Mixing forage and non-forage beans?

[swat1018]

I wouldn't fence the entire 8. Of the 8, 1.5 is a new clover planting. 1 acre is an exhausted clover patch, I will be rotating to brassica. 5.5 I try to plant summer annuals in, that always seem to fail. I don't fret it too much, the deer eat them, that's what I plant them for. I just go in and plant brassica and LC grain mix in the fall. I would probably try to fence 2-3 acres of the 5.5, leaving some outside of the fence to reduce temptation to enter. Just a thought. I've also thought about planting the entire 5.5. into sorghum/milo. Them bush hogging some of it around the perimeter in the fall and put in LC mix and brassica. I only bowhunt, so don't care about winter plots to hunt over, just enjoy giving them a place to gather while all of the late season neighbors are out, and a place for them to leave their sheds. I rarely hunt after Turkey day.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

I'm going to use a soybean milo mix this year in a couple of my plots with a couple other goodies mixed in. Will be a non GMO mix so herbicide is out. Hoping last years fall covers will come through on the weed suppression end. Either way the plots will receive fall covers so there will be food in them over winter even if weeds reduce yield.

 

[JFK52]

I do not mix RR ag and Eagle forage soy beans. Rather, I try to put in several smaller plots of Eagle beans that serve as sacrificial lamb beans to keep the browse pressure off the larger fields of ag beans. I plant these plots in thicker cover and they get a lot of attention from the deer. They might browse the outer rows of my ag bean fields but generally leave them alone. This allows the ag beans to put on the greatest amount of bean pods. As this is an over winter food for the deer, that is my goal for the ag beans. My ag bean fields also total between 7 to 10 acres every season, so the sheer amount of acreage planted helps the situation also.

 

[Dukslayr]

I do not mix RR ag and Eagle forage soy beans. Rather, I try to put in several smaller plots of Eagle beans that serve as sacrificial lamb beans to keep the browse pressure off the larger fields of ag beans. I plant these plots in thicker cover and they get a lot of attention from the deer. They might browse the outer rows of my ag bean fields but generally leave them alone. This allows the ag beans to put on the greatest amount of bean pods. As this is an over winter food for the deer, that is my goal for the ag beans. My ag bean fields also total between 7 to 10 acres every season, so the sheer amount of acreage planted helps the situation also.

I’m shooting for a total of 7-8 total acres between two fields. We will see if I can keep them ahead of the deer. I think this year I’m going to experiment with two different fields of pure ag or pure forage. The only other time I used forage beans they did very well for me a produced a lot of pods, albeit smaller pods than ag beans. I’ll adjust next year based on what happens this year. I can always put in fall plots where the beans are going if the deer wipe me out.

 

[BenAllgood]

What's the reason for wanting to plant both? Is it because of size, shatter resistance, and less pods on forage beans? I get alot of pods on mine. But, am I missing the boat by not planting ag beans? Maybe the pods last longer because I add clover?

 

[PoorSand]

Here's a link to a study on using Milorganite to decrease deer foraging on young soybean plants: https://www.milorganite.com/application/files/4014/7267/4233/Univ_of_GA_food_plot.pdf

It is marketed as a slow-release nitrogen lawn fertilizer.

 

[swat1018]

Milorganite works. If you get rains, you need to reapply. I think if I could use it for 3-4 weeks once they come up, I could get ahead of the deer. I live 6 hours from the farm, so that's difficult.

 

[PoorSand]

Has anybody tried Ideal EQ for keeping deer from over-foraging young soybeans or any other crop? I heard it is made by a similar process.

 

[Dukslayr]

What's the reason for wanting to plant both? Is it because of size, shatter resistance, and less pods on forage beans? I get alot of pods on mine. But, am I missing the boat by not planting ag beans? Maybe the pods last longer because I add clover?View attachment 22937

The reason to plant both (this year) is to find out which the deer prefer and if I can get the ag beans through the pressure to maturity. The ag beans will certainly outperform the forage beans in pod production if they can get through the browse. The idea of planting them both in or around the same plot would be to let the forage beans take the pressure and help get that ag beans through to maturity.
I’m going to just do two separate fields this year and see how it goes. I’ll change next year according to what happens this year.

 

[BenAllgood]

The reason to plant both (this year) is to find out which the deer prefer and if I can get the ag beans through the pressure to maturity. The ag beans will certainly outperform the forage beans in pod production if they can get through the browse. The idea of planting them both in or around the same plot would be to let the forage beans take the pressure and help get that ag beans through to maturity.
I’m going to just do two separate fields this year and see how it goes. I’ll change next year according to what happens this year.

Gotcha. I didn't realize ag beans would produce that many more pods than the forage ones. I never ran out of beans, but I didn't have an extremely high population where I planted the forage type.

 

[Telemark]

The reason to plant both (this year) is to find out which the deer prefer and if I can get the ag beans through the pressure to maturity. The ag beans will certainly outperform the forage beans in pod production if they can get through the browse. The idea of planting them both in or around the same plot would be to let the forage beans take the pressure and help get that ag beans through to maturity.
I’m going to just do two separate fields this year and see how it goes. I’ll change next year according to what happens this year.

Sounds like a good plan.

 

[Dukslayr]

Sounds like a good plan.

Only one way to find out what will happen. Also going to plant a 3-4 acre sunflower field. I’m assuming it will get wiped out but I hope I am wrong. One thing is for sure, the aren’t giving away herbicide resistant sunflower seeds. With itch to shoot doves on my own farm I’m willing to try a few different things to make it happen.

 

[Telemark]

I have had very good success with ordinary black oil sunflower seeds in 50lb bags. Can't stop it from growing. It sprouts up anywhere i drop it, or the birds fling it. The one I have is an orange bag. Probably the cheapest seed for the biomass it yields.

 

[Dukslayr]

I have had very good success with ordinary black oil sunflower seeds in 50lb bags. Can't stop it from growing. It sprouts up anywhere i drop it, or the birds fling it. The one I have is an orange bag. Probably the cheapest seed for the biomass it yields.

You have had success getting those to mature seed heads without needing to spray? I’m worried about weeds out competing the sunflowers before they can get fully established. How are you planting and controlling weeds?

 

[Telemark]

No, they get eaten, presumably by deer and rabbits, and maybe groundhogs. And then they get mowed down. But they rarely get more than a few inches high with a pair of thick rubbery leaves before they get eaten. I never tried to grow them to maturity. But they do germinate and grow. The problem with growing sunflowers is the stalks are too thick and tough for any machine i have access to.

When i used to grow sunflowers to maturity, over 20 years ago, I had to remove them with a machete. Those were black and white seeds that made enormous plants with flowers the size of dinner plates.

 

[Dukslayr]

No, they get eaten, presumably by deer and rabbits, and maybe groundhogs. And then they get mowed down. But they rarely get more than a few inches high with a pair of thick rubbery leaves before they get eaten. I never tried to grow them to maturity. But they do germinate and grow. The problem with growing sunflowers is the stalks are too thick and tough for any machine i have access to.

When i used to grow sunflowers to maturity, over 20 years ago, I had to remove them with a machete. Those were black and white seeds that made enormous plants with flowers the size of dinner plates.

I’ve got equipment to handle the stalks. I planting them with the intention of growing them to maturity by drilling or row planting and then controlling weeds with via herbicide as needed...that is unless the deer eat them down before I need to spray them, which is what I’m guessing is going to happen.

 

[Barndog56]

Dukslayr, you could plant something to go with the sunflowers, choking out any weeds. Maybe buckwheat, beans, peas, vetch?

 

[Dukslayr]

Dukslayr, you could plant something to go with the sunflowers, choking out any weeds. Maybe buckwheat, beans, peas, vetch?

Good question. I really don’t know...never planted them before so this is a trial and error for me. If I get a good stand with these resistant sunflowers then I will probably stick with them...if the deer mow them down or the weeds are still a problem I’ll go up a new plan next year.

 

[JFK52]

When I planted black oil sunflowers by themselves the deer thought they were appetizers and just mowed them down. It looked like I had little pencils sticking in the ground. That was all they left. When I planted them with iron and clay cowpeas the deer ignored them until they were mature. I have not seen them lately, but my guess is that some kind of wildlife found and ate the sunflower heads.

 

[Dukslayr]

H

When I planted black oil sunflowers by themselves the deer thought they were appetizers and just mowed them down. It looked like I had little pencils sticking in the ground. That was all they left. When I planted them with iron and clay cowpeas the deer ignored them until they were mature. I have not seen them lately, but my guess is that some kind of wildlife found and ate the sunflower heads.

How big was your field?