Which seed…

[dbltree]

Is right for me? No matter what type of feed you plan on planting, you cannot help but wonder which is best?

That is something that has no simple answer, as there are many questions you need to ask yourself first.

What are the primary reasons your planting and what are the problems you face?

We all hope to draw deer but when and why? Is it to actually hunt over or to provide deer with a premium food source in hopes of ending up with better quality deer?

What about soil problems and your ability to establish and maintain the food source?

What attracts you to a seed source? Price, advertising, claims of “deer prefer ours over theirs” ?

There are differences between varieties of all species of food sources but no one type is best or right for all of us any more then one variety of seed corn or soybean seed is right for all farmers.

There are at least hundreds if not thousands of different hybrid seed corn varieties met to fit farmers needs under wide ranges of soil, moisture and nutrient conditions.

We don’t have quite that selection available to us but we do have options…the question is which one?

Most people tend to choose highly advertised seed and then it becomes a “Ford versus Chevy” scenario. For the most part these are all high quality seed sources in convenient packages that will do the trick for most people.

For those that are interested in fine tuning their plantings it pays to know exactly what you are planting and why.

At the Deer Classic I stopped to pickup various “brand” seed packages and read the label to see what seeds it contains. Most contain seed mixes of which many may not be useful or compatible in your situation.

How many of you know what is in that fancy package? Why is Brand A better then Brand B…or is it?

An example is this…in almost all “name brand” brassica mixes; Dwarf Essex Rape is one of main types of seed. DER is one of the least expensive yet most productive brassicas. Do you know why you are paying sometimes 10X’s its worth?

In Iowa, deer have the best of the best…high protein, top quality food sources so I’m not sure that we can actually expect to feed an acre or two of anything that will actually influence antler growth for instance. Age and genetics will have much more impact then what we feed.

That leaves other very important factors such as yield, ability to withstand drought, grazing pressure, cold weather etc.

If one type of clover will, last into December or another will stay green despite no rain and a 100-degree August weather then those should be important factors to consider.

It may be true that given a chance, deer might choose one variety over another but that is a very very difficult thing to prove and in all cases I can assure you…if deer have a safe place to feed and feed is available…they are going to feed there!

In my case, I need very high yielding varieties that will produce as late as possible in the fall/early winter.

I’m hoping to compare individual seed varieties and small plots of well known seed mixes not so much for deer preference…but for all the other factors.

I would urge everyone to try different single varieties as well as mixes and share your results.

If you plant a commercial mix...read the small label on the back and share with us the species, variety and % of each seed in the mix.

Let us know what type of soil, time of year planted and how long it lasted.

Central Iowa is going even further and hopes to test nutrient levels of different varieties.

Where else are you going to get great information like that?!

 

[dbltree]

Here's another reason I think everyone should be more aware of what they are planting...and not always be fooled by fancy labeling.

One of the commercial mixes included sweet clover

Great stuff for upland birds or controlling erosion...but do you really want this stuff in your food plot?

All the more reason to know what you are planting

 

[midwestfoodplots]

I don't often chime in, but I thought I would reiterate some of your points. As a distributor of one of those hybred products I'll try to remain non-bias.

When we do our seminars we try to educate people on what they are looking for in a seed and it all starts with the back label. People spend good money for these high end products and should walk away from these 34% inert matter products. There were probably 8 seed dealers at the Deer Classic of which I would say about 3 or 4 had quality products.

Although, I agree the genetics are the key element to the success of larger deer here in Iowa, I do feel proper food plots have a strong effect on mass increase, even on our bigger deer, by 15-20%. They just do not get the phosphuras needed to maximize their genetic potential by browsing shrubs or eating corn and soybeans.

To keep this non-bias, I won't put a plug in for our product, but everything I sale I have grown here in Iowa and most of them I have collected nutritional data on specific seed variation that I would be happy to share.

We did share this at our seminars at the Deer Classic, but if you missed it, we will be conducting another seminar on Mar 13th with Chris from QDMA at Larry Zach's in Ankeny.

One other thing, you mentioned that rape seed is very inexpensive and why would anyone pay 10x's the price for it. I agree if you are buying straight rape seed, it should be inexpensive, but most blends with rape will have turnips and sometime vetch and chicory, of which some of those seeds aren't as inexpensive. Is there more of a charge for the pretty package and those types of things? yes, but thats the marketing world we live in. If people would by seed from us in brown bags, We'd be happy to reduce the price.

 

[dbltree]

[ QUOTE ]
we will be conducting another seminar on Mar 13th with Chris from QDMA at Larry Zach's in Ankeny.


[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds like the ticket for all those who couldn't attend because of weather or work...certainly it will be done snowing by then...right???

My thoughts are not to convince anyone to buy any companies seed...only to be aware of what they are buying and why

For many landowners buying seed is not unlike one man buying a trail cam....and another building his own.

There is something for everyone...and that's what is so cool about this forum, sharing knowledge whenever we can.

I'm interested in helping the people who want to plant their own plots and wish to keep inputs low.

For those that feel more comfortable purchasing a commercial seed blend...then they should know which one might work best for them.

I have no monetary interest in anything to do with foodplots, only years of experience both in farming and the cattle business.

Testing forages for nutrient levels is something I'm quite familier with and it can lead to interesting results.

Phosphorus is a key element that is normally low in almost all types of forage and is most easily made up in mineral mixes.

There is no question that good forage and mineral supplements will be a very positive step in any landowners management plan, however....

Some of the largest whitetails taken in this state, were killed long before anyone ever dreamed of foodplots or mineral licks...

 

[FarmlandQDM]

I am also one that questions the need for the seed mixes in the "fancy packages". I would guess they are probably a little better than less expensive Coop seed most farmers would buy, but how much better, 1%, 10%, 50%

if you are on a budget and plant alot of acres I question if they are worth it. If you only plant an acre and are happy with the results you get, I would think the little extra you will pay doesn't make enough difference to look for a cheaper alternative.

What I prefer to do is save the money on the expensive brands and put the money into fertilizer or herbicide.

 

[dbltree]

[ QUOTE ]
What I prefer to do is save the money on the expensive brands and put the money into fertilizer or herbicide.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's all a matter of knowledge and understanding and many people just don't know enough about what they are planting.

I'm hoping we can give people enough information that they can make good choices before they put their dollar down for seed.

Concerns with WI seed