Land Clearing in Piggott, AR

Land Clearing on Crowley's Ridge in Piggott

Piggott sits in eastern Clay County, on the eastern edge of Crowley's Ridge. The ridge crosses the county from southwest to northeast, and its cap is loess. Loess erodes very easily, which is why the ridge has so many steep slopes and deep valleys.

On loess, bare ground is the problem. The ridge's soils need a cover such as pasture grass or forest to fight severe erosion. When the drum mulcher grinds brush, saplings and small trees, the mulch stays where it falls and covers the ground. We look at the larger timber with you on the estimate.

In Piggott's early days, the area was dense forest broken only by scattered clearings. Clay County's timber industry peaked at the start of the twentieth century. Today the ridge woods are oak and hickory, with American beech, sugar maple and tuliptree mixed in. When wind or ice drops trees, storm cleanup means cutting them up and hauling them off.

What Grows Back on Clay County Farm and Hunting Land?

Crowley's Ridge also has wide areas of pasture, and cattle and horses are raised around Rector. Left alone, those pastures and their fence rows fill in with brush and saplings. How fast depends on the ground and what was cut before. Pasture and fence line clearing opens a fence row back up so a fence can be rebuilt.

Most of Clay County lies in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, the flat Arkansas Delta. Only about 22 percent of the county is upland, and the rest is bottomland. Farmers grow rice, cotton, wheat, soybeans and sorghum, and most businesses in early Piggott were tied to farming. On the flat ground, brush usually takes hold on ditch banks and field edges the mower misses.

Duck hunting is widespread in the Delta lowlands of western Clay County, a wintering ground for waterfowl. On hunting land, we cut shooting lanes and trails with the drum mulcher. Bush hogging each fall keeps tall grass, weeds, briars and light brush down. Around a house or shed in town, brush clearing takes out the thickets and vines.

Dirt Work and Gravel Driveways Around Piggott

Anyone who will dig or disturb the ground must contact Arkansas 811 first. The call costs nothing, and utility companies have two working days to locate their lines. Then the dirt work can start. We grade and level ground and spread fill dirt or topsoil with the skid steer.

On a ridge lot or flat farm ground, a gravel driveway needs a crown so water runs off. We spread and grade the gravel with the skid steer and fix potholes and washouts on older drives. A new entrance onto a county road or a state highway like US 49 may need a permit. The county road department or ARDOT sets that, and we point you to the right office.

From Monette to Piggott on US 49

We come over from Monette on AR 18 west to Lake City, then take AR 135 north to Paragould. From there, US 49 runs northeast about 32 miles to Piggott, through Rector. US 49 ends in Piggott, and US 62 runs through town as Main Street.

Piggott is one of Clay County's two county seats, with Corning 25 miles west on US 62. The Clay County Courthouse for the Eastern District is here, and Corning has the Western District courthouse. Piggott is also the northern end of the Arkansas stretch of the Crowley's Ridge Parkway, a National Scenic Byway.

Ernest Hemingway wrote parts of A Farewell to Arms during visits to his wife's parents' home in Piggott. The Chalk Bluff Natural Area in Clay County marks a Civil War skirmish fought on the ridge in May 1863.

Out in the county, we work around Rector, St. Francis, Pollard, Greenway, McDougal and Nimmons. St. Francis sits northeast of town on US 62, along the St. Francis River. We also work the roads around Knobel, Peach Orchard, Success, Datto and Scatterville.