How much does it cost to mow a meadow?

[CD]

I have a meadow which is too much work for our ride on mower.  It's gently undulating.  Probably about three acres.  Would I be charged by the acre or by the hour?  Any idea of cost.

I just had it cut by the farmer next door on his huge tractor.  Took him about and hour and a half.... but, it churned the ground up so don't really want to have him do it again.

I'm in 87.

[Porth]

Our guy charges per hour and we only have an acre.  Its normally some 20 euros or so with tax.  Not sure what prices prevail elsewhere in France.

[Dick Smith]

It depends on how many men. If two men mow a meadow it obviously costs more. If two men, one man and his dog Spot (and a bottle of pop) go to mow the meadow it costs a lot. If three men, two men one man and - I'll get my coat.

[Fmn]

Hi

 

If you've got three acres of undulating meadow, why treat it as an extended garden at all?  It would be cheaper in the long run and probably a lot more beautiful to plant a wildflower meadow, mow a series of paths through it where your ride-on can go, and then get the farmer to give it a cut after the flowers have died down (maybe beginning of July) when his tractor won't mess it up because the ground is too dry and then leave it.  It'll be exciting watching the flowers come up (buy a proper wild flower mix) and the birds and bees will love it.  Just a thought.

Fran

www.gasconyretreat.com

[Guerambault]

When we bought our house and land, the crop was maize. The year after the maize was cut huge weeds grew which we just couldn't tackle. Last year we asked a farmer to cut the fields - we have roughly 4+ acres - and he charged us by the hour. I think it cost 65€ and it took him just less than an hour.

This year the wild flowers and grass are beginning to come through. We have had loads of cowslips, star of bethlehem and now  broom so have delayed asking the farmer back until late June/July. I would rather do it myself but unfortunately I dont have anything to ride on. I only have Boadicea, our brush cutter, who cuts her way through anything if we are kind to her. I know the excerise would be good for me but it takes me ages and ages to do the bits the farmer can't get to!   Dorothy

[Fritz]

I've got about 10 acres which used to have cows on from time to time. A local farmer cuts it once a year. It takes about a day. He then spends another day haybobbing it and then comes and bales the lot into 30 or so roules of hay. Three/four day job in all, I guess. He doesn't charge anything but keeps the hay.The first year he engraised it and took two cuts. Since then he doesn't put down any fertiliser at all and only cuts late August/early September to let the seeds get away.

This year it's absolutely beautiful. Poppies, Ox-Eyes, buttercups, to name but a few, plus a dozen or so different grasses. We've cut paths thru it which are used by the deer and also dug up from time to time by wild boar.

[moon]

[quote]It depends on how many men. If two men mow a meadow it obviously costs more. If two men, one man and his dog Spot (and a bottle of pop) go to mow the meadow it costs a lot. If three men, two men one m...[/quote]

There coming to take you away aha....There coming to take you away :<)

[Dick Smith]

There coming to take you away aha....There coming to take you away :<)

Oh, please! Can't come fast enough!