Where is the technological front in regen growing?

[MarkDarvin]

I've been wondering this for a while. Everyone that is interested in implementing regen growing is likely at their own unique spot in the evolution to doing things a different way. I would assume that is also driven by a person's understanding of the cause and effect of regen principles. But where is the leading edge of knowledge?

I think the movement and science has gotten to the point where growers have figured out how to beat weeds, bugs, floods, drought, economics, labor, equipment, low nutrition, erosion, the fertilizer bill, etc. I don't know that there is any frontier left to solve problems of old. I think the frontier is now in the complex task of discovering the best combinations of plants, the timing, and management tactics of each unique blend to achieve a specific outcome in a specific situation.

The system I'm working in has unique challenges. I've got a shorter growing season than just about anyone on here. I have a need for durable food that stands up in the snow, is bear and coon resistant, and can produce the tonnage necessary to carry a small herd from October 1st to some distance into winter. I haven't figured that out yet. I've made it through November, or the first heavy snow and that's where I'm stuck.

That's where I think we're at. I think the principles of regen growing are in and done. The advanced stuff likely won't ever be delivered to us given how unique the next set of challenges are. We're gonna have to use what we know to create our own solution for our own circumstances.

 

[Native Hunter]

I think the answer to this is how we define the term "food plot." Is a food plot only what we typically think of it to be, or should we expand our thinking to encompass the entire nutritional requirements of the deer and food availability for any given area of the country? I like to think of what we typically call a winter food plot (grains, brassicas, etc.) as just a tiny piece of the puzzle in the overall scheme of things. Winter food for whitetails comes in many shapes and sizes, but the overall king of winter food (and especially the further north you go) is woody browse. I would think that if a guy could get X acres of desirable shrubs (red osier, viburnums, strawberry bush, hazelnut, etc.) established, that it would be even more valuable in late winter than X acres of the typical food plots. Even where I live (much further south than you) I have a goal of expanding shrub plantings this year and in years to come.

Here are the things I have on my list for increasing winter food in the future:

• Expanding the size of my existing fall and winter plots
• Expanding the size and diversity of my shrub plantings
• Hinge cutting and thickening for cover and increasing browse
• Killing low preference browse species (mostly sweetgum for me) to give room for more preferred species
• And one that nobody here has probably thought of - Bringing strategic parts of my prairie back to an earlier state of succession so that more green winter forb rosettes will be available for browse all winter long. Yes, at some states of succession, a prairie can even feed deer in the winter!
• Using tree tops and fencing to create climbing areas for honeysuckle, which is a highly preferred and nutritious food in my area.

Edit: Normally, both soft and hard mast should be mentioned in my above list, but for me personally, I have already focused quite a bit on that aspect of winter feed, so that's why I didn't include it.

Best wishes....

 

[MarkDarvin]

I think the answer to this is how we define the term "food plot." Is a food plot only what we typically think of it to be, or should we expand our thinking to encompass the entire nutritional requirements of the deer and food availability for any given area of the country? I like to think of what we typically call a winter food plot (grains, brassicas, etc.) as just a tiny piece of the puzzle in the overall scheme of things. Winter food for whitetails comes in many shapes and sizes, but the overall king of winter food (and especially the further north you go) is woody browse. I would think that if a guy could get X acres of desirable shrubs (red osier, viburnums, strawberry bush, hazelnut, etc.) established, that it would be even more valuable in late winter than X acres of the typical food plots. Even where I live (much further south than you) I have a goal of expanding shrub plantings this year and in years to come.

Here are the things I have on my list for increasing winter food in the future:

• Expanding the size of my existing fall and winter plots
• Expanding the size and diversity of my shrub plantings
• Hinge cutting and thickening for cover and increasing browse
• Killing low preference browse species (mostly sweetgum for me) to give room for more preferred species
• And one that nobody here has probably thought of - Bringing strategic parts of my prairie back to an earlier state of succession so that more green winter forb rosettes will be available for browse all winter long. Yes, at some states of succession, a prairie can even feed deer in the winter!
• Using tree tops and fencing to create climbing areas for honeysuckle, which is a highly preferred and nutritious food in my area.

Best wishes....

it's definitely all pieces of the puzzle. In my neck of the woods, the browse game is pretty easy. I just hope what I leave behind doesn't blow down cause it doesn't have any neighbors to lean on.

On the food front, the plots play a huge role. I just don't know how much progress I can make before deer just keep piling in there from further away. The herds can get pretty big up by me, and if an area doesn't have food and cover, it's a ghost town.

 

[RGrizzzz]

That's where I think we're at. I think the principles of regen growing are in and done. The advanced stuff likely won't ever be delivered to us given how unique the next set of challenges are. We're gonna have to use what we know to create our own solution for our own circumstances.

I'm not so sure Regen is supposed to solve your problem of "food throughout the whole winter". It's meant to optimize the natural system. Nothing in nature grows during the dead of winter. Critters down expect anything to be growing either. They've evolved to survive winter whether you're creating extra food for them or not. Maximizing your output via Regen is great, but it still doesn't solve the food supply vs deer demand "problem".

 

[MarkDarvin]

I'm not so sure Regen is supposed to solve your problem of "food throughout the whole winter". It's meant to optimize the natural system. Nothing in nature grows during the dead of winter. Critters down expect anything to be growing either. They've evolved to survive winter whether you're creating extra food for them or not. Maximizing your output via Regen is great, but it still doesn't solve the food supply vs deer demand "problem".

Yeah, that makes sense.

 

[dogghr]

We spend a lot of time “manipulating “ when nature can often perform that manipulation quite well and more efficiently than we can if she is allowed to do so.
But it is difficult for man to be patient enough to not think he has to fix everything.
Perhaps what we deem important, ie , abundant food we think important thru every month of the year thruout every segment of the countries zones may actually be counter intuitive for the landscape and it’s inhabitants health.
But then what would the experts then have to talk about??


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[Baker]

I've gone very high tech! I now have 320 Kiko goats...all pregnant., 100 Corrientes cows soon with 100 calves and 70 laying hens with the anticipation of growing that to 1000 laying hens by the end of the year. Sheep are on my horizon.

We move the goats every 3 days and the cows about every 5 days. Intensive rotational grazing. The animals have been thru most of my woods and most of my plots. Amazing the impact they have. Literally lighting the farm up. In simplistic terms the goal is to amplify the micro biology of the entire farm thus impacting all the natural cycles and fertility. An outcome will be to create a savannah much like La. was when discovered by the Spaniards with lush diverse understory. I expect the food plots to morph dramatically as well.

As Dr. Allen Williams told me, I will not reach my regenerative goals without animal impact.

 

[MarkDarvin]

I've gone very high tech! I now have 320 Kiko goats...all pregnant., 100 Corrientes cows soon with 100 calves and 70 laying hens with the anticipation of growing that to 1000 laying hens by the end of the year. Sheep are on my horizon.

We move the goats every 3 days and the cows about every 5 days. Intensive rotational grazing. The animals have been thru most of my woods and most of my plots. Amazing the impact they have. Literally lighting the farm up. In simplistic terms the goal is to amplify the micro biology of the entire farm thus impacting all the natural cycles and fertility. An outcome will be to create a savannah much like La. was when discovered by the Spaniards with lush diverse understory. I expect the food plots to morph dramatically as well.

As Dr. Allen Williams told me, I will not reach my regenerative goals without animal impact.

Wow! Have you got butcher capacity and end users all lined up for that much food already? That's terrific!