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We planted a brassica mix again this year, on our land up in Michigan. We planted a strip of them as far away from cover as possible, because the deer browse the tops so hard we never see any appreciable bulb production. Ahh, the best laid plans of mice and men... I have been hearing about a...

I don't know if I should blame the global pandemic, or the glacial speed at which our government works, but the USDA and APHIS have just recently solicited comment from the public on the proposal to remove the GMO variant of American Chestnut trees from "regulated article" status. I was...

That's a great looking tree, Lakngolf! :) The three I have planted across the creek from my house, in Indiana, are only about half that size. My buddy's trees, in southern Indiana are somewhere in-between, I'd say. He's down closer to the KY border. To give some real perspective, I planted...

Jake Ehlinger, prominent habitat manager in southern Michigan, has promoted scalping clover mid-summer and drilling or even broadcasting other crops into it. This doesn't kill the clover, which bounces back in the fall and following spring.

I think it's very important to remember that some plants are there because they are introduced invasives, or because of some other misguided effort by man. We do need to be cautious, lest the cure be worse than the illness, and I believe many chemicals are sprayed without this consideration...

When planting on the sandiest soils, we do little or no tillage. We top-dress lime and fertilizer, then broadcast seed and cultipack. At the very most, we will scratch the surface with a set of discs. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

I took the QDMA Deer Steward 1 course and feel I got a lot out of it. If you want to know more about why and how and when, where habitat and herd management is concerned, it's a worthwhile thing. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

There are only 4 things I have found to work in our sandiest plots; buckwheat in the summer, Winter rye in the fall, alsike clover and chicory, in-between. The chicory is what suffers first, if we don't have regular rains. Many years, only the buckwheat or rye really grows well. Sent from my...

I used to only worry about trees and shrubs that I knew added little value, but then I found out some of them can fool you into believing they are helping when the truth is something else. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

One of our properties has hard pan clay about 2' down and another is beach sand, save a few lichens and the thatch I've helped apply. I face both challenges every year. One property simply can't be worked until it dries out some and the other could be worked 15 minutes after a hard rain...

I don't blame ya, CnC...you deserve a lot of credit for putting a "crazy" idea out there and promoting it and proving it could be done. Every plot I put in this year was done with some variation of what you started suggesting, all those years ago. You should have a by-line on that video and...

I can tell you from personal experience, in a Zone 4-5 area, that persimmon trees will grow, and they will flower and set fruit, but it is very unusual for the season to be long enough for them to ripen. What eventually drops from the tree comes down very late in the year and they are just hard...

For northern areas, and very wet areas, high-bush cranberry is hard to beat. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Broadcast rye or triticale at 75#/acre and then mow the clover as tight as you dare...scalp it. Next spring, when the rye seed stems are getting tall but still green, broadcast 50#/acre of buckwheat. When that is just about to set seed, go with a rye/oats/clover Lick Creek mix to reestablish...

Regenerative plotting and old-field management are subtly different ways of solving the same "problem". If you really want to benefit the wildlife in your area, study the variations of early successional habitat pertinent to your locale. With all of our chemicals and seed blends, we cannot...

I'm not sure what "plot topper" is, but the general idea is to broadcast into the standing dead (dying) stuff and then mow. I firmly believe that following up with a cultipacker helps shake/press more seed into contact with the soil. I am doing some very specific testing this fall to either...

Some things are out of our hands. My family and I planted several plots and a couple dozen trees in northern MI around 8/20 and the area has had rain every 3 or 4 days, ever since. We've been lucky this year. All you can do is plant when ya know you're supposed to and then leave it to a...

I have offered this thought in the past, but raising organic matter in your soil is almost like the readings you get from a seismograph...every time you increase the number by one-tenth, you are increasing the magnitude ten-fold. Increasing your OM percentage from 1.7 to 1.8 is substantial and...

Are you discing, roto-tilling or (please, no) plowing? Your organic matter numbers are pretty low and that would be the first thing I would address. Winter rye during the cold season and either buckwheat or sunhemp during the warm season would help get you back on track. The consistent...

With all due respect, that graph is disingenuous and fanciful, although pretty funny at the same time. :) We are asked to not equate what we're doing, as habitat managers, with what farmers do to create a "clean" harvest crop. The very first food plot I ever put in has had glyphosate sprayed...