Spring Time is Here!

It will officially be spring so soon I can taste it!

We had Cindy from the UF IFAS extension office give us a consultation on our pasture management. She's quite the expert and had an answer for all our questions.

We love to share any knowledge we gain so here's what we've learned (over the past year from research and confirmed by the expert):

-- As far as pasture tolerance goes, experts recommend 2 acres per horse. Our farm is closer to 1.75 horses to 2 acres.
-- Now is the time to kill the weeds! We have perennial weeds popping up everywhere - geranium, stinging nettle - so we will be using herbicide (a 2, 4-D will kill these broadleaf weeds), safely of course.
-- We will be seeding all the pastures of "this side" of the farm. That includes the jump field (pasture 1), pasture 2 (with the burn pile), and pasture 3 (by the hay barn). We will need to aerate the pastures first, then seed, then drag or aerate again. We will be using Tifton 9 (a type of Bahia grass).
-- The horses cannot be on the grass for (ideally) 60 days! Yikes! So we'll be combining herds as previously blogged (Tav & Pokey over with Magic's pasture, the girls & JW's herd over with the oldies in Pasture 4). The Donkeys will probably live in the round pen or arena if we decide to see the paddock area.
-- We will be moving the jumps!!! The new jump pasture will be in Pasture 2. There is more tree cover in Pasture 2 so less grass will grow. Pasture 1 (where the jumps are now) makes a better grazing area. But no jumping while the seeds are growing. As an alternative you will be able to set the jumps up around the farm (just not in a pasture).

This will all be happening in just a few days, stay tuned!

More to come...