Planting Food Plot

[Briarwood]

If my CPR offer is approved, I will be required to plant a 0.4 acre food plot in the CPR field. I have a Kobota B2710 tractor. What implements will I need for the job? Crops allowed include corn, sorghum, millets, buckwheat, or a mix available from the DNR. Plot will be approx 100' x 200'. USDA instructions say, "drill or plant into firm seedbed or broadcast over established seed bed with light discing/cultipacking." I sharecrop with a local farmer that no-till plants my 40 acre field. It is too difficult to get his big equipment into the CRP field, so asking him to plant the food plot is not an option. I assume for planting a small food plot that the implements needed for ground preparation and broadcasting the seed is cheaper than drill/planter. I am leaning to the corn or sorghum or mix to attract the most species of wildlife. What is the best way to plant and what implements will I need that will fit my B2710? I appreciate any input.

Briarwood

 

[BB_TX]

We plant an acre food plot where we deer hunt. We have done it 2 ways. We have used a tiller to completely till the plot. Then we broadcast oats using a pull behind fertilizer broadcast spreader that I use to fertilize my yard. Then ran the tiller over it again. However, last year we used a disc instead. Pulled the disc over the plot. Used a PTO driven broadcast spreader. Then pulled the disc over the plot again. Both methods worked well. However, the fact that the plot had been tilled the previous years made the disc work much easier than it would have on virgin ground.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Hello--We are selling a lot of the older seed drills for that application nationwide--prices are under $1000 used + shipping--We have 5 in stock currently 7-8 ft--no hydraulices are required on most of these units--Another way many of my customers are putting in these small CRP plots is by moldboard plowing ($350) then prepare with a disc harrow ($450), followed by, seeding with a broadcast seeder ($289) and lastly, discing the seed in and or maybe use a culltipacker (From $350 up)---The other alternative is to rototill ($1075) then overseed with broadcast seeder then lightly rototill seed in or cultipacker sometimes used---A big ATV pulling a disc harrow is also a option--Hope this gives you some general ideas of what others are doing in similar situations--Ken Sweet
Sweet Farm Equipment Co *Since 1977*

 

[MarkV]

I would think that a tiller would be just the thing for that size area. Get a soil test, add soil amendments required, till it all, drag it smooth with a section of old fence or something similar and plant your seed. You could about hand sow the seed for that size area.

Can you explain the process, requirements and benefits of the CPR approval? I have heard of it but don't fully understand.

MarkV

 

[WVBill]

What is "CPR"? I did a Google search and got thousands of hits refering to crop circles in Canada /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation!

That's what you need when you find out how much it will cost to participate in the program /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

John

 

[rdln]

Conservation Reserve Program, The government pays farmers not to farm, mostly to keep supply down and prices up but with the disguise of "doing it for the animals" thats my take on it, I am bitter about the topic because I wasnt aware of it until it was to long after my place went out of production, the check I would have got woulda just about paid my taxes.

Anyways you could get by with what you have, brushhog, maybe do some raking and rip up ground with boxblade teeth (alot) broadcast and cover up with the chain link fence.

But by all means pump some money into the economy and buy the tiller, broadcaster whatever.

 

[gobbler]

It's actually CRP (Conservation Reserve Program)

From the internet.......

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The Conservation Reserve Program is a voluntary program for agricultural landowners. Through CRP, you can receive annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish long-term, resource conserving covers on eligible farmland.
The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) makes annual rental payments based on the agriculture rental value of the land, and it provides cost-share assistance for up to 50 percent of the participant’s costs in establishing approved conservation practices. Participants enroll in CRP contracts for 10 to 15 years.
The program is administered by the CCC through the Farm Service Agency (FSA), and program support is provided by Natural Resources Conservation Service, Cooperative State Research and Education Extension Service, state forestry agencies, and local Soil and Water Conservation Districts )</font>

Jim

 

[Briarwood]

Thanks for the input. Darn computer misspelled again. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif CPR is what I needed before by open heart surgery six months ago. CRP is the federal government Conservation Reserve Program as explained by gobbler. I am a newbie when it comes to farming and have used by B2710 for mowing (hogging) and maintaining my lane with a boxblade and that's about it. The local farmer I am sharecropping with does not want to plant the small field anymore because some of it floods and he has difficulty getting his large equipment in there. I have wanted to provide better cover and conditions for wildlife on the farm but just didn't know quite where to start, etc.

I decided to look into the CRP possibility since I have been reading so much about the CRP signup under the new farm bill. I was able to sign up part of the acerage under the continuous program as a filter strip because a small creek lies along one side of the field. There, I will be planting a mixture of prarie grasses, forbes and legumes. I buy the seed from the Soil & Water Conservation people and the Division of Wildlife will loan me a Truax drill for initial planting of the filter strip. I will get annual payment based on average rent for the soil involved plus they pay me 1/2 of my cost to plant. BTW, I think a requirement is that the land eligible for CRP must have been planted in crops for 4 of the last 6 years. You can find all the details at the Farm Service Agency web site http://www.fsa.usda.gov I had to apply for the general signup for the rest of my field because it is too far from the creek to qualify for a filter strip. General signup ends May 30. There are limited funds available for the general program so each "bid" is ranked by EBI points given for various factors. For example, I get five points for planting a food plot. They tell me I won't know until sometime in July whether my bid is accepted for the general program and then it will be effective in Oct. I won't need to plant my food plot until 2004. My wife and I spent two days (about 7 hours total) at our local FSA and Soil & Water Conservation office to apply for the program. The contracts are for 10 or 15 years. Each participant must strictly follow an individualized plan (within guidelines) for the term of the contract. Well, that's my general understanding and I don't know enough about it all to argue the philisophical merits. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif It seemed like a good deal for us, but I'm sure not for everyone.

Briarwood

 

[BB_TX]

I thought it seemed funny you could qualify a 0.4 acre area out of 40 acres. But as you describe it, it is a long thin strip along the creek to act as a buffer between the creek and the area under cultivation. Since the other guy is no longer planning on farming it, does that mean you have to start farming it to maintain the qualification?