Pasture Cultivation and Hay Production Lessons
At 9:24 in
Get Inspired Today: 8 Years of Farm Building Progress/Knowledge in 18 mins!
What happens here
After clearing and fencing, the next step was to establish productive pastures. The farmer initially experimented with cutting hay, investing thousands of dollars in fertilizer, lime, grass seed, and hay-cutting equipment (tractor, mower, rake). However, he quickly learned that producing hay on a small scale was not profitable. The video shows a John Deere tractor (possibly a 5075E model) pulling a hay mower and a hay rake across fields, cutting and windrowing hay. This experience highlighted the importance of soil health and the need to 'put back' into the land what is taken out, whether through fertilization, liming, or rotational grazing practices.
Goal: Create productive pastures for grazing and learn economic lessons.
Tools and materials
- Fertilizer Spreader — Applying fertilizer to pastures
- Grass Seed Planter — Planting grass seeds into existing pastures
- Hay Mower — Cutting grass for hay
- Hay Rake — Gathering cut hay into windrows
- Lime Spreader — Applying lime to pastures
- Tractor John Deere — Pulling various farm implements for pasture management
- Fertilizer — Enhancing soil fertility
- Grass Seed — Establishing new pastures
- Lime — Adjusting soil pH