food plots

If you get the heat that we are expecting the next couple of days , you should be able to hear it growing.
 
It’s been an extremely dry summer for us and the area crops are showing it. Parts of my plot is no exception , too dry.
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You can see where the oak trees are robbing the moisture from my beans.
 
last year our food plots didn't seem to produce as well as they did the year before . last weekend we took soil samples of our food plots . I got them shipped out Monday . we'll get the results and start to get the supplies gathered up . then we can start getting the food plots taken care of . we got so much rain this week , it's going to take a little while to dry some before we can get to work . I dumped the rain gauge Monday morning , it had 3/4" . Tuesday morning I dumped 3/4" . Wednesday morning I dumped 2 1/4" . this morning I dumped 3/4" . supposed to be rain and snow , today and Friday . I hope the spigot gets turned off soon . we frost seeded clover seed in two food plots . these were already clover , but thin coverage .

anyone else getting their food plots started ?
 
My plot still has a lot of corn and beans left over. We didn’t have a winter this year until the past 2 weeks. Last year they had it cleaned off by mis February.
I won’t start on this years until mid May. That area is wet all spring.
 
I will be over seeding a 2-3 food plots this year in the next few weeks. I had a big maple come down into one of my food plots that I need to clean up but I'm waiting for things to dry up first.

JD338
 
Daughter is writing an article on soil testing for one of the small farmer magazines. Essentially big Ag chemical works well with large corporate farms, not so much with small farmers. It seems likely it may apply to your food plots. I’ll get the link posted when she’s done. We’re already getting spinach harvested, tomatoes in the ground and with March coming in fairly dry, it went out cold and rainy. Snow line is just above the house.
Good luck growing your plots, hope the deer are fat and healthy, we however hope our deer stay away.
 
have you guys used liquid lime ?

I think we're going to give it a try this year . we can't find much info about it , other than the manufacture literature . we talked about it last year , but went with powder lime . this year , we asked about the liquid lime at a food plot seminar . the guys putting on the seminar didn't know much about it , but offered to work with us to evaluate the results .



 
Daughter is writing an article on soil testing for one of the small farmer magazines. Essentially big Ag chemical works well with large corporate farms, not so much with small farmers. It seems likely it may apply to your food plots. I’ll get the link posted when she’s done. We’re already getting spinach harvested, tomatoes in the ground and with March coming in fairly dry, it went out cold and rainy. Snow line is just above the house.
Good luck growing your plots, hope the deer are fat and healthy, we however hope our deer stay away.


please do post her article , or link . we were at a seminar about a month ago . we learn something new every time we attend . it would probably help if any of us guys had a little experience in farming , but we don't .
 
please do post her article , or link . we were at a seminar about a month ago . we learn something new every time we attend . it would probably help if any of us guys had a little experience in farming , but we don't .
I will post the link; It is good you learn something every time you attend a farming seminar. Bear Bryant would file such activity in the will to prepare column , I would think.
 
have you guys used liquid lime ?

I think we're going to give it a try this year . we can't find much info about it , other than the manufacture literature . we talked about it last year , but went with powder lime . this year , we asked about the liquid lime at a food plot seminar . the guys putting on the seminar didn't know much about it , but offered to work with us to evaluate the results .



I would like to see what your results are. A before and after ph test of the soil. That stuff has been on Craigslist for several years , I can’t imagine how a jug of that could replace tons of lime.
 
I got the soil test results back ,these guys are fast . they received the soil Wednesday morning , I had the results Thursday afternoon . I'm trying to get us more organized . we numbered the food plots , I made signs to place at each food plot . this should help keep track of things . right now we have 12 food plots . we're going to expand a couple , and we're thinking of adding a few more . "IF" we use the liquid lime , I'll let you know what we find out . we get the powder lime at a reasonable cost we have a John Deere spreader , it must be 10 foot wide that we pull with a truck . if the liquid lime would work ,and the price of it was within reason , we could have a couple side by sides spraying . this would be a time saver .

food plot sign 1.jpg food plot sign 2.jpg
 
we are going to try and get with the milling store that sponsored the seminar , and one of the speakers from the seminar . we need help with the soil results . we don't understand what all the info means , and what to do about correcting it . we'll get it figured out . as I've said , it's all new to us . we've had some decent results in the past , just from dumb luck . I'd like to know the how's and why's .
 
If you don’t have any luck on your end let me know. Catherine’s masters was in agriculture, my bonus daughter has a small average high production farm to table operation she makes a living at, I’ll bet they can answer your questions. Me, I do what I’m told by either of them.
Catherine just showed me the book for our county and all the soil types. It looks like a Websters dictionary. She said you’ll be time and money ahead to get ahold of your county extension agent. Every county has one and that is their job.
The article I mentioned my bonus daughter is working on involves a testing company that caters to small farmers. They will be producing an app that will help people better plan what they are trying to do. Daughter said the biggest problem with the testing companies, most of them, is a return on investment. They want to sell you their latest fertilizer soil conditioner etc. The county agent will tell you yes deer love corn but this area your leasing wont grow it very well kind of thing.
 
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how are you guys doing with your food plots ? are you guys having any problems getting what you need ?

we've got started . I'm guessing in March we frost seeded / over seeded a couple fields . last couple weeks we got some fields killed . we got a couple disced up . over this past weekend we got all the fields sprayed with the liquid lime . we're having trouble getting a few supplies we need . where we buy our stuff has had it ordered for awhile , but it's not coming in . I'm starting to have mixed thoughts about the place we're buying from . too late this year , but next year we'll be shopping around .
 
I planted my soy beans and sugar beets plot and put 3-14-43 fertilizer down on 6 other food plots to give them a boost. I'm going to replant 3-4 plots come August and they are starting to peter out.
Here's a picture of the beans and beets plot.

JD338
 

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It has been an extremely wet spring. I’ve wrote off doing corn this year , hoping to get some soybeans in soon. If I can’t get beans in , I’ll have to look at some kind of fall plot.
 
I forgot to mention , we have already mowed our clover fields . they are really looking nice .so white it about looks like a light snow on the fields . we've got soy beans , clover , buckwheat , chicory , to plant . we are planning on replanting a few in the fall , I'm not sure with what . we are thinking about putting more fields in clover . it's easy , and the deer like it . we're having trouble getting 0-0-60 , 46-0-0 , sulfur . we get these three items and we're in business .


this past weekend we found this little one . not quite sure what got em .

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This is very interesting stuff. What does your land owner grow on the rest of the farm and does that compete with your success?
 
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