[near horse]

Tim – my point was that our ppt pattern is unpredictable to non-existent during the time after soil dries out enough to seed. So soil moisture post-seeding and post emergence can be a problem.

Ed – If memory serve me right, the rule of thumb for grazing is to move off when the grass gets down to 4 in height. Easier said than done sometimes.

[near horse]

I think in the west, with our limited to non existent summer/fall precip, pasture/hay ground renovation is “different”. But I do think Tim’s comment regarding N addition is a good one. If you’re trying to get some new plants started in an existing stand, you don’t want to “encourage” the established plants to grow rapidly and outcompete the new, less competitive planting.

Much of our “soil seed bank” consists of the undesirable plants rather than stuff we want to see. So we’re not at the “manage to maintain” level in our pasture community, yet.

Tim – the N. Dakota guys were seeding ground that was part of a crop rotation system (mostly). So some of this was providing grazing, cover and some soil benefits instead of fallowing. Let me see if I can find one of the links associated with the practice.

[near horse]

Hi Ed,

So what are you going to use to overseed (both seed type and seeder)? One reason no-till is being promoted out here is the slow establishment of new grass stands after tillage.

When you read the standard directives on seeding into existing stands they usually want you to somehow reduce competition from the existing grass stand – chemically or I think via mowing/grazing. What do you think, Tim?

[near horse]

Hi Tim – So you feel that discing is a good way to ready an existing pasture for over seeding (with clovers or alfalfa)? What type of seeding – spin spreading? Do we need to follow it with another drag harrowing?

I thought Johnson grass was related to the sorghums in that it can be high in prussic acid. Quack grass grows well here too but I’ve kind of gone with the Jim Gerrish approach – if you’re going to graze it and it grows well with decent nutrition/production, don’t fight it. Haying is another story. And quack is a problem if you’re using an annual cropping system.

In our area some guys are renovating pastures by hiring someone with a cross-slot drill to no till seed into your existing pasture. Not a HD operation for sure.

Interestingly, our NRCS had a seminar showing the benefits of multi- species plantings (like 8 and 12 way mixes that included grass, legumes, some root crops etc). Guys were doing this in N. Dakota and grazing cattle on that ground.

[near horse]

Hey G,

Nice site. I recently came to appreciate the drawings of George Soper, maybe via one of your posts. Don’t recall but other than Paul Heiney’s book, do you know of any source for prints of his work? Some of those belong on the walls of any teamster’s home.

Thanks.

[near horse]

@grey 33833 wrote:

If only to remind you Easterners that there ARE people living out here in the wild west that have modern things like electricity and running water and Internet!

But we have to share those modern things. So grey – who’s using the electricity tonight? I hope it’s my turn!

[near horse]

There’s a series of small farm videos from Cornell on Youtube. Includes a series on Northland Sheep Dairy and Donn Hewes’ wife Maryrose. Pretty nice.

[near horse]

Well – to add some gasoline to the fire, I just read an article that listed off a whole slew of wealthy “non-farmers” who are qualifying for ag tax exemptions. If I remember right, Tom Cruise has some ground (in Colorado I think) that’s worth about 18 million and pays $400 property tax because he has someone run a few sheep on it.

[near horse]

Small Farmer’s Journal might have the manual for that plow (although the manuals seem to think we already know what we’re doing). Might check them out or search eBay using “horse drawn equipment manuals” – there’s somebody who has a whole pile that they copy and sell for about $10 each.

If you’re really in a rush, we have a guy out here who uses a 2-way plow but only operates the right hand beam as if it was a 1 btm footlift plow.

[near horse]

Marshall – you’re gonna be good to go for another 50+ years after getting a total rebuild! Really – the rotator cuff/shoulder issue seems to be pretty common in the ag world. Maybe elsewhere too but doesn’t get the press that knees do. We ask our shoulders to do some tough stuff. That said, one our mainstay teamsters tore his knee all to heck last winter (2010) tripping over frozen turds, had the surgery and then got it infected so is back for round 2 this year. That stinks.

I hear when your shoulders get bad enough, sleeping is pretty difficult. Have you had that sort of problem?

All the best and do the rehab!

[near horse]

Peyton – great but make sure you and your horses are “comfortable” driving as a team on the ground before you hook up to a wagon. Wheeled vehicles don’t present much of a load so be absolutely sure you’ve got things adjusted right on the harness and you and your horses are on the same page.

Have fun, think one step ahead and be safe.

[near horse]

If the horses are pulling away from each other (and assuming it’s related to a signal their receiving thru the lines) wouldn’t that be the cross check lines are too long, not too short? So all they would feel is a pull on the main line pulling them apart.

Definitely make sure you’re running the checklines through the correct hame ring as grey described above.

[near horse]

“If you can’t take talking to little kids or drunks or telling the same stories a zillion times it’s tough.”

Karl – we call those family gatherings!

[near horse]

Hi Ian – glad you’re here.

[near horse]

@Marshall 33625 wrote:

If you would want to travel to Michigan I have two McD new 4 cultivators. One is a fixer upper and the other is ready to go including the fertilizer attatchment. I would be willing to sell either one but not both.

PM me with what you’d want for each one – I might be willing to travel there in conjunction with HPD in June.

[Author]

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