Ideas for Using Acreage?

[Alaskan]

Updating this thread from 2016.

The goats ate down the brush on the hill pasture and its suitable for grazing sheep now. I have visions of putting an AGH out there, but not this year.

I still have a sense of "not doing enough" with this place. Maybe my 2022 garden plan and growing grain will change that feeling.

Think wildlife habitat.

Figure out what wildlife are endangered/in need of help in your area, and manage for them.

It might be something as easy as putting up a bunch of nest boxes. Often cavity dwellers need more housing.

Or.... maybe you can manage for ground dwelling birds. Those might also need nesting places and more watering sites.

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

could you add more edible landscaping? berry bushes or fruit trees?

 

[FarmerJamie]

could you add more edible landscaping? berry bushes or fruit trees?

Mmmmmmm, raspberry/blackberry bushes

 

[flowerbug]

Mmmmmmm, raspberry/blackberry bushes

small black and red raspberry are normal sandlot colonizers here, but blackberry is a hard no from me as they can get so invasive and hard to remove for others in the area.

blueberries and bush cherries, choke cherries, any winter berries that birds can eat later on after the cold arrives. seed producers (also check for invasive status).

we used to see Bob Whites here at first and more pheasants but i haven't seen a Bob White in 20yrs or more and the pheasants are not as many either with the field to the south of us being farmed instead of left as an open field.

we have tons of wild turkeys around along with plenty of other wild-life.

 

[Alaskan]

small black and red raspberry are normal sandlot colonizers here, but blackberry is a hard no from me as they can get so invasive and hard to remove for others in the area.

blueberries and bush cherries, choke cherries, any winter berries that birds can eat later on after the cold arrives. seed producers (also check for invasive status).

we used to see Bob Whites here at first and more pheasants but i haven't seen a Bob White in 20yrs or more and the pheasants are not as many either with the field to the south of us being farmed instead of left as an open field.

we have tons of wild turkeys around along with plenty of other wild-life.

Ground dwellers, at least in Texas, were hit hard when fire ants came in.

 

[tortoise]

I found a list of threatened plants (and animals) in my state and am leaving the link here so I can find it easily in the future.

https://p.widencdn.net/byxof6/ER001

 

[flowerbug]

Ground dwellers, at least in Texas, were hit hard when fire ants came in.

fire ants can do a lot of damage. finding predators and ways of dealing with them is important. it seems that the crazy ants have provided some competition now but i don't know how far those ants have spread yet. sure am glad up here that we don't get fire ants.

 

[flowerbug]

if you've not read about these before they're facinating creatures (i'm an ant geek ).

Phorid Flies as Biocontrol Agents : USDA ARS

www.ars.usda.gov