Advice for pasture

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gthag

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Aug 21, 2005
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Stephenville, TX
I recently bought ~80 acres in Stephenville, TX area. It's mostly coastal bermuda and had been a productive hay place for 20+ years. An "interim" owner, who I bought the place from last month, was sloppy with the grass for the past 2 years. He had 2 cuttings last year and fertilized once he says.

This year, the place has not been sprayed or fertilized. It's pretty "wooly" with grown up coastal and some weeds.

My plan with the place is to clean it up and grow horse and dairy hay. The dilemna I have now is what to do this year. The "hay" if cut now is not worth much of anything and there is a glut of hay from last year around here. It's also dry as a bone and I doubt there's another cutting of hay to be had this year. One option is to lease for cattle and let them clean it up, but I'm afraid it would not be too attractive for someone to lease <10 months.

I'd appreciate any thoughts you'd have.
 
If pasture is getting short this year, I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to find someone that would want to graze cattle on it. Shred it in late fall so that whatever is left will not be around in the spring to "trash up" the first cutting.
 
1 thing is for sure it needs tobe baled.an cleaned up for the year.then you can soil test an lime it good.an next year fert it good for the 1st cutting.
 
gthag":2uywtd3w said:
I recently bought ~80 acres in Stephenville, TX area. It's mostly coastal bermuda and had been a productive hay place for 20+ years. An "interim" owner, who I bought the place from last month, was sloppy with the grass for the past 2 years. He had 2 cuttings last year and fertilized once he says.

This year, the place has not been sprayed or fertilized. It's pretty "wooly" with grown up coastal and some weeds.

My plan with the place is to clean it up and grow horse and dairy hay. The dilemna I have now is what to do this year. The "hay" if cut now is not worth much of anything and there is a glut of hay from last year around here. It's also dry as a bone and I doubt there's another cutting of hay to be had this year. One option is to lease for cattle and let them clean it up, but I'm afraid it would not be too attractive for someone to lease <10 months.

I'd appreciate any thoughts you'd have.

If grazing is an option, it would be my choice. Cut hay and you sell low quality hay into an oversupplied market and your fertility goes with the hay. Graze it, and you keep the P and K at home in the cowpies.
 
Depends what your managing for. On native pasture we burn in the fall for a good wildflower crop, burn in the spring for good grass.

If I was going to burn it would be early spring. My first choice- grazing until sept. Plant crimson clover. Let cows graze it some over the winter. Bale the clover mid April or so.
 
I am in Tennessee and we are behind in rain again. Last year we had a terrible drought and NO one had hay. Bad scene. If I had your field I would cut it , maybe get a sample to be tested by your local AG Extension to see it's value and then sell it. Take those funds and add fert. and lyme according to your soil sample so you can clean it up next year. Around here any hay was made of gold last year and this year is not going to be much better.
 
We cut and rolled the place to clean it up. The plan is to fertilize again and hopefully get another cutting if it will rain. Thanks for your help.
 

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