Soon, the leaves will change color, the birds will fly South, squirrels will hide acorns and the grass will slip into a dormant state of rest.

Once this pattern begins - in late September in the Northern climates, mid to late October in the Central states - you can throw the cover over your lawnmower and call it a season. It’s going to be several months before the grass needs cutting again.

But when it does, you want to be ready. So take the time now to do a little maintenance on your lawnmower. Here’s a checklist to follow:

* Drain oil from the engine and replace with new oil. Old oil contains moisture and acids that will pit bearings and other engine parts, so it’s important to change oil prior to storage. Run the engine to warm the oil first. More of the dirty oil and contaminants will come out if it’s warm. Replace with new oil of the type recommended in your owner’s manual. Most (or many) recommend Straight S.A.E. 30W.

* Stabilize Fuel. Fuel can deteriorate in as little as 60 days, causing gum and varnish build-up in engines and resulting in hard starting, poor performance and reduced engine life. To prevent this from happening, add STA-BIL Fuel Stabilizer to your tank.

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Tags: belts,deteriorate,dirty_oil,dormant_state,drain_oil,Farm and Field,filter_foam,fresh,fuel_stabilizer,grass,lawnmower,lithium_grease,new_oil,northern_climates,paper_filter,sta_bil
Categories: Farm and Field
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by Stephanie Smith

Historically, all of our farm was prairie land with little or no trees. Few prairie species remained when we bought the farm in 1995. In keeping with the spirit of renovating the old farmhouse and smokehouse, we decided to restore some of natural history of the farm. This meant reintroducing prairie species on 10 acres. We also are reintroducing wetland species to a marsh that was enlarged from a wet swale that still had wetland plants. Aquatic plants have also been planted in each of our four ponds. Seed sources of the plants have been limited to the northern half of Missouri in most cases. This is an attempt to preserve the local genetics for each type of plant, rather than importing genetics from another region or state. Plants from our region are generally more adapted to local conditions. Each year more remnant prairie and marsh populations are lost, especially along roadsides and along railroad tracks and from the effects of urbanization and intensive agricultural practices.

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Tags: grass,grazing,pasture,pond,prairie,species,topsoil,wetlands
Categories: Farm and Field, Livestock, Wildlife
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