A reader writes:

Hi,
I read Countryside magazine where I found an article about “How much should a dry cow eat?” Thank you for such a simple and useful information.

My husband and I have a small 4-acre woody property where we built our house. I would like to get couple of sheep and bulls to raise, but no pasture.

I was wondering if you could give some information about how to establish new pasture in the wooded area. We have cut down some trees already , but there is no soil to plant any grass. What should we do?

Thank you.
Lilia, Southern Mass.

Lilia, like other small acreage owners, is going to have to build her pasture from scratch. The good news is it doesn’t take a pile of money to produce a productive small-scale pasture. The bad news is it does take a fair amount of ingenuity, flexibility, and effort.

Lilia’s pasture-to-be needs to be tilled, fertilized, and seeded in with a mixture of grasses and legumes. But before she does anything she should contact her local county extension agent.Their number is in the phone book under county agencies. A couple of soil samples will determine the ph and macro/micro nutrient situation is so that the best grass seed for her area and soil type. Is it sandy, or clay? This will make a difference as to what will grow. Most county ag agents will be able to answer questions and explain about cost-sharing for soil testing (ask about it). Don’t forget to ask the neighbors what they grow for their animals.

Speaking of animals, consider raising pigs,goats, sheep, or chickens on small acreage. All do well on pasture, and all come in smaller-sized breeds.

Thanks for the correspondence. I’d like to know how things work out for you.

Good day,

Wayne the Dairy Dude