Converting hay field to sunflowers, corn, and grains

[Brokermike]

We have a 20 acre hay field that hasn't been cut for hay in 10 years or so. We brush hog it every year to keep it maintained, but that's been about it. We would really like to plant a mix of sunflowers, corn, and some sort of wheat purely as wildlife habitat in the spring. I've got the tractor but don't really know where to begin. Can I just disc the field and throw down seed? is there an efficient way to plant different things like corn, sunflowers etc efficiently? We're planning on raising 50 pheasants in the spring, and thought it would be nice to have th field planted as habitat. Any thoughts

 

[MarkV]

Mike if it were me I would wait until spring with the hay grasses start to grow and spray it,with a round-up type of product. I think if you disk only the grasses will take over anything you plant.

MarkV

 

[sellercreek]

Hi Mike,

Mark is putting you on the right track. Spray Roundup or Eraser (generic) to get rid of what is already there.

I have done this project in two different ways and can tell you that disking is the least desirable way of establishing a new cover for a particular piece of ground.

My choice is a no-till drill. Your local NRCS office will likely have them for rent and they are the only way to go IMHO. The staff at NRCS will also help you calibrate the drill for the different size seeds and the depth at which they are planted. If you Google "no-till drill" you can get tons of info.

A lot more bang for the buck in terms of percentage of seeds that germinate, etc.

Hope this helps and good luck.

 

[lhfarm]

We have a 20 acre hay field that hasn't been cut for hay in 10 years or so. We brush hog it every year to keep it maintained, but that's been about it. We would really like to plant a mix of sunflowers, corn, and some sort of wheat purely as wildlife habitat in the spring. I've got the tractor but don't really know where to begin. Can I just disc the field and throw down seed? is there an efficient way to plant different things like corn, sunflowers etc efficiently? We're planning on raising 50 pheasants in the spring, and thought it would be nice to have th field planted as habitat. Any thoughts

Back in 2001 (I can't believe it has been that many years!) we converted a 4 acre hay field to prairie grass, to improve wildlife habitat and to attract quail. We had released a couple of coveys of pen raised quail and they left in short order. Had the DNR out and they said the fescue had to go and to plant a native grass mix for our part of the country (central Indiana).

I mowed the field in late fall and applied Roundup as soon as the grass started to grow. I then rented a no-till planter from the DNR and planted the seed mixture from Sharp Brothers (Native grasses: Producing & Harvesting Quality Seeds since 1958). The prairie grass took off and we enjoy it summer and winter. It is simply beautiful and the birds, turkey and deer love it.

But no quail. I'm still fighting the fescue. I didn't get it killed that first year and I'm still working on it. If I were starting over, I would have been more careful in the initial stages.

So my advice would be to check with your DNR. They may have a program available to help you with the conversion.
BTW, the picture of the grass in late summer was taken when a bison wandered through one morning. He had escaped from a farm a couple of miles down the road.

Good luck and keep us informed