Eric Thompson

Mathew Trotter wrote:There's literally a flood advisory. In June. We don't even get rain in June! I don't even understand this climate anymore...

In May and June there is snowpack melt.  When there is a burst of rain, that fills the rivers AND increases the snowpack melt so the rivers that drain this can get high.  Our well on the Columbia River bottom lands is fully artesian now, running out of the wellhead!

We band our own and I think this is easy for a small operator to do.  The small bander with the small bands is fine for calves up to 4 months old or so - we band as soon as practical.
We also have a large bander with the rings for older animals, annd those bands are also fairly effective for removing large horns without a lot of trauma.

I don't have experience with the Callicrate banders.

A related joke my father always told: If you want to be a cattleman, you need to learn enough math to count to 2.

I have a bridge crossing a drainage slough on my property and after a few years of open access I closed the gate on it.  The next day a deer fawn had been taken down by coyotes at the gate..

You can graft another plum onto that -- it's best to pick one that is a good pollinator match if you can, the the remaining branches may start fruiting better.  
To graft, select one of the large branches and cut it, then do a "cleft graft" with another variety.  

The lack of fruit may be from the variety (some ornamental plums are more flowering than fruiting), the pollination availability (if nothing compatible is nearby) or just the season and conditions (too cold and rainy for the bees when it flowers)

The grafting part needs a lot more detail than what I outlined, but it will be a fun project if you can research your way through it.

Opening up in April at $1200/month - would love to find someone that also integrates into surrounding 100 acre farm.

Quiet location at end of road. 3BR/1BA older house on large lot with fenced yard, chicken house, space for gardening, parking.
Surrounded by operating cattle farm - possible work trade for portion of rent: agriculture, construction, mechanic...
Possible space for animals, ag business...

Purple Moosage me for more details or questions.

Does the neighborhood agreement also prohibit "pet" pigs like a kunekune?  They are not very destructive if you have your garden crops isolated or raised.

I think the nutritional and sugar content of 12" RCG should be pretty good.  I'm not sure about the digestion, but soft green blade grass is always going to run through cattle looser than with tough stalks or hay.  

Is there a lot of rush grass growing in there also?

And the wet lowlands will be more difficult for some worms and parasites like liver fluke, so make sure you have some regular controls for your local populations.

K Ryder wrote:

Ive been looking for land to run a no till restoration Agriculture farm in Lewis County for years, but it seems like the only land that ever makes it to the public listing sites is incredibly overpriced (per acre, talking about raw land or old farms here rather than fancy estates)

There is quite a bit going through the market for timber land and old dairy farms in the 50-100 acre range.  You can look at what actually sells to see where market price is, and you can look at what doesn't sell to see what is overpriced.  Certainly almost everything is expensive these days!

There is a LOT of regulation on stocking carp, so that also means that public sources of breeding carp are hard to find and risky to use.  Most wildlife operations for carp will get a permit and then buy and stock only sterile fish (triploid) which are very expensive.

If you determine you can ignore regulations, just catching some in local ponds can work -- the wildlife dept even conveniently tells you ponds with known invasive carp.
If you have trouble, I can let you know some side waters of the Columbia river where grass carp can be found.

I would say definitely:
perennial ryegrass
orchardgrass
white clover

probaby:
birdsfoot trefoil
timothy grass

maybe:
chicory
fescue grass
alfalfa

If you find a good pasture mix, you can just pour and spread -- you will only need half as much seed if you have access to a no-till drill, but for just 5 acres you can spread 100-150# of seed whenever you think it needs a jolt in spring or fall.  
You can locally pick up someehtin like:
https://www.outsidepride.com/seed/pasture-seed/pasture-grasses/all-purpose-pasture-seed-mix.html