Beaverdam

[Foragefarmer]

Been awhile; I have been dealing with the death and estate of a family member on top of everything else that life brings.

Anyway; I planted some dove crack. These pics are from last week. The sunflowers are close to flowering now and almost a foot taller than in the pics.



I also planted soybeans but the deer have basically loved them to death. I was going to interplant with a brassica mix in the fall so that is still the plan.

The clover I planted into two pastures last year has gone crazy and made great hay and I see deer in those fields almost every evening. They are really utilizing the red clover right now as the white goes dormant.

 

[Foragefarmer]

Couple pics of one of the fields I added red and ladino clover to last year. Note the deer beds in both pics.





Volunteer pear tree is loaded this year.



Sunflowers are starting to flower. It has been dry and growth on everything has slowed. My lawn doesn't need to be mown this week which is the first time since I started mowing in the spring.

 

[Foragefarmer]

I have been pleased with the ladino performance. Since it gets taller than the white dutch I think it competes better with the fescue.

I was making sure my cameras were working. Looks like a good hit list this year from what I have been seeing in the fields.

 

[Foragefarmer]

Finally got around to spraying my beans. Also got some rain.



Deer never let them do much. Which is fine, I'll just do the brassica planting a little earlier and try to up the yield.




The deer fence got used on the sunflowers.

 

[Foragefarmer]

Checked my soybeans again yesterday and they are looking good for how hard they are being hit.



I was thinking that spraying had really helped them a bunch. then I looked at the edge of the field where I had missed a couple rows and those beans looked good as well. I guess it is more the rain we have gotten than killing weed competition.



Cows are in the pasture next to this plot and they are looking good as well. We have had cool for July temps and good rains for the last two weeks and the white clover in the pastures has come back and is growing well.




There were three big gobblers next to the sunflowers.

 

[Foragefarmer]

Came back from getting diesel. Hunting my place tomorrow. I like our chances. many more in the trees surrounding the field and the field at the same time.

 

[Foragefarmer]

The soybean field is still popular. They are making some pods but hardly any of the field is knee high. Weeds were coming in so I sprayed gly one evening last week and Saturday morning I interseeded rape and radish and we have gotten a little over 2" of rain since then.





7 of us dove hunted in the mist yesterday. Four limits were shot and everyone had fun.

 

[Foragefarmer]

Got one, but not on my farm. I have hunted a farm 10 mins. away for about 10 years now. It gets pressured by the neighbors running their dogs across it. A pack was running tonight and it is bow season and a month till it is legal to run dogs. They get tickets and don't care, it's the price of doing business for them.

26 yards, you can see the exit in the shoulder, fell in the field.

 

[Foragefarmer]

Gonna put these picks up here as well for the record.

145 lbs. dressed, jaw bone says 4.5. Hopefully no confirmation bias in that assessment.

 

[Foragefarmer]

Hunting the brassicas.

 

[Foragefarmer]

One

 

[Foragefarmer]

Brassicas have been getting lots of attention.