Road Ditch and Mowing Updates for 2013

UGUIDE

UGUIDE

Active member
I know there is a lot more cover in the road ditches this time of year this year than there was last year.

I think about July 1 last year just about anything that could be mowed was mowed.

It's starting to get dry again but nothing like it was last year. In fact I think it is a good dry as far as hatching new broods are concerned. Highs are 90's now which is hot but not too hot for young chicks. Last year 100's were common.

We are still catching some moisture but hot days are drying more.

There is some road ditch mowing going on but nothing like last year.

Any other reports from SD are welcome.

PS. The other note is there will be no CRP emergency haying this year (at least I don't think so). Not sure what it would take to allow a cut on CRP lands 2 years in a row but highly unlikely.

So based on what I see right now there should be a lot more cover on the ground this fall than last year. Should be case for public lands and private lands that do not have expiring CRP acres.

If hay prices are still high thru fall expect farmers to take advantage of that and put more hay up as becomes a cash crop at the prices on the market this spring.
 
Correct me if im wrong, but i thought you werent allowed to farm the right of way in SD? If thats the case then why would they let someone bail it?
 
gobucks said:
Correct me if im wrong, but i thought you werent allowed to farm the right of way in SD? If thats the case then why would they let someone bail it?
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The reason you can't farm it is because of road bed stability. If everyone tilled up to the road it can cause wash outs and also reduce visibility. Mowing is required in some counties to prevent snow drifts. Haying the ditches is completely ok.
 
moellermd said:
The reason you can't farm it is because of road bed stability. If everyone tilled up to the road it can cause wash outs and also reduce visibility. Mowing is required in some counties to prevent snow drifts. Haying the ditches is completely ok.
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I expect that to be right. I am concerned that a road ditch is the only nesting we have! It's like a trip trap, traffic, narrow, for a nice predator runway, mowing surely, sometimes in the re-nesting period. Pretty poor habitat to waste any time over. Yes, I realize that some research indicates a great percentage of nests are in this frail habitat, I wonder how many chicks are produced there? If they had a better area, we would probably get better results. I would suggest an effort in that area! DU is pioneering wheat, as a cover crop, seems to work with ducks, I'm sure Dakota pheasants will work to, they sure do in Kansas.
 
Thought I would share what little intel I have. Talked to my farmer east of Pierre today asked him how things were. He said there was good moisture this spring and early summer, although it is getting a little dry now. Cover and crops are good. He said he isn't seeing a ton of broods, because of all the cover, but the broods are very large. Last year many broods he saw were 2-3 chicks. This year he is seeing 6-8 and 10+ chick broods. Last year was a down year. We still saw a lot of birds, but not like previous years. He said things looked a lot better this year. He also said he avoided the hail storms, but some other areas didn't. My guy 50 miles or so southwest had about the same report. He said cover was good.
 
The cover in my part of the state is wonderful. I have pastures where the brome is chest high. Some nests have not hatched yet, saw a brood of eight the other day. Conditions have been good so far starting to get dry but we still have dew. The ditches will get cut because they need to. Guys are going to put up hay because inventory is low. No emergency haying in this county.
 
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Good to hear Haymaker. I hate a drought plus drew non-res duck tag so I am praying for continued rains. I am sure a lot of ditches will get hayed as price for hay is still high from what I have heard.
 
Ditches being mowed here in the Platte area and I noticed that part of the public area that is 2 miles east and 3 miles south of Platte appears to have been mowed--I'll check it out tomorrow and also with the GF&P. seemed odd to me.:(

Starting to see more broods and the size is about 8 to 12 chicks and I've noticed several different sizes of broods to --- so I guess the nesting season is spread out over time--this is good. :D

I plan on doing some morning and evening survey routes in and near home this year and I'll keep everyone posted--I just moved back here and have no historical data to work with--but I'll count them and start a new set of data just the same
 
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