top of page
Call Us Now : 720-730-4040
All Posts


Before the First Hard Freeze: A Late-October Winterization Checklist for Colorado Acreage Owners
Late October is a good time to walk your property with winter in mind. Around Parker and across the Front Range, mild afternoons can turn into freezing nights quickly, and the first snow can make a small repair much harder to reach. At Back 40 Acres, we bring a lifetime of agricultural knowledge and decades of customer service experience to acreage management. This checklist covers practical ways to protect water systems, fences, equipment, pasture and new seedings before win

Rion Buswell
8 hours ago5 min read


Fall Mowing on Colorado Acreage: When to Mow, When to Leave It, and Why 6 Inches or Taller Matters
By mid-October, many Parker-area landowners are asking the same question: Should I mow the pasture before winter, or leave it standing? The answer depends on what’s growing, what the soil can handle, and what you need your property to do through the colder months. At Back 40 Acres, our recommendations come from a lifetime of agricultural expertise rooted in our family farm, plus decades of customer service experience. We help Colorado property owners make practical pasture ma

Rion Buswell
Oct 145 min read


Acreage Mowing vs. Brush Hogging: Which Is Right for Your Overgrown Colorado Lot This Fall?
Back 40 Acres has spent a lifetime around working land. Our agricultural knowledge began on a family farm and grew through decades of customer service and hands-on acreage management. We understand that Colorado properties are not all the same, and neither are the machines needed to care for them. Around Parker and the Front Range, early October is an important time to look at overgrown acreage. Tall weeds, dry grass, saplings, and accumulated debris can become a winter eyeso

Rion Buswell
Oct 56 min read


Grazing Into Winter: How to Stockpile Grass and Protect Your Colorado Pasture Before the Ground Freezes
At Back 40 Acres, we have spent a lifetime around working land, equipment, livestock, and the changing conditions of Colorado’s climate. That experience has taught us one important lesson: late September and early October are not the time to coast on pasture maintenance. This is the make-or-break window for preparing your acreage for winter and next spring. Decisions made now affect root reserves, soil protection, weed pressure, and how quickly your grass can recover when the

Rion Buswell
Sep 307 min read


Fall Erosion Control in Colorado: How to Protect Your Soil Before Winter Hits
Colorado property owners often think of spring runoff as the main erosion threat. Around Parker and across the Front Range, however, fall can be the highest-risk erosion season of the year. By September, summer drought, heat, grazing, and mowing may have left parts of a pasture thin or bare. Then a sudden fall storm can drop hard rain on heavy clay soil that has little plant cover. Before winter arrives, dry wind can carry away exposed topsoil from dormant fields and open acr

Rion Buswell
Sep 236 min read


Dormant Seeding in Colorado: Why Late Fall Is the Smartest Time to Plant Your Pasture
Colorado pasture owners know that timing matters. Our growing season can be short, moisture can be unpredictable, and one dry spring can make a difficult field even harder to reclaim. At Back 40 Acres, we bring a lifetime of agricultural knowledge from our family farm, decades of customer service experience, and a practical understanding of Colorado’s changing elevations and extreme climate. One of the most useful tools we recommend for many cool-season pastures is dormant se

Rion Buswell
Sep 166 min read


September Pasture To-Do List for Colorado Landowners: Soil Tests, Overseeding, and the 6-Inch Rule
September is Colorado’s pivot month. Summer stress is beginning to ease, cool nights are returning, and the soil is still warm enough for cool-season grasses to catch a second growth window before winter dormancy. That window does not stay open for long. For landowners around Parker and across the Front Range, the work you do this month can determine how well your pasture handles winter, how much grass returns next spring, and whether weeds such as cheatgrass gain another foo

Rion Buswell
Sep 97 min read


Cheatgrass in Colorado: Why Fall Is the Window to Stop It Before It Takes Over
Meta description: Learn why late August through September is the critical window for cheatgrass control in Colorado, fire mitigation, pasture maintenance, and long-term land reclamation. SEO keywords: weed control colorado, cheatgrass, fire mitigation, pasture maintenance, land reclamation services At Back 40 Acres, our land-management knowledge began on a family farm and grew through a lifetime of agricultural experience and decades of customer service. We know Colorado acre

Rion Buswell
Sep 27 min read


Fall Pasture Prep in Colorado: Aeration, Overseeding, and the 6-Inch Rule That Saves Your Soil
At Back 40 Acres, we have spent a lifetime around working land. Our agricultural knowledge began on our family farm and has grown through decades of customer service and hands-on acreage management. We understand what Colorado property owners are up against: heavy clay, dry wind, sudden storms, intense sun, limited moisture, and a growing season that can change quickly. For landowners in Parker, Elbert County, and across the Front Range, late August through September is an im

Rion Buswell
Aug 266 min read


Your Late-Summer Pasture Checkup: How to Assess, Restore, and Prep for Fall in Colorado
At Back 40 Acres, we have spent a lifetime working with land. Our agricultural knowledge comes from generations on a family farm, along with decades of customer service experience. We understand what Colorado acreage faces each year: intense sun, dry spells, sudden storms, heavy clay, livestock traffic, and a short growing season. By mid-August, the worst of summer heat is beginning to ease. That makes now an important time to check your pasture, correct problems, and prepare

Rion Buswell
Aug 196 min read


The Practical Guide to Land and Pasture Management: Thriving in Colorado’s Unique Climate
If you own acreage, horse property, or a residential lot here along the Front Range and around Parker, you already know that Colorado doesn't follow the gardening or landscaping rules of the Midwest or the East Coast. Between our intense altitude, blistering sun, unpredictable freeze-thaw cycles, and sudden drought spells, managing land can feel like an uphill battle. At Back 40 Acres, our roots run deep: grounded in a lifetime of agricultural experience on our family farm. O

Rion Buswell
Aug 124 min read


How to Aerate and Prepare Heavy Clay Soil for Fall Seeding in Colorado
If you own medium-to-large acreage in Parker or anywhere along the Colorado Front Range, you already know the frustration of working with heavy clay soil. By the time late summer rolls around, that ground can bake until it feels less like a pasture and more like a sun-baked dirt lot. If you've been eyeing patchy spots, thin turf, or bare ground and wondering how you're ever going to get grass to grow, you are not alone. At Back 40 Acres, our approach is rooted in a lifetime o

Rion Buswell
Aug 54 min read


Chemical vs. Biocontrol Weed Management: What Works Best for Colorado Pastures Right Now
It’s late July in Colorado, and if you’re looking out over your acreage right now, you’re likely seeing two things: sun-scorched golden grass and resilient, stubborn weeds. This is peak drought season. For landowners in Parker, Elizabeth, and across the Front Range, the urge to do something about those weeds is strong. You might be reaching for the heavy-duty sprayer or wondering if there's a better way to handle the thistles and knapweed without turning your pasture into a c

Rion Buswell
Jul 295 min read


Why Your Colorado Pasture Needs Fall Cover Crops (And Why August Is the Time to Plant)
If you’ve lived in Colorado long enough, you know that by late July, our pastures often start to look less like a "field" and more like a "dirt lot." The summer heat waves and the high-altitude sun can be brutal on our native grasses. Many landowners around Parker and the Front Range look at their brittle, yellowing acreage this time of year and think, "Well, I’ll just wait until next spring to fix it." As someone who has spent a lifetime on a family farm and decades helping

Rion Buswell
Jul 245 min read


Why Regenerative Seeding Will Change the Way You Manage Drought Stress
If you own a medium-to-large property around Parker or the surrounding Front Range, you know the "dirt lot" feeling all too well. One minute, you have a decent field of grass; the next, a dry spell hits, and you’re looking at cracked soil, patchy weeds, and a pasture that looks more like a construction site than a piece of Colorado heritage. In our lifetime of managing Colorado land: rooted in our own family farm: we’ve seen plenty of folks try to "chemical" their way out of

Rion Buswell
Jul 225 min read


15 Tips to Help Your Pasture Survive a Colorado Heatwave
If you’ve lived in Colorado for more than a single season, you know our weather doesn't just change: it attacks. We go from a late spring blizzard to a 95-degree afternoon in what feels like a blink. For those of us managing medium-to-large acreages in places like Parker, Elizabeth, or Castle Rock, these heatwaves are more than just uncomfortable; they are a direct threat to the health of our land. When the sun beats down and the humidity drops to nothing, your pasture can qu

Rion Buswell
Jul 154 min read


5 Steps to Restore an Overgrazed Pasture and Boost Horse Health (Easy Guide for Parker Landowners)
If you’ve spent any time looking out over your horse property in Parker or along the Front Range lately, you might notice something frustrating. That lush, green field you imagined when you bought the place looks more like a "dirt lot" with a few patches of weeds. It happens to the best of us. Colorado’s extreme climate, paired with our heavy clay soils and the natural grazing habits of horses, makes maintaining a healthy pasture a constant battle. But here’s the truth: an ov

Rion Buswell
Jul 84 min read


Why Your Weed Control Colorado Isn't Working (And How to Fix It During a Drought)
If you’ve lived in Colorado for more than a single season, you know our weather isn't just "dry": it’s unpredictable, intense, and often downright harsh on the land. One week we’re celebrating a late spring snowmelt, and the next, we’re staring at a parched "dirt lot" that was supposed to be a lush pasture. But here’s the kicker: even when the grass stops growing, the weeds don’t. In fact, it seems like the drier it gets, the more those thistles, kochia, and cheatgrass thrive

Rion Buswell
Jun 245 min read


Looking For Weed Control in Colorado? Here Are 10 Things You Should Know About Noxious Weeds
If you’ve lived in Douglas County for a while, you know that managing a few acres isn't just about owning land: it’s about a constant, seasonal dance with the elements. Between the extreme Colorado heat, the sudden spring snows, and the relentless wind, our local landscape is tough. But there is one challenge that frustrates Parker landowners more than almost any other: noxious weeds. I grew up on a family farm, and I’ve spent my life watching how weeds can take over a beauti

Rion Buswell
Jun 195 min read


How to Choose the Best Drought-Resistant Mix for Pasture Seeding (Compared)
If you live in Colorado, you know the drill. One week it’s a blizzard, the next week it’s 90 degrees with a wind that feels like a blow-dryer on high. For landowners around Parker, Elizabeth, and Castle Rock, keeping a pasture looking like a pasture: and not a dusty dirt lot: can feel like a full-time job you didn't apply for. When people call us for land reclamation services, the first question is usually: "What grass can actually survive here without a million-dollar water

Rion Buswell
Jun 175 min read
bottom of page