Next year's plan

[Bowman]

2019 weather in northern lower peninsula Michigan:

Spring rain, planting, June frost, then drought, fall moisture too late, germination, but not much growth.

I have fall planted oats, rye, triticale, turnips, rape, winfred, radish, kale and peas.

Today, with only a couple inches of snow, very little growth visible.

So I am looking for major winter stockpiled forage. Any ideas are appreciated.

Soil tests, lime and fertilized to test.

To a better 2020. Thanks.

 

[Drycreek]

Always looking to better ourselves, that’s one reason we do this. Your area falls outside my area of knowledge, but WW has always been my go-to for fall/winter. Big difference in our winters though. Other guys in Northern areas always seem to favor brassicas.

 

[farmhunter]

I'm going back to more corn next year. Soybeans usually serve me well - but this year my neighbor left his farm fields fallow and the beans were hammered and are almost gone already. 6 acres. I skimped on corn - and now I have little to hold the deer for the late season. live and learn.

 

[rusty1034]

I'm going back to more corn next year. Soybeans usually serve me well - but this year my neighbor left his farm fields fallow and the beans were hammered and are almost gone already. 6 acres. I skimped on corn - and now I have little to hold the deer for the late season. live and learn.

Did they eat your beans green ? I have over an acre of standing beans now that are untouched. I thought maybe there would be some getting hit by now.

They are hammering the corn however!






Rusty

 

[Chainsaw]

Rusty your bean field is beautiful! Assuming those pods are not empty;they look like they are holding beans, is it possible that the deer on your property have never been exposed to beans? If so once they figure it out you'll have a real draw there. And to grow ONE acre of beans so successfully is near impossible.

Our beans were planted late and eaten right to the ground green. Luckily radishes and purple top were also planted with the beans.If the beans make it past the green stage the deer leave them alone through the yellow stage here until they get like yours look now. And then it is just like apples!

 

[rusty1034]

Dave, the pods are still full. As far as I know, there are no beans for miles, so that’s probably the reason the deer haven’t mine yet. Mine got nibbled on a little while they were growing, but as you can see, they made it to maturity. I purchased an electric exclusion fence, but never installed it.
You can’t see it in this picture, but I broadcast winter wheat (that I got from Dennis) into the beans as they were starting to yellow. Under the snow is 2” tall tender shoots for some additional tonnage !


Rusty

 

[THE LLC]

You guys wear me out talking about next year already and the rut hasn't even kicked in good yet. LOL

 

[OkieKubota]

You guys wear me out talking about next year already and the rut hasn't even kicked in good yet. LOL

I am guilty of the same thing...I sit in my stand and look around and make a habitat plan to make next year better...

 

[THE LLC]

Me too, but I keep telling myself I gotta quit that and hunt cause as my papa used to say, "tomorrow never comes".

 

[Drycreek]

^^^^^^ That’s what we do !

 

[Mennoniteman]

2019 weather in northern lower peninsula Michigan:

Spring rain, planting, June frost, then drought, fall moisture too late, germination, but not much growth.

I have fall planted oats, rye, triticale, turnips, rape, winfred, radish, kale and peas.

Today, with only a couple inches of snow, very little growth visible.

So I am looking for major winter stockpiled forage. Any ideas are appreciated.

Soil tests, lime and fertilized to test.

To a better 2020. Thanks.

Most of us have had a similar year. Winter rye is my emergency backup plan and it's what's going to be my bailout. I started to hedge my bets on winter forage by planting some cereal rye earlier than most people would advise, as in mid-August here in zone 6b. The rye grows a better root system and since a September dry spell isn't uncommon, this gives the rye a head start. The deer will be grazing this rye all winter, even digging through snow to get to it, long after the brassicas are gone.

I'm going back to more corn next year. Soybeans usually serve me well - but this year my neighbor left his farm fields fallow and the beans were hammered and are almost gone already. 6 acres. I skimped on corn - and now I have little to hold the deer for the late season. live and learn.

I will also be planting more corn next year, after taking it out of my program for several years I realized that it provided valuable fall and winter food, and nothing in the summer when there's too much deer food around anyway.

Did they eat your beans green ? I have over an acre of standing beans now that are untouched. I thought maybe there would be some getting hit by now.

They are hammering the corn however!



View attachment 17488


Rusty

If you have standing beans and your deer aren't eating them you better have your deer herd checked out for normalcy! You may have a different species of animals...

I am guilty of the same thing...I sit in my stand and look around and make a habitat plan to make next year better...

Nothing like sitting in a hunting stand planning next year's deer management.

 

[weekender21]

I haven't even been to my property during the 2019 season and I'm already thinking about 2020. But...I'm also thinking about the few days I'll get to hunt at the end of this month, looking forward to it.

I'm still waiting to find out if my state funded burn plan gets approved. If that's the only thing that happens in 2020 it will be a success. I have several ideas to get a few more acres of food on the land but those plans will likely wait until I live on the same continent. It's easy to get ahead of yourself.

 

[dtabor]

I am guilty of the same thing...I sit in my stand and look around and make a habitat plan to make next year better...

OkieKubota, this is exactly what I do every year. Im in my stand or blind and making notes on my phone for the next year.

 

[TreeDaddy]

I bush hogged a few "open areas" in the woods and broadcast winter rye last week

If it grows/doesnt flood will turn into plots

bill

 

[Elkaddict]

I’m already planning as well. We had our best corn production to date. About half of our 6 acres of brassicas had the significant weed infestation (I believe it was adulterated seed). We started over with a played out clover plot and the oats and triticale have been an incredible draw this year (the cover chicory will be awesome next year). I continue to believe a buffet is the key. In our main plot complex, deer will hit grains, move on to clover, hit the alfalfa, the brassicas and then get some corn. The movement this creates is great, as is spreading out the does this time of year. I think this system is spot on four our rough winters. If deer numbers were to increase, I do believe I’d revert to a version of LC’s rotation of grain/clover and brassicas. I believe he was right about it being the most productive for high deer numbers.

 

[MarkDarvin]

2019 weather in northern lower peninsula Michigan:

Spring rain, planting, June frost, then drought, fall moisture too late, germination, but not much growth.

I have fall planted oats, rye, triticale, turnips, rape, winfred, radish, kale and peas.

Today, with only a couple inches of snow, very little growth visible.

So I am looking for major winter stockpiled forage. Any ideas are appreciated.

Soil tests, lime and fertilized to test.

To a better 2020. Thanks.

First thing I'd do is switch to perennial clover. Perennials are going to fare much better through drought, flood, and wayward frosts. I was surprised to see how long my clover got used this year. As of Tuesday, I was watching deer eat that flat and frozen clover at 5 degrees. Probably won't do much for you once 12" of snow hit, but definite something is a start.

I had visions of trying to grow enough food to overwinter a herd, but I don't have anywhere near the acres. I have come to the conclusion the best bet for me is to send them into winter with as full of a belly as possible, but come December 1st, they need to get on to their natural winter pattern and range.

Also, don't over look early winter select cutting your woods. My place has no timber value, so I manage for wildlife only. I try to spend a few days around Thanksgiving putting canopies on the ground. Those tops are great food and can last a long time. I put a cam on a birch top and had deer work it every day for a month. After that, your opened area will fill back up with ground level browse and become great stockpiled food that will certainly stand up in the snow.

 

[Bowman]

First thing I'd do is switch to perennial clover. Perennials are going to fare much better through drought, flood, and wayward frosts. I was surprised to see how long my clover got used this year. As of Tuesday, I was watching deer eat that flat and frozen clover at 5 degrees. Probably won't do much for you once 12" of snow hit, but definite something is a start.

I had visions of trying to grow enough food to overwinter a herd, but I don't have anywhere near the acres. I have come to the conclusion the best bet for me is to send them into winter with as full of a belly as possible, but come December 1st, they need to get on to their natural winter pattern and range.

Also, don't over look early winter select cutting your woods. My place has no timber value, so I manage for wildlife only. I try to spend a few days around Thanksgiving putting canopies on the ground. Those tops are great food and can last a long time. I put a cam on a birch top and had deer work it every day for a month. After that, your opened area will fill back up with ground level browse and become great stockpiled food that will certainly stand up in the snow.

Tell me more a bout barley.

 

[MarkDarvin]

Tell me more a bout barley.

**Forage barley, two-row barley, awnless barley, malting barley (all the same)

Rule #1 about barley, if you can grow winter wheat, grow winter wheat instead.

Now, that's not to say it doesn't have it's place. Here's why I like it.

Fastest growing/finishing cereal for cold region guys(seed heads in 8 weeks), tolerable amount of straw for the equipment challenged, edible seed head, edible greens, most water thrifty of the cereals, great alternative where winter wheat and winter rye won't survive spring flooding.

For the first time last year, I broadcast it into my clover right after the puddles were gone, and before the warm season stuff switched on. It carved out a spot in the clover, but I went way too thin. I think it's a great way to stave off grasses in clover. This coming year, I'm stocking up on it, and I'm planning to plant it twice in my clover. Still don't know if I'll be able to punch it through, but I'm gonna try some stuff. I think some green seed heads standing in the late fall/early snow would be wild.

 

[Bowman]

Might have to put it on the list. Thanks.

 

[pinetag]

I have started next year's planning as well. I just ordered 25 Norway Spruce and 50 Sandbar Willows from MDC for screening purposes. I also have plans to open up some canopy in a few new areas, seed some NWSG's, seed some pollinator species, and work hard on getting my shooting lanes cut and tree stands concealed better. Lots to do!