Foodplotting In The Mountains...The Sequel

[dogghr]

Drought resistant, but I’ve learned nothing is drought proof. Looks great, and I’m envious!

Now you guys and your cabbed tractors on the other hand, are way too pampered!!

Yes indeed resistant not fool proof. But sure beats bare soil scorching in the hot sun as the wind blows precious top soil away.
And I am spoiled to that cab. Pretty embarrassing but I’ll deal with it lol.


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[dogghr]

Update on my tractor fiasco I described earlier. So I needed only the male part of the drive line shaft. The pto connector and knuckle were intact as was the female portion of the shaft.
Headed to local JD dealer where I now live but have never used. They would only offer the entire shaft w slip clutch included. $1400!! And claime could not get in sections. I left

RK and TS were of no use.

Next to another local dealer who mainly sells heavy equipment like dozers and skidders etc.
very nice and helpful and found section I needed but it was a triangular shaft , not the double nipple design like mine was. And it was to be $400. Again a no go.

I was about to weld a repair of my own and I stopped into the JD dealer where I once lived and had used for year. The dude found my part and it was a nice $85!! Had it in 2 days.

Removed damage piece form knuckle which required heating to get separated. Hammered in new shaft , which was no easy feat, cut shaft to length w reciprocating saw. Took it to farm and up and running in no time.

My point is shop around , even amongst same brand.
Below is pic of the bent shaft that the idiot/me destroyed.

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[dogghr]

Logger moved back into farm this summer. We had hoped RO prices would improve but wasn’t much change. I’m essentially getting paid by him for the timber he is removing and using at his own mill for lumber sales. Same price as if I took to a mill.

Couple pics. This was all closed canopy before random cuttings. If you look close you can see 3 foot pines that have begun to grow. My land has never been great bedding due to thick conifers on adjacent land so I’m glad of this. These pics are about 50 yds below a prime tree stand.

And last pic is things do go wrong. No damage but I thought amusing he misjudged fall of tree which I’ve done a few times when felling trees. You can’t get too worked up if you choose to timber your property.

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[dogghr]

A little late getting mowing done. I never mow in June due to fawning. Been a dry winter and spring w wet last 6 weeks and dry in the future forecast. Grains had already died and layed down. I prefer to cut them dead but standing to make more mulch but I won’t complain. WW in bottom plot and WR in top. I like both grains w a slight preference to wheat.

I’ll get the bottom planted in a brassica mix as usual each year w RC and grain broadcast late Oct into browsed brassica.

The ridge plot I’m in a bit of a quandary. WC has returned pretty thick to this plot despite not seeding w WC for 8 years. It was once a WC plot but then I rotated it to brassica. It’s been sprayed w gly at least 2-3 times over those years. I allow grasses grow w it and you can see it looks fine. I’ll decide path but really hate to kill such a good stand of clover on a dry poor soil ridgetop.

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[dogghr]

You guys thought you were rid of me and my preaching that clovers need not be babied.
Look at this mess full of goldenrod, grasses, and others. Did it make a difference? Did the deer care? Jumped a doe as I moved in. Don’t obsess for that mag pic plot. Go have some fun.
BTW those first few plot pics shows the Buffalo plot that was never sprayed or tilled. Planted w clovers and grain and mowed and tractor compaction. You guys need to listen to me as I know everything about land management and women!!

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[KSQ2]

You guys thought you were rid of me and my preaching that clovers need not be babied.
Look at this mess full of goldenrod, grasses, and others. Did it make a difference? Did the deer care? Jumped a doe as I moved in. Don’t obsess for that mag pic plot. Go have some fun.
BTW those first few plot pics shows the Buffalo plot that was never sprayed or tilled. Planted w clovers and grain and mowed and tractor compaction. You guys need to listen to me as I know everything about land management and women!!

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Gotta have rain to have clover.

 

[dogghr]

Gotta have rain to have clover.

Indeed. But take note these plots have all survived 3 different years of what was deemed Exceptional drought during those times. And they were depressing to see but rains did bring about their resurgence and some nuisance weeds disappeared after those periods which is a plus.
And my fallow fields provided food and cover during those dry years.
I hope your place recovers soon. Good luck


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[KSQ2]

Indeed. But take note these plots have all survived 3 different years of what was deemed Exceptional drought during those times. And they were depressing to see but rains did bring about their resurgence and some nuisance weeds disappeared after those periods which is a plus.
And my fallow fields provided food and cover during those dry years.
I hope your place recovers soon. Good luck


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Ours died out completely, starting all over again this fall. We have been way beyond an exceptional drought though. I’ve had clover endure a lot in years past, the past 2 years have just been too much unfortunately.

 

[George]

You guys thought you were rid of me and my preaching that clovers need not be babied.
Look at this mess full of goldenrod, grasses, and others. Did it make a difference? Did the deer care? Jumped a doe as I moved in. Don’t obsess for that mag pic plot. Go have some fun.
BTW those first few plot pics shows the Buffalo plot that was never sprayed or tilled. Planted w clovers and grain and mowed and tractor compaction. You guys need to listen to me as I know everything about land management and women!!

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Okay, where can I find a nice, stable, attractive, slender, woman in Kentucky?

G

 

[dogghr]

Okay, where can I find a nice, stable, attractive, slender, woman in Kentucky?

G

I can help w some of those but the stable requirement is asking a lot!


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[dogghr]

Being any type of farmer is like going to Vegas, you may win and you may lose. TnM planting is dependent to a large degree on a couple of things. You must first have done a few years of crop rotation to build up proper thatch, and a timely rain can sure make it more successful.

My farm is just a few miles from the Great Eastern Divide. It’s a dry, shale barren type of soils that exhibit low moisture thruout the year, even to the extent that Cacti are found on the eastern slopes. Add to that my farm is mostly south facing slopes that are baked by the sun. I’m used to dealing with low moisture.

But, When I think might be chance of rain, then I try my best to get my seed down. I know even a minimal few showers will allow the thatch to hold moisture for imbibition and germination of my seed. I don’t pay much attention to the weather man, more so watch for an advancing front that perhaps when it hits my mountains, they will squeeze what ever moisture they can from it.

So today was that day. Brassicas need be in for me by end of July for them to perform. Off to my local feed store and bought my seed and fert. Dwarf Essex Rape, Purple Top Turnips, and Jackhammer Radish for 2 plots. $20. Nothing against buying online but no way can do that cheap, and why not support the local guy?? Plus you get to talk sports, politics, and weather while getting your bargain. I’d pay extra to support local.

Spread the small seed with my Solo Spreader and the Urea with ATV pull behind spreader. Did 3# of each / ac. Spread 100# Urea and will do that again in a month. I don’t always do the fert, and sometimes also add 19-19-19 but with rotations, fert is not nearly as necessary. Ran bushhog over again chopping up the thatch and allowing the tractor tires to compact the seed.

And indeed a few showers passed thru the evening. Gotta love it after sweating like a mule in this heat.

The upper plot was as you can see nearly 80% WC so I chose not to spray and terminate such a good plot. I just overseeded into the standing clover. Had it not had a heavy growth of WR from last year that I allowed to remain and selfterminate, I assure you on this dry ridge top, this clover would not look so great in the dry year.

If you look at my hand pic, you can see even without rain the soil beneath good thatch is moist and will ball up. Yet the soil not covered so well is dry and loose. Such an advantage of no till and also good cover crops protect us both from drought and monsoon.

And doesn’t that last pic look as if its a planted yard that’s been covered in straw?? Perfect scenario.

 

[dogghr]

But this is why I maintain fallow fields. Jumped a nice 10 pt as he lay in this thicket. Browse and cover. Never put all your eggs in one basket, one never knows what the weather will throw at us.

And as for fruit trees, this is the 3rd year a late freeze has made for no soft mast of my plantings. I quit tree planting long ago. Not worth the time and cost for me.

 

[MoreofMitch10]

Praying for rain as well! Getting our seed in the ground tomorrow hopefully. One last day of this dreadful 95 degree heat and we are in the clear.

 

[Gator]

How does one go about getting deer to eat pears? Only thing eating them is hornets


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[dogghr]

How does one go about getting deer to eat pears? Only thing eating them is hornets


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Well when they produce ,deer here like them better than apples I think.


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[gjs4]

How does one go about getting deer to eat pears? Only thing eating them is hornets


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There is no doubt that they bring in stinging insects almost as good as raw salmon.


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[MarkDarvin]

But this is why I maintain fallow fields. Jumped a nice 10 pt as he lay in this thicket. Browse and cover. Never put all your eggs in one basket, one never knows what the weather will throw at us.

And as for fruit trees, this is the 3rd year a late freeze has made for no soft mast of my plantings. I quit tree planting long ago. Not worth the time and cost for me.View attachment 25805

I quit buying trees years ago. I learned I could do 100x more for the habitat cause by managing what I have through subtraction of lesser trees and massive injections of sunlight.

 

[dogghr]

Won’t put my cameras in my hot spots since logger is still working. Did get these pics couple wks ago. Not sure what they munching. A little clover in here. This is plot I broadcast TnM brassica few wks ago.

First pic is just a 6-7 pt so he gets a pass. Far background is an 8 but needs another year. Last pic is possible shooter depending on how G4,5 split and develops.

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[dogghr]

I meant to take some clover pics today but forgot. Or should I say dirt pics? August is a depressing month to evaluate plots especially clover and especially in drought years. It nearly disappears and looks deficient in nutrients, which is kinda the case.
But w shorter days, cooler temps , and hopefully some rain it will rebound next month.
But that is why overseeding brassica into clover in August will work. No competition. But one must have rain even for the brassicas and this year may be a bust.
Luckily plenty of browse and dry hot weather is causing hard mast to drop early.

On another note Silky Dogwood and Hazelnut are my favorite tree for hot dry poor soil. But as you can see deer won’t let them grow unprotected. This thing looks trimmed like a shrub in my yard. I suppose next year I’ll add another 4 feet to the cage.

Observe your soils and plants in both drought and wet times. They will teach you how to circumvent either extreme to some extent. All your eggs in one basket will produce doom w either. Plant on all compass facing directions of plots so some will survive an extreme. Provide abundance of woody browse to compensate for drought. And plots and browse can compensate for hard and /or soft mast failures in a given year.

Look at the rings on the trees you cut and see variations in weather exhibited there over the last 100 years. It’s not a new issue. Don’t micromanage but plan long term for those not so good years just as nature does.

“What more delightful avocation than to take a piece of land and by cautious experimentation to prove how it works. What more substantial service to conservation than to practice it on one’s own land?” — Leopold

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[MoreofMitch10]

We are begging for some rain as well. Chance tonight and tomorrow, then possibly some early next week. I’m optimistic about the plots we got in two and three weeks ago. A little bit of rain at the start but nothing for 10-12 days. Looking like we might be tearing them all up again for grain.