# 20 acres full of thistles



## tnwalkingred (Jun 8, 2010)

Hey guys,

I came across a 20 acre field that I'm going to have access to use this year and possibly for years to come. It has GREAT fence around it and also has a creek running down one side of it. However it is FULL of briars!!!!! I believe they ran horses on it for the past few years and the people who kept the horses there did not bother to maintain it very well. I started bushhogging it last night and it looks like the ground is pretty good. I hope to either buy a few cattle to run on it or possibly grow a few out for another farmer who needs to seperate his heifers or just needs the extra acreage. I have been told you can do this and then get paid on the amount of weight they gain while you have them. I have zero experience in this so if any of you have any suggestions on the cattle side please chime in. The main question I want to pose is this. After I mow all the thistles down I plan on spraying it to kill as much weed as I can with 2wd. Do you guys think this will be sufficient enough to pasture cattle on this year or should I seed/fertilize? I would prefer to save as much money as I can to put towards my hay fields. Thanks for your input!

Kyle


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## hayray (Feb 23, 2009)

Do not do it based on weight gain, those are very specific and hard to determine contracts, mostly feedlots not so good with grazing. Someone very close to me got sued and lost all her life savings on a deal like that even though the contract was not based on weight gain, and this was with breeding heifers. No animal id, no certified weights, etc. My advise is just charge a daily or monthly grazing fee per animal or AUM. Have a written contract and have others look at it before finalizing it. Specify who is reasponsible for such and such, health etc.


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## mulberrygrovefamilyfarm (Feb 11, 2009)

I'm a rotational/mob grazing guy so I lean in that direction and base my _suggestion_ on that. If you've sprayed the weeds after mowing, I would start rotating with small paddocks and a small herd once the grass gets high enough to start grazing. This would allow me to see how the pasture performs throughout the season. You may find that early in the season you can't keep up with the grass trying to rotate a small herd but that is OK, you may need to take a high cutting of hay just to keep it from getting out of control. What I would be looking for is how the pasture grows in cool and warm season, and how it responds _after_ the cows have gone through noting a given cow density (#cow/ac), on different parts of the pasture and different times of year. I would use that to determine a grazing plan for next year and an estimated carrying capacity or AUM as others have said. If you can make it break-even for you for a season of analysis, you may be better able to see how to invest and plan in the future.


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

I agree with your approach so far, If the grass stand is good carry on. Better to wait and see what you have before committing to someone elses livestock. Working down/reseeding is risky on a "possibly for years to come" deal. I just went through this last year and after explaining this to the landlord signed a 6 year contract with the 1st year free to offset the extra costs on the cleanup. Some landowners care and understand, others are just after the $$$$ good luck.


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