Well, I have found the company I want to work with, I am just waiting back on word on if I can get it ordered in by our local Home Hardware or if they are going to send me to somewhere else.

I am doing a massive re-seeding of Corner Pasture and Front Pasture. We got the new fence line in last summer to create the Front Pasture, splitting the “big” pasture pretty much in half.

These two area’s are getting a full re-work.. on the Front Pasture, I will be adding in small Swale’s to help with drainage and to increase the land space, each side of the swale will be planted and overall, it should give a total of an increase of about 20 percent.. crazy how that can work but so be it.

The corner pasture has only ever had light frost seeding happen to it and its odd little pasture, it has a natural self made mini pond/large swale.. it fills and holds on all rains.. It’s a bit tricky because I will have to make a short entry way into its backside because they horse’s will need access to the their walk in lean too.

Otherwise, I think I can get four squares out of it for the sheep in terms of stripe grazing and I am going to be planting willow cuttings around the swale/mini pond that will be planned silvo pasture for the future.

That pasture is also getting a gentle but large collection rain garden, the area is already a collection spot, I just want to take an it a touch deeper and add in the collection swale’s to pull that water into the rain garden area.  Its going to be turned into a small stripe grazing paddock with moveable hot line fencing.. It is big enough that I can get nine feeding out of it once it’s fully working.

I will be planting a full new double hedgerow along the road front in the front pasture. The front line will be native fruit bearing/medical with a under planting for native pollinators, the second line will be planned for Silvo Pasture/tree fodder production. I lost over 60 of my smaller feeder tree’s last year. Not just cut down and come back.. I mean I lost them, they were cut down an then pulled out by the roots and piled up.

They need to be replaced or at least a good amount of them do.. and as I am starting from scratch, I might as well do it into mainly willow, a much better choice for all the livestock to be feeding on.  I am planning on going with Native Black willow but I will mix it up to a point as well doing some hedge willow in there as well.

It needs to be this way for a few reasons.. One the front needs to have picking access by human’s as required plus all the bushes types need to be the powerline rules in top out growths.

The second line however needs to be protected by the moveable net as it grows up, but it must be kept trimmed enough that it never gets past the height I can work with by hand.

We will see how many planted out this year. We got a great sale for new sheep/goat fencing at a hundred dollars off per roll this week. I am so looking forward getting that fence line redone, not just because it needs it but because it will truly make the farm look better to those that pull in 🙂

Sheep/Goat Blend

20% Climax Timothy
20% Forage Type Tall Fescue
20% BG-24T Perennial Ryegrass Blend
10% Fixation Balansa Clover
10% HLR Orchardgrass
10% Festulolium
8% Forage Type Kentucky Bluegrass
2% Creeping Red Fescue

This is the blend being used for the Small pasture that will be getting a very heavy frost seeding out to improve and back fill it. This area is a crap shoot this year, I am most likely just throwing things to the wind on this one.. I am not at all sure that I can get this one finished in terms of fencing (its the lowest on my list). While I can get a hot line to keep the horse’s out, keeping the sheep and goats out.. that’s a whole different thing..

The one area that this will be a good thing, is this one is going to into the “Keep” and will be heavily re-seeded.  I will see if they are willing to remove the white clover, if not so be it, that is the one thing I do have lots of.. to much to a point.

Bojangles is going to a busy working horse this year in helping me rework the pastures this year..

Frost Seeding Blend

10% Bruce Birdsfoot Trefoil 7% Huia White Clover
10% Double Cut Red Clover
20% Baridana Orchardgrass
25% BG-24T Perennial Ryegrass Blend 15% Promesse Timothy
13% Fixation Balansa Clover

This is my ground cover blend for the “big yard shake up”..

I will be using this blend on the close cropped down side ditches and used in full amounts anywhere there is bare ground that does not get a tree, fruit bush, or plant.. I would rather have to cut and drop this where needed, then have bare soil in the yard.

Add in this blends availability to help feed the pollinators and we are good to go for sure!

Non-crop land Pollinator Blend

Alfalfa, White Clover,
Yellow Blossom Sweet Clover, Crimson Clover, Chicory, Sunflower, Alsike Clover, Single Cut Red Clover, Double Cut Red Clover, Brown Mustard, Groundbreaker Radish

The Big Pasture is going to just get a light cover of oats to help create a quick fast growth on it to fill in the spaces and otherwise, its on next years list.. A person can only do so much per year..