Is the juice worth the squeeze

[Buck268]

Been at this food plot thing for some time now. Just starting to wonder if one wouldn't be better off planting all clover with a small patch of turnips & radishes???
I've planted corn and done well, beans and sunflowers never make it past 3 inches before they get devoured 5 acres worth.
With all the protein in clover and chicory plus add in the longevity and pretty much year around attractant. Is it really worth it to depend on weather to plow, disc, spray and plant every year?
Plant the clover/chicory, mow spray maybe once a year and sit back and enjoy...….throw in a 1/2 acre of PPT/radishes.
I've got about 10 acres I plant in rotation, broken into 6 different sections within a 80 acre track.

So, did I talk myself into it. Please give input.

 

[Baker]

Frankly I think you are spot on. In many cases summer plots are best for those with acreage, equipment, experience, and budget.Mixes of Clover and chicory can in many parts of the country be nearly year round production. You can also mix the radishes, ptt and small grains directly into the clover for fall then mow come spring to release the clover. Easy to grow, nearly impossible to overgraze, requires minimal maintenance input, easy to establish, can last for years, meets whitetails and other wildlife nutritional needs, very cost effective, minimal equipment requirements, ....lots of juice in a well managed clover plot.

 

[Gator]

Nothing wrong with clover at all. With that said, clover isn't the most attractive food year round which means at some point with nothing but clover, the deer will leave and go to other more desirable food sources (assuming they exists around you). What are your goals? I would never be without some clover. But I would also never give up my soybean field. 5 acres of beans never getting about 3 inches is a problem. Need to thin the herd or something, maybe you are the only game in town and thus attracting all the other deer to your bean field (again most attractive at the time).

 

[catscratch]

You sound burned out. Do whatever makes you feel good and let it ride. This whole thing is for fun and if the intensive farming for plots has turned into a hassle then shift away from it.

 

[FarmerD]

If you're coming to my house for supper and I am making spaghetti, guess what you're having for supper?

50% of my plots are in perennial clover and the rest of the plots are in my fall mix of annual clovers (including medium red), cereal grains, radish, turnips and whatever else I can think of. I quit planting summer plots because 5+ acres were wiped out and I ended up with a weed plot. However, that's because (I hope) my properties are the better games in town. There is no AG around, only hay fields for dairy cattle, etc..

I've watched deer eat in my Durana plots, middle of the summer with 95+ degree days. Every place is different, so a lot just "depends".

 

[Ed Brodt]

We did exactly that a couple of years ago. Clover does fine almost year round here in Central KY. This past fall our PTT crop was a failure. Not sure if they browsed it before it could mature, bad seed or something else. I mean not one tuber developed. So we broadcasted Rye grain which saved the day. We did not have any exclusion cages up. Will remedy that this year.

 

[Chainsaw]

Have tried it all different ways here over the years and can't see not having clover plots with chicory mixed in at the very minimum. A property only needs so much clover though and it isn't that much. Anything after that is very, very dependent on your neighborhood. With the usual deep snows and severe winters here turnips and lot's of browse are an absolute must have. The neighborhood doesn't do it so I do it. Some farmers are so efficient that their fields are wastelands after harvest, others are not so efficient; Property near not so efficient farmers will lose the deer to those neighboring corn and bean fields full of unharvested corn and beans so corn and or beans are usually well worth the effort in that case.

Most of my neighbors have wild apple trees and/or pear trees but most are so overgrown that they don't fruit so well;conversely our 2,000 plus released apple and pear trees draw a ton of deer from surrounding properties. Are apple trees needed on a property? They are if you border a property that has them and has them producing well.

Back to your property--Every property is so unique as are most neighborhoods that the best thing to do is try a different program and see what results. If you border properties that have both cover, food plots and low pressure and you reduce your food plots then your hunting opportunities will obviously decrease from what it is today. As Gator mentioned if deer won't let 5 acres of soybeans get going and you have ok soil and are planting at the right time for your area and don't have a drought or floods, etc. then there are way too many deer. Likely your browse levels need some of the attention that has been going to the food plots. I think of browse levels as clover plots; they are easy; Yes browse levels do need attention to keep them up but one is not so tied to specific plow/planting deadlines. There isn't the commercial value to selling browse seeds so not so many pro-writers write about it very often.

The optimum food and cover program is to have someone do it for you and then you supplement the program as needed to attain a level of deer hunting that makes you happy. ie; rent food plots to a farmer but instead charging of money have them plant crops that will help your property feed the deer, have him leave some crops in the field, plant cover crops after harvest or have him plant food plots for you in return for "renting" your land IF the land can carry it and there is rental demand for small acreage in your area.
To increase browse, have your timber cut to your specifications in sections each year and give the logger a higher cut of the sale to make up for the extra work per dollar brought in cutting small acreages. Mark trees so that all natural fruit and nut trees are heavily released in the section being cut.
And the finally just do a little maintenance to keep clover operating and invasive plants under control. And then enjoy shooting lots of deer to keep your property running at peak food and cover production.

 

[The Famous Grouse]

I say it all the time. Clover is the food plotting equivalent of having a good ground game in football. It isn't flashy, it isn't showy, it isn't high risk, it doesn't involve buying a bunch of cool equipment. It just works.

I use clover and an alfalfa/clover blend for more than half of my plot acerage because it reduces workload and it works. In fact, I will often see deer go back and forth between soybeans and clover or brassicas and clover.

Grouse

 

[j-bird]

Do what works best for YOU! We all have different goals and experiences... Lots of advantages to perennials.

 

[Elkaddict]

In the north country, your plots wouldn’t get used 5 months a year...deer will only dig through so much snow for lip high clover. Each property is different. I’d give up clover before my rye/triticale, brassicas and corn.

 

[Native Hunter]

Since my neighbor is now putting in 70 acres of FREE soybeans for my deer every year - I need not consider anything past chicory, clover, radishes and grains. Add to that the fact that I have a heavy producing fruit and nut jungle - no need for me to do anything else unless it is for fun. I sure did enjoy growing buckwheat last year, however, so might do that again just for my own enjoyment.

 

[Triple C]

Down south, particularly in piney woods country where we don't compete with much of any ag, clover is king. Good rains during the summer and I feed deer year-round with it. Add brassicas and grains in the winter and I'm a happy, happy food plotter. To you point on cost, when I first purchased my property I wanted to plant everything and pretty much did. Cowpeas, soybeans and sunflower in the spring/summer and grains/brassicas in the fall. I spent a whole bunch of money cause I wanted to. It was new to me and exiting to do. Spent quite a bit on equipment. I no longer plant summer plots because I don't feel I need to. And, food plotting can be very expensive. I continue to convert more ground to perennial clover. For my property, it has proven to be a very desirable food source and once established, very cost effective and relatively easy to manage. I turn 63 this year and can smell the goal line if you will as far as retirement goes. Want to make sure I retire comfortably and since about 55, have become much more conscious of trying to be more frugal with disposable income.

 

[dogghr]

No argument from me of the OPs plans. Lickcreek gave a cheap easy rotation that fed year round without expensive seed or excessive time. He showed how. to plant more expensive crops but always advocated against it. My clover/chicory/alfalfa/grain/ brassica is as simple as one can get with year round food. Certainly beans and corn works but def more intensive and expensive unless leased out.
My problem is the dang farmers now overseed their corn harvested fields with grain/ clover/ brassica keeping deer from needing to leave the previously barren fields.

 

[Drycreek]

I can't see just clover for my purposes. For a couple months in the summer, just when does need to have plenty of milk, my clover burns up. It just won't stand the 90 to 100 degree heat. About the times it recovers well, it's winter and it fizzles again. I love clover, but it's not a year 'round plot for me. I do agree that not much (that I've planted) attracts deer like WINA clover.

This food plotting is a never ending chase, and I'm still looking for the perfect crop.

 

[FL Plotter]

Down south, particularly in piney woods country where we don't compete with much of any ag, clover is king. Good rains during the summer and I feed deer year-round with it. Add brassicas and grains in the winter and I'm a happy, happy food plotter. To you point on cost, when I first purchased my property I wanted to plant everything and pretty much did. Cowpeas, soybeans and sunflower in the spring/summer and grains/brassicas in the fall. I spent a whole bunch of money cause I wanted to. It was new to me and exiting to do. Spent quite a bit on equipment. I no longer plant summer plots because I don't feel I need to. And, food plotting can be very expensive. I continue to convert more ground to perennial clover. For my property, it has proven to be a very desirable food source and once established, very cost effective and relatively easy to manage. I turn 63 this year and can smell the goal line if you will as far as retirement goes. Want to make sure I retire comfortably and since about 55, have become much more conscious of trying to be more frugal with disposable income.

I can relate to your response and my plotting trajectory is matching yours as I am definitely slowing down as I entered my 50s last year. Only have a few plots with enough clay in the soil that will hold the clover year after year, but as a minimum, when the fall grains go in the ground in October, clover and chickory is in the mix....as a minimum, every plot planted like that will feed until August or so the following year until the Florida heat takes its toll.

 

[SwampCat]

That is basically what I have converted to - with a little extra. I plant durana clover, and it often burns up mid summer - leaving nothing the last half the summer and early fall - just as Drycreek alluded to. So, I plant a five acre plot of eagle seed forage beans as backup. In moderate summers, when both do well, the deer split time between the two crops - but it seems as if the bucks actually prefer the clover. In years when it drys up, or spring floods kill the clover, the deer will hit the beans hard. I dont supply enough beans to support the herd, but at least it keeps them coming back to my property - which I believe is important to make the local deer consider my property in their year round home range. I also seed wheat into the clover in the fall to give a quick food source while the clover is coming back.

In a good year, i seed wheat into my existing clover plots, and then plant eagle seed beans in the spring. Both plantings are relatively easy to keep fairly weed free, and not a lot of prep. I dont want mixed plots that I cant use a herbicide to control the weeds. I no longer plant a variety of seeds - other than those three. For me, simple is better. My deer like it too.

 

[Brian]

... the rest of the plots are in my fall mix of annual clovers (including medium red), cereal grains, radish, turnips and whatever else I can think of.

How much medium red clover are you using with the annual clovers? I planted crimson at 12#/ac. and arrowleaf at 4# - good stuff while it's producing but it fades in July, right at the start of our nutritional stress period and I'm thinking medium red might extend that a bit.

 

[TreeDaddy]

I can't see just clover for my purposes. For a couple months in the summer, just when does need to have plenty of milk, my clover burns up. It just won't stand the 90 to 100 degree heat. About the times it recovers well, it's winter and it fizzles again. I love clover, but it's not a year 'round plot for me. I do agree that not much (that I've planted) attracts deer like WINA clover.

This food plotting is a never ending chase, and I'm still looking for the perfect crop.

Ditto ^^^^^^^

Clovers act more like reseeding annuals than perennials here

bill

 

[FarmerD]

How much medium red clover are you using with the annual clovers? I planted crimson at 12#/ac. and arrowleaf at 4# - good stuff while it's producing but it fades in July, right at the start of our nutritional stress period and I'm thinking medium red might extend that a bit.

I use this chart as a guideline for my mix or mixes. Remember that these rates are for PLS (pure live seed), so if your seed tag says you have 34% inert material and a germination rate of 85% and the bag holds 4 lbs, (4 x (1-.34) x .85 = 2.244 lbs), you only have 2.244 pounds of pure live seed in the bag. Sometimes we don't add enough PLS and think the crop failed.

The picture below, is what my medium red clover/clovers cereal grain, brassica blend, looked like in September, before I foolishly worked it up to plant a fall blend. Most everything but the MRC died off. MRC has a deeper tap root than most white clovers, so it can tolerate moderate droughts better than white clover. But I always use it in a mix to hedge my bets!

Then we headed into drought. That MR would've fed my deer for a lot longer that year, had I left it.

 

[FarmerD]