Site Preparation & Dirt Work
Building pads, grading, leveling, and drainage shaping — stable, well-drained ground ready for construction, agriculture, or recreation.
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Most calls for skid steer services start with a list instead of one big job. There is a storm brush pile, a rutted lane, a heap of rock and a fence line lost to briars. Each job feels too small to hire out alone, so the list sits. Meanwhile the brush spreads and the ruts get deeper.
We work that list across Northeast Louisiana with a compact track loader, the tracked member of the skid steer family. Its grapple and bucket handle debris and dirt, and its forestry mulching head handles brush. It is the everyday side of our site preparation and dirt work. The same loader spreads and packs the fill for a new house pad.
Put a wheeled machine on wet ground and it cuts ruts. Extension soil guides warn that driving on wet soil causes rutting, slipping and deep compaction. Each pass sinks the tires deeper, and the ruts hold water. The soft spot grows, and the job list gets longer.
On the floodplain side of Richland Parish, waxy clay runs along Bayou Lafourche. The Macon Ridge, on the parish's east side, is mainly silt loam. Near Tallulah, the Mississippi River floodplain holds heavy clay such as Sharkey. USDA soil scientists describe Sharkey as very slow to drain, on slopes mostly under 1 percent.
That clay sets the calendar. In normal years its top layer stays saturated from December through April, so winter work takes planning.
A compact track loader rides on two long tracks instead of four tires. Extension guides list tracks as a way to spread the load over a larger footprint, which cuts compaction. Tracks also grip better than tires.
The grapple picks up limbs and storm debris and piles them where you want them. It does most of the lifting in cleanup after a storm. The forestry mulching head grinds brush and small trees in place to open fence lines and shooting lanes. On bigger tracts, the same work leads into full land clearing and reclamation.
The bucket spreads dirt and rock that a supplier's truck delivers. We shape and track-pack it, whether that means crowning a lane or building up a gravel driveway. The tractor, with its disc harrow and rotary cutter, handles field work such as food plot ground prep.
Some jobs need a dozer or excavator crew, and we tell you when that is the case. Digging a pond or a deep trench calls for an excavator or a dozer. Heavy push work calls for a dozer. Moving material off the property takes a dump truck, which is a separate hire.
Ditch shaping and setting a driveway culvert usually fit the loader. A crossing with a deep cut or a large pipe may need an excavator crew instead. The details are on our drainage and culvert installation page.
Start with the job list, written down and ranked, so the most important work gets done first. We go over it with you on the free on-site estimate. We trailer the loader in, so we need a firm way in for a truck and trailer. Room to unload and turn around helps.
If dirt or rock is coming, choose the dump spot before the truck arrives. A spot close to the work, on firm ground, saves carrying time. If the job breaks ground, utilities get marked through Louisiana 811 first.
Free, no-obligation site evaluations across Northeast Louisiana.
(318) 235-7597Real footage from our own jobs and flights, in Mike's own words.
“Another homesite cleared and a step closer to construction.”Mike Martien
A walk through a freshly cleared homesite under standing timber: the understory cleared, the ground finished, and the lane opened so construction can follow.
See More From the FieldMike owns and improves his own land — adding roads, ponds, food plots, and habitat. We treat your property the way we treat ours: practical, durable, and built to last.
Led by a nationally recognized land specialist with America’s Land Partners ($52.5M+ sold). Every improvement is made with usability, marketability, and long-term property value in mind.
Hands-on USDA and NRCS habitat experience — food plots, shooting lanes, and deer management designed around how game actually uses your land.
Part 107 certified aerial imagery, property mapping, and drone-based deer herd analysis — insight few land-improvement companies can offer.
Based in Northeast Louisiana and licensed across LA, AR & MS with America’s Land Partners — deep regional knowledge of the land, the soil, and the market.
Fully insured for your protection and peace of mind — your property, your project, and your investment are covered from the first pass to the final grade.
Mike Martien, a nationally recognized land specialist with America's Land Partners, knows how a cleared, usable tract shows to buyers. So each track loader day gets planned around what your land is for next. The job list gets settled on the free on-site estimate, before the machine goes on the trailer.
From the first call to the final pass, here’s exactly what working with us looks like.
Fill out our quick estimate form or give us a call. Tell us about your property and what you’re trying to accomplish.
We walk the ground with you, assess the conditions, and talk through the best plan for your land — clearing, improvements, habitat, and access.
You get a straightforward plan and a free, no-obligation estimate — viewed through the lens of usability, wildlife, and long-term value.
Our crew arrives ready to clear, shape, and improve your property with the care of a fellow landowner — and leave it ready for what’s next.
Common questions about skid steer services across Northeast Louisiana. Don’t see yours? Give us a call — we’re happy to help.
Skid Steer Services is one of the specialty services inside Site Preparation & Dirt Work.
Building pads, grading, leveling, and drainage shaping — stable, well-drained ground ready for construction, agriculture, or recreation.
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New recreational, fishing, livestock, and ag ponds built — and existing ponds cleaned out and reshaped — sited and shaped to hold water and last.
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Driveway culverts, ditches, swales and drainage grading that get standing water off flat Delta ground so pads, roads, plots and pastures stay usable.
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House pads, shop pads and barn pads built up with delivered fill, crowned to drain, and ready for the slab.
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Brush, trees, and years of overgrowth cleared and reclaimed — turning unusable acreage back into open, accessible ground that is worth more.
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Access roads, gravel driveways, interior trails, and culvert crossings — all-weather access that makes your land usable and more valuable.
Learn MoreReal words from clients who’ve trusted Mike with their land as a land specialist with America’s Land Partners — the same care and work ethic he brings to every Big Cypress project.
“Mike Martien secured my real estate sale through very difficult circumstances. He went above and beyond what would be expected of any agent. Anyone would be in the best of hands letting Mike work for you and with you.”
“We’ve known Mike for over 30 years. His work ethic and knowledge are exceptional. He’s passionate about helping others, trustworthy, and puts his client’s needs first. We highly recommend him to anyone working with land.”
“Mike has lifelong experience dealing with land management and development. His experience shows in researching current trends and values. For the most appropriate valuations and ease of sales, he can’t be beat.”
Ready to improve, enjoy, or get more value out of your land in Northeast Louisiana? Reach out for a free, no-obligation consultation — and put a fellow landowner’s experience to work on your property. Buying or selling? Mike wears that hat too, as a land specialist with America’s Land Partners.
