Land Management

At Dalla Terra Ranch we are working hard to restore our land to the most natural, and preservation minded conditions possible. We work with naturalists, native seed growers, researchers, and native restoration consultants to be sure our vision aligns with nature. Some of our efforts include:

Native Prairie Restoration
In the Fall of 2010 we will be preparing the soil and seeding native prairie species on a 7 acre section of our ranch. This area includes road frontage at the entrance of the farm. Once established, we will experiment with grazing our ewes on this area as the ewes are drying up late in the season.

We discovered another 1 acre area on the farm which has native prairie remnants still in existence. We have been aggressively mowing this area and will burn this fall in hopes to see a nice re-emergence of this section next spring.

In both areas where we are working on prairie restoration we cleared out the invasive, non-indigenous tree and brush species. All native hardwood trees were preserved and we are anxious to see how their canopy expands now as they are allowed to “breath”. Look for before and after photos as our progress continues!

Oak Savannah Restoration
In September 2010, we aggressively cleared non-indigenous tree and brush species from a 2 acre draw which shows amazing potential. This area has a beautiful little stream running through it which we hope to highlight in the future with a walking path and benches. The ranch is blessed with many waterways which over the next 5-10 years we hope to get cleaned up/opened up.

Wetlands
While there are no official wetlands on the ranch by definition (continuous moisture, wetland soils, wetland species) we have several areas which are continuously wet with native wetlands species. We are removing non-wetlands species from these areas and preserving the appropriate species. They really add a beautiful aesthetic element to the ranch as you tour around.

Plum Thicket
Like a fresh plum or plum jam? We do…and fortunately our native plum thicket is healthy and thriving. The plums offer a tasty treat in mid-September. The thicket was immersed in a dense growth of locust and willow trees which we have since cleared away.

Wild Raspberries
Plenty of wild fruit around the farm as well…we need to do more research on these to see how we can best manage the plants. A wonderful mid-summer snack for all! Unfortunately they are held captive by quite a bit of shrub over growth at the moment.

Black Walnut Trees
Quite a few mature black walnut trees grace the property and provide much appreciated shade in the summer months. A bit sharper in flavor, we haven’t yet found a use for the abundant nutmeats.