Green soybeans

[Thetrooper]

Hey guys first time poster here. I'm located in zone 6b southern OH. So I have been managing my 100 acres for 10 years now and planted probably 40-50 plots, mostly your standard clover, brassica, ceral grain type plots. I have put in chufa a couple times, milo switchgrass and more trees than I can count. Trying to step my game up this year and get some soybeans going.

Our deer density is very high so I am planning to do one or two 2 acre plots. I am going to use electric fence so they dont get demolished. I would like to experiment with soybeans to have pods for late season but I usually hold a ton of deer and quality bucks late season so it's not the focus of my inquiry.

I'm surrounded by ag fields and i I dont usually get much early season action with most the bucks feasting on 200+ acre neighboring fields. I have noticed like most hunters that once the soybeans go yellow the deer dont really eat them anymore, but I feel like the early season the bucks are still on a habit of movement in and around the areas where the soybeans were/are.

Our season opens late September and I would like to have an actual green field of beans to hunt during late September and early October and not one that is turning yellow or dropping leaves. What kind of planting dates or varieties should I be looking at?

I know you can throw beans out in a mix to sweeten it up but I would like a pure stand of beans to produce viable pods as well. Our first average frost date is Oct 20th.

Was also thinking about possibly using peas as an alternative and electric fencing them too. Not sure what would be the best option. Early season greens are the ticket here even compared to shelled corn, and although clover and other standard mixes are eaten they dont hold a candle to draw of fresh green soybeans in my experience.

Thanks
-Pete

 

[Mortenson]

Plant them in June. Plant a long one, probably a 4 for your area. If possible set up a really bright pole flood light over them to keep them green for a ways out from the light.

 

[Thetrooper]

Would the June planted beans still make good pods?

 

[Mortenson]

Yes

 

[Thetrooper]

Yes

Thanks man

 

[Mortenson]

Go to a local seed peddler and ask his input on how long you can push maturity, combined with super late planting. Maybe late June would be the ticket. Should be some kind of combo to get you some late green ones for a while at least!

 

[Thetrooper]

Go to a local seed peddler and ask his input on how long you can push maturity, combined with super late planting. Maybe late June would be the ticket. Should be some kind of combo to get you some late green ones for a while at least!

Yeah that's a good idea. If they stay green just for the first week of season I'd be happy. We usually have at least 1-2 residents but get a huge influx of bucks early to mid October through the end. Just never really get a lot of consistent early season traffic

 

[Mortenson]

I just tracked down an old thread here and found a couple pics of mine. We planted these beans on July 8th and the pics are on Sept 19th. I made a later post on Oct 11th saying they were still 98% green and 2% yellowing.

 

[westonwhitetail]

I did just as Mortenson described above this year. Broadcast soybeans June 24, the pics below are from September 25. The neighbors ag beans took some pressure off these so they could grow early. This was about 2 acres unfenced. I then overseeded with brassicas is August and then Rye around Labor Day. That’s why the field has some lighter green areas in the pic, some areas the turnips filled in more

 

[Thetrooper]

I just tracked down an old thread here and found a couple pics of mine. We planted these beans on July 8th and the pics are on Sept 19th. I made a later post on Oct 11th saying they were still 98% green and 2% yellowing.

View attachment 39137View attachment 39138

That's just what I'm looking for thanks for tracking that info down. A nice sized plot like that would be the hot ticket with most of my neighbors beans being dried down or yellow by late September.

 

[Thetrooper]

I did just as Mortenson described above this year. Broadcast soybeans June 24, the pics below are from September 25. The neighbors ag beans took some pressure off these so they could grow early. This was about 2 acres unfenced. I then overseeded with brassicas is August and then Rye around Labor Day. That’s why the field has some lighter green areas in the pic, some areas the turnips filled in more

That looks prime. I wouldn't have thought the understory crops could survive the shade with the bean canopy. Will need to try that thanks man

 

[Bill]

I planted beans this year in April. 4 acres of year old beans and the rest in new beans. It was a cold wet April. The new beans made it. That 4 acres was a bust. Replanted in June. They were green into October.

For me that was bad. I broadcast rye into my beans in mid September when they start to yellow. The rye did well except for on the green ones.

I only see about a 2 week window when the beans are yellow that deer usage falls. After that the rye is there then the beans dry enough for the deer to eat pods and rye.

Of course about mid October the junior buck brigade starts chasing every doe that walks out in the open and beans field usage shuts down.

 

[Bassattackr]

Pete,

A few thoughts..

- If you want them to stay green longer, as Mort suggested just pick a longer maturity date. If the normal ag bean is around 4 for your area (per below), you may consider a 4.5 - 5 so you can still plant earlier. Your bean production will suffer, but as you stated this may not be your priority..



- Another option (if pods aren't your priority), you can always plant beans with your cereal grain mixture around Sept 1. The young plants will stay green up until around your first frost in Mid October and still provide a great draw.

Personally, my planting space is more limited than many (5 acre field) so I'd prefer to have an earlier maturity date so I have time to broadcast into them, as Bill suggested. I'm in middle MO, so I'm going to cheat in the other direction - Something around the 3.0 window to get them to yellow before the season, so I can broadcast around Sept 1..

Fun scenarios to play with..

 

[Thetrooper]

Thanks for the help. Maybe I'll do an appropriate bean that will defoliate in September next to a late variety. Unfence the first one let the deer have at it and once it starts to turn yellow unfence the prime green late variety

 

[Thetrooper]

In your guys soybean experience if I unfenced beans in August or early September would they be able to withstand browse pressure? Very high deer numbers in the area. I've never dabbled in beans so dont know what to expect. Like I said would be at least 2 acres maybe 4

 

[jsasker007]

Buck is the resident guru for beans here. He farms them so knows what to do to get beans growing and producing. All I can say about beans is to plant enough acres or they won't have a chance---I'm in central Minnesota and would need close to 5 acres for beans because the deer love them.

 

[Bassattackr]

In your guys soybean experience if I unfenced beans in August or early September would they be able to withstand browse pressure? Very high deer numbers in the area. I've never dabbled in beans so dont know what to expect. Like I said would be at least 2 acres maybe 4

IMO It's trial and error depending on your deer densities and the ag / land around you. I can plant 1-2 acres and have beans in the fall but I have quite a bit of ag around me. But that's also changing as our numbers have increased in the last two years.. Others (like jsasker above) have to plant larger fields to keep up.

@Bill I'd be curious to hear your experiences here as well.

 

[westonwhitetail]

That looks prime. I wouldn't have thought the understory crops could survive the shade with the bean canopy. Will need to try that thanks man

The beans were a little light in some areas because of browse pressure and planting method. I planted by broadcasting into a cut hayfield and sprayed with gly. Certainly not ideal, but it worked and I took advantage of the light areas to broadcast turnips and rye for additional food in the fall. The beans were green into October and the deer transitioned to feeding on radish and rye when the beans turned yellow. It worked well for me this year.

 

[Thetrooper]

The beans were a little light in some areas because of browse pressure and planting method. I planted by broadcasting into a cut hayfield and sprayed with gly. Certainly not ideal, but it worked and I took advantage of the light areas to broadcast turnips and rye for additional food in the fall. The beans were green into October and the deer transitioned to feeding on radish and rye when the beans turned yellow. It worked well for me this year.

That's awesome man. I didn't know beans could be grown like that into hay. I'd like to try the no till method by broadcasting I use it for small seeds but have never attempted anything like a bean before. Very cool would he nice to not have to till the soil. Did you broadcast them at a higher rate than usual?

 

[Bassattackr]

The beans were a little light in some areas because of browse pressure and planting method. I planted by broadcasting into a cut hayfield and sprayed with gly. Certainly not ideal, but it worked and I took advantage of the light areas to broadcast turnips and rye for additional food in the fall. The beans were green into October and the deer transitioned to feeding on radish and rye when the beans turned yellow. It worked well for me this year.

Did you press or roll them in? That's an impressive stand for broadcasting beans..