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  • From: FranksFarm@aol.com
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] [Fwd: [SANET-MG] dream farms]
  • Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2005 09:49:50 EDT

Hi Larry,

Thanks for the good ideas.

However, I'm finding that farming is far more complex than imagined when it
comes to details, labor, $$$ required to DO all the work.

For example I'm considering tearing up about 20 acres of one of my bottoms to
plant corn next year. The idea is that after the corn is harvested, and the
cattle been through the stalks that I would then disk it up and prepare a
nice
seed bed, and reseed forage grasses on a nice, level, prepared seed bed.

My bottoms seem to grow real good corn, and had been leased for same in the
past.

But that means I must take 20 acres out of forage, which MIGHT leave me short
on grass depending on weather.

Next I don't have a mechanical harvester, which means lots of additional
manual labor.

Then, there's the cost factor for preparing the seed bed, planting the corn(
no corn planter),cultivations etc. I use no chemicals. And if I need to
fertilize I must add in that cost.

All in all I'm wondering if it's really worthwhile:)

I've planted both winter wheat, and cereal rye. Winter wheat grew real well.
Cereal rye did not really pay since it was planted a bit late( late
September)
and conditions were not that great.
Cattle simply ate what little production I got. I didn't plow it back in.

The whole idea of tearing up the ground now that I've got a pretty good mix
of white clover, fescue and clover is a concern. Doing it several acres at a
time is perhaps feasible, but I'm wondering if it's worth the trouble and
added
expense.

Subsoiling

We haven't had much rain in the past month or so so the soil is fairly dry.
No rain forecast for the next several days. Would this be a good time to sub
soil wet areas or break up tight clay in back pastures?

Talk to you soon. Frank in KY ag Zone 6B




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