[Hamish Crofter]

Yes I know it sounds like a ridiculous question.......

However I have 13 acres of rough grass pasture that has been left neglected for many many years by previous absent land owners. We now want to get the land under control and divide it for sheep grazing, veg ect. We are also going to plant a couple of acres of trees. However, the grass is so long and thick, up to chest height in places that it isn't a job for a mower or flail mower I'm guessing so what's the answer?

Do I need to get someone in with a tractor towed cutter of some description?

[shygirl]

borrow some cattle?

[Hamish Crofter]

I have actually thought about that as an option but much of it is too wet so they would poach it.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

I would suggest water buffalo, but that would be advertising something which is not available atm.  Would a topper work? You could use cattle and if it got poached, because water buffalo would probably poach it too as they can be quite heavy footed, you could plow it afterwards and reseed it. Just a thought

[henchard]

Never seen anything a tractor and flail mower can't deal with; but if that were the case you can get flail mowers on Bobcats  like this

[pgkevet]

When I bought my place one of the fields had been neglected with tussock formig grasses such that the tussocks were 3 foot high like tree ferns.
Local farmer hired a heavy duty topper rather than use his own ordinary one and did the job for me.

[Hamish Crofter]

I guess it's difficult to say but how much is a farmer likely to charge me for doing this, just to give me an idea.

[Q]

Never seen anything a tractor and flail mower can't deal with; but if that were the case you can get flail mowers on Bobcats  like this

I just had to see the video of that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VgIZ6Ed5H4

Seems you dont have a problem if you can hire one of them.
For me, I 'm away looking for a really overgrown field to buy..... 

[henchard]

I guess it's difficult to say but how much is a farmer likely to charge me for doing this, just to give me an idea.

Tractor topping with a flail mower should be around £10-15 an acre or around £22-25 an hour; presumably more for one on a Bobcat.

[sss]

A tractor and flail will cut that, by the time we could afford one our field was much like yours by ge sound of it.

Ours did the cut easily.

[Hamish Crofter]

Thanks all

[cloddopper]

Hamish , how soon do you want to get it all  sorted?
 
Raspuntin our merino billy goat  was a fantastic land reclaimer , providing I made sure that the fencing was strong  &high enough .. He brought nearly five acres back into usage  in just over 2 years . Each paddock was about 25 x 25 mtrs square. The geese were then  put in the pens after he'd been move to new pastures.
 
Can you run well fenced in goat paddocks and leave the goats to eat it section by section back to a sensible growth height or is it too wet or not a practical thing to do ?

 Chickens and pigs are also reasonable land reclaimers  if they are used sensibly in small pens /paddocks
Once the big stuff is eaten it should be fairly easy to bring sheep in on their heels so to speak and go on from there.

 If it is a goer then maybe start the first big munch session close to the home so you can get your garden veg in ASAP , then plan the move outwards slowly and paddock by paddock .

[Hamish Crofter]

Clodhopper,

Sounds like a great idea but I need at least two acres clear in the next month!

Some ideas for the future though........cheers