turtlshell
PMA Member
On May 10th I hand seeded all 7 of the tillable acres on my dad's farm.
Last year was a very unproductive crop and food plot year for us. The farmer we contracted most of the land to didn't get the beans in until very very late, then it went dry. They yielded next to nothing. My dad tried planting three acres of food plots, but had the seed drill setup all wrong and ended up drilling in a full bag of Rooster Booster on a little over an acre. The Big and Beasty I tried planting got scorched because of the drought. It all sucked.
SO this year, I vowed that things would be different. First step was telling the farmer down the road that we were farming the whole place this year. Second step was mapping the plot-plan for the place. Third step was obtaining the seed, thanks to PF it was quick and easy. Then it was on to chopping down the Rooster Booster afro my dad planted. It bogged down the brush hog several times. After letting that thatch sit for a few days it was time to disc. Dad took care of that quicker than anticipated...since he had completed his part of the deal, and the weather was favorable I lit out at 4am on May 10th...
I didn't have access to any equipment so hand-seeding "broad-castable" seeds was the only mechanism available. I started stomping and turning around 5am. By 10:30am I had completed my task. According my pedometer I had taken around 25,000 steps (roughly 10miles). I had checker-boarded all fields several times.
So, the mapping plan was to establish something large (tall & dense) along the perimeter next to the road as a quasi-poacher abatement tool. For that (and budget) I selected the PF Dove Kandy Sunflowers mix. Interior of that, due to its vigor and botched planting from last year, I went with the Rooster Booster. I did "decorate" the interior edge of the largest field with a PF Prairie Mix heavy on forbes (approx $150/acre).
I didn't really snap any prep, or before pics, but I'm planning to snag a few pics through the year as it grows. I do plan to mow down some of the extreme interior rooster booster areas in about a month. I'll hand-seed the half bag of Big and Beasty I have left from last year in those areas.
Oh, and I refreshed my salt lick with a $3.88 bag of Morton Water Softner Pellets.
So for less than $300, that's our 7-acre 2014 plot plan.
Last year was a very unproductive crop and food plot year for us. The farmer we contracted most of the land to didn't get the beans in until very very late, then it went dry. They yielded next to nothing. My dad tried planting three acres of food plots, but had the seed drill setup all wrong and ended up drilling in a full bag of Rooster Booster on a little over an acre. The Big and Beasty I tried planting got scorched because of the drought. It all sucked.
SO this year, I vowed that things would be different. First step was telling the farmer down the road that we were farming the whole place this year. Second step was mapping the plot-plan for the place. Third step was obtaining the seed, thanks to PF it was quick and easy. Then it was on to chopping down the Rooster Booster afro my dad planted. It bogged down the brush hog several times. After letting that thatch sit for a few days it was time to disc. Dad took care of that quicker than anticipated...since he had completed his part of the deal, and the weather was favorable I lit out at 4am on May 10th...
I didn't have access to any equipment so hand-seeding "broad-castable" seeds was the only mechanism available. I started stomping and turning around 5am. By 10:30am I had completed my task. According my pedometer I had taken around 25,000 steps (roughly 10miles). I had checker-boarded all fields several times.
So, the mapping plan was to establish something large (tall & dense) along the perimeter next to the road as a quasi-poacher abatement tool. For that (and budget) I selected the PF Dove Kandy Sunflowers mix. Interior of that, due to its vigor and botched planting from last year, I went with the Rooster Booster. I did "decorate" the interior edge of the largest field with a PF Prairie Mix heavy on forbes (approx $150/acre).
I didn't really snap any prep, or before pics, but I'm planning to snag a few pics through the year as it grows. I do plan to mow down some of the extreme interior rooster booster areas in about a month. I'll hand-seed the half bag of Big and Beasty I have left from last year in those areas.
Oh, and I refreshed my salt lick with a $3.88 bag of Morton Water Softner Pellets.
So for less than $300, that's our 7-acre 2014 plot plan.
![>](http://<img src="http://iowawhitetail.com/gallery/files/6663-2014_plot_plan.jpg" alt="6663-2014_plot_plan.jpg" />)
