Along with being a new pond owner, I also have 20 acres of land to go with it. I've got a few ideas on some things I want to do such as an orchard and using the large open field for either pasture/hay or small livestock. The land is in pretty bad shape right now and has a huge amount of prickly pear cactus on it that I know I must get rid of before it is fit for use for anything. Anyone have a sure fire method for killing the stuff?
I mapped out my plans on a Google earth image which is posted below. We just purchased a MF1233 compact 4wd tractor with the front end loader and a box blade. We have a 5 ft bush hog attachment coming Monday. The tractor itself is probably not heavy enough for any real farming and we would like to try to get by without buying $20,000 in attachments. I'm sure there are some essentials that we need and would love to know what they are so that I can look out for them at the farm auction. Please share your knowledge.
I'd welcome any advice/ideas any of you can offer on small scale farming. I've marked the future site of our house and barn on the photo as well to give you an idea of the lay of the land. The area around the house and pond are primarily mature hardwoods, mostly water oaks.
Thanks for the help!
