Picked corn versus standing corn

[GMan5465]

I'm considering taking a 25 acre AG field out of production. It's near the dead end road into the property, that gets plenty of sightseer's and I need to do some screening as well as other work that would limit the AG acreage overall anyways. I'm also planning on planting corn/beans in the center of the property that I would leave standing for the wildlife.

My concern is that if a take 25 acres out of AG, what impact is that going to have on my plots and this new corn/beans planting. However, the corn and beans in the AG field gets picked versus the planting I do would be left standing.

So, question is: How many acres of standing corn/beans would I need to replace as 25 acre field of picked corn/beans? Thoughts?

 

[bwoods11]

I like to have a destination crop field on my properties. If you lose the big field, you will probably have to plant a pretty big food plot and maybe even fence it ?

Depends on how many deer you have .

 

[Brian662]

Where are you located?
What is the deer density?
When does the corn traditionally get harvested?
Do the farmers till the field under after harvest?
Do the deer eat in the field after it's harvested?
How big is the property?
How many acres will you leave standing in the middle of the property?

Too many variables to give a standard answer, give us a few more details.

 

[GMan5465]

I’m located in central Minnesota with 500 acres. I have about 8 acres total in food plots. I would say the deer density is high. Ag is typically harvested end of October. This year because of the drought, they didn’t even pick the beans. Typically they till in the spring, so they deer are picking through the field all winter. I’m thinking I would leave 4-5 acres standing. I’ve considered putting the ag into crp or something similar that would give them summer food to take pressure off.

 

[Brian662]

Assuming some of your other ground is ag land and not all cover, 8 acres of plots is a decent amount. Opinions vary but 2-5% of ground in plots is popular. Leaving 4 or 5 acres of standing ag in the middle won't last more than a month or two in fall/winter depending on what kind of deer numbers are in there. Destination food is very powerful when the conditions are right (think MN muzzle loader season).

I don't think you can go wrong with adding more cover (CRP), some deer will seek it out and others won't use it all. Its probably best if you can plant it in a manner that you can put some edge in there, a 25 acre block of tall grass isn't going to be a big draw once November hits.

 

[wooduck]

Here with the populations we have 25 acres would be bare by march most winters , planted to corn

 

[SD51555]

If you’ve got bears and coons, 4-5 acres may be a challenge.


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[GMan5465]

Bears and coons! Ok, thanks for helping me think on this.

 

[SD51555]

Five acres of beans and WGF might be a real banger though.


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[Ben.MN/WI]

Is there an option to put some of the 25 acres into CRP, keep some rented out to a farmer and plant food plots on the other portion? Your current larger ag field keeps the browsing pressure spread out over a large area, so if you completely eliminate that food source the deer might wipe out a smaller plot.

I put some of my land in CRP and quickly learned that 4-5 acres of food plots wasn't quite enough once I turned the main ag fields into CRP. My food plots lasted much longer when the adjacent fields were corn or soybeans.

 

[GMan5465]

I decided to leave it as AG. I’ll plant corns/beans also in the center of the property to leave standing over the winter. That along with the food plots should be more than we’ve had in the past. He asked about planting the year after in alfalfa for three years. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Brian662]

Alfalfa is a great food source until it is covered in snow or goes dormant. Alfalfa and soybeans are preferred browse during the summer months when bucks are growing antlers and the mommas are feeding their fawns. If your field is the only alfalfa field in the area, I think you'll be surprised by how big of a draw it is.

 

[Maddog66]

I have 300 acres with a low deer density and I left 2 good acres of corn standing on a S facing slope on the dead center of my property.

We’ve had a historic easy winter this year. No snow or cold. The corn is perfectly dry and standing up strong.

Last weekend I checked it close ….and do indeed see some use by deer and turkeys. But lots of wolf tracks. The grain is hardly eaten….maybe 80% remaining.

My brassica plots from last fall still have tons of nice fresh bulbs and the deer that I have, have been pounding those.

I’m in Zone 3.