The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Land Management => Topic started by: feldar on August 19, 2012, 07:32:44 pm
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Oh! lordy am i knackered ::) we finally have a window of good weather down here, so for two days i've been pulling ragwort from a field we've just taken on so we can cut it for hay. Why oh why wont people realize the need to manage their land properly. the saying there was only a few stems last year doesn't wash with me when i've just cleared a field of bright yellow!!
My reply of ten stems this year fifty to hundred next year after it's seeded, fell on deaf ears i'm afraid.
Anyway hay is cut so should be good now i'm off for a very large glass of red wine. :relief:
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Good for you, know what you mean about neighbours and their land - we are pulling it out from two farmer neighbours and a smithy neighbour including our own.
Have another glass of wine. One glass isn't worth it. :thumbsup:
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Well done ! :thumbsup: enjoy your bottle! :innocent:
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:excited: Well done you....enjoy your vino ... We've STILL got about 4 more acres to do.....but the weather is just not consistent as the mo.....but it'll come....eventually :sunshine:
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We pull our's as and when we see it - but driving down the road today a saw a paddock that had ponies in last year - think house got sold - looks like they are growing it as a crop - ahhh right wind and it'll be here and I'll need a bucket not a bottle!!
Well done for all your hard work Felar - great to you've broken the back of things.
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I read somewhere that Scotland were trying to ban it and make the government do something to get rid.
Is that even possible and have I misheard?
We even get it in our garden in the middle of a town - strong winds I guess
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There is a moth or butterfly, cant remember which that only feeds on Ragwort, I know of a few places that wont get rid of their ragwort cause of it. It is also good for goldfinches etc. The only time I saw huge flocks of goldfinches was in a field left for ragwort. It does need controlling greatly but not eradicating completely
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There is a moth or butterfly, cant remember which that only feeds on Ragwort, I know of a few places that wont get rid of their ragwort cause of it. It is also good for goldfinches etc. The only time I saw huge flocks of goldfinches was in a field left for ragwort. It does need controlling greatly but not eradicating completely
Cinnebar moth.
That's interesting about the goldfinch.
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I don't want to eradicate completely because we see the cinnebar moth a lot here and it's very pretty. But i can't have it in my hay. We still see alot by the roadside down here so the council don't control too much.
Anyway hay is now cut and i ache so much this morning but this ragwort pulling is good for your buttocks cause they ache the most!! :o
Physco man hubby is scanning every weather report known to man to check no rain :raining: he turns into someone different this time of year and constantly stresses over how much to turn it and when to bale it!
Our old tractor died twice yesterday but with a bit of TLC and a lot of swearing he got it going again. It needs a service, a bit like my hubby :thinking:
so weather permitting we should have some bales in a day or two then i've got to get out there and get them off the field, another aching day and another bottle of wine!!
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You are describing the stress of hay making to a tee there Feldspar. I wonder how much of the price of hay is 'stress' money. Hope you get your hay done . We are so relieved when ours is in.
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I am going into our neighbours paddock tomorrow to tackle HIS ragwort >:( >:( before it becomes ours! Bad enough that our hay crop was lousy, I don't want ragwort in it next year :gloomy: :gloomy: . Woe is me.
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Well if you need some haylage or hay Bramblecot we appear to have rather a lot, the yield from our two fields was twice what we get normally. I think it was due to our wet summer so the grass kept on growing.
Now we 've got to find a corner to stack it all and net it to keep birds off!!
Never a dull moment is there