Equipment Rental for Crop Damage -

1130Leo · Apr 29, 2014

I have some crop damage in my Alfalfa field, the company that caused it wants me to give them a quote for the "repairs" to my field. I have 3 or 4 areas about 14 foot wide by 25 foot long that is deeply rutted and the the top and the alfalfa has been scraped off. I am trying to put together lost crop, which will be both cuttings this year, plus the cost of round up for the areas, working it down, which means I will have to rent a large tiller I guess? Nothing I have will work such small pieces without tearing up much more area. Anyone have an idea what it costs to rent a 8' tiller??

RGMartin · Apr 29, 2014

You realize you can't reseed those areas to alfalfa the same year you kill it?

Allan in NE · Apr 29, 2014

Hit it with a disc and forget it.....betcha that alfafa comes right back.

Allan

IaGary · Apr 29, 2014

You realize you are talking less than 1/10 of an acre.

I would collect enough to cover the lost area for a couple of years and leave it alone.

If just the top is scrapped off most of it will come back.

Don"t get in to big of hurry to spray or work the ground. You will kill what will most likely come back if the roots are not hurt.

You can"t replant new alfalfa in old but I"m betting the old will come back. Just keep the weeds mowed off.

Gary

1130Leo · Apr 29, 2014

I realize the problem of re seeding alfalfa in the
same area, however, I still have to get a quote
together to get compensation from the company that
caused the damage, they do not understand Alfalfa
at all, They also do not understand that in this
case, since the field is only 1 year old, I am
actually looking at crop loss for 3 or 4 years, as
I can't really re-seed it, Also, if the ruts were
not over a foot deep, I would simply run the drags
over the spots, but they really made a mess and to
avoid it I will likely have to not mow the entire
side of the field, which is about 1 1/2 acres
total, not huge, but still a loss they need to pay
for.

colekicker · Apr 29, 2014

Lost crop, plus the time to work the field.

So, 3 cuttings off that area sounds better than 2. Equipment rental, labor, plus future lost crop.

So, I'd just disc it to even the ground out.

El Toro · Apr 29, 2014

Get a quote on the tiller to have it delivered and picked up. Figure your labor and fuel cost.
I would leave he ground alone as it may resprout.
Their insurance may be covering the damage. Take the money and bank it. Hal

rrlund · Apr 29, 2014

Are you just trying to get an estimate to level it then?
Call a small local excavating business and see what they'd charge.

The reason I say that was that it sparked a story about what happened to my brother in a situation like that. He's in the excavating business. One neighbor's cattle got out when the ground was soft and ran across another neighbor's lawn. Instead of just going out there with a rake while cursing the other guys mortal soul,he wanted cash compensation,so the insurance company told him to get an estimate. He called my brother,so he gave him a price. Well,the guy called him and wanted him to come and fix it for what he estimated.
He had to take some top soil up there and carry it one shovel full at a time,dumping a little bit in every hole that the cattle had left,then go back sprinkle some grass seed on it. lol

RodinNS · Apr 29, 2014

I wouldn't get to uppity about it.... Get a couple hundred bucks out of them or more if you can... then go with a heavy tractor and flatten the ruts back down and dump some ground in the holes. If all I had to worry about was two ruts 25 feet in length my life would be pretty easy. I've seen me do that several times in one day spreading manure and have to drag the damn thing out with a dozer.

Rod

1130Leo · Apr 29, 2014

This is damage done by a seismic crew that paid nothing to cross, then created a mess, after saying they would not disturb anything, you know, typical big company speak, to top it all off, after causing the mess, they did not even use the path they made... I work way too hard to just let them get off scott free...

sd pete · Apr 29, 2014

Do like Allen says. I have made deep ruts in my stands and a disk has always worked.

sd pete · Apr 29, 2014

OOps Allan.

Eldon (WA) · Apr 29, 2014

(quoted from post at 06:05:12 04/29/14) You realize you can't reseed those areas to alfalfa the same year you kill it?

The do it all the time out here. There is a chemical they need to use, though, can't remember the name.

rrlund · Apr 29, 2014

That's what I'm saying though,just call a small excavator and see what they'd get to smooth it with the dozer or something. Sounds like they could just drop the blade and pull it backwards in both directions a few times without tearing up anymore roots than have already been disturbed.

Just saying my brother got in to one that was such a small job he never should have bid it was all.

paul · Apr 29, 2014

Looks like a lot of good ideas from folk.

Such matters are so frustrating ain't they? Folks any more just want to walk on you. Guess it has always been that way, but just dang frustrating.

Paul

Ozlander · Apr 29, 2014

Just give them a quote, loss of crop for two years, cost of fuel to disk it and reseed it, cost of fertilizer, cost of seed and also your time to do it @ maybe 100 bucks an hour.
So your disk is to big, figure the costs based on what area your disk would cover, think big.

Then do what Allan said and see what happens.

Equipment Rental for Crop Damage -

1130Leo

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RGMartin

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Allan in NE

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IaGary

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1130Leo

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colekicker

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El Toro

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rrlund

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RodinNS

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1130Leo

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sd pete

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sd pete

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Eldon (WA)

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rrlund

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paul

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Ozlander

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