# Clearing Land for Hay Fields - Questions



## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

We are going to have some old pasture clear cut hopefully in a few months. The growth is pine trees and the terrain is somewhat hilly. This area use to be for grazing cattle back in the day, but has been overtaken with pine trees for at least the last 30 years, and they are ready to be cut.

Where we can safely put a tractor, my plan is to make 4x4 round bales. We should reclaim around 20-30 acres total for potential hay production.

Question is - how to deal with the stumps left behind? Don't think it would be good to cut them flush with the ground, because most of the time flush is an inch or two above the ground, then the stump dies and the frost pushes them up further. I'm also getting to old to wait for stumps to rot too - LOL! Just don't see running hay equipment over old stumps - even if they are flush with the ground.

So how can we deal with these stumps? Again they are pine - not the most difficult or deep rooted stump. Is there some kind of drag a bull dozer might use to rake the ground and pull out the stumps or should the stumps be left some distance tall, i.e. 12-18 inches off the ground so a bull dozer can knock them out.

Any experience, tips, advice you could share would be most appreciated.

Thanks!
Bill


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

The stumps are going to have to come out and the holes filled. After logging and dozing the stumps out the ground is going to be pretty rough so it will have to be worked down into a good seedbed. Since it was in pines you are probably going to need a whole lotta lime worked into the ground before planting.


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## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

I have grubbed up a many a stump clearing land. Two issues. The stump holes and pile of stumps left behind.

I've hired an excavator to come in and dig hole. 1. You have to size the hole to the size of the pile plus "overcut" the hole so that you can get feet of soil back over the buried stumps. 2. Once the stumps are in the hole, you'll have a pile of dirt, from the hole, that has to go somewhere. A portion will go back into the hole for coverage. The remaining??? I really don't like to spread this soil out over top soil. For this reason I like to look at the field slope with soil erosion in mind. I look at it as if I were going to build terraces across the field. Paint some way points along the course of the terrace. I have my excavator dig a trench following these paint marks (it's not exact, i just want it in the ball park). 10' wide X 12-15' deep. I then push stumps to the trench. Once full, I cover it back up and the left over soil is used to build a terrace to an engineered (my transit and grade rule (get a grade rule in tenths, its easier to do the math)). You need to keep in mind which side of the trench you want the excavator to pile the dirt and where the stumps are coming from.

Once I have everything buried, I switch over to a root rake. Start pushing a pile or windrow of roots. I usually don't like to get over 300' from the pile or windrow when backing up to start another push. If you start traveling over 300', just start another pile. Come up with a plan of attack. Don't go randomly pushing shit out of the way. It might be fun, but you don't want to push anything twice.

After the root rake, its time for a disk and harrow and making everything smooth. Now a fertilizer truck can probably get across it so lime away.

The other option is like you said, grind the stumps down. I've had about 60 acres of that done about 5 years ago. Probably never again. It can be expensive. I think now the rate is $250+/hr. Once done, you can't do anything about smoothing/leveling/working the field. Mine was left rough. Awful rough. It's a cow pasture so its not the end of the world. A hay field. Absolutely not.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Bonfire said:


> I have grubbed up a many a stump clearing land. Two issues. The stump holes and pile of stumps left behind.
> 
> I've hired an excavator to come in and dig hole. 1. You have to size the hole to the size of the pile plus "overcut" the hole so that you can get feet of soil back over the buried stumps. 2. Once the stumps are in the hole, you'll have a pile of dirt, from the hole, that has to go somewhere. A portion will go back into the hole for coverage. The remaining??? I really don't like to spread this soil out over top soil. For this reason I like to look at the field slope with soil erosion in mind. I look at it as if I were going to build terraces across the field. Paint some way points along the course of the terrace. I have my excavator dig a trench following these paint marks (it's not exact, i just want it in the ball park). 10' wide X 12-15' deep. I then push stumps to the trench. Once full, I cover it back up and the left over soil is used to build a terrace to an engineered (my transit and grade rule (get a grade rule in tenths, its easier to do the math)). You need to keep in mind which side of the trench you want the excavator to pile the dirt and where the stumps are coming from.
> 
> ...


That sounds like way to much work. We have lots of empty land here with nary a tree anywhere. Only problem. Not enough water.


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

I wouldn't bury the stumps. They will rot away and the ground will settle. I have a spot in a field that the guy did this and I am still putting dirt in to raise the spot. Not sure when they buried the stumps, but Dad bought the ground in the early 90's... If you bury them make sure its in the woods or an area you wont be using. We pushed everything in a big pile and left it sit for a couple years, and we farmed around it. Then one day we lit it off and burned the pile up. Everything was nice and dry so even the stumps burned well...


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## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

PaMike said:


> I wouldn't bury the stumps. They will rot away and the ground will settle. I have a spot in a field that the guy did this and I am still putting dirt in to raise the spot. Not sure when they buried the stumps, but Dad bought the ground in the early 90's... If you bury them make sure its in the woods or an area you wont be using. We pushed everything in a big pile and left it sit for a couple years, and we farmed around it. Then one day we lit it off and burned the pile up. Everything was nice and dry so even the stumps burned well...


 Yep, that'll work too.

Those sunk in spots will have crude oil under them one day!!!


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

A buddy of mine is tearing out an apple orchard, they cut the trees down then the escavator tore out the stumps. 2/3 of them went to berm an eroding river bank in 80 tandem full dump truck loads. Last 1/3 was shook out and burned on the site.

Hope they did a good job, using my 3 bottom plow to plow the field.


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## country boy (May 27, 2010)

your best bet ( if you have the funds ) after the logger has come in and made a mess is to have a track hoe come in and pluck all your stumps. dozer rake them to three or four piles while the track hoe is still there and have them pile them for you (big tall piles ) and while the dozer is still there he can pretty much knock everything down close to level that you can use a disc and a drag to finish . a good operator can destump between 2.5-5 acres a day depending on how thick the timber is .This way while your waiting on the stumps to cure you can have grass planted and cutting and then all you have to deal with is a little extra dirt when you burn the stumps. It may cost a little to get it done but hang a 4 in tall stump with a new 15k cutter a couple times and see what the repair bills are ( trust me ) . and make sure if you hire a contractor if he hauls his equipment in on a one ton or even a 2.5 ton truck your not getting your moneys worth on that kind of acreage . I cleared 15 acres of mostly hard wood and had a d8 come and knock all the trees i wanted down before the logger made the first cut with a saw , he gripped but i have found only one stump that the dozer sheared off


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## aawhite (Jan 16, 2012)

The excavator suggestions are spot on. We cleared a bunch of field that way. Even opened up 50 ac. of bottom ground that had a slough full of cottonwoods. We tiled the hell out of the fields and got permission to take out the slough. All the work was done with a big backhoe, did a great job.


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## sethd11 (Jan 1, 2012)

Slowzuki, might be a 2 bottom plow by the time your done!


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## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

Thanks everyone - great info, much appreciated!!!!!!!!!!

Bill


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Three years ago I reclaimed some farm land the pines had taken over. It was only 17 acres, got 52 loads of logs on the place and had to deal with the stumps and brush.

Most of the brush was in two piles where the de-limber was set up. We pushed the rest of the odd limbs into one of the piles. Then it caught fire. County yuppies would not give permission to burn so we asked them to investigate the brush fire arson.

We dug the stumps with a back hoe. Track hoe would have been easier, just do not own one of those.

We piled some of the stumps on the brush piles before they caught fire. The stumps burned and smoldered for a week. Decided against burning any more stumps so we laid them in a windrow on the brush and trees growing along the creek bank. I found out this summer I could get government cheese for building wildlife habitat. I will pass on the deal but it might be an option to consider.

Once the stumps were up and out of the way we chisel plowed to help level and get the ground motivated. Then disked, limed and fertilized, and planted grass. I will be adding lime for a few years. PH is still low.


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

Tim- any luck catching the people who set the brush pile on fire? Maybe it was lightning.


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## urednecku (Oct 18, 2010)

Growing up we had about 8 or 10 acres of pines, Then about early/mid '70s Daddy decided to harvest. He had a dozier push before they cut the trees to make it easier to get all the stumps. After the pulp wood was hauled out he sold the stumps to I think it was Hercules Powder. Just burned what was left of the limbs etc. If I remember right they didn't get as much wood out of the trees that way, but made up for it with the stumps & easier to clear & smooth the land. (BTW, that was the first 10 acres I planted for hay.)


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## Ray 54 (Aug 2, 2014)

This was kicked around on Antique Caterpillar Machinery Owners Club discussion board a few months agver there we all like a good old dozers,but we where shown the error of are old thinking.A large track hoe with a thumb and pull the stump up and almost all the roots will come with the stump. Much less clean up of the small stuff that would do many bad things to hay equipment.Hopefully in your neighborhood you are allowed to burn the stumps when they have dried,to bury is so much work and time.But we are controlled more by citydiots all the time( idiot from the city ) when they outlaw things that work so good.

Tim next time have a lot of marshmallows and all your friends so you just having a large marshmallow roast.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

deadmoose said:


> Tim- any luck catching the people who set the brush pile on fire? Maybe it was lightning.


Have no clue.  Figured spontaneous combustion or something of that nature.

The gate was locked and the health department can not trespass. There were two of them standing at the fence waving us toward them. Just kept our backs in their direction and continued working. I could see them in the mirrors.

Our county has a zero burn policy. I learned there is a difference between policy and law.

Whoever set the fire broke policy but not the law.


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## sea2summit (Aug 4, 2021)

Eight year old thread brought to life so you could spam it?


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