Eagle Forage Wheat

gunfun13

5 year old buck +
Has anyone had experience with the forage wheat from Eagle Seeds? From what I gather it is taller, leafier, and tillers more than grain varieties.

I removed some plot space with CRP enrollment and after this season and now find myself needing to maximize production with the space I have left. Brassicas obviously produce a lot, but once they're gone their gone. I had several rye and triticale plots germinate with volunteer seed in early August, I thought they'd be rank and worthless by season but let them go as an experiment. Boy was I wrong. Between a drier fall and browse pressure, they never got much more than 6" and are currently putting green short and still drawing deer. The idea of a high tonnage plot that can get eaten to the dirt and continue to grow when conditions allow is certainly appealing.
 
I have no experience with Eagle forage wheat. I don't get much difference between how deer relate to different cereal grains here. I don't know the details of your application, but have you considered using the CRP land to produce deer food? If you have substantial land in CRP, you can produce a lot more deer food on broad acreage than you can on a small food plot.

Thoughts?
 
I have no experience with Eagle forage wheat. I don't get much difference between how deer relate to different cereal grains here. I don't know the details of your application, but have you considered using the CRP land to produce deer food? If you have substantial land in CRP, you can produce a lot more deer food on broad acreage than you can on a small food plot.

Thoughts?

Jack, the majority of my CRP (~20 acres) is in Pheasant/Pollinator habitat, of which I am allowed, and do plant, 10% into food plots. The wildflowers present in the pollinator mix do provide a lot of food value....until a frost. That worked out great last year when I didn't have a frost until early November. But in a normal year like this one, it's early October, so worthless as a hunting season draw.

My hope with the forage wheat being leafier and taller, is that it could be planted earlier, provide more tonnage and remain palatable.

I've planted 200 grafted apples, pears and persimmons in the last 5 years. Food will be less of an issue as those mature, but need a strategy in the mean time to keep the buffet stocked through the entire season.
 
I use Kinggrazer Awnless Wheat. It's a forage wheat. I like it, but don't know how it compares to your Eagle Seed variety.
 
Makes perfect sense. I was wondering if controlled burns in sections of CRP would be a good and legit way to create deer food on it. Sounds like you already found a way to use it with the pollinator mix.

I can't recall your location. You may be further north than me. Here, WR is a better choice than WW. Deer don't seem to care which I plant. However, we get enough days that are warm enough for the WR to start growing from time to time in the winter which provides food. WW seems to need somewhat warmer temps to begin growing again. I hear what you are saying about volunteer WR plots. I prefer to wait till after labor day to plant cereal for the same reason of rankness during the season. If I wait till then, I don't have that issue.

Best of luck and report back on the Eagle Forage Wheat if you try it!

Thanks,

Jack
 
I use Kinggrazer Awnless Wheat. It's a forage wheat. I like it, but don't know how it compares to your Eagle Seed variety.

I came across that variety when trying to do research on forage wheats, unfortunately there isn't much info out there especially in terms applications for wildlife. Even Eagles website provides limited information.

What differences have you noticed with Kinggrazer over standand grain wheats?

I'd love do to some side by side trials, but given my need to maximize plot productivity, it doesn't leave me much availability to experiment.


Jack, I'm in Southern Michigan border of 6a/5b. I've planted mostly rye in recent years to build soil. Last year I used all Aroostook Rye instead of bin run and seemed to get much more traffic than usual, though there was never a side by side comparison so it could be just observation bias or other factors. I also did one plot in triticale, seemed to be hit equally as hard as the Aroostook.
 
I came across that variety when trying to do research on forage wheats, unfortunately there isn't much info out there especially in terms applications for wildlife. Even Eagles website provides limited information.

What differences have you noticed with Kinggrazer over standand grain wheats?

I'd love do to some side by side trials, but given my need to maximize plot productivity, it doesn't leave me much availability to experiment.


Jack, I'm in Southern Michigan border of 6a/5b. I've planted mostly rye in recent years to build soil. Last year I used all Aroostook Rye instead of bin run and seemed to get much more traffic than usual, though there was never a side by side comparison so it could be just observation bias or other factors. I also did one plot in triticale, seemed to be hit equally as hard as the Aroostook.
Deer hammer the heads in the summer, otherwise I think it's grazed as well as any other wheat. I've done side by sides with wheat/rye/oats. Oats aren't as reliable with throw-n-mow as wheat and rye. Wheat is preferred over rye. Both are equally easy to grow and both have their own attributes. If I had to pick one cerea to grow the rest of my life it would be awnless wheat. Luckily I don't have to pick.
 
Has anyone had experience with the forage wheat from Eagle Seeds? From what I gather it is taller, leafier, and tillers more than grain varieties.

I removed some plot space with CRP enrollment and after this season and now find myself needing to maximize production with the space I have left. Brassicas obviously produce a lot, but once they're gone their gone. I had several rye and triticale plots germinate with volunteer seed in early August, I thought they'd be rank and worthless by season but let them go as an experiment. Boy was I wrong. Between a drier fall and browse pressure, they never got much more than 6" and are currently putting green short and still drawing deer. The idea of a high tonnage plot that can get eaten to the dirt and continue to grow when conditions allow is certainly appealing.
I haven’t used that wheat but have used eagle seed and it’s a quality product.

I echo the awnless varieties. They will pick the heads clean.
 
My deer, hogs, coons, and skunks have no problems eating awned wheat. I wish they would leave some for the doves. Never figured an animal that ate green briar and blackberry would shy away from wheat awns.
 
I came across that variety when trying to do research on forage wheats, unfortunately there isn't much info out there especially in terms applications for wildlife. Even Eagles website provides limited information.

What differences have you noticed with Kinggrazer over standand grain wheats?

I'd love do to some side by side trials, but given my need to maximize plot productivity, it doesn't leave me much availability to experiment.


Jack, I'm in Southern Michigan border of 6a/5b. I've planted mostly rye in recent years to build soil. Last year I used all Aroostook Rye instead of bin run and seemed to get much more traffic than usual, though there was never a side by side comparison so it could be just observation bias or other factors. I also did one plot in triticale, seemed to be hit equally as hard as the Aroostook.

Deer react different in different places. Here, I've used brand name WR when it is available and VNS is not. I find no real difference in use. There may be some, but it is subtle if there is any. I generally find that if deer are not using a particular crop, it is because they have found something better at that time. So, it doesn't matter to me if my deer are eating my food plots or the native food sources.

Thanks,

Jack
 
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