Do BOB seeds get a bad rap sometimes?

[BenAllgood]

I'll admit, I've not bought BOB seeds before just because of the stigma. But, I don't really know if it's always justified. I have bought BOB seeds before too. Some of these companies don't just put generic seeds in their bags. Some of these seeds are specifically bred for the purpose and researched and tested. Take for instance LSU and their oats breeding program. Their oats breeding and testing is a long-going program. Take a look at this pic where 234 different oat varieties were trialed for deer preference. This was last year or the year before. I just don't believe the "oat is an oat" mantra after seeing results like that. I do believe there are certain varieties of a single species that deer would prefer over others. Now, is it worth the cost? Only the person buying it can answer that.

 

[Catscratch]

Probably a bad rap. I've bought some if it actually has what I want in it. Most of the time when I look at the swwd list it's mostly filler so I shy away. I'm all for improved varieties.

 

[356]

I've used BOB from the local farm store in a hidey hole at our cabin for several years and stopped due to the high number of rye grass seed (not cereal rye). They did turn the plot green (during a time when everything else was browning) and the turnips did better than anticipated. I harvested a nice deer over such a plot.

I'd say "read the label" carefully to ensure you are getting what you want and that you will not have issues with volunteer crops down the road. Some of the better brands use good seeds. This is one of those areas that one likely "gets what they pay for."

Food plotters have lots of options. When I think of the time, money and effort put into a plot, going cheap on seed with no specific plan is not for me.

 

[SwampCat]

I have had good luck with imperial whitetail clover. It is expensive, and as the OP said, the user has to evaluate the success of the product in comparison to the cost. I have used some others when the seed store I buy from runs out of what I normally get - and they all seem to do OK. Another thing to consider - I buy field run wheat at the feed store they buy from a local farmer and bag it themselves at the feed store. It is not certified seed wheat. It is about a 1/3 cheaper than certified wheat seed. I have not done a scientific side by side comparison, but it COULD be the certified wheat seed, though higher in price, might require less per acre. A lot of things to consider

 

[Foggy47]

I'm OK with BOB seed in many cases....but the price is typically too high compared to other sources. I've tried to find something I could use from the seed section in a few box stores. However many of the mixes offered are questionable and don't work for me. Too many have rye grasses in the mix or have warms season seeds combined with cool season seeds, etc. So.....higher priced with some strange seed mixes......no thanks. I think some of the clovers can be a quality product......I just dont want to pay the price.

 

[PatinPA]

I think it depends on your situation and what you have available. My plots are small so I don't need a lot and I don't have a lot of local seed stores. The closest store sells BOB mixes when you ask them for stuff. It just isn't cost effective for me to buy a bunch of small amounts of seed for my needs. I do have a local mennonite store that sells PTT by the lb. That's been nice. But I can't find clover that's not BOB. I think you just have to look at the tags to see what you're getting. I like Domain Outdoors mixes. I've had a lot of good luck with them. They even hand wrote a note along with the order wishing me luck on the season. The first year I bought some crap bag that was mostly rye grass and a Lee and Tiff bag of something. I didn't care for either of them but I also had no idea what I was doing at the time. I think if you stick to the reputable brands, they'll do just fine. It's just going to cost you more. for my 1/2 acre total of plots it doesn't matter. Some of you with 5-10 acres of plots, it makes a big difference.

 

[SD51555]

It's a crowded space and most companies don't create any value. I give Grant Woods grief fort latching onto regen ag late in the game, but the dude has done a lot to advance the knowledge of people that don't do business with him. I do admire that.

I think Green Cover seed is the other one that has created something of value for the industry. I buy all my small seeds from them because they have them, and they built a model that enables them to serve guys like me that only need a pound of something obscure sometimes. Any place before them would charge obscene amounts for small packages, like Amazon sellers selling rye by the seed in 2 inch by 3 inch envelopes.

My main beef with the rest is their success depends on their customers not figuring out better ways to source the exact same stuff, throw out the filler, and learning to make their own blends based on their needs. We don't talk anymore about figuring things out. That space is now dominated by hustlers. I remember when winter rye came on the scene. There'd be threads and threads about learning to use winter rye. There's still a handful of innovators out there, but it's not like it used to be.

 

[BenAllgood]

I guess I'm talking about specific seed varieties specifically bred for deer preference instead of mixes of different seeds. There are certain seed varieties, like the oats being bred at LSU, that are deer specific. Some companies will put together mixes of certain seeds that you can look at the varieties on their tag and make your own based off those readily available seeds. I'm not really talking those. You definitely have to look at the tag on any seed you get. I'm interested in some specific varieties (not mixes) that are bred specifically for deer preference.

 

[Foggy47]

^^ One thing that Green Cover has done (and is doing in more areas) is to put together a group order program with a (date deadline) which allows them to ship to a single (nearby) warehouse address. Then you pick up your seed within a week of the scheduled delivery time. Big savings on freight for a medium size seed buyer. I can see this plan working for me in the time to come.

I like several of their mixes and the seed prices are fair......the transportation charges just eat up much of the good deal(s). I was a bit too early to use this plan.....so I bought at Welters- whom also will work out a freight plan to save some money. I hope these plan gains more traction this in the future.

 

[SD51555]

I guess I'm talking about specific seed varieties specifically bred for deer preference instead of mixes of different seeds. There are certain seed varieties, like the oats being bred at LSU, that are deer specific. Some companies will put together mixes of certain seeds that you can look at the varieties on their tag and make your own based off those readily available seeds. I'm not really talking those. You definitely have to look at the tag on any seed you get. I'm interested in some specific varieties (not mixes) that are bred specifically for deer preference.

I'm a big fan of improved forages. I really like forage oats, but I don't drill and I haven't had much luck broadcasting. I've been trying all kinds of stuff from the triticale breeders in an effort to find the perfect single cereal.

 

[Tree Spud]

BOB seeds are like putters and fishing lures. Too much hype & cost for people who want a magic bean solution.

If you don't mind paying 3x-4x for the same seed you can buy much more economically at a reputable seed dealer, spend away.

 

[T-Max]

I would think it has something to do with the availability of a substitute nearby. Would my deer prefer a BOB oat over some other normal oat nearby? Perhaps. But for me, since nobody else is growing oats at all, they may prefer my normal oats over no oats at all.

 

[BenAllgood]

BOB seeds are like putters and fishing lures. Too much hype & cost for people who want a magic bean solution.

If you don't mind paying 3x-4x for the same seed you can buy much more economically at a reputable seed dealer, spend away.

Sometimes it's not the same seed though. Labels tell the tale.

 

[T-Max]

I liken it to going to a restaurant with a menu of tofu, sirloin steak or ribeye steak. Ribeye all day for me. If the menu were tofu or sirloin steak then I'm a sirloin guy. Probably a bad example since I love sirloin too, but you get the point. :)

 

[4wanderingeyes]

My plots are actually getting smaller, because I have been plating apple trees, plum, cherry trees, and white cedars in, or around the edges of my food plots. Also one of my plots is being used as a wood yard, while I planted it, it will more then likely get smashed down from driving on it.

I was at one time doing about 3.5 acres, but now I am down to about 1.5, in 2 main plots, and the wood yard. So buying bulk seed and mixing them to get a blend I want, wont get used up in any short time frame. So a few bags of BOB, in the blend I want, or close to it, is just to convenient in my case. If I was still doing 3.5 acres, I would buy in bulk, and make a mix that lasts about 3 years.

As for quality, I think for the most part they use good quality seed, but a lot of mixes are filled with filler, as what was said. You pay $25-49.99 for a 5 pound bag, and some of it is half winter wheat, oats, or coated clovers.

To me, to plant 3 half acre plots with chicory and clover, it makes no sense to buy each in a 50# bag. Plus I like to plant at least one plot in ppt, dr, kale mix.

 

[TenPoint]

My plots are actually getting smaller, because I have been plating apple trees, plum, cherry trees, and white cedars in, or around the edges of my food plots. Also one of my plots is being used as a wood yard, while I planted it, it will more then likely get smashed down from driving on it.

I was at one time doing about 3.5 acres, but now I am down to about 1.5, in 2 main plots, and the wood yard. So buying bulk seed and mixing them to get a blend I want, wont get used up in any short time frame. So a few bags of BOB, in the blend I want, or close to it, is just to convenient in my case. If I was still doing 3.5 acres, I would buy in bulk, and make a mix that lasts about 3 years.

As for quality, I think for the most part they use good quality seed, but a lot of mixes are filled with filler, as what was said. You pay $25-49.99 for a 5 pound bag, and some of it is half winter wheat, oats, or coated clovers.

To me, to plant 3 half acre plots with chicory and clover, it makes no sense to buy each in a 50# bag. Plus I like to plant at least one plot in ppt, dr, kale mix.

Yup, it's all about economies of scale. When I'm planting a 1/2 acre brassica plot I have no problem spending $20 for BOB seed. I've done both. Both work just the same. I could go to the local coop and maybe save $8 but their prices aren't rock bottom these days either.

If you're planting some serious acres, I'd maybe opt for the cheaper option. When all I need is one bag, I really don't give a hoot what I buy for seed. I like to try something different every year.

 

[Foggy47]

My plots are actually getting smaller, because I have been plating apple trees, plum, cherry trees, and white cedars in, or around the edges of my food plots. Also one of my plots is being used as a wood yard, while I planted it, it will more then likely get smashed down from driving on it.

I was at one time doing about 3.5 acres, but now I am down to about 1.5, in 2 main plots, and the wood yard. So buying bulk seed and mixing them to get a blend I want, wont get used up in any short time frame. So a few bags of BOB, in the blend I want, or close to it, is just to convenient in my case. If I was still doing 3.5 acres, I would buy in bulk, and make a mix that lasts about 3 years.

As for quality, I think for the most part they use good quality seed, but a lot of mixes are filled with filler, as what was said. You pay $25-49.99 for a 5 pound bag, and some of it is half winter wheat, oats, or coated clovers.

To me, to plant 3 half acre plots with chicory and clover, it makes no sense to buy each in a 50# bag. Plus I like to plant at least one plot in ppt, dr, kale mix.

I do not buy one or two lbs of any seed......but will buy as little as ten lbs of a seed type sometimes. Often I buy 20 lbs or so for a mix I am doing. Folks like Welters do a nice job for small time operators. This year I was able to buy a 25# Bag Welters Big Buck Brasica mix (I think they had 5 varieties in the mix) and just add a little bit of other brasica to that mix......as well as a few lbs of clover. Brassica mixes seem easier to purchase than some other things. It's easy to then add some clover. I'd rather not have to mix lots of seeds as it's hot in my pole shed in summer.

 

[Tree Spud]

Sometimes it's not the same seed though. Labels tell the tale.

That's exactly what they want you to think

 

[BenAllgood]

That's exactly what they want you to think

I don't know. I have a hard time believing one variety of corn is the same as another variety of corn. Pick any crop. Wheat, oats, tomatoes, soybeans, etc. Different varieties have different traits. I think the deer thought there was something different with these oats.

 

[Crimson n' Camo]

I wonder how the soil conditions play a role in that? Is it that the variety is preforming better under those conditions?