Forage Peas

[Victor Van Meter]

I tried the search function and couldn't find anything on this really, so I thought I would ask. Anyone tried spring planted forage peas instead of beans? I am doing one or the other this spring on hopefully about 3-5 acres (matters how productive I can be with clearing stumps and such in late winter). Thanks for the insight and advice.

VV

 

[j-bird]

My main concern would be with weed control... I have never tried peas in the spring (only AWP in the fall) and I plant RR ag soybeans in the spring...my deer let them mature, they are easy to grow, RR makes the weed control less of an issue and I get a fall grain to further advance the window of time they are feeding the deer...AND I can overseed cereal grains and brassica into them for additional food if I plant an earlier maturing bean. Lots of up side for me, in my application in favor of RR ag beans. Plus I tend to be able to get the seed for free....(but I only plant about an acre)

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

I wouldn't go with a forage type but thats because I want grain production. You will just need to find out what a good pre emergent herbicide is for them and you should be good to go.

 

[Northwoods Whitetails]

We plant them with oats, rye and berseem clover for summer forage and an August plow down.

 

[MickT]

Are we talking about winter peas or cowpeas?


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[S.T.Fanatic]

I believe we’re talking about field peas. Like 4010 for food production but I could be wrong.


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[MickT]

We had a great cow pea accident a few years ago. The field was full of common ragweed alongside the peas but we decided not to spray. The ragweed made for great climbing structure for the peas and we had a big thicket of deer food.

Definitely put a light rate of structure plant whether you use sunflower or milo etc.


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[scott44]

I plant peas in my sorghum mix and like Mick says they climb the sorghum, turns out good in this mix.

 

[Northwoods Whitetails]

I use field peas

 

[Victor Van Meter]

I would be using field peas. Sounds like I may give them a go and see what happens. I will mix them with something else to give them something to grow up. Thanks for all the info.

VV


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[TreeDaddy]

I plant peas in my sorghum mix and like Mick says they climb the sorghum, turns out good in this mix.


looks great

? a little vetch and clover in there as well

bill

 

[scott44]

Yeah, hairy vetch, buckwheat and med red clover.

 

[SwampCat]

I planted five acres eagle seed forage soybeans last spring. Hogs ate most of the seed the first couple of nights. What they missed, the deer ate the few plants that germinated as soon as they popped out of the ground. I had a clean field and couldnt stand looking at it, so ordered some tecomate lablab and planted it. The ebony pea is what mainly grew. It turn that five acres into a jungle. I had coffee bean in there 12 ft tall and this stuff grew to the top and took it down. After it died in fall, deer ate the beans until not a one left. I had to bush hog shooting lanes it got so wooly. Date on picture is incorrect

 

[ruskbucks]

I planted a cover crop of 60/40 peas to oats and then a small 1/4 acre plot of straight 4010 peas a couple years ago in the spring. The plot turned out awesome .The peas were about 1 1/2 -2 ft tall. They were full of pods. I was disappointed I saw almost no browsing from what I could see. I can plant 2.5 acres of soybeans and they all get hamered. I ran the disc over the oat/peas and left the small plot of peas up because they looked to nice to just plow down. I came up a few weeks later and their was not hardly a sign of a pea plant left. It was strange. I don't know why they seemed to not touch them all spring and then destroy them in a couple weeks.

 

[Victor Van Meter]

I planted a cover crop of 60/40 peas to oats and then a small 1/4 acre plot of straight 4010 peas a couple years ago in the spring. The plot turned out awesome .The peas were about 1 1/2 -2 ft tall. They were full of pods. I was disappointed I saw almost no browsing from what I could see. I can plant 2.5 acres of soybeans and they all get hamered. I ran the disc over the oat/peas and left the small plot of peas up because they looked to nice to just plow down. I came up a few weeks later and their was not hardly a sign of a pea plant left. It was strange. I don't know why they seemed to not touch them all spring and then destroy them in a couple weeks.View attachment 22339

I had planned to use either oats or sorghum with the mix. I have planted oats before as a stand alone and the deer completely ignore them, just as they have the rye I planted this year.

VV

 

[SwampCat]

The tecomate mix comes with white milo and sunflowers for the peas to climb on. Niether got near tall enough. They grew to the tops of 12’ coffee bean and rode it to the ground. Pretty much smothered everything. Deer didnt really hit them too hard til fall.

 

[j-bird]

Sorghum or sunflower would be a good addition for birds as well.... This "coffee bean" has my interest also...not familiar with it.

 

[SwampCat]

Sorghum or sunflower would be a good addition for birds as well.... This "coffee bean" has my interest also...not familiar with it.

No - you do not want coffee bean or sickle pod. While it provides good cover and a seed that birds favor - including waterfowl - it is a weed you dont want in your fields. It occurs naturally at my place - it did NOT come in the tecomate mix

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Question - Scott44 said above that he has hairy vetch in his seed mix. Does hairy vetch get grazed by deer ?? Or is it just for structure for peas to climb on ??

I know LC used chickling vetch in his rotations. I know it's a legume, but beyond that I don't know how deer react to it.

 

[scott44]

Question - Scott44 said above that he has hairy vetch in his seed mix. Does hairy vetch get grazed by deer ?? Or is it just for structure for peas to climb on ??

I know LC used chickling vetch in his rotations. I know it's a legume, but beyond that I don't know how deer react to it.

I'm sure hairy vetch gets browsed some but I'd say it's not preferred, I add it to my cereal grains along with the clover for the N and mass when terminated. The vetch also climbs the rye like the peas.