Ideas for Using Acreage?

[frustratedearthmother]

If the hillside might be too much for the brush hog - why NOT run animals on there to keep it down? Could you put some wethers on there in the spring, let them keep it cleared all spring and summer, then butcher them in the fall? Let some brush re-growth happen in late fall and early spring and then stock it again with something you will butcher again the following fall?

Just an idea because I like to let my animals do my work for me, lol!

If you don't stock critters on it, is it suitable for growing anything there without a lot of extra work like terracing?

 

[tortoise]

I found a list of threatened plants (and animals) in my state and am leaving the link here so I can find it easily in the future.

https://p.widencdn.net/byxof6/ER001

 

[baymule]

I have a wagon I drag my stuff around on. I use it for tools, grass seed, manure, all sorts of stuff. It is a dump wagon I bought at Tractor Supply for $60 on sale.

How many acres do you have and how many are you using for your animals, your use?

 

[tortoise]

That's brilliantly simple Baymule! Thank you!

We have 80 acres. 30 is rented crop land. 20 is pasture - most of that not being used and fences are in disrepair. Pasture goes up into the wooded areas. Garden is 1/5 acre - as much as we can handle. 400 blueberries, trellis for 100 grapes, although only a half dozen or so survived. 1 mature apple tree, about 10 young fruit trees too, and a couple young hazelnut trees. There are wild raspberries and blackberries out there, I'm thinking of cultivating them

Animals are 6 breeding sheep, 1 dairy goat buck, 2 pygmy goat does (for sale), 2 dwarf goat wethers. Rabbits and chickens. I plan to buy a dairy goat doeling in spring. We aren't planning to have a huge flock of sheep, will probably stay under a dozen breeders. I'm not interested in more animals without getting hay-making equipment. We've been looking for 2 years but it never seems to go cheap at auction!

 

[Mini Horses]

You know, you can pull those wagons with a riding mower Now, I'm all for exercise BUT sometimes we are in a hurry & have more to tote than even wheels make easy. Not only that, your 18 mo old can ride in it to the area with you.

I would think this would be a good time to consider electric fence use in some of those pastures. You can have a stronger fenced area closer to you for night & catch containment, then use the hot wired areas to graze all day. It's a good situation when you are home to monitor the use & you probably are home most days. There are some areas here that I do this and it works to help keep grass cut, FEED for free & contain them. Mine know the routine! Evenings they are lined up waiting for me to let them back into their barn area....full & happy. This helps to defer the cost of permanent fencing.

Do you know why the grapevines died? Since trellis up, you may want to work at a few more vines. Around here they would not be an option except for personal use. Blueberry & strawberry "U-Picks" are huge around here for usage. There are several farms maybe 50 miles out but only a couple in my general vicinity....just strawberries. They do REALLY well!! I would love to do a blueberry U-Pick but just don't feel I have the patience to wait for those bushes to grow to a prosperous production size.

 

[tortoise]

The family we bought this place from intended to do a U-pick. I don't know that I want people on my property. But it's an option. I want to put strawberries in somehow - another project to plan this winter

 

[Alaskan]

small black and red raspberry are normal sandlot colonizers here, but blackberry is a hard no from me as they can get so invasive and hard to remove for others in the area.

blueberries and bush cherries, choke cherries, any winter berries that birds can eat later on after the cold arrives. seed producers (also check for invasive status).

we used to see Bob Whites here at first and more pheasants but i haven't seen a Bob White in 20yrs or more and the pheasants are not as many either with the field to the south of us being farmed instead of left as an open field.

we have tons of wild turkeys around along with plenty of other wild-life.

Ground dwellers, at least in Texas, were hit hard when fire ants came in.

 

[flowerbug]

if you've not read about these before they're facinating creatures (i'm an ant geek ).

Phorid Flies as Biocontrol Agents : USDA ARS