Considering non round up ready corn an beans

I use a 4 row planter with 36" rows and I broadcast clover at first spray which would be 3-4 weeks later (mid-late June). I only fertilize my crop rows. Clover gets packed with 4 wheeler during spray. I have had better luck with late planted soybeans and clover. I haven't noticed any negative impact on yield from the clover as it takes a while for the clover to establish.This is an old pic but it shows the result I try and achieve.
 
Last edited:
Some of you guys may want a lot more details but the reality is I'm still pretty new at this and most times I just wing it. I enjoy trying different things and have had both success and failure but Im always having fun:)
 
I only fertilize my crop rows. How are you doing this? Are you doing this from your planter and are you able to get enough down for corn?

I Don't have a way to put fertilizer down with my planter so I am brodcasting and dicking it in. Nice looking picks, have you ever tried rye between your rows?
 
Yeah my planter is taking care of the fertilizing but I would think some of you guys with flex planters could rig up something. I have not had luck with rye simply because of the timing and hard soil after summer months
 
Just to be clear this is obviously done with round up ready corn and beans. I know we were talking about non rr seed earlier.
 
I have good luck with clover or Alfalfa being used in the spring, very little use in the fall. So I plant it in the late summer early fall. Get a lot more bang for my buck interseeding Vivant Brassica, Radish, PTT, Rape, or WR in the corn and beans.
Are you talking about Mn. or Missouri?

I might have 9 acres of alfalfa put in this spring. by a renter. It had been good in spring and fall, when we used to have deer.
 
I have over-seeded fall grains and brassica into corn or beans before - but I have never considered growing clover or chicory between the rows after the final gly application. I assume an annual clover would be best? I have to do conventional tillage every year so a perennial doesn't seem like it would make much sense. I normally plant corn on 30" rows and split then to 15" rows for beans. I think I would have to stick to 30" rows regardless if I went the way Riggs has. Would the addition of an annual clover help provide N to the corn - or does it have to die to make the N available in the soil?
 
I have over-seeded fall grains and brassica into corn or beans before - but I have never considered growing clover or chicory between the rows after the final gly application. I assume an annual clover would be best? I have to do conventional tillage every year so a perennial doesn't seem like it would make much sense. I normally plant corn on 30" rows and split then to 15" rows for beans. I think I would have to stick to 30" rows regardless if I went the way Riggs has. Would the addition of an annual clover help provide N to the corn - or does it have to die to make the N available in the soil?
The Clover would need to be terminated before any nitrogen would be available. depending on soils and rain that nitrogen does not become available for a number of weeks so there would be little help for your current crops. Next years corn crop would benefit in a bean/corn rotation.
 
Thanks for the great discussion an first hand experience guys. I'm still on the fence with beans, corn an clover combo. I do not have a planter so can only plow, disk, hand broadcast then drag.
My main concern is that including clover is that it may starve my corn an beans of nutrients and moisture. What's your thoughts on this specifically?
 
Just my 2 cents worth here. If your broadcasting seed I think beans would be a better option. they are just simply more forgiving and less expensive. Broadcasting seed rates are typically much higher than those of row planted. Keep in mind the best weed control is for the beans to be dense enough to form a canopy - any sunlight on the ground is going to foster weed growth. If you get an early maturity trait the sooner you can overseed cereal grains and brassica and the more time those will have to grow as well. Try to get a shatter resistance trait as well - if they will produce grain for you. Deer LOVE fresh tender young soybeans - hopefully you can plant enough or protect them.
 
Just a slightly different method I use is to broadcast clover into the corn in late August or even now and let snow/frost push the seed into the ground. I use alsike and medium red because it is cheap and leave the corn foodplot stand for another year. Some areas have so much red clover seed in the ground that I do not need to broadcast anymore.

Mixed areas of weeds and clover in a year old standing corn plot can make both cover and feed for the following fall's hunt. Plus you have the nitrogen from the clover when you turn it down.

I like that picture of Riggs'!
 
Jeff-is your soil wet sand or heavier soil?
I am assuming wet since most of your ground is low.
My red clover reaches about waist height-on guys our size, on the good, heavy ground. There is also some alsike in there.

Two years ago, I took a riding lawn mower to mow a path through the clover/old corn and ran over a newborn fawn. Proof that the cover is used, but disappointing when we have so few deer. What are the chances of running over a fawn with a 48 inch wide path across a 3 acre field?

I'm still looking for a good picture.
 
I have an uncle that plants corn and let's it stand for three years in my area for the pheasants. At year three, it provides awesome cover/food for them! Usually after year three, there is still food, but the plants start to tip over and what not. This is planted on high ground in an old pasture made up of reed canary and cattails with cedars/pines also planted on some higher spots.
 
Jeff I can get a picture of the year old corn stalks. Wind put them down this summer, but enough stalk is standing to still hold the ears of corn up. I am sure it depends on wind exposure, soil type, and variety of corn/root system growth.
 
Top