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Greetings!
The Cahaba Tractor Great Deal Days is going on Monday, May 13 through Saturday, May 25! Everything's on sale at prices like you've never seen before. With the purchase of a 32hp or larger tractor, you get a chance to win a Kubota tool box valued at $1295!
Be sure to join us for our Open House Carnival on Saturday, May 25 from 8am-2pm. We'll have competitions to win prizes, activities for the kids, plus free food and drinks. You can even make a guess to win a new Kubota Zero-Turn Mower! Don't miss it!
In this month's Chewin' the Cud, read our step-by-step guide on
Creating Your Own Year-Round Deer Field.
Get to know Cahaba Tractor's newest sales team member, Mack Marsh, in Meet our Staff.
And, check out just a few of the many activities in Alabama this month in May Events. |
Don't Miss the
CAHABA TRACTOR Great Deal Days
May 13-25
Everything's on Sale!
Be sure to join us for our
Open House Carnival
on Saturday, May 25
8am-2pm
We'll have competitions and prizes, kids' activities and free food and drinks!
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Chewin' the Cud: The Cahaba Tractor Corner
Creating your Own
Year-Round Deer Field
If you've got the land, a little time to spare and the right equipment, you can create a year-round deer field of your own. Here are some easy steps to get you started:
1) Location, Location, Location
Choosing the right location for your field is a top priority. The size of your field depends on the amount of land available and how many deer are in the herd. Remember, the larger your field, the more that needs to be maintained and the harder it can be to hunt.
Look for an area that is accessible by RTV, so you can plant and maintain the crops and field. Ideally, the field should have dense cover and bedding areas close by where deer can escape. A good nearby water source will draw more deer or you can create your own water source. The site should have good soil and sunlight for growing and adequate drainage. Follow the route that deer take to find the best location for planting your field. An important rule of thumb is to map out your field before starting.
There are many design plans for a deer field available. The dog-leg or L-shaped design and the chicken foot-print or Y-shaped design tend to hold deer longer and offer them a good escape path. Your design, however, will ultimately depend on the size and location of your available land. Though you may need to make changes to adjust to how deer respond to it, having a plan will keep you from making a lot of costly mistakes early on.
2) Clearing the Land
After finding the right spot and mapping out the layout, cut and clear the land of excess trees and brush. Thinning out surrounding wooded areas allows more sunlight in, so grasses and brush can grow and provide dense cover.
After bush-hogging brush, mow the planting area.
3) Killing off Grass and Weeds
Once you've cleared away excess brush, spray the field with a grass and weed killer. Cahaba Tractor has a sprayer implement that attaches to your RTV or tractor.
 4) Testing the Soil
Taking a soil sample from about three different locations in your field will let you know what adjustments you may need to make before planting. The pH level should be between 6.5 and 7.5 for optimal growing conditions.
The Alabama Cooperative Extension Service and Auburn University offer a Soil Testing Laboratory that can test your soil for a nominal fee.
 5) Preparing the Field
While waiting on the soil test results, begin preparing the soil for planting. Using a disc implement, break up the soil to a depth of 4-6 inches. Remove any large rocks.
 6) Fertilizing the Soil
After the results from the soil test are returned, you can apply any liming, fertilizer or minerals that have been recommended. Using the spreader, liberally disperse the products as directed.
 7) Ready to Plant
Now that you've conditioned the soil, begin planting. Many hunters begin with clover or alfalfa, or a combination of both. Be careful not to overseed. Follow-up with a cultivator to ensure the seed is planted up to ¼ inch deep.
 8) Maintaining Your Field
When your field grows 12-14 inches in height, mow it down to 6-8 inches. This will thicken your field and provide the most nutrition. Mowing also helps to minimize weed growth.
When the weather turns dry and hot, reject the urge to mow as it will only stress the field. If you have planted a large field, mow half at a time, especially during hot, dry spells.
Once your field is established, fertilize every spring and fall with a 0-20-20 fertilizer. It's also a good idea to do a soil test yearly.
9) Adding Extras
Depending on your site and location, you can add salt licks or mineral licks to your field. Be sure to keep them apart by at least 10-20 feet and place them on the outer edges of your field, so you want have to move them when re-working the soil.
Experiment a little and add smaller food plots within your field with tasty treats deer love, like oats, carrots, beans and peas. These are usually annuals that have to be re-planted every year, but offer deer a good variety.
Decoys can attract deer to your field. A single decoy makes the field appear safe to area deer.
 10) Keep a Journal
In addition to mapping out your field layout for future planting, it's also important to keep a deer hunting journal. Stand locations, hunting blinds and deer harvest information are just a few of the notes to keep in your journal for future reference.
At Cahaba Tractor, we carry all the equipment and implements you need to get you on your way to creating your own deer field. Come and see us today. We're here to help you get the job done!
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There's still some planting to do this month before the weather gets hot, so pull on those gloves and get digging! Need help getting your equipment ready? Just contact our Service Department. We've got all the parts you need and a friendly staff to help. If you can't bring your tractor to us, our On-Site Field Service Truck will come to you. Call to set up your appointment today.
Come see us during our Great Deal Days, May 13-25. You'll find incredible prices on everything in stock. Also, don't forget our
Open House Carnival on Saturday, May 25. It's a great event for the whole family with food and prizes for everyone. We're looking forward to seeing you there!
Sincerely,
Cahaba Tractor Co.
2411 Hwy. 31 South
Pelham, AL 35124
(205) 663-1470
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May Events
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Millbrook
June 1-30
For more Alabama events, visit Home Sweet Home, the official travel site of Alabama. | |
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Why settle for less
when you can have
the best?
we make work seem like play!
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 Here'sMud
In
Your
Eye |
An old farmer wrote to his son in prison, "This year I won't be able to plant potatoes, because I can't dig the ground. I know if you were here, you would help me."
The son wrote, "Dad, don't think of digging the ground, because that's where I buried the guns."
Prison police read the letter. The very next day, they dug up the entire ground looking for the guns, but none were found.
The following day the son wrote, "Now go ahead and plant your potatoes, Dad. It's the best I could do from here."
--Anonymous | |
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Meet Our Staff...
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Mack Marsh is what you might call "a tractor guy." He sold his very first tractor at the budding age of 13 when his family owned and operated the Farmer's Gin and Tractor Company in Warrior, Alabama. Started by his grandfather in 1950, the business thrived until it finally closed its doors in 2007. Over the years, the company developed a reputation of providing service to its customers above and beyond tractors. "We were known as the information center. People would call us looking for answers to questions about just about anything you can think of," he said smiling.
The Mack family has a long history of storekeepers, dating back 100+ years. With a track record like that, he knows what it takes to provide good service and products to customers. "There's something special about a family-owned business," he said. "The people that own it have their lives and heart in it. They care about the business and the people they depend on." Mack sees many similarities in how his family ran their business and Cahaba Tractor. He emphasizes that having the owners at the store day in and day out makes a difference in the service customers receive. "A corporate-owned dealership has no heart and soul in it," added Mack. "They aren't there to get to know the customers and make decisions, like they are at Cahaba Tractor."
Mack enjoys being back at doing what he knows best. Working again in an environment that has that old familiar feel to it, has been rewarding. "This dealership is a fine dealership owned by fine Christian people," Mack said. "It's a blessing for me to be here." To Mack, selling top of the line products has been an added bonus. "Kubota's an excellent built tractor that is superior above any competition I know of," he said. "The sales, service and quality of the machines are the best. I should know. I sold the competition!"
he proclaimed.
Even now, many customers recognize Mack when they come through the doors. It also doesn't hurt that the proud grandfather of soon-to-be-nine grandchildren gets to continue working with family. We're not talking just his new Cahaba Tractor family, but Mack's daughter, Annie Dasis, who has worked as an administrative assistant with the company since 2009. "I enjoy what I'm doing," he said. "I was raised in this business, surrounded by family."
Life has come full circle for Mack, with a new twist. The location may be different, but it's like being home again. | |
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May
Gardening Guide | |
Vegetable Seeds: Plant tender and heat-loving vegetables. Start cold frames of cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and celery for fall planting.
Vegetable Plants: Continue to plant tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and sweet potatoes. Continue to plant herbs, like basil and cilantro.
Fruits and Nuts:
Continue to spray plants. Weed out grass around trees and strawberries. Peaches and apple trees can still be budded.
Annuals and Perennials:
Continue planting bedding plants. Check day lilies for insects.
Bulbs:
Continue to plant summer bulbs started in containers. Keep foliage on bulb plants. Do not remove. Keep tulips and spring flowering bulbs from forming seedheads.
Roses:
Check for insects and diseases. Spray or dust as needed. If you haven't tested the soil, now is a good time to do so. Fertilize monthly. Flowering container-grown plants can be planted. After climbing roses first bloom, prune bushes.
Shrubs:
Give extra care and attention to newly planted trees and shrubs.
When temperatures rise above 85 degrees Fahrenheit, do not use oil emulsion sprays.
Lawns:
This is a great time to start lawns from seeds. Water newly planted lawns as needed to prevent drying. Continue to water, fertilize and mow established lawns. Use proper herbicides to spray weeds.
Miscellaneous:
*Continue to mulch new shrub plantings to get ready for summer heat.
*Avoid drying out of new plantings of shrubs, trees and lawns. Water regularly.
*Check newly planted vegetables and herbs for signs of insects and treat as needed.
The gardening guide is based upon the USDA hardiness zones for Alabama.
The state zones are:
North Alabama - 7a
Birmingham area - 7b
South Alabama - 8a
Mobile area - 8b
For more gardening info, visit: | |
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Contact Us:
Cahaba Tractor Co.
2411 Hwy 31 South
Pelham, AL 35124
(205) 663-1470
sales@cahabatractor.com
Hours: 8:00am-5:00pm M-F
8:00am-12:00pm Sat. | |
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