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Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

Sod Farming and topsoil ?

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LD5030

08-29-2005 08:40:53




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Hello all....The wife and I have pondered what affect repeated harvesting of sod has on the supply of topsoil since every cutting takes some dirt along with it? Thanks,jim




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ntmcj

08-29-2005 22:24:30




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 Re: Sod Farming and topsoil ? in reply to LD5030, 08-29-2005 08:40:53  
Up the road in Orangeburg SC there is a large commercial sod farm. It is my understanding they contract with several of the local sewage treatment facilities to purchase 'treated' sludge to spread over freshly harvested fields of sod.



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kyhayman

08-29-2005 20:34:23




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 Re: Sod Farming and topsoil ? in reply to LD5030, 08-29-2005 08:40:53  
Most of the ones here figure on a 1/4" per harvest. They take sod off every 3 years so losing an inch every 12 years. Not any worse than some conventional tillage. Not sustainable though but the consensus here is to buy a farm for $3000 an acre, harvest for 30 years, and sell as 1/6 acre lots for houses at $30,000 a lot.



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Gus

08-29-2005 17:17:27




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 Re: Sod Farming and topsoil ? in reply to LD5030, 08-29-2005 08:40:53  
I live next to a sod farm. I too wondered the same thing. So one day I was chewing the fat with the sod manager. He"s been there 34 years.He said in that time it hasn"t dropped more than 6 inches. Mostly peat so like the other post, it goes down forever.



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Sid

08-29-2005 17:04:06




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 Re: Sod Farming and topsoil ? in reply to LD5030, 08-29-2005 08:40:53  
Around here they lay a netting down. Not sure if before or after sowing seed. When they roll up the sod it is mostly the netting holds the roots together not much dirt at all.



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JMS/MN

08-29-2005 16:14:59




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 Re: Sod Farming and topsoil ? in reply to LD5030, 08-29-2005 08:40:53  
In our area, the sod farms are on peat ground. Govt guy from NRCS was out to evaluate some fields I wanted to put tile in, since they have been farmed for 40-50 years- said he witnessed a dig in peat soil that went down over 40 feet and still was in peat. Anyone want to guess what his evaluation turned out to be on my acres?



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john d

08-29-2005 14:52:39




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 Re: Sod Farming and topsoil ? in reply to LD5030, 08-29-2005 08:40:53  
Lots of that going on close to where I live; it seems to be a good cash crop. If your topsoil is pretty thick, you'll never notice the loss. If you only have a few inches of topsoil, you're selling the farm.



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Steve/TN

08-29-2005 14:16:14




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 Re: Sod Farming and topsoil ? in reply to LD5030, 08-29-2005 08:40:53  
It is my understanding that you do not lose a significant amount of your topsoil. That cutter skims the ground and there is no erosion.



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Hugh MacKay

08-29-2005 18:29:00




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 Re: Sod Farming and topsoil ? in reply to Steve/TN, 08-29-2005 14:16:14  
Steve: Not much topsoil, well I'll be darned, you watch 53' tractor trailers avoiding the scales, being over their legal limit. Now if there wasn't much soil a pickup would haul that load of grass and roots.



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Case Lady

08-29-2005 20:11:46




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 Re: Sod Farming and topsoil ? in reply to Hugh MacKay, 08-29-2005 18:29:00  
I live in an area that is popular for sod farming; our family has land in sod and depending on what type of grass you are growing, how many time you can harvest the acreage. Around here, bermuda is the most popular, but fescue comes in a close second - and usually one harvest per year is standard with those grasses. Hubby has rolled in to some customers places weighing well over 100K, but that is typically when he has been running through rain. After seeding, most sodders will put down netting for the grass to grow up through and that is what actually holds to root mass together. Depending on the sharpness of the blades on the cutter and the skill of the guy running it, I have seen as little as 1/4 of soil up to as much as 1 inch of soil in a roll. Some of the amount depends on how far the load is to be hauled, the temperature and the quality of roots. If the sod farm puts out the extra expense of fert - with mostly straight Nitrogen to promote root development and they mow more often, the grass will be a better quality and won't have to have as much soil to hold together. Grandpa was concerned about "hauling off the farm" but when he saw what the income from the grass is, he decided that maybe we had a little to spare and as how he is 90 years old, he doesn't think we will haul off all the dirt he owns unless he lives to be about 140 - which would be good since he drives the mower..... .

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