Dual use clover fields

[Baker]

Here is a 5 acre clover field planted in Durana, red clover and a little crimson. Last fall I drilled 25 lbs/acre wheat, 1 lb /acre turnips, and 2 lbs/acre radishes for fall attractant and fall, winter nutrition. You can see the wheat has browned and the seed hardened. This combo essentially provides year round use. The clover is flourishing now, the deer love the wheat seed heads and the field has had steady use year round. I will wait to mow it till the wheat has either been consumed or completely broken down. Then repeat the process next fall.

You can see an apple tree in the foreground and a pear tree in the background. I have an orchard of 25 trees around this plot consisting of apples, pears, and persimmons .

I dug a pond across the road from this plot and there is also a 3 acre NWSG field on the other side of the pond. Strong habitat. I have 7 clover fields ranging from1 acre to 11 acres that follow this rough pattern . [ with room for experimentation]

 

[catscratch]

Looks great. I do the exact same thing with med red and ladino clover. Last fall I planted awnless wheat to see if it would make a difference.

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[OkieKubota]

My go to is Barduro Red, durana white, radishes, PTT, and WR for year around plots...

 

[catscratch]

My deer show little interest in PTT and WR. I know WR is a great soil builder but without attraction like wheat I tend not to use it often.
Okie, do you have wheat fields near your place?

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[Baker]

Looks great. I do the exact same thing with med red and ladino clover. Last fall I planted awnless wheat to see if it would make a difference.

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I am curious about the awnless wheat. I understand it may be more preferred but I've never given these deer the option. I know they relish the wheat heads. Watched a doe just this evening enjoying a meal.

 

[Baker]

I plant all my dual use fields [ small grains to soybeans or peas etc ] in rye and wheat. When young and green I can't see any grazing preference but then again the way they are blended would be impossible to tell. This is the first year I planted ptt and noticed very little use till very late winter and even then negligible. Candidly I planted them more for the worms and will plant again this fall. Now radishes...different story.

 

[catscratch]

I'll report the awnless results (if I remember).
I didn't mix them when I planted WR. Straight WR only so that I could look for results. Plot usage went down a lot, but I live in ag country. If I plant something different than what's farmed locally and the deer don't like it then they just spend the night at the ag fields. If I plant the same as the ag fields they will use my plots but only if they feel more secure in the plots than the ag fields.
My deer like radishes! PTT rot all winter.

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[OkieKubota]

My deer show little interest in PTT and WR. I know WR is a great soil builder but without attraction like wheat I tend not to use it often.
Okie, do you have wheat fields near your place?

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No crops of any kind for many, many miles...big woods all around me and past that is cattle pastures...

 

[DocHolladay]

My deer show little interest in PTT and WR. I know WR is a great soil builder but without attraction like wheat I tend not to use it often.
Okie, do you have wheat fields near your place?

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Have you tried Triticale? It is a winter wheat/winter rye cross. It will give you the soil builder and hopefully the deer will eat it.

 

[catscratch]

Have you tried Triticale? It is a winter wheat/winter rye cross. It will give you the soil builder and hopefully the deer will eat it.

No, never tried it. Honestly never had much drive to get away from wheat. It's super easy and works great.

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[Mennoniteman]

Here is a 5 acre clover field planted in Durana, red clover and a little crimson. Last fall I drilled 25 lbs/acre wheat, 1 lb /acre turnips, and 2 lbs/acre radishes for fall attractant and fall, winter nutrition. You can see the wheat has browned and the seed hardened. This combo essentially provides year round use. The clover is flourishing now, the deer love the wheat seed heads and the field has had steady use year round. I will wait to mow it till the wheat has either been consumed or completely broken down. Then repeat the process next fall.

You can see an apple tree in the foreground and a pear tree in the background. I have an orchard of 25 trees around this plot consisting of apples, pears, and persimmons .

I dug a pond across the road from this plot and there is also a 3 acre NWSG field on the other side of the pond. Strong habitat. I have 7 clover fields ranging from1 acre to 11 acres that follow this rough pattern . [ with room for experimentation] View attachment 6717

Do you spray or till the field before you drill the wheat in the fall? When do you plant the clover? And about when do you like to drill the wheat?

 

[dogghr]

I do the same Baker, except just broadcast into clovers in late Aug when it is a bit burned down from heat. I use WR mix with the WW. And also the PTT and radish. Deer really love all the above thru the winter and with south facing slopes even with my cold, I can get growth of the grains in midwinter. Deer keep it mowed until mid May and then it all goes to seed, Don't see much use after good greenup in May of the seed heads except by turkey. The thicket made my the grains, attracts turkey for bugs and deer for fawning. I let everything just take its course before mowing Late July, then repeat the whole process. I have no ag except some corn and alfalfa in the area.

 

[Baker]

Do you spray or till the field before you drill the wheat in the fall? When do you plant the clover? And about when do you like to drill the wheat?

I am exclusively no till and haven't done any tillage in several years. On some fields if necessary I'll spray cleth for grass. Usually can control broad weeds with mowing . I drill the wheat into the clover mid Sept-early August as conditions allow. Clover is planted at the same time if necessary . Keep in mind I am in central La. when considering planting times. Also as dogghr suggested, the wheat can simply be broadcast as it germinates easily with just a little moisture.

 

[Mennoniteman]

"exclusively no-till" You are my hero. I've been working towards going all no till for several years, still doing a lot of experimenting. I really like what you are doing, a plot with low maintenance and year round deer food is almost utopia. What is your opinion on oats vs. winter wheat?

 

[Baker]

"exclusively no-till" You are my hero. I've been working towards going all no till for several years, still doing a lot of experimenting. I really like what you are doing, a plot with low maintenance and year round deer food is almost utopia. What is your opinion on oats vs. winter wheat?

No question oats are great. I've tried them several times though and not had good luck. Best guess is that winter is a little to cold on them and they turn red and stunted. Wheat and rye on the other hand handle winter just fine and go to seed nicely in the spring. My double cropped fields are all shoulder high now with the wheat already hardened seed and the rye turning now. I'll begin drilling into them perhaps as early as next week.

 

[OkieKubota]

Last year when we had good early rains my WR was shoulder high in my backyard by now...this photo was taken 1 yr ago on April 12th 2016...the clover under this WR is knee deep...

This year with no rain and an ongoing drought the WR is less than knee high and clover is 3-4" with some spots being about a foot deep...


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[OkieKubota]

Picture of clover in WR 1 year ago...no till and all rocks...

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[catscratch]

Okie, you grow some beautiful plots.
My plots seem to have a lot in common with Baker's plots. I've planted oats a few times with little success/use too. Also completely throw-n-mow so no tillage here either. The only problem I find with this type of plot is I don't get to tinker with it much. I like to play with plots and this type doesn't lend itself to a lot of tinkering.

 

[Mennoniteman]

No question oats are great. I've tried them several times though and not had good luck. Best guess is that winter is a little to cold on them and they turn red and stunted. Wheat and rye on the other hand handle winter just fine and go to seed nicely in the spring. My double cropped fields are all shoulder high now with the wheat already hardened seed and the rye turning now. I'll begin drilling into them perhaps as early as next week.

What are you drilling into them next week? Soybeans?

 

[Baker]

What are you drilling into them next week? Soybeans?

2 different strategies this spring. I have a field that has become overrun with some kind of wild summer melon. I burned this field down with gly about a month ago and will drill straight soybeans to it. Then spray with gly and canopy which will burn any new weeds as well as act as pre emerge . The goal is to clean this 12 acre field up.

On the other fields I will drill soybeans, cow peas, sunflower, egyptian wheat and sorghum directly to the standing crop. The standing crop is 100 lbs/acre rye, 50 lbs acre wheat, crimson that has become perennial, and radishes [ 3 lbs/acre ]

I'm also planting a couple of fields in same standing crop above with straight grain sorghum attempting to increase the om .

Lastly I have a long range strategy on the sandiest field I have to get it to alfalfa fall of 2018. I'm drilling straight sunn hemp at 15 lbs acre this summer. It will go back to the fall mix mentioned above this fall. Next summer probably grain sorghum. Then I believe it may be amended enough for alfalfa.

In the meant time I am negotiating with a local plantation to buy their cottonseed gin trash spreader and get their mountain of trash free. If I can pull it off that will be my source of additional fertility for years to come.