I have a few fields I'd like to break up and diversify so that I'm not heavy in one aspect or crop, i.e. alfalfa. So here's one of the fields I'd like to hit the reset button on.
Its roughly ten acres of alfalfa with road frontage on the east and right of way on the south. Our group is generally focused on wildlife numbers on paper, but mentally we're all hunters and like chasing our favorite game, whether it be deer, turkey or upland birds. With that in mind, I've tried to add quite a few elements to the 10 acres but would like some opinions on their size, location, and any suggestions you may have.
Quite a bit to look at here so I'll break it down. Working north to south, the small red outline piece is a small apple orchard that would be clear out in a shrubby area. Next is the green band, edge feathering, to create low cover for small game and funneling of deer entering the field. Yellow is NWSG/pollinator mix. I've gotten the most push back from another habitat guy on CRP strips. He's not a fan but I like the idea of extending the edge away from the mature oak woods. Finally the food, two blocks of Doubletree plots, one rye mix, the other brassicas. Orange would be a stand of summer annuals, like corn, sunflowers or sorghum, left up through winter. The areas not colored around the plots would be lightly seeded in clover but would be allowed to grow weedy. The lines along the road are thicket forming shrubs (plum, dogwoods, hazelnut, etc) to create a more secure, closed in field the deer could use all day with interruption from cars. They are very skittish of slowing vehicles in this field.
So what do you think? Thumbs up/down? Changes?
Its roughly ten acres of alfalfa with road frontage on the east and right of way on the south. Our group is generally focused on wildlife numbers on paper, but mentally we're all hunters and like chasing our favorite game, whether it be deer, turkey or upland birds. With that in mind, I've tried to add quite a few elements to the 10 acres but would like some opinions on their size, location, and any suggestions you may have.
Quite a bit to look at here so I'll break it down. Working north to south, the small red outline piece is a small apple orchard that would be clear out in a shrubby area. Next is the green band, edge feathering, to create low cover for small game and funneling of deer entering the field. Yellow is NWSG/pollinator mix. I've gotten the most push back from another habitat guy on CRP strips. He's not a fan but I like the idea of extending the edge away from the mature oak woods. Finally the food, two blocks of Doubletree plots, one rye mix, the other brassicas. Orange would be a stand of summer annuals, like corn, sunflowers or sorghum, left up through winter. The areas not colored around the plots would be lightly seeded in clover but would be allowed to grow weedy. The lines along the road are thicket forming shrubs (plum, dogwoods, hazelnut, etc) to create a more secure, closed in field the deer could use all day with interruption from cars. They are very skittish of slowing vehicles in this field.
So what do you think? Thumbs up/down? Changes?