn't too bad on the debris left over. Does have ruts here n there. I'd like to smooth it level mostly in middle with a pathway from the woods.
 
For somewhat smaller stumpage there was a suggestion to moldbord plow it.

http://forums.yesterdaystractors.com/viewtopic.php?t=1168096&highlight=plow+roots

I don't personally know, most of my stumpage needs the backhoe to remove. I would suspect that if you have budget and are in a hurry something involving a dozer, rippers, and a root rake might be faster, and something involving keeping it mown and perhaps frost-seeded with clover for a while while the roots break down a bit (since you'd be keeping the tops mown off them) and then plowing them under would be cheaper, but take more time.
 
I cleared off about 20 acre 3 years ago for WI
DNR... it was a "prairie" gone bad.

Had approximately 200 trees- 1 to 10 inches in
diameter.

We cut the trees at ground level, and rented a
stump grinder for the skid steer.

It has been no-tilled ever since, with minimal
issues.
 
Had 7 acres or so a couple of years ago. Bush-hoged it then borrowed the neighbors heavy 10 in spacing disk. About 14 ft. Disked it twiced with it. Then took a backhoe and dug and pushed out all the stumps I could find. Also walked it and picked up roots and limbs ugh! Then Disked it 3 times at least with a regular IHC wheel disk 15 ft. Last pulled a du-all over it twiced. Planted it to beans. This year no-tilled it to corn, make over 150 bu acre. Also this year brought back another 2 acres. This time used a 5 ft. 3 point tiller. tilled it 4 times. Rained between each time. Think the little tiller was just as quick and leveled it as much. Always went a different angle or way. Vic
 
Re-read your post. Four to 8 rows of corn doesn't sound like enough. Not sure where you are, so maybe you don't have to deal with snow and cold. I'd plant in patches and maybe add some other crop for diversity if you plant the full length of the power line.

Larry
 
Here's one of my food plots on our power line. Had corn and planted cowpeas this year. Just a little over a half acre.

Larry
a174989.jpg
 
I did a couple acres this past year and started out with land similar to yours I ran the offset disk over it about 4 times to start then hit it every 2 or 3 weeks during the Summer plus spread manure and lime.Planted Turnips and Crimson Clover in early August and its done real well despite a dry spell thru Sept.As the small stumps were disked out and killed I picked them off the plot
 
Why not do it like the deer hunters around me? First go buy a bunch of land for a small fortune. Then buy the most expensive, tricked out 4wd 35HP CUT you can find and the matching rototiller. Also buy $60K 4wd, 4dr diesel 1 ton pickup and trailer to move CUT. During first attempt to access land discover low areas that are swampy have to be crossed to get to land you want to till. Stick the CUT so deep you have to hire a farmer with a 175hp tractor to drag it out. Discover you need approximately $5K in repairs to CUT before you can use it again. Have contractor haul in stone and culvert the low area. Make attempt #2 and smash tiller on rocks just past swampy area. Write check for $1500.00 to repair tiller. Make attempt #3 and find tiller bounces over land without making much of a difference. Add weight to tiller and get tiller to penetrate 3" into ground. Go 27 feet and find old rolls of barbwire under dirt. Write $300.00 check. Come back and find ledge crossing field 2" under dirt. Write $1200.00 check because you decided the grade 3 shear bolts were too weak and tried a grade 8. Find stump and use loader, try going faster into stump when loader proves ineffective. Hire farmer to tow broken CUT to road. Write dealership $5K check. Pick up repaired CUT and head for land. Hit deer in road, total PU/trailer/CUT. Cut backstraps out of deer and call it good......


:lol:
 
Appreciate the comments!

The day I took the photo, I walked the area. Most of the stumps were 1"-1.5" diameter with a few 3" thrown in the mix.

Personally would like the seat time plowing and disking the land. Read that moldboard thread, good info. Would be concerned with tire puncture though.

Larry- good looking plot. Similar to what i want. Have 3 low areas that water pools most of the hunt season. Prolly good to leave those in for the wildlife.

Bret4207- wow, amazes me how deep some people's pockets are! Why I made this thread. Couldn't afford to make those mistakes. Struggle enough to keep food on the table as is!
 
Heck, dig them out a little, local environmental regulations permitting. Water is usually good, and a more defined pond beats a damp spot, at least in part because you are less likely to go into it and get stuck.
 
We always use a disc plow ( 2 discs ) on stump ground. Still have to figure on punctures, so cut stumps to ground level.
 

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