2 acre food plot question

[keving]

Progress. I bought a plow this past weekend and scraped it, painted it and made some minor fixes. The plow was $400 and the paint, wire wheel, etc $50, plowing the plot....PRICELESS!

Check out this link for a bunch of photos...

Plow, Plow, Plow

I will be at an auction this weekend looking for the disc.

Any suggestions on planting seed in this plot?

Thanks!

 

[Deere Hunter]

Keving,
It depends on a number of things, including how much you want to spend, what ype of seed you want to plant, etc. You can get by with a cyclone spreader for a lot of things, and also use it to apply lime and fertilizer. The downside to broadcasting will be weed competition, but that can be controlled by chemicals and planning - using all dicot or monocot plantings for ease of spraying. I highly recommend getting a soil test through your local extension to ensure PH and nutritional needs are met for the plot. If you have my problem (high deer density), the deer will overgraze an inadequate plot in short order, and the plot will not produce for you.

Drills are great for food plots, especially with beans, peas, and clovers. Spin spreaders will work for everything for the most part, except corn, as it tends to need a little more tlc and spacing is more important. A drag harrow or cultipacker is best for following up after seeding with a spin spreader, but a disk will work if you are careful not to cut too deep. A row planter also works for corn, beans, peas, etc.-best choice for corn, sorghums, etc IMO. Both the drill and row planter are better if you want to split the plot into different types of food to use annuals that span different growing seasons to provide year-round food with the one plot.

 

[keving]

Keving,
It depends on a number of things, including how much you want to spend, what ype of seed you want to plant, etc. You can get by with a cyclone spreader for a lot of things, and also use it to apply lime and fertilizer. The downside to broadcasting will be weed competition, but that can be controlled by chemicals and planning - using all dicot or monocot plantings for ease of spraying. I highly recommend getting a soil test through your local extension to ensure PH and nutritional needs are met for the plot. If you have my problem (high deer density), the deer will overgraze an inadequate plot in short order, and the plot will not produce for you.

Drills are great for food plots, especially with beans, peas, and clovers. Spin spreaders will work for everything for the most part, except corn, as it tends to need a little more tlc and spacing is more important. A drag harrow or cultipacker is best for following up after seeding with a spin spreader, but a disk will work if you are careful not to cut too deep. A row planter also works for corn, beans, peas, etc.-best choice for corn, sorghums, etc IMO. Both the drill and row planter are better if you want to split the plot into different types of food to use annuals that span different growing seasons to provide year-round food with the one plot.

Good info. I've gathered the soil samples today! I do have the high deer density issue that you mentioned. Any thoughts on keeping them off the plot until it matures?

Thanks again for the info!

 

[MidnghtOwl]

love this thread. I've just contacted the local DNR about planting a 5 acre field beside my property. The field is mostly 2' tall rough grass some gopher humps, but the soil will be 90% sand, (welcome to northern Minnesota). I had planned on killing off the rough grass with roundup, and renting a 6 or 7' rototiller. Is a plow and disc a better option? or will a tiller do what I want it to do?

Also, any suggestions on what to plant in this mostly sand field? high deer population (I've counted up to 10 in my backyard on some nights) and very low hunting pressure.

 

[Western]

love this thread. I've just contacted the local DNR about planting a 5 acre field beside my property. The field is mostly 2' tall rough grass some gopher humps, but the soil will be 90% sand, (welcome to northern Minnesota). I had planned on killing off the rough grass with roundup, and renting a 6 or 7' rototiller. Is a plow and disc a better option? or will a tiller do what I want it to do?

Also, any suggestions on what to plant in this mostly sand field? high deer population (I've counted up to 10 in my backyard on some nights) and very low hunting pressure.

I think it will depend a little on what seed you want, as far as plow or roto till. I've done it both ways. For small seeds, I usually put down my fertilyzer then till, then I use my brodcaster to dispense seed, ( I don't have a grain drill) most times I will drag a fence panel like a 4x4" to lightly smooth surface,
small seed usually goes in very shallow less than a 1/4 inch.

When I am going with larger seed like a corn, bean, pea mix I disc, fertilize disc agian, broadcast seed then "lightly" disc or drag.

The way I pick my seed is , what grows here first, and how close are other food plots or grain fields. What I have found is the more isolated your food plot is from other sources, the cheaper the seed you can use, for instance I have a 1.5 acre food plot, there are no others for probably a mile mostly coastal hay fields and woods, most hunters know deer eat "grass as a last resort and usually go for the forbes and protien. In this plot I just plant a pasture mix for cattle, its a mixture of wheat,rye, oats and cost me about $15 for 50# The deer keep it down to the ground, over grazed basically.

If I am competing with a field close by like an wheat/oat field, I will go with the best I can, here I have used Ladack or Dryland Alfalfa since it tolerates our weather somewhat.

Best bet is the Dnr or ag. agent for your area, and or farmers you know for what grows good there. Of course the soil test. On 2ac plots I will take samples from all 4 corners and down the center of the plot, I mix it all in a 5 gal bucket and then get my soil samples from that, I feel I get a better "overall" picture of the various substances this way. send 2-3 bags

If you have no hunting pressure you may have to invite me up so we can "work" on that problem...LOL hands on approach

 

[Deere Hunter]

Yep, local climates have a lot to do with what works best. Here, I have good results with soybeans (cheap, you buy combine beans from local farmers for around $8-12/bushel locally, but that will change, as bean prices are up and less are willing to supply them). Usually with the beans, you will have to replant once or twice a season depending on grazing and plot size. Durranna Clover has been a great product in some 1/2 acre hunting plots that get hit hard, and is a perennial, although some reseeding is expected from year to year in such a small plot. Aechynomone (sp?) is a great product for high browse as well, a little more expensive to maintain/plant. LabLab can be good, but neds a compainion like Sorghum to climb - deer love to eat the heads off the Sorghum once matured.

Clover mixes, bean/pea mixes, etc. are easy to maintain, highly attractive for deer, and easy to plant by broadcast methods. The fence panel drag mentioned above works well for the clovers, as they are tiny little seeds, with the bean/pea mixes and even small grains, we typically just disk lightly and do fine for a plot. Usually you'll come out much better making your own mix vs. buying commercial mixes. Your local extension office is a great resource for info on what works best in your area-check with them when you pick up your soil sample information, they probably have some literature on the subject that will include planting rates, maintenance suggestions, etc.

 

[john_bud]

It looks like you are an edge of a large field on one side and woods on the other. Right? If so, you may want to plant a 6' wide "barrior" of switch grass or big blue stem on the outside edge. That will grow up to 6-8' tall and make the deer feel safe (so you can kill them - he he he)

I'd probably go with oats and clover mix the first go round. Both grow well and deer love both. Maybe toss in a bit of buckwheat and some chicory.

jb

 

[MidnghtOwl]

I bought the land my house sits of because of the 80 acre DNR access. (bird shot only on that 80). The west side of the 80 (two 40's running north and south) is "Our" subdiviion. Only 4 lots have direct access to the DNR land on the west side, the east side has a paved road. and the other side of the road is another DNR swamp

"our" subdivision is all 60-90 year old oak and birch. The DNR land that I abut used to be an open field, however the south 1/3 has a planting of 12 foot low spruce pines with branches almost to ground level leading to my "field" the field itself is about 350 feet wide by about 550 feet deep. The north side of the field is norway pines about 60' tall, branches start at about 8 feet. The norway planting is about 150' wide, and runs the 550 foot length of the field. (norways are great for portable stands) on the other side of the Norway's you have a 50' drop into a small swamp. The East side of the field has about 150' for oak and birch mature woods before the road.

I'm thinking that without any hunting pressure (besides me and whoever wants to join me... open invit!!), and with no other farming within hmm 3 miles of this field, that it will get some pretty heavy use, so I could use the "low grade" feed that you mentioned, but i'll want a high yield.

Great suggestions all, i'm getting excited for deer season already!

 

[keving]

Here's some updates on the food plots. I suffered some erosion when we had four inches of rain in an hour.....

Everything is up and Mother Nature seems to be providing enough rain and sun to keep them growing!

whitetail institute imperial mix on left, ladino clover in middle and wildflowers on right

watermelon

silver queen on left, sorghum in middle, more corn on right and melons on extreme right (notice the erosion)
lab lab planted between corn and sorghum this week

 

[keving]

Apparently this is working!