Curious about alfalfa plots
- Thread starter jackson13
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jackson13
New Member
Hey I was wandering if anyone has had any experience with alfalfa next to soybeans.
This past summer I had a nice stand of clover (in SE Kansas) right on the edge of about 15 acres of soybeans. I did not use an exclusion cage but as far as I could tell the deer barely touched the clover. So I have planted about 2 acres worth of alfalfa this fall (mixed with brassicas) in hopes of being able to ease the pressure on the soybeans. The soybeans this summer although I had 15 acres did not get much higher than 1.5 feet at the least browsed areas about 30 deer a night kept it mowed down.
But to the main point here where does alfalfa fall on a preference list as compared to soybeans.
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This past summer I had a nice stand of clover (in SE Kansas) right on the edge of about 15 acres of soybeans. I did not use an exclusion cage but as far as I could tell the deer barely touched the clover. So I have planted about 2 acres worth of alfalfa this fall (mixed with brassicas) in hopes of being able to ease the pressure on the soybeans. The soybeans this summer although I had 15 acres did not get much higher than 1.5 feet at the least browsed areas about 30 deer a night kept it mowed down.
But to the main point here where does alfalfa fall on a preference list as compared to soybeans.
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swat1018
Well-Known Member
It's seasonal. Beans are a pretty preferred food source until they turn yellow, until weather gets rough and they go back after the bean. Alfalfa shines best in early spring compared to beans and should be a descent draw in the summer. I don't think you can count on deer focusing on any crop 100% and leaving beans alone.
jackson13
New Member
Yes I guess even if the attraction is most powerful in the spring then it would at least help some. About a week after emergence you can walk the whole 15 acres and it’s almost impossible to find a single plant without browse.
Hopefully it’s more attractive during the summer than the clover!
Thanks for your input!
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Hopefully it’s more attractive during the summer than the clover!
Thanks for your input!
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Back when I could pay attention to my PH more I planted it. Best Food Plot ever. I had an acre of it and it would be filled with 10-20 deer every evening. I didn’t have much ag around me and certainly not beans, but they were all over it. Lasted 7 years.
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j-bird
Well-Known Member
My limited experience with alfalfa is that you need to do/have 1 of 2 things. You need either enough deer to keep it trimmed (as the deer most favor the young growth)...OR...you have to have the means to cut AND bale it....again to get the fresh young growth. It likes fertile decently drained soil and lots of sunlight. I have it mixed in with other perennials (clover and chicory) just for some diversity.
As for how it compares to beans....I have no idea. The nice thing about beans is you get a summer forage and hopefully a fall grain as well, but it is an annual. I also like layering/overseeding beans with cereal grains and brassica as well to get some more diversity in a bean plot.
As for how it compares to beans....I have no idea. The nice thing about beans is you get a summer forage and hopefully a fall grain as well, but it is an annual. I also like layering/overseeding beans with cereal grains and brassica as well to get some more diversity in a bean plot.
jackson13
New Member
Yes I am wandering now if I shouldn’t try to mix it in with my clover plot also. The reason I’m trying to find something else rather than beans is because my beans aren’t growing enough to produce a decent amount of pods. So I need something that is very good under browse pressure and also just as attractive if not more attractive than soybeans in order to take some of the pressure off of the soybeans. Like I said in the beginning I have plenty of deer to keep an alfalfa field mowed if it is as attractive as soybeans otherwise it’ll be somewhat useless outside of early spring and early fall
Anyways thank you for chiming in!
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jackson13
New Member
I guess this brings up another question that I may need to start another post for but by upping the planting rate for soybeans how much will that combat the heavy browse pressure and will it increase pod production at all?
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DocHolladay
Well-Known Member
You can over plant anything and it will either limit the growth, because the plant has no room to express it’s full potential because of limited space or the plants will use up the limited resources in the soil. It could be combination of the two. I don’t know if you are drilling them in or sowing them on the surface in a TnM fashion. If drilling, you could change the row spacing. If you are planting 30” rows, go to 15” rows. If 15” rows, go to 7” rows. You still run into issues with row spacing too. To tight of spacing and the plant doesn’t have optimal room to grow horizontally. You have to find a happy medium to give you as much as growth, horizontally and vertically as you want/need, but also be able to produce the appropriate amount of forage and keep up with the browse pressure. Variety of bean makes a difference also.
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jackson13
New Member
Currently working on thinning them out!! And I can’t disagree with you it would be nice. I just would really like to have some sort of grain and I’m not sure my ground is ready for corn yet.
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Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
What j-bird said. Alfalfa might have a slightly better draw than clover, but way more work, needs cutting and baling, plus, the paltable stage of grazing isn't quite as durable as clover, meaning, the deer will get more good grazing days on average out of clover. Neither one will outdraw beans.
You got it right, I do 7" rows with beans, for deer it works way better than 30"
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
Plant forage soybeans, they can stand the grazing pressure much better than ag beans, plus, they have a much longer season of providing green forage, and they still give a good bean crop at the end of the season for deer to eat. Titan is my current hot hand in soybeans...
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
You have the idea here. Also known as the Lick Creek food plot method, if anyone's interested look up that thread on here. That's a hot combination for whitetails. http://deerhunterforum.com/index.php?threads/lcs-mixes.26/
j-bird
Well-Known Member
Sounds like you need a combo plan of more food and fewer mouths....
If the deer are damaging the beans bad enough....you could drill the 1/3,1/3,1/3 plan into them in late summer as well...if you have the means to do that. Reducing the mouths will also benefit your native browse and habitat as well.... Like was mentioned you might be able to increase you planting density of your beans.....many ag producers plant on 7.5" centers or at the most 15" centers vs the conventional/old school 30" centers. You could also plant forage type beans vs grain type beans and they will tolerate the browsing better...but you will have to look into if they will produce pods or not.
If the deer are damaging the beans bad enough....you could drill the 1/3,1/3,1/3 plan into them in late summer as well...if you have the means to do that. Reducing the mouths will also benefit your native browse and habitat as well.... Like was mentioned you might be able to increase you planting density of your beans.....many ag producers plant on 7.5" centers or at the most 15" centers vs the conventional/old school 30" centers. You could also plant forage type beans vs grain type beans and they will tolerate the browsing better...but you will have to look into if they will produce pods or not.
