Do you keep farm "cleaned up?"

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herofan

herofan

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Kentucky
I noticed that some farms around here are very clean, as in fence rows cleaned out, etc. Others have fence rows grown up and have backed away from the edge of the fields in mowing over the years.

My grandfather's farm sat idle for a few years and had some areas to grow up in comparison to what he once had it. There were a few areas that I cleaned out just to return it to the way it once looked, but probably didn't benefit anything; in other words, it didn't really matter whether it had some trees on it or not; it may have just been a waste of labor. I have a friend who says he keeps thing generally cleaned up, but that he has more important things to do than make sure all his backside fence rows are spotless.

I hope I'm clear in what I'm asking. I realize we don't want our farms to turn into a thicket in a few years, but I'm just wondering if you guys are really particular, especially with the part that isn't seen from the house.
 
I try to keep things cought up with and clean, but sometimes with keeping the cattle bought,sold,doctored,fed,worked, and keeping the necasary stuff done like fence and hay. The things like Keeping everything sprayed, picking rocks, painting fence,and keeping all the fence rows brush free can get away from me.
 
I have pondered the same thing myself Hero. I keep the fences at the house totally cleaned up year round. We have 50 acres in all with lots of cross fences so it's fairly easy to maintain.

The hill farm is a different situation entirely. Roughly 500 acres with much of it in deep woods and many of the old pasture cross fences look like old time English countryside hedge rows they are so overgrown. I mean you can't even find the fences in many places they are so covered in vines and wild rose bushes. The cattle respect these fence line as their boundary and I'm sure they make a great habitat for wildlife but being OCD as I am I can't stand it.
 
I like a neat clean low maintenance place, if it's organic, biodegradable and etc I leave it unless it's causing a problem or unsightly
The place I just sold they were wanting to spray around the barn before they took possession and I told them no I'd take care of it, so I left the gate open so the cows could get in there and they cleaned it up
I don't like to spray anything a cow will eat.
If it's junk, scrap iron and etc it drives me nuts and worries me till I get it gone.
EVERY place I have ever bought was junked up and you can improve the value just by cleaning up
fixing it up, make it neat, clean and pleasing to the eye and all it cost is a little sweat.
 
TennesseeTuxedo":1bvpaz7o said:
I mean you can't even find the fences in many places they are so covered in vines and wild rose bushes. The cattle respect these fence line as their boundary and I'm sure they make a great habitat for wildlife but being OCD as I am I can't stand it.
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That's one plus my neighbor mentioned. He said some of his fence rows were so grown up that the cows wouldn't attempt to plow through the mess, so he didn't even have to worry about the condition of the fence.

I remember a couple of years ago when my brother and I decided to fix the place up and buy a few heifers. A lot of the fences were old, down, and some very covered with growth. I had the idea that we would have to totally tear all the mess out and redo all the fence, as in digging new holes, new fence posts, and all new wire with no remnant of the old fence. My brother's idea was to grab a chain saw, hammer, steeples, and a roll of wire, and tack up the old as best we could, cut out the growth as needed, and put up a strand of electric. We did it his way, and I'm glad we did. It saved a ton of money, and it got the job done. Our cows have never been out.

It doesn't look like a "show-farm," but it gets the job done, and that is what is important. I spend a lot of time cutting out small cedars and whacking brush, but I could probably be putting my efforts to something more useful.
 
My farm sat idle from 1981 till 1989. It got pretty funky. It took years and years to clean back up. I was also very young when I bought it, and had very little disposable income. I had to clean it witha chainsaw, and axe. I now do everything possible to prevent it from going back to nature.
 
Hello, my name is Bob, and I'm a recovering from OCD. I think 6 kids cured me :lol2: . There was a time all of my possessions were very neat and clean. I'm not really sure when or how it happened, but I noticed one day that the crap monster dropped by for a visit. We must have adopted him in a drunken stupor or he's got squatters rights.
I've often prayed I could be 3 of me. A very busy life, business, and 6 children have compelled me to prioritize my daily, weekly, and monthly task. It's really quite easy; move the daily to weekly, weekly to monthly and etc........
...and then go fishing ;-)
 
Ouachita":29uc835c said:
Hello, my name is Bob, and I'm a recovering from OCD. I think 6 kids cured me :lol2: . There was a time all of my possessions were very neat and clean. I'm not really sure when or how it happened, but I noticed one day that the crap monster dropped by for a visit. We must have adopted him in a drunken stupor or he's got squatters rights.
I've often prayed I could be 3 of me. A very busy life, business, and 6 children have compelled me to prioritize my daily, weekly, and monthly task. It's really quite easy; move the daily to weekly, weekly to monthly and etc........
...and then go fishing ;-)
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Lol!

Yep, I too survived a houseful of kids but now that they are all grown I am free to pursue all my neurosis's to their fullest.
 
I'm extremely particular about the way headquarters and roadsides look. Interior and remote areas, while I still insist that they're functioning and safe, I'm a little more "lax". I'm also very hung up about the way hired men maintain their vehicles and gear. We're ranching, trucks get dented and scratched, meds get spilled on floor boards etc. I will not however, put up with trucks looking like they're lived in. Same thing with the tack room, barns, shops etc. Tools need to be put away, where they're supposed to be etc. Its really not a problem though. I'm not at every ranch every day so we only hire the kind of guys who are going to make sure these things occur without supervisor or hand holding.
 
if you have overgrown an brushy areas that you want cleaned up.the best thing todo is hire a dozer an be done with it.we try to shredd all the cow pastures once a year.an then shredd as needed during the year.
 
Amazing how many places I see around this area that the only thing holding the fence up is hackberry trees growing in the fence, mesquite, cedar and weeds of every kind in the pasture and junk everywhere. It doesn't take that much time or effort to keep fences clean, some form of weed control in force and putting junk in a dedicated place for the junk man.
 
bigbull338":di4l9x44 said:
if you have overgrown an brushy areas that you want cleaned up.the best thing todo is hire a dozer an be done with it.we try to shredd all the cow pastures once a year.an then shredd as needed during the year.
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That's probably true with big areas that need a total overhaul. Most of my areas are just nooks and crannies here and there that could save the wallet a lot with a strong back, bush-hog, and a chainsaw. The job always turns out to be three times bigger than it appears it would be, and I often wonder if it was even needed.

I cleaned up the end of a pond yesterday, for example. there was a fence at the end, which had grown up with cedar trees, and several larger cedars around the pond. Those weren't there when I was a kid, so I grabbed the chainsaw and cleaned it up. It took several hours, and it looks much better, but it probably won't put any food on the table whether it is cleared or left as it was.


TexasBred":di4l9x44 said:
Amazing how many places I see around this area that the only thing holding the fence up is hackberry trees growing in the fence, mesquite, cedar and weeds of every kind in the pasture and junk everywhere. It doesn't take that much time or effort to keep fences clean, some form of weed control in force and putting junk in a dedicated place for the junk man.
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I certainly agree with that. Before they actually get in a mess, a little weed killer works wonders.
 
I cleaned up the end of a pond yesterday, for example. there was a fence at the end, which had grown up with cedar trees, and several larger cedars around the pond. Those weren't there when I was a kid, so I grabbed the chainsaw and cleaned it up. It took several hours, and it looks much better, but it probably won't put any food on the table whether it is cleared or left as it was.
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I hear ya. I have 3 kids, and work a public job. I keep my pastures in good shape so I can grow the most grass i can, but as far as looking for jobs to do, or worrying about keeping things neat, I don't have he time. I'll do that when I'm retired. My kids won't be at home for too many more years, and my priority is family time, while I'm blessed to have it. :nod:
 
Somebody posted a link to an acreage finding web site on here a little while back. I played around with it a couple of nights. With very little bulldozing, I could open my place up quit a bit. I wish I had the extra cash.
 
TennesseeTuxedo":r5lx8mpe said:
Where is your ranch located js?
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Home place is in the southern end of Central California, run cows year round and buy stockers in the winter. Have another in Western Wyoming where we summer yearlings and lease (mostly BLM) a year round cow ranch in Northern Nevada.
 
We leave the frence rows (except the electric) grown up and have a couple of areas that we just abandoned for wildlife. The rest is kept tidy.
 

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