How to restore damaged pasture techniques

In areas susceptible to flooding, using a single tooth ripper to get drainage going works well. Then using a rotary hoe and drag to loosen the soil top to ready it for seeding works without disrupting the existing pasture growth.

[@Gatorgolfusa]

Wisconsin resident here! 🐊🇺🇸🦅👍

[@ErieRadio]

Thank you for a great educational resource here! I’m learning a lot here…. Do you have any opinion or experience adding lime to your pastures to remove acidity from manure and help keep clay/loam broken up that you can share? Thanks!

[@pigeonriverfarm6909]

Every year in the Fall we pull a complete soil sample on each field. If lime is need on a field, we us ZONE products liquid Min-Cal in our spray on fertilizers for small ph. changes. If a larger amount is needed, we us in the pellet form with a broadcast spreader. Acidity does not seem to be the problem when you graze livestock like when you spread manure.

[@allenbare6524]

I am in Kentucky and I have the same problem if I may ask what seeds did you plant

[@whineysnowflake8072]

what mix of seeds did you drill in?

[@pigeonriverfarm6909]

Here is a link to the pasture mix that I used. byronseeds.net/products/pasture-mixes/

[@DustinReyna-mj4gb]

My family all came from there.

[@noname-rv7yh]

So u use that ripper and it helps drain the land? How?

[@cameronwratt8219]

Reduces compaction deeper in the soil profile, allowing water absorption . therefore reducing surface pooling, paired with the aeration upper portion.

[@jimmyjohnson7041]

Been rotational grazing since the Blitzer electric fencer came out.... I guess around 45 years ago ? If you pasture correctly you will never have compaction. The grass roots take care of that issue. Grass roots go down far deeper then your ripper does and covers the entire area. You have bare spots in your pasture....why ? During my time of farming there might be a small area thats dead....but only because its where cattle come to drink. Seems you have high quality soils and so flat ! This provides for more water staying on the land longer. During the wet period.....get the cattle on and off in less then a day. Pugging will occur but the grass will recover in a short time. You should never have to re-seed a pasture. It will grow grass with out seeding !

[@pigeonriverfarm6909]

Thank you for your comments. I have been farming for about 45 years, like yourself. Your points were excellent, and I agree with most of them. The pasture you viewed was converted from row crop production in 1999. Utilizing various pasturing techniques and plant types has been challenging to dry up without commercial tiling. I found this approach works best for the soil. I have other areas on the farm that have been continuously grazed and using pasture management techniques, like yours and I've had good results. It's important to remember that not all tools are suitable for all applications. If you're from the upper Midwest and plan to attend the Grass Works conference in Wisconsin in February, there will be around 400 experienced grazers there. I would be interested in learning from your experiences also. Also, the mud spots in the pasture were from the bunk wagon not being moved on-time during a mid-winter thaw. Bob

[@jimmyjohnson7041]

@@pigeonriverfarm6909 Thanks for your returned comments ! Im here to only give suggestions.....not advice. Depends on each farmers issues at hand. If it works......go for it. I can tell that your open minded and interested in learning. That important ! Grazing conference ? I mostly stay home and do my work.....learn from my many mistakes......and of course people here on KZbin ! Some......are open minded......then there are those whom consider themselves .......more or less above the other " regenerative farmers " You have Greg Judy..... Joel Salatin .......... They all need " alternate income streams ( called KZbin ) ! But claim they are so successful in their operation. And they often contradict themselves !

[@LtColDaddy71]

Do you have tillage radish in your mix? I'm betting it would end the need to rip.

[@averypedro5058]

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[@madduxbrendan901]

@Avery Pedro Instablaster =)

[@averypedro5058]

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[@averypedro5058]

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[@madduxbrendan901]

@Avery Pedro you are welcome =)

[@JudgeD-hc9vw]

Why not make a pond, I mean if you have excess water, utilize it in a pond.

[@pigeonriverfarm6909]

Ponds work well for dealing with excess water. I have 1/4 acre pond that is 18 feet deep in another part of the farm that drains very well. On the end that I demonstrated with the Ripper I'm within 50 feet of a tributary to the Pigeon River. Important note: ponds in cattle pastures can become a major liability because of the cattle muddying up all the ground around the pond and risk of toxic algae building in the pond. But the biggest problem with putting the pond in is getting all the governmental agencies to permitted. I serve on our local town board and understand all the hoops you have to jump thought, to alter or modify a waterway. Bob

[@JudgeD-hc9vw]

@@pigeonriverfarm6909 thanks for your response. I'm just getting into farming. I prevent my cows from entering ponds using hotwire, and the fish do a good job on algae control. Hoop jumping the environmental regulations...Geez. good luck.

[@pigeonriverfarm6909]

@@JudgeD-hc9vw Yes, the hotwire technique works very well. Why I'm cool to the pond idea in this area is very low and prone to flooding. Number two reason if you recall from the video I have six paddocks controlled with permanent interior fencing that runs perpendicular to the river. So the river absorption of the water is optimum. It was just a matter of getting the water there without caring sediment, i.e. premium topsoil into the river that normally happens with the tiling system. I have observed tiled fields that have been converted to pasture grazing operation and end up noticing punch through conditions on the tile line when the cattle were allowed on the pasture during the spring thaw. Bob

[@I.am.Mumma.Bear.1]

After all that ripping of your soil you should be running over it all with compost tea to put back obviously needed nutrients and bio culture into your soil 👍🏽 Your pasture is only as good and healthy as your soil is 🤔👍🏽

[@pigeonriverfarm6909]

Your 100% right soil health is number one. If you check out some of my other videos, we use Zone bio products for our soil health on a monthly basis. These pastures get a herd of grazing Cattle / Goats every 30 days and behind that, we move our 600-layer thought. The biggest problem is if the soil is wet, we can't move the livestock onto the ground and that's a loose, loose situation. Thanks for the comment.