Grass farmers... Exactly the attitude introduced to me by a friend/neighbor who is a cattle producer. Repeating a refrain from a seminar he attended, we cattle producers are actually in the grass farming buisness first and formost. Then depending on the success of our grass farming we can support a varying intensity of our secondary business, cattle raising.
Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
Yes, I agree. We are trying to do the same thing (rotational grazing).
I think of it as being in the grass business, the trick is to find a profitable mechanism to turn the suns energy into money. The method with the least inputs to me is using a cow/calf herd and doing rotational grazing.
Have you thought of goats? The barbed wire won't keep them in, you need net fence for that, but they thrive on weeds and prefer to eat stuff horses and cows turn their noses up at. They are hardy and don't take a lot of hay to maintain in the winter.
Good luck and keep things fun. You've inherited a gold mine! What I'd do for 500 acres!
We are thinking about goats. I am also ordering Guineas to help with the ticks and grasshoppers. and they eat weed seeds. We did clean up a lot this summer. We got rid of 26 rusted cars and another trailer house. I am still saving about 10 cars to put parts on the internet. It's not the most beautiful place in the world yet but it's still coming along. I will try to post more pictures. We had an awesome hunting season and I am booked for 2007 from archery to Late Cow season. That's working out great. I am thinking about building a steel house out there. We currently are living in a trailer. We have a house in town, but if I sell it, we should have enough money to pay cash for a house hopefully. Has anyone built a steel home? Is it something a family could take on?
We can feel your pain and just let it go at that for the family situation.
Became a farm manager for a small place overrun by cattle, donkeys, and whiskey bottles. The bottle have left and the proPIGator. Cattle are being sold or eaten to a manageable and profitable level. Donkeys are slowly finding new homes.
Overrun pastures are being repaired and reclaimed for their intended use.
You can look at the big picture and it is so depressing that just taking a walk away is a powerful attactant. We tend to 'putz' never work. There is always time for a break while putzing or a laugh or an observation. Little by little things get done and suddenly look up and remember what is was and how it is now. Take pictures to remind yourself what you started with.
Buck up and believe in yourself!
Almost forgot. I use unrisen frozen bread dough in the winter for pests and rodents. They become breaded on the inside and it is safe for the cats and dogs. In the summer i have heard about self rising flour about the same result but have not personally tried it. When first moved in was working in front of the pole barn during the day and counted 19 rats in under 10 min, all going the same way so unless they were just doing a number across the rafters then that was a lot of rats. Mice was even worse. 1 year later none, now 3 years later NONE. Some coons and skunks and coyotes but nothing that stays around the household for very long one way or another.
Guineas are noisy and can be messy and tend to be eaten by any and all predators, not personal experience, but i have friends. Personally i use straight run chickens and the roosters get to run around free, if they are gone...oh well, most tend to survive. Naughty ones get Put in the pot.
No fun, change the rules!!!
You didn't say what type of wood the out buildings were. I know here in Texas people are tearing down old buildings and saving the wood. There are many restaurants and some homes using the old wood for decoration of their walls and building decorative bars and such. As for the junk you stated, if any are implements you can take pictures and post them on Craig's List for cash. There are folks that are restoring old farm implements and pay good money to have original parts for their projects. If you continue to mow the pastures the weeds should go away and the grass should take over.
This is an old thread, but I hope this might help others.
Gregg
This is going to take time. Analyze the soil first so you can better determine when to reintroduce livestock. That is if you think it's financially feasible to do so. All the old buildings? Tear them down and burn them. Whatever junk is left ? Roll off dumpsters from your local trash company. The pests? Poisons and traps. A lot of them.
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