Is joint vetch the best summer crop?

[Baker]

I am a big fan of joint vetch. It compliments everything we do here on the farm perfectly and to me is one of the highest quality summer foods.Here's a quick video showing October vetch/alyce clover.

 

[jsasker007]

Looks great! Do you think it would do well in Minnesota?

 

[Yarg]

How does hairy vetch compare

 

[SwampCat]

How does hairy vetch compare

My deer will not eat hairy vetch.

 

[ksgobbler]

And here everyone is spraying trying to get rid of it.

 

[Baker]

Two different plants entirely. I am talking about aeschynomene commonly called joint vetch or deer vetch, a highly preferred deer food. Harry vetch entirely different plant and may be good for some things but not planted for deer food that I am aware of.

Maybe I should show some of the bucks we have seen in the vetch fields:)

 

[Scott S]

Maybe I should show some of the bucks we have seen in the vetch fields:)

There is no maybe here, good Sir. We want to see the bucks.

 

[Baker]

There is no maybe here, good Sir. We want to see the bucks.

Ha, Ok , well here is a 220" 7 yr old buck from a few years ago that I could watch most afternoons late. He would come to a protein feeder then as it became totally dark he was grazing away in the vetch.

 

[Baker]

Or perhaps this one from this year. He lives in the vetch field I planted this year from the video. These two should be enough for a conversation starter

 

[Scott S]

Or perhaps this one from this year. He lives in the vetch field I planted this year from the video. These two should be enough for a conversation starterView attachment 26642

Ha, Ok , well here is a 220" 7 yr old buck from a few years ago that I could watch most afternoons late. He would come to a protein feeder then as it became totally dark he was grazing away in the vetch.View attachment 26641

Oh. My. God. I think I need a safe space.

 

[bigbendmarine]

Baker, how hard is it to get established/does it require large acreage and or fencing for initial protection? Ask as my high herd density/limited acreage availability has kept me from having much luck yet with spring/summer plantings.

Semi-related question -- for a fellow in the deep south who didn't want to fool with e-fencing what spring/summer mix would you suggest planting and that's with about 3 to 4 acres to play with. And I have nothing against mixed plantings, nor care if it's very pretty traditional crop like growth. Be more than happy to have a diverse mix if it would help get some things I've tried growing (like 4 acres of sunflowers/got about 4" high then wiped out overnight) to make it by being buried/hidden amidst a varied planting.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Looks great! Do you think it would do well in Minnesota?

By me the road ditches are full of it.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

QDMA did some ruman studies and found that when present joint vetch took up a high percent of the rumens content.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Baker, those are awesome deer!!! Where is the joint vetch in the pictures though?

 

[Baker]

Top picture camera was on a post open feeder. Road divided a vetch field from a clover field. Corn was across road.
Second buck, pic taken from edge of field . Vetch still small. I watched this buck along with 9 others come into the video vetch field earlier this week

 

[SwampCat]

Baker, how hard is it to get established/does it require large acreage and or fencing for initial protection? Ask as my high herd density/limited acreage availability has kept me from having much luck yet with spring/summer plantings.

Semi-related question -- for a fellow in the deep south who didn't want to fool with e-fencing what spring/summer mix would you suggest planting and that's with about 3 to 4 acres to play with. And I have nothing against mixed plantings, nor care if it's very pretty traditional crop like growth. Be more than happy to have a diverse mix if it would help get some things I've tried growing (like 4 acres of sunflowers/got about 4" high then wiped out overnight) to make it by being buried/hidden amidst a varied planting.

I cant plant soybeans or sunflowers. The hogs eat the seed after planting and anything that grows is immediately attacked by the deer. One thing that has worked for me is tecomate lablab plus. The lablab component has really been a non - issue. It is the ebony pea that has grown like crazy - like to the top of 12 ft tall coffee bean. This, on a field I first planted in eagle seed forage beans that had not one bean make it over four inches high on four acres. This might be because the deer havent figure out what this mix is - yet. They didnt browse it much in summer - but they ate it to the ground in the fall. Makes a four inch bean pod they like. Lower picture is field one month after planting with eagle seed forage beans. Hogs even moved exclusion cage and ate the seeds in there. What did grow, deer at to the ground. Replanted with tecomate lablab plus and four months later, top pic shows what it looked like. Deer pretty much ate it to the ground after neighbor harvested his 600 acres beans.

 

[bigbendmarine]

SwampCat, that bottom picture's pretty much EXACTLY the sight I laid eyes on after my sunflowers made it ankle-high. Can't say I was shocked they did it, but was surprised that they destroyed it all in a single night. By contrast, LOVE that top picture for sure and certain!

 

[Scott S]

SwampCat, that bottom picture's pretty much EXACTLY the sight I laid eyes on after my sunflowers made it ankle-high. Can't say I was shocked they did it, but was surprised that they destroyed it all in a single night. By contrast, LOVE that top picture for sure and certain!

I can't even fathom deer density like this. Blows my mind.

 

[Baker]

dang!!!! Thats a problem!