Field management

[bex25]

I currently rent a private field of 4 acres for my two horses ,which I have split it into 3 paddocks. The grazing is pretty poor & although grass is growing its mainly in clumps & there are alot of weeds & newly lots of ragwort. I am spraying & removing the ragwort but it keeps coming back.
I am looking to move my horses off the land for a few weeks whilst I get someone in to spray the whole field & then fertilise it, to kill the weeds & promote grass growth.
First of all is this the right action to be taking?
Secondly should I be the one paying for all this? We have been renting 6 months & before us the field was over grazed & never cleaned. When not in use the owner just cut the grass. I am sure if the field was left like this in a few years no one would be able to use it. Is it cheeky to ask him to contribute towards it if its for his benefit as well as ours?

 

[BigRed]

Who pays for the management of the grazing really depends on what deal you have with the owner. I rent very cheap grazing because I have to provide the electric fence and water. The farmer rolls and harrows it and I give him a bottle of scotch as a thank you.

Renting poor quality grazing is not really cost effective, but if there is nothing else available, or nothing as convenient, you really need to talk to the owner to clarify exactly who is responsible for what costs. If you get the field sorted out properly, it will make a huge difference in how much grass you get, and that saves money in feed.

 

[Destiny95]

Instead of asking the owner to contribute to the cost of spraying 'by putting their hand in their pocket' you could ask for a contribution another way.... You could ask for a 'guarantee' of renting the land for a period so that you know that your hard work isn't going to benefit someone else in a couple of weeks time if you got moved off. It's nice to have a bit of security! Or you could ask for a reduction in the rent to offset some of your investment in the land?