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3 acre plot

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2dblind

Active Member
I have a question for some of you that have more knowledge and experience in food plotting then I do.

We have a 3 acre field that is going all into food plot.

Option 1. are to do a cover crop of oats or something like that in the spring until its time to plant brassicas around the 1st of Aug. This way we have a full 3 acres of food for roughly 8-9 months. I am afraid that if we put beans in there they would crush them and while they get food early they will eat themselves out of food by mid Oct. and we have no food left.

Option 2. split the 3 acres into a two 1.5 acre plots. half in brassicas and the other half in clover. This is a little scary to me thinking that they will have food early but eat themselves out of late season food when the snow flies and gets deep. my thought with this is that they have hay, beans and corn all standing in the farmers fields all around this farm early in the year.

What're your thoughts? Don't be shy! I take all comments and suggestions. Or if you have a better suggestion for what to do by all means bring it on.

Thanks for all the help in advance!
 
Read through threads in dbltrees corner. Outstanding suggestions for a rotation to keep fed year around and commit to feeding in one location, which is what we are all after anyway. Imho

Sent from my iPhone using IW
 
The following is what dbltree suggests...


Plant ALL in one plot in strips or blocks

Alice, Kopu II, Durana (or comparable) white clover 10% of plot, sow at 6#'s per acre with the rye combination in the fall or in the spring with oats and berseem clover. Correct Ph and P&K with soil tests

Brassicas in 45% of plot

Purple Top Turnips 3#
Dwarf Essex Rape 2#
GroundHog Forage radish 5#

Plant in mid to late July in most Midwest states, or 60-90 days before your first killing frost, Use 200#'s of 46-0-0 urea and 400#'s of 6-28-28 per acre. Follow the dead brassicas with oats and berseem or crimson clover in mid spring at 60#'s oats and 12-15#'s berseem clover and/or 50#'s of chickling vetch)

Cereal Grain combo in 45% of plot...I use 50# each rye, oats and peas along with radish and clover seed all plant in half of each feeding area

Winter rye 50-80#'s per acre (56#'s = a bushel)
Spring oats 50-120#'s per acre (32#'s = a bushel)
Frostmaster Winter Peas or 4010/6040 Forage peas 20-80#'s per acre
Red Clover 8-12#'s per acre or white clover at 6#'s per acre (or 20-40 pounds hairy vetch and 20-30#'s crimson clover on sandy soils)
Groundhog Forage Radish 5#'s per acre

Plant in late August to early September, if following well fertilized brassicas use 100 - 200#'s of urea, if starting a new plot add 400#'s of 6-28-28 but for best results soil test and add only what is necessary.

Rotate the brassicas and rye combo each year
 
Interesting to read that one could plant something as late as Aug/Sept in Minnesota and not get froze out.
 
If you read dbltree's recommendations that I posted above, the brassica mix (turnips,rape & radishes) is planted mid-late July. The cereal grain mix is planted in August. You don't want the winter rye getting too mature or the deer do not like it...
 
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