The Fenceline

UGUIDE

Active member
So I am out maintaining some treebelts near the neighbors and my fenceline recently. I notice there is a buffer of nothing growing on my side of fence for about anywheres from 1-6 ' off the fenceline. Same on his side. His renter (who used to farm my ground) has soybeans planted virtually within 1 30" row of the fenceline.

So what happened was is I am spraying a residual solution to maintain a grass buffer in the fenceline, once established or clean would require no spraying. His renter is spraying round up and in order to get his last row of beans sprayed is going to end up smoking the fenceline cover as well as some on my side depending on wind.

So his soybeans are dying on his side of fence and my grass is dying on mine. Next year there will be a nice flush of thistles in the fenceline like there always is once you hit it with roundup.

This is my fenceline story. Anybody got any fenceline stories?
 
I don't have any shrubs or trees that survived within 15 feet of my line. The ding bats from the fertilizer plant up town spray roundup regardless of wind direction. I caught them at it last year with a 20 mph wind blowing right at my lilac row. I chased him down and stopped him. I stood right in front of his sprayer till he listened. This is not my neighbor, but a hire. I also video tape them. I let him know, that at the local nursery, these trees cost from 50-300$ each. And YOU WILL pay to replace them the same size, labor included.If you kill one more dam tree. Each spring now I put a sign out for a few weeks that says camera running, you spray, you pay. One would think that they could plan plots based on wind, well they can, they just don't give a crap about anything but money in their pocket. To them you are nothing, and so is your hard work. If I catch them again, I will be less pleasant. Maybe telling them that 5 gallon pails of 16d nails in their drive way every year might make you think a bit. LOL:D My dad had the same trouble. Killed 400' of 25 year old cedar shrubs.:mad: 12' from the line. Perhaps there should be legislation protecting us. No commercial spraying 30' from property lines unless signed off by the neighbor. Then conservation areas like ours would have to be sprayed by the land owner on a day with no wind or at least the right direction. Holding them liable for drift kill damage. Sure sucks they get away with this to avoid a mere 10 minutes of ATV spray along a sensitive line.:rolleyes:
 
My dad has an elderly neighbor who had her bushes/shrubs knocked out by the farmer next door about 2 years ago:(. He knocked out all the raspberry bushes too. Whether a sub-contractor or not, I'm not sure. She couldn't figure out why all the bushes died off so fast and all at once.

Erosion is creeping closer to her yard too. Those wet springs turned a small drained area into a gully. Dump trucks worth of soil washed out from these fields where their used to be grassy areas holding the soil in place. The owner of the land lives in Chicago. I don't think he really cares what goes on with his property:(
 
Roundup is the Farmer panacea. Like aspirin, if a little does a lot, imagine what a lot does! Any question hit with a shot of Roundup, Of course these are "licensed" applicators, right? That does a hell of a lot of good.
 
Another thing I will tell them next time is, Hey, see that ATV right there, the one with the sprayer and 10 foot boom? Yes, Well next time you kill my hard work, I come to your house when your at work and spray your yard and trees....:thumbsup: I know where you live. LOL
 
I notice there is a buffer of nothing growing on my side of fence for about anywheres from 1-6 ' off the fenceline. Same on his side. His renter (who used to farm my ground) has soybeans planted virtually within 1 30" row of the fenceline.

So what happened was is I am spraying a residual solution to maintain a grass buffer in the fenceline, once established or clean would require no spraying.

Sounds like your over spray killed his beans. What did you spray? If you would just take out the fence line both of you could get one more row of crop in. Maybe they need to make RR native grass.
 
I don't have any shrubs or trees that survived within 15 feet of my line. The ding bats from the fertilizer plant up town spray roundup regardless of wind direction. I caught them at it last year with a 20 mph wind blowing right at my lilac row. I chased him down and stopped him. I stood right in front of his sprayer till he listened. This is not my neighbor, but a hire. I also video tape them. I let him know, that at the local nursery, these trees cost from 50-300$ each. And YOU WILL pay to replace them the same size, labor included.If you kill one more dam tree. Each spring now I put a sign out for a few weeks that says camera running, you spray, you pay. One would think that they could plan plots based on wind, well they can, they just don't give a crap about anything but money in their pocket. To them you are nothing, and so is your hard work. If I catch them again, I will be less pleasant. Maybe telling them that 5 gallon pails of 16d nails in their drive way every year might make you think a bit. LOL:D My dad had the same trouble. Killed 400' of 25 year old cedar shrubs.:mad: 12' from the line. Perhaps there should be legislation protecting us. No commercial spraying 30' from property lines unless signed off by the neighbor. Then conservation areas like ours would have to be sprayed by the land owner on a day with no wind or at least the right direction. Holding them liable for drift kill damage. Sure sucks they get away with this to avoid a mere 10 minutes of ATV spray along a sensitive line.:rolleyes:

#1 thing you do is call the manager of the place doing the spraying. The guy in the rig is doing what he is told to do. They are liable for any drift onto your property.

If you have a drift issue and have your stuff dieing they will pay for it. If the are a reputable outfit they will take care of any problem and have very good insurance. They will do whatever is reasonable to satisfy your loss to avoid having you call the State dept of ag. If they do not satisfy you, call the department of ag and report the off target application.
 
#1 thing you do is call the manager of the place doing the spraying. The guy in the rig is doing what he is told to do. They are liable for any drift onto your property.

If you have a drift issue and have your stuff dieing they will pay for it. If the are a reputable outfit they will take care of any problem and have very good insurance. They will do whatever is reasonable to satisfy your loss to avoid having you call the State dept of ag. If they do not satisfy you, call the department of ag and report the off target application.
One would hope that for sure. But since me barking at them so to speak, they have not killed anything. I just hope it stays that way. I planted about 3,000 shrubs and evergreens with a shovel and bare hands. Now they are close to 10 years old and good sized. The thing that worries me, is if they would give you a twig to plant and start over with your own hard work, or make it right and bring out a 12 foot black hills spruce, plant it, care for it and see that it grows? I think I will stick with giving them the stink eye and watch dog approach.:D
 
Good info here and will help to make sure all parties involved can do the right thing and change or improve practices by better understanding.

However, I do not see a viable solution to the fenceline issue unless a grass buffer is left (aka no farm no spray zone) or both neighbors spraying RU only and farm right up to fenceline and/or take out fenceline. If one neighbor wants fenceline and has cattle for instacne the other would have to honor that and not kill his pasture on neighbors side of fence.
 
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As a small landowner, I am having a similar problen, tho the intent of the farmer appears to push over a row every year! I do a little hunting on his ground so I am just documenting with photos for now.

As an insurance adjuster, I have handled numerous overspray claims. RE trees, you can get treble damages.
 
Uncle B what does that mean to uneducated MN ers?

Chris I think that is the best solution. Buffer strips would be great. I don't plan to plant anything back closer. Just going to put in more switch of the tallest variety. A renter was plowing in to mine a few years in a row too. So I stuck in some blue bird boxes and steel stakes. The jerk whined and plowed up a few of the stakes. I never said a dam thing, just put em back in. We have no fence on all 4 sides. It was the land owners relly. Old Lester came back to plow his own ground again and gave him the boot with out saying a word. Great guy. He now has about 3 feet on his side that are grass, and gets no closer. The man can drag a plow. It all boils down to the character of the person next to ya and who is doing what. I will hate to see Lester go. I hate fence posts.
 
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Just called neighbor and explained situation and proposed a grass buffer strips as solution. It will be his role to work with his renter and accomplish what he wants in the management of his farm.

I thought I was doing him a favor by spraying as if there was going to be grass in the fenceline on both sides of fence. Found that is not the case.

Seems we are both overlapping our controls instead of staying off the fenceline and maintaining a buffer.

We see what develops.....
 
They just sprayed 5 seconds ago, I am home sick. Checked her out and yes they got to see me again :eek:, LOL. The wind was perfect for them and today they showed. Maybe they are taking notes after all now.:D But at least I got under his skin again by standing out on the edge looking him over. Keeps them on there toes I hope.:thumbsup: So no worry this year. He was done by me in a minute. It happens that fast with that 3,000 foot boom monster they use.
 
Neighbor got my message and said he would talk to his renter.

I really don't know what is right solution but you would think you would have to maintain some type of neutral zone as a buffer between what each landowner is doing.
 
Around here the only fence lines left are the property lines. And on those most have trimes them up to where they plant within a couple feet or less of the fence, I dont even think a mouse could hide in them.
 
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