The best way to deal with grass

[incahoots]

Hello! I have recently purchased 5 acres that eventually I would like to turn into permaculture. What is the best way to go about getting rid of all of my grass? Yesterday I hand turned a small bed and it was backbreaking!

[KarenZone3A]

Ouch your back must be killing you.
There is equipment for that big of a job. 5 acres is a lot of grass. impossible by hand, really difficult with horse and plow (LOL)....better with machinery.
suggest a sod ripper which undercuts grass roots and strips off top 2 inches of sod (can rent one) and then mechanically plowing/rototilling (can also be rented) the beds after adding some ammendments like manure,compost, peat, straw, sand ,etc.

Bonus: you do not have to waste the sod. you can compost it all (pile it dirt-side-up) in a big pile,moisten it and cover it with black plastic so it heats and it will make a beautiful addition to your beds next year or the year after..

forgot to add you would need to mow the grass short , remove any rocks etc before using the sod ripper. I would suggest to not try and tackle it all at once but go bed by bed instead so that you can ammend the soil in smaller plots rather than trying to do the whole acreage at once.
good luck with your project, it sounds exciting.