Dipper rotation

[strawhead]

" Do you have a no till drill?" No we do not have one.
I'm pretty sure I saw you posting pics of a pretty good sized tractor to pull the drill. Yes, 45hp, will have to check on 3pt. capacity.

" Can you rent one from the dnr up there?" Will have to check on that.

"I think the best food plot for your area is a mix of oats, rye peas and brassicas planted early July." We have had a brassica mix for about 8yrs. 2nd yr. for LC winter rye mix.

"You could always suppress the clover with a disc too." We did this to a portion of oats and clover planted this last spring, and drilled and broadcasted in the LC WR mix.

" If there is some grass competing in the clover, use glyphosate the week before you disc the clover." As I have stated in the past, this may be one of our drawbacks. Broadleaf control is gaining ground, but it doesn't seem like we are gaining on grass control.

"I wohldnt rely on clover as a food source this time of year and into winter." We do understand this.

We are enlarging our plots to about 7-8 acres total. This past year we had about 2.5 acres in brassica mix(LC), 2.5 acres of LC WR mix and 2 (1/4 acre plots of pumpkins). Brassicas and WR mix plots were in each in 3 separate areas. We have had very good summer and fall usage of all the plots. Up until this 15" snowfall we were having pretty good usage. We still had quite a bit of radish(regen) growth in WR plots where we did not have a lot of radish bulbs. Our brassica plots were probably 90% browsed before the snowfall. Although heavily browsed there is still a good amount of the LC WR mix under the snow, but for some reason this is not a desired food source now.

We have tried soybeans and corn in the past. Probably not enough to make these productive late.

I think we will try at least a portion of WR mix planted the end of June.

I want to try a plot of oats, with clover more for nitrogen fixing, just to see if there can be enough left to see if the deer will browse anything left above the snow when it comes.

There is still stuff left for the deer. The work to get it may not be better than the gain. I don't know if We can do enough, to change the yeeeears of repeated trips to "yarding areas". WE WILL CONTINUE TRYING. We have thermal cover fairly close. We hope to have them learn that a food source is available through and under the snow.

 

[Satchmo]

Dipper, I just read this entire thread and other than the slight feeling that my head is going to explode, I am super excited to implement your rotations on my place, which is all sand with poor nutrients, acidic soil, and very low organic matter. I have done fairly well up until now with a rye and oat mix in fall, but have struggled with the drought months of July & August. I will no longer be pounding my straw down into the sand to try and up the OM. Thanks so much for your insight.

 

[dipper]

Took a walk in one of the highland ridges. Regeneration is really taking off with my recent doe control.

 

[dipper]

One dead buck from two winters ago in the swamp. He crawled into one of my cut tag alder snags, where he died. A little 8

 

[West Branch]

Nice looking country there Dipper! That woods sure looks wide open in a couple of those pictures, hopefully your doe control helps thicken it back up.

 

[dipper]

Nice looking country there Dipper! That woods sure looks wide open in a couple of those pictures, hopefully your doe control helps thicken it back up.

The nice thing is it still holds deer, almost too well. I'd say I'm at about 75% of where there should be regeneration. I Hardly had a deer on this place all winter. A neighbor left 60 acres of beans east of me, and there was 25 acres of standing corn west of me. With minimal browse pressure through winter, things will really take of.

 

[sandbur]

Nice looking country there Dipper! That woods sure looks wide open in a couple of those pictures, hopefully your doe control helps thicken it back up.

I was thinking that the woos look pretty stripped compared to what I am used to seeing. I probably have one tenth of the deer you have, so no real comparison.

 

[dipper]

I was thinking that the woos look pretty stripped compared to what I am used to seeing. I probably have one tenth of the deer you have, so no real comparison.

Deer will chew blackberry or any new growth down past the diameter of a fat finger. Browsing during the summer does a lot of damage too. When a new shoot or bud being chewed off will stop that plant growing the rest of the season.
You have 20 deer in a 40 acre lot, you won't grow a thing. That leads into major threats of invasive plants. Garlic mustard is a destructive and impossible to eliminate on my place.
Like I said this Woodlot got little setback this winter, with farmers leaving their fields unpicked Down the road. Last year I lost over a foot of growth. Still a lot of catching up to do.

 

[Bill]

My timing is going to be off but oh well, going to try a version of this.

Got about 3 acres that were beans with rye broadcast into them last fall. To wet for me to get anything planted and I won't be back in time for beans.

Figure around mid July I'll broadcast or drill brassica's, red clover, cow peas and maybe some sunflowers into the dead rye. I know the sunflowers won't make seed heads but my deer just love sunflower shoots and bird food sun flowers are cheap.

 

[wiscwhip]

That actually sounds like a good plan Bill, by that time your rye will have likely set seed and you can benefit from the volunteer rye as well. If you had some extra soybean seed, it certainly wouldn't hurt to put it in that mix. Much like the sunflowers, they won't make pods, but the deer will hammer the foliage just like they do with the sunflowers. If you could find some Tyrone or Laredo forage soybeans they would be great in a mix like that, since you couldn't spray it with gly anyway.

 

[Bill]

That actually sounds like a good plan Bill, by that time your rye will have likely set seed and you can benefit from the volunteer rye as well. If you had some extra soybean seed, it certainly wouldn't hurt to put it in that mix. Much like the sunflowers, they won't make pods, but the deer will hammer the foliage just like they do with the sunflowers. If you could find some Tyrone or Laredo forage soybeans they would be great in a mix like that, since you couldn't spray it with gly anyway.

I just happen to have a 40 gallon plastic trash drum sealed with duct tape full of last years left over beans. Good point, might throw some of those in the mix. I'm actually looking forward to trying a smorgasbord.

 

[wiscwhip]

In that case, I would say give them a try for sure. Leftover seed from previous years = free seed for this year! Maybe do a ragdoll germination test and up the rate a bit if needed.

 

[Bill]

I have faith Dipper. One more month and this is getting a salad bar drilled in.

And I jumped a small buck up when I took the picture. Bedding in it.

 

[dipper]

I have faith Dipper. One more month and this is getting a salad bar drilled in.

And I jumped a small buck up when I took the picture. Bedding in it.

Run the drag over that guy a few times before hand. You 2 weeks ahead of me

 

[Bill]

Almost didn't want to knock it down. The deer were using it.

But I did. Put the bucket down and drilled in PPT, GHR, DER, red clover. My plan is to go back and lightly broadcast beans and sun flowers if I can get to it..

 

[Bill]

When I was done planting I sprayed it. Finished last night at dark.

We got pounded with rain over night. Hope the round up had time to sink in.

If so I'm finally the blind squirrel!

Already germinating today.

I am afraid of all the Rye in there........it's everywhere.

 

[scott44]

Looks good Bill!

 

[Bill]

More rain this AM.

This will be my 3rd attempt at brassica's I might actually have some this year. Usually when I plant in July it gets real dry and my seed lays there until September.

Still worried about all that rye seed but time will tell.

 

[dipper]

If u think ure rye is too thick, hit it w som clethodim. The cleth won't hurt the brassicas.
I noticed super thick rye stays very tender, and short. Isn't that what the experts insist rye should be?:)
try to give it plenty of n, and p or k if your soils are defficient. Don't have to worry about n leaching with all those roots. Also don't have to worry about runoff with all that mulch holding everything in place above ground.
The coolest thing is how that rye straw will be come by June, and right back into your soul. Giving next year's plants 100% available, organic nutrients. It's the best fertilizer you could but!
U have clover in there?

 

[Bill]

If u think ure rye is too thick, hit it w som clethodim. The cleth won't hurt the brassicas.
I noticed super thick rye stays very tender, and short. Isn't that what the experts insist rye should be?:)
try to give it plenty of n, and p or k if your soils are defficient. Don't have to worry about n leaching with all those roots. Also don't have to worry about runoff with all that mulch holding everything in place above ground.
The coolest thing is how that rye straw will be come by June, and right back into your soul. Giving next year's plants 100% available, organic nutrients. It's the best fertilizer you could but!
U have clover in there?

Never thought of cleth. I have some on the shelf. When I get back in 3-4 weeks I'll hit it if it's to thick.

Didn't fertilize or do a soil test. Both the fields I planted have had beans for 6 straight years. Gotta be some natural N in there.

Red clover 2 lbs/acre like you suggested.