The Real First Things First

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The Real First Things First

It’s understandable that Christi wanted our cabin remodeled before living here as we await the house build. But way before then, we began infrastructure projects necessary for our land to be productive.
 
My good friend Jason Reiner helped me create a 2-year infrastructure plan for the property, with projects ordered based on priority and time of year. For example, you wait for the winter to cut and remove trees and need to keep the pastures cut in the summer. Items on our list included:
  • Garage – the property had a small hay barn, but we had no room to store equipment or keep it maintained.
  • Farm Tractor and implements – after paying my dear neighbor Philip for cutting our pastures twice, I knew getting our own tractor was a justifiably high priority.
  • 4X4 UTV – There are countless uses for a small 4
  • Pasture improvement – soil samples revealed very acidic soil, making it harder for grasses and clover to thrive and ideal for weeds. 30 tons of agricultural lime was needed!
  • Invasive Species – We knew that any affordable property would show some signs of neglect. This property had many. The two biggies – privet and kudzu!
  • Pond – We are first time pond owners. As the saying goes, “I wish I knew then what I know now.” The poor pond needs tons of work.

Garage

Our  goal (actually Bob’s)was to build a garage big enough to house the expensive equipment and have space for a small shop (plus refrigerator and coffee maker). After weeks of internet research, a metal building seemed the best choice. I learned there are a few principal manufacturers of steel buildings and dozens of resellers, so I shopped around a good deal and found what I wanted with a Nashville based outfit. Then needed a proper location and concrete pad. After much advice, we settled on a spot adjacent to the barn, right along the main driveway on the South side of the property. A relatively short 350 ft. run of conduit would get electrical service there. Several days of manual trenching got the job done. 

I didn’t have much experience with concrete, but I knew not to go cheap (something very hard for me) because you want the pad to be solid for years to come. There is a wonderful part of rural culture we have quickly grown to value – taking care of neighbors. It’s nothing quite like anything we’ve seen in all of our 12+ relocations over the years. We have just three neighbors along a stretch of about a mile on the road that serves our property. One neighbor (Philip) has been in the paving and excavating business and is a masterful operator of heavy equipment. Another neighbor (Brant) is a concrete finisher when he’s not delighting audiences singing country and classic rock. Somehow, they both discovered my garage ambition and offered to help. It wasn’t long before we had a site plan, pricing and timeline. We feel very well cared for here!

Tractor

Tractors are expensive! As is my custom, I thoroughly researched the topic: manufacturers, specifications, service requirements, dealership proximity, parts availability and price. I have to confess going into this with a John Deere bias. what I learned led me to look at other brands. Sadly, precious little in the compact tractor world is made in the US any longer. Deere rear end drivetrains, for example are manufactured in China and all the Deere-sponsored implements are made by a “portfolio of partners” meaning they source from the lowest bidder. I chose to take a risk on Branson, a Korean made tractor with a great reputation and a very close dealer who took great care of me. With nearly 50 hours on it, it’s been flawless so far. We purchase it with a 6-ft cutter (a.k.a. bush hog), a root grapple, pallet forks and an auger for drilling post holes (something we are going to be doing lots of with several thousand feet of fencing to build)  and of course, a bucket.
Since we sold our Miata convertable to fund the tractor purchase, the Branson’s Georgia Bulldog red paint scheme is a bonus.

Privet and Kudzu

It would be a fair question to ask, “Why would anyone with half a brain buy property with six acres of kudzu?” My only defense, we liked the rest of the property. If you’re not familiar with kudzu, run away! It is of the devil. Kudzu is an incredibly invasive species of broadleaf vine that grows roughly a foot per day in the summer. It climbs everything in its path and is very hard to kill. We have a hillside that appears to have had kudzu purposefully cultivated. Back in the day, foolish land owners planted kudzu for erosion control (encouraged by various federal agencies). Fools! It is our ambition to stop its spread next year and, with God’s grace, eradicate it over the next 5 years. Our plan involves goats, lots of mowing and herbicide. We will update you on our progress next year. A key challenge is the steep slope of the hillside.

Privet is not as bad as kudzu, but our property has lots of it. The good news, it is a very soft wood bush that is easy to cut and dig out. The bad news: birds eat the berries it produces and leave seeds throughout the landscape which beget more privet. We spent thousands on a professional forestry mulcher to destroy a few acres of it. It was a sight to behold! We could have him for another solid week if we could afford it. The rest will be up to us – and out trusty Branson.

Pond

Our poor pond! What we didn’t know when we bought the property is that our 1/2 – acre pond was never properly built. As a result, in heavy rains, it overflows and floods the pasture. When it’s not raining, the pond leaks, so the water level is constantly dropping. This week, after a dry summer, there might be two feet of water in the poor pond. Worse, the small creek that feeds the pond (which only flows after a good rain) got washed out in several places after a huge rain event last June.  Since the creek flows for a half mile through our woodlands, the water meant for the pond goes into other pastureland. It took months to find and employ “experts” to offer a remedy. $25k later, the creek is fixed and the pond overflow re-built and perimeter leveled. But the pond still leaks. That’s our next quest – and it  might be every bit as expensive as the first part.

3 thoughts on “The Real First Things First”

  1. Gary Claxton

    Love and miss you guys. Reading your blog has just worn me out! Looks like you’re doing a wonderful job but all those decisions would make my brain explode. Beautiful setting, beautiful work, beautiful friends, serving a beautiful Savior.

    Reply

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