Hidden Cattle Grazing Laws? (Sparta: 2013, lease, insurance)

[redbeardslady]

Hi.. we just bought some fenced land outside of Sparta, and an aquaintance is interested in letting his cattle graze on it. Can anyone tell me of any pro's and con's... I thought it would be fine as long as he's responsible for the cattle but I want to make sure there are no laws I'm unaware of pertaining to cattle "homesteading", so to speak.. just curious. I just don't want to make any silly mistakes.. please let me know what you think..

[alleycat]

Oh, I thought this was a post about invisible cows! ;-)

Seriously, as long as your property is zoned agriculture, I don't see a problem. People often get compensated for something like this, but that's up to you.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by alleycat

Oh, I thought this was a post about invisible cows! ;-)

Seriously, as long as your property is zoned agriculture, I don't see a problem. People often get compensated for something like this, but that's up to you.

My parents did that when they were in Tennessee. They let their neighbor use their excess land to let his cattle graze. In exchange, he gave them quite a bit of beef from those cows. Let me tell you, it was the best, most succulent, most tender beef I've ever tasted. It was definitely worth it!

(It also meant there was less land for my dad to mow.)

[alleycat]

Originally Posted by JMT

My parents did that when they were in Tennessee. They let their neighbor use their excess land to let his cattle graze. In exchange, he gave them quite a bit of beef from those cows. Let me tell you, it was the best, most succulent, most tender beef I've ever tasted. It was definitely worth it!

(It also meant there was less land for my dad to mow.)

Yep, with one caveat. Be sure you can trust the meat packer. They've been known to swap the meat with a steer of lesser qualify. Been there, done that.

[bbkaren]

"...Been there, done that."

Wow, AC, and you always seemed like such a nice, honest person! lol

[alleycat]

Originally Posted by bbkaren

"...Been there, done that."

Wow, AC, and you always seemed like such a nice, honest person! lol

No, I meant . . . I meant . . .

Oh, never mind. No one would believe me anyway.

[mbmouse]

Originally Posted by redbeardslady

Hi.. we just bought some fenced land outside of Sparta, and an aquaintance is interested in letting his cattle graze on it. Can anyone tell me of any pro's and con's... I thought it would be fine as long as he's responsible for the cattle but I want to make sure there are no laws I'm unaware of pertaining to cattle "homesteading", so to speak.. just curious. I just don't want to make any silly mistakes.. please let me know what you think..

This is a very common practice over here in North East TN as well. Like the others said, there is usually some type of friendly compensation that goes along with allowing cows to graze on your land. Some people sell the hay off there excess land as well by letting a neighboring farmer cut, bail and remove hay but there is usually money involved with that one, kind of like a land lease.

[redbeardslady]

Originally Posted by JMT

My parents did that when they were in Tennessee. They let their neighbor use their excess land to let his cattle graze. In exchange, he gave them quite a bit of beef from those cows. Let me tell you, it was the best, most succulent, most tender beef I've ever tasted. It was definitely worth it!

(It also meant there was less land for my dad to mow.)

Yes.. 40 acres seems may keep my hubby busy for a while on a regular basis if he had to mow it.. so the cow thing seemed logical. The man said he would be willing to "bushwhack" the property and keep an eye on it for us...I think thats what he called it. I know it had the word "whack" in it.. I just wanted to make sure there were no liability issues.. Living in SoCal you have to be really careful since there is a lawsuit around every corner it seems... If he volunteered to give us some beef, that would be great. Like I said, its more so that the grass doesn't get out of hand plus I like the idea that some cute, sweet cows are munching happily on our land. Thanks for your input though, especially about the switcheroo of the meat.. I guess there are dishonest people where-ever you go. By the way.. this may sound silly, but since we live in cement city, this doesn't come up.. When you walk around the fields, are ticks a big concern? I really am looking forward to walking around the property next time we come out, but kinda hesitant since someone mentioned to be careful of ticks, etc... Big problem? And what do you wear to keep them off?? Ignorant questions, I know..but its never been a concern before.

[2mares]

Readbeardlady
One thing you might address if he is going to graze his cows for any extended time is fertilizing the pasture. Also, sometimes if hay is put out in the field, undesirable weeds will begen to take over, so the pasture may need to be re-seeded if necessary.

You might need to put on bug spray, I prefer deet. There may be ticks, especially seed ticks which are very small and hard to see. Chiggers are another problem. So yes, I would definately spray around my boots and pant legs. These critter especially like new city blood!

[harry chickpea]

LOL! You don't bushwhack land, you bush-hog it. That invloves whacking down the grasses and scrub and whatever else is trying to grow there and take over.

If you don't have liability insurance on the property, get some. It is cheap, and can save your butt. In the old days, grazing or haying deals were handshake deals. If you aren't fully integrated into the community, you would be better off with a short written agreement, like "I agree to let Joe Blow graze his cattle on my property in 2008 provided I have no responsibility for what harm may befall them, and that he keeps the fences and field in good repair. In return, he will give me a cut and packaged side of beef in the fall of 2008."
You don't want someone to be able to claim adverse possession, or sue you for a dead cow that has eaten a poisonous weed or been cut on an old scrap of metal shed.

Ticks are a huge problem at some times of the year. Spring is especially bad, and the best advice is long pants, long sleeve shirt, and a tick inspection before bed at night. Farmers generally sit high enough up on tractors and equipment that they aren't as bothered, and you won't generally find them aimlessly wandering fields during tick season.